English for Specific Purposes ESP: English for Specific Pur

English for Specific Purposes
    Good morning, welcome to this ESP course. As future ESP teachers, you’ll learn much about ESP, English for Specific Purposes, and ESP teaching. Today’s lecture is the very first of a series of lectures. So I’d like to spend some time discussing with you the following topics: How is ESP different from English as a Second Language, ESL, and the responsibility of the teacher in teaching ESP.
    I would say that the most important difference lies in the learners and their purposes for learning English. (1) ESP students are usually adults who already have some acquaintance with English and are learning the language in order to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform particular job-related functions. An ESP program is therefore built on an assessment of purposes and needs and the functions for which English is required.
    ESP concentrates more on language in context than on teaching grammar and language structures. It covers subjects varying from accounting or computer science to tourism and business management. The ESP focal point is that English is not taught as a subject separated from the students’ real world; instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to the learners.
    However, ESL and ESP diverge not only in the nature of the learner, but also in the aim of instruction. (3) In fact, as a general rule, while in ESL all four language skills, listening, reading, speaking, and writing, are stressed equally, in ESP it is a needs analysis that determines which language skills are most needed by the students, and the syllabus is designed accordingly. An ESP program, might, for example, emphasize the development of reading skills in students who are preparing for graduate work in business administration; or it might promote the development of spoken skills in students who are studying English in order to become tourist guides.
    As a matter of fact, ESP combines subject matter and English language teaching. Such a combination is highly motivating because students are able to apply what they learn in their English classes to their main field of study, whether it be accounting, business management, economics, computer science or tourism. Being able to use the vocabulary and structures that they learn in a meaningful context reinforces what is taught and increases their motivation.
    The students’ abilities in their subject-matter fields, in turn, improve their ability to acquire English. (5) Subject-matter knowledge gives them the context they need to understand the English of the classroom. In the ESP class, students are shown how the subject-matter content is expressed in English. The teacher can make the most of the students’ knowledge of the subject matter, thus helping them learn English faster.
    The term "specific" in ESP refers to the specific purpose for learning English. Students approach the study of English through a field that is already known and relevant to them. This means that they are able to use what they learn in the ESP classroom right away in their work and studies. The ESP approach enhances the relevance of what the students are learning and enables them to use the English they know to learn even more English, since their interest in their field will motivate them to interact with speakers and texts.
    ESP assesses needs and integrates motivation, subject matter and content for the teaching of relevant skills.
    Now, let’s move to the next topic: the responsibility of the teacher. A teacher that already has experience in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), can exploit her background in language teaching. She should recognize the ways in which her teaching skills can be adapted for the teaching of English for Specific Purposes. (6) Moreover, she will need to look for content specialists for help in designing appropriate lessons in the subject matter field she is teaching.
    As an ESP teacher, you must play many roles. You may be asked to organize courses, to set learning objectives, to establish a positive learning environment in the classroom, and to evaluate students’ progress.
    First, organizing courses. You have to set learning goals and then transform them into an instructional program with the timing of activities. (7) One of your main tasks will be selecting, designing and organizing course materials, supporting the students in their efforts, and providing them with feedback on their progress.
    Second, setting goals and objectives. (8) You arrange the conditions for learning in the classroom and set long-term goals and short-term objectives for students’ achievement. Your knowledge of students’ potential is central in designing a syllabus with realistic goals that takes into account the students’ concern in the learning situation.
    Third, creating a learning environment. Your skills for communication and mediation create the classroom atmosphere. Students acquire language when they have opportunities to use the language in interaction with other speakers. Being their teacher, you may be the only English speaking person available to students, and although your time with any of them is limited, you can structure effective communication skills in the classroom. In order to do so, in your interactions with students try to listen carefully to what they are saying and give your understanding or misunderstanding back at them through your replies. Good language learners are also great risk-takers, since they must make many errors in order to succeed; however, in ESP classes, they are handicapped because they are unable to use their native language competence to present themselves as well-informed adults. That’s why the teacher should create an atmosphere in the language classroom which supports the students. (9) Learners must be self-confident in order to communicate, and you have the responsibility to help build the learner’s confidence.
    Finally, evaluating students. The teacher is a resource that helps students identify their language learning problems and find solutions to them, find out the skills they need to focus on, and take responsibility for making choices which determine what and how to learn. (10) You will serve as a source of information to the students about how they are progressing in their language learning.
    That is what I’d like to talk about today. Hope you have got a general view on ESP and what you should do in teaching it. Next time, we’ll discuss the principles of ESP teaching. See you next week.