Kim I.A.
Taraz State University, Kazakhstan
Some problems in teaching
English for Specific Purposes
and ways of their overcoming
English
for Specific Purposes has its own distinctive features and plays an important
role in English education. It differs from the general English due to its goal
and objectives. Students who study ESP usually have some knowledge of general
English. ESP combines subject matter and English language teaching, which is
highly motivating because students are able to apply the vocabulary and
structures that they learn in their field of study. They learn the language in
order to communicate in a professional sphere and they want to acquire a set of
professional skills in order to perform particular functions which are related
to their job. They are also more motivated as they know that English can help
them to find a better job and probably later be promoted. That is why English is
not “taught as a subject separated from the students' real world (or wishes);
instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to the
learners”. And this factor determines the content and approaches of teaching and learning in order
to make the process of learning and teaching more effective.
In
teaching ESP at our university we face at least two important problems. The
first is that teachers of ESP do not know the carrier content of the material
and the students may know more about it than the teacher. In this case it is vital to
establish a kind of cooperation with students. The role of the teacher in this
case is changing, he is becoming more a consultant and he has the opportunity
to “draw on students’ knowledge of the content in order to generate
communication in the classroom”. When teaching, for example English for
construction and studying the technique of reinforcing concrete, in which the
teacher has some vague understanding, it’s better to discuss this with the
students about how better to explore these material in order to meet the
objective they have. ESP teachers need to be rather flexible, they should
understand that it is useful for them to establish partnership with his
students, listen to learners, to be interested in the course of professional
activities in which the students are involved, and to take some risks in their
teaching.
The
second problem which we face is lack of appropriate textbooks for the course we
teach. At present time there exist only one available textbook “English for
biotechnologists and biologists” written by Î.S. Voevodina, O.Y. Nesterova,
A.R.Sadykova, which is far from being enough. In this case the teacher becomes
a course designer and material provider.
This
involves selection of published material, adapting it if it is not suitable, or
as in our case writing it. While writing it, it is necessary to observe the
following:
-
Students’ interest. As students are
the main point of education, the content of EST teaching materials should
stimulate their interest both in the field of study and in English language
learning. It means that the selected teaching materials must be real,
attractive, and readable. The expression of formal scientific and technological
principles must be as clear and varied as possible.
-
Usefulness and suitability. The
students should understand the content of EST teaching materials. It means that
the degree of language difficulty and readability should match the students’
English level. The material should not be too difficult or easy. It must meet
students’ demand. At the same time it must meet the needs of the students’ and
promote intellectual development.
It is supposed that EST teaching materials should
present basic information on science and technology, moving to building a
systematic structure of knowledge about science and technology.
The next thing which
should be taken into consideration is that English should be presented in
authentic contexts. Authentic material
is any kind of material taken from the real world and not specifically created
for the purpose of language teaching. While writing the teaching material it is
possible for the teacher to find authentic texts in the internet in different
sources, or any other source of information, including articles from scientific
journals. This is highly appreciated by EST students as there they can see the
latest achievements in the field of their studies and it is an important
motivating factor in their learning. Authentic material can provide students
with accurate information and by means of this, students can be involved in
real language situations. And thus it can have a positive effect on learners’
motivation. On the other hand this authentic material can be difficult in the
sense of language, terminology and structures. It can be a barrier for both the
teacher and the students, as it can hinder their understanding. In this case
the teaching material can be simplified and adapted to the level of learners.
At the same time reading these texts is not enough for learning the language.
That is why it necessary for the teacher to work out exercises, which can
expand their professional vocabulary and develop the additional vocabulary they
need for further study. There also should be exercises for improving their
grammar and help students to focus on grammatical structures which appear in
reading texts, such as verb forms, possessives, adjectives and adverbs, and
comparative forms and etc. But the teacher should keep it in mind that it is
important not to turn classes of professional English into classes of English
grammar and not to overestimate its role.
And one more important
thing which can be used in teaching practice is collaboration with a subject
specialist who can check and comment on the content of the syllabus and
teaching materials that the ESP teacher has prepared and helps him understand
the subject. On the other hand the ESP teacher can prepare learners for the
language of the subject lectures. Thus we can make a conclusion that both the
ESP teacher and the subject specialist will benefit from this collaboration.
Bibliography
1. Dudley-Evans, Tony (1998). Developments in English for Specific
Purposes: A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge University Press.
2. Hutchinson, Tom & Waters, Alan (1987). English for Specific
Purposes: A learner-centered approach. Cambridge University Press.
3. Jones, G. (1990). ESP textbooks: Do they really exist? English for
Specific Purposes
4. Yogman, J., & Kaylani, C. (1996). ESP program design for mixed level
students. English for Specific Purposes