Principles to promote an interactive ESP class

Written by: John Hamilton Sepúlveda

ESP Teachers can face challenges in implementing new alternative approaches and feel

frustrated by constraints perceived to be outside their control. Therefore General

principles proposed for guiding L2 acquisition have also been considered in terms of

their applicability in a variety of language learning and teaching settings. ESP Teachers`

perceptions of the applicability to their contexts indicate that contextual constraints

would impede the application of some of the principles, but that an awareness of them

may give EFL teachers a sense of engaging in self-reflection and praxis, despite wider

socio - cultural constraints. The teacher functions as a facilitator or guide, supporting

learners as they try out new language and giving feedback on errors as a necessary step

in the language learning process (Nunan, 1991; Richards, 2001). Using an integrated

skills approach, many activities are done in pairs or small groups, so learners have

opportunities to use the target language in a variety of roles and contexts that aim to

approximate authentic situations to develop

What kind of teacher am I? What kind of students I have? What’s my context? These

are questions we make everyday, but the real question is? Am I prepared to apply an

important approach in my context? Or Maybe, Do I have the necessary experience to

teach in a specific context of students?

The knowledge and the experience are very important when you are trying to teach,

since you are confident and you can make to fell it to others ones. When your context is

at the University, the Micro – curriculum is ESP and you have 40 or even 50 students

you are a magician, you must be motivating, aware with the number of students,
amiable and the most important you decide if you want to be strict or permissive,

however, it depends of your contact with the group and your class management.

On the other hand, what is the most appropriate approach to teach ESP? Actually, it’s

not too easy, because it differs of the teaching by principles, in other words, you need

knowing these principles to establish your own theory. The principles could apply in

ESP, starting with: the Automaticity, since it’s very common the students analyze the

grammar structures to interpret technical texts. Another one is the Meaningful learning,

in this part ESP teacher must be able to lead the students through meaningful activities

where they apply their work experiences, such as manuals, role plays about real

situations, etc. Furthermore rote learning, ESP teachers could work others principles

like the Anticipation of reward and the Intrinsic motivation together, because the

students have a lot of needs to learn and the majority of them love to be motivated and

being recognized like good students in front of others. An example is when the students

participate with a technical English exercise and teacher congratulates them in front

their classmates. Although is important teachers can direct Ss in a principle of strategic

investment, where they plan how to study English. Otherwise teachers must have in

account the Language culture connections because most of students in Esp have the

costumes of practicing English with technical terminology related with their career, is to

say, teacher must be aware of it and to try of knowing a little more their Ss. Some of

them speak in English through slangs for instance what’s up.

It’s natural students, who are learning ESP, use L1 to understand technical texts or to

interpret graphics where English is included. Sometimes they want the English spoken

can be translated into Spanish language, but it’s not recommendable. Also, the teachers
must know is necessary to try different activities since students learn in different ways;

for example teachers can use reading comprehension taking into account skimming and

scanning strategies, also can use authentic material to practice glossary or the topic’s

been seen. For example teacher explains a topic related with circuits through of wires,

lookup tables, capacitors, led diode, etc.

Finally, ESP instructions need to ensure that learners develop both a rich repertoire of

formulaic expressions and a rule-based competence, also to ensure that learners focus

predominantly on meaning, on form and needs to be directed at developing implicit

knowledge of the L2 while not neglecting explicit knowledge, even, Instruction needs to

take into account learners’ “built-in syllabus”, in a similar way is important to know the

successful instructed language learning requires extensive L2 input, opportunities for

output, and to understand that interaction in the L2 is central to develop L2 proficiency.

Instruction needs must be focused in the individual differences of learners where ESP

teachers cater activities to students’ different learning styles in this case teachers are

responsible. It gets inherent students in the motivation.

In conclusion teachers must transform their classes in a place of interaction where the

students have the opportunity to perform and produce the English language in real

contexts of their daily life.

Bibliography

Nunan, 1991 - Richards, 2001 Language learning process

Richards & Rodgers, 2001 Use of the L2

Ellis, 2005 General principles for effective instructed second language learning