1 UNIVERSIDAD METROPOLITANA XALAPA Inglés para

UNIVERSIDAD METROPOLITANA XALAPA
Inglés para propósitos específicos
ANTOLOGÍA
Compilada por
David Armando Morales Enríquez
Xalapa, Equez., Ver. 15 de marzo de 2015.
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English for specific purposes
English for specific purposes (ESP), not to be confused with specialized English, is
a sphere of teaching English language including Business English, Technical
English, Scientific English, English for medical professionals, English for waiters,
English for tourism, English for Art Purposes, etc. Aviation English as ESP is
taught to pilots, air traffic controllers and civil aviation cadets who are going to use
it in radio communications. ESP can be also considered as an avatar of language
for specific purposes.
1 Definition of ESP
1.1 Absolute characteristics
1. ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners (Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs).
2. ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it
serves.
3. ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of
grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre.
1.2 Variable characteristics
Stevens’ (1988) ESP may be, but is not necessarily: 1. restricted as to the
language skills to be learned (e.g. reading only);
2. Not taught according to any pre-ordained methodology (pp.1-2)
Anthony (1997)
1. ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines;
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2. ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that
of general English;
3. ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution
or in a professional work situation. It could, however, be for learners at secondary
school level;
4. ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students;5. Most ESP
courses assume some basic knowledge of the language system, but it can be used
with beginners
(1998, pp. 4-5)
2 Teaching
ESP is taught in many universities of the world. Many professional associations of
teachers of English (TESOL, IATEFL) have ESP sections. Much attention is
devoted to ESP course design. ESP teaching has much in common with English as
a Foreign or Second Language and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Quickly
developing Business English can be considered as part of a larger concept of
English for Specific Purposes.
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III.- Course Design in ESP.
III.1.- Language descriptions
1.Classical or traditional grammar
2.Structural linguistics
3.Transformational Generative Grammar
4.Language variation and register analysis
5.Functional/Notional Grammar
6.Discourse (Rhetorical) analysis
III.2.- Theories of learning
1.Behaviorism: learning as habit formation
2.Mentalism: thinking as rule-governed activity
3.Cognitive code: learners as thinking beings
4.The affective factor: learners as emotional beings
5.Learning and acquisition: conscious process vs unconscious process
6.A model for learning
a) Acquisition
b) Previous knowledge makes it possible to acquire new knowledge
c) Items of knowledge have different meanings
d) The learner must see the language as a system
e) Acquisition: means for motivation
III.3.- Needs analysis.
 Why is the language needed?
 How will the language be used?
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 What will the content areas be?
 Who will the learner use the language with?
 Where will the language be used?
 When will the language be used?
III.4.- approaches to course design.
1.Language-centered course design
2.Skills-centered course design
3.A learning-centered approach
III.5.- The syllabus: what will (what should) be learnt.
a) The evaluation syllabus: what the learner will know at the end of the course
b) The organizational syllabus: states the order in which things will be learnt
c)The materials syllabus: the contexts in which the language will appear
d) The teacher syllabus: the teacher influences the images the learner receives
e) The classroom syllabus: the dynamic interactive environment in which the
language will occur
f) The learner syllabus: it enables the learner to understand and store language
knowledge
III.6.- Materials evaluation.
a) Select from existing materials: materials evaluation
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b) Write your own materials: materials development
c)Modify existing materials: materials adaptation
III.7.- Materials design.
The model consists of four elements:
1.Input: text, dialogue, video, diagram, etc.
2.Content focus: language as a means of communication (information, feelings)
about something
3.Language focus: the aim is to use the language
4.Task: communicative tasks in order to use the language
III.8.- Evaluation.
a) Learner assesment
1.Placement tests
2.Achievement tests
3.Proficiency tests
b) Course evaluation
What should be evaluated?
How can ESP courses be evaluated?
Who should be involved in the evaluation?
When (and how often) should evaluation take place?
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III. Course design on ESP
Approaches to course design
Course design is the process by which the raw data about a learning need is
interpreted in order to produce an integrated series of teaching-learning
experiences, whose ultimate aim is to lead the learners to a particular state of
knowledge. There are probably as many different approaches to ESP course
design as there are course designers. We can, however, identify three main types:
1. Language-centered
course
design: it aims to draw as direct a
connection
as
possible
between
the
analysis of the target situations and the
content of ESP course:
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2. Skills-centered course design: it is founded on two fundamental
principles:
a) The basic theoretical hypothesis is that underlying any language
behavior are certain skills and strategies.
b) The pragmatic basis for the skills-centered approach sees the
ESP course as helping learners to develop skills and strategies which
will continue to develop after the ESP course itself.
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3. A learning centered approach: we
must look beyond the competence that
enables someone to perform, because
what we really want to discover is not the
competence itself, but how someone
acquires
that
competence.
It
takes
account of the learner at every stage of
the
design
process.
This
has
two
implications:
a) Course design is a negotiated process.
b) Course design is a dynamic process.
The learning-centered
course design process is
shown in this diagram:
Tasks:
1. Analyze Upstream C1 and
decide what approach has
been used to design it.
2. What do you think a fully
learner-centered course
would be like?
3. A learning-centered
approach to course design is
complex and timeconsuming. Do you think it is
worth the trouble?
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ESP. Syllabus.
What do we mean by syllabus?
A syllabus is a document which says what will (or at least what should ideally) be
learnt. There are several ways in which a syllabus can be defined:
g) The evaluation syllabus: what the learner will know at the end of the
course
h) The organizational syllabus: states the order in which things will be learnt
i) The materials syllabus: the contexts in which the language will appear
j) The teacher syllabus: the teacher influences the images the learner receives
k)The classroom syllabus: the dynamic interactive environment in which the
language will occur
l) The learner syllabus: it enables the learner to understand and store
language knowledge
Why should we have a syllabus?
a) Syllabus should go from easy to complex
b) It makes the language learning task manageable divided into units
c) It should be commercial or potentially commercial
d) Teacher and learner not only have the idea of where they are going, but
how they might get there
e) A syllabus tells the teacher and the student not only what is to be learnt, but
why it is to be learnt
f) A syllabus provides a set of criteria for materials selection and/or writing
g) A syllabus is one way in which standardization is achieved (or at least,
attempted)
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h) A syllabus provides a visible basis for testing
Tasks
1. How would you use a syllabus for?
2. Make a table of the advantages of having a syllabus.
3. ‘A syllabus is a statement of an ideal’ How far would you agree with
this? What implications does it have for the use of the syllabus?
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Material design in ESP
Materials are physical objects that store knowledge through forms and codes in
order to develop academic work within the classroom context. Materials comprise
paper, disc, or screen. They convey content, information or message. They are a
symbolic way of representing information with educational aims. Material writing is
one of the most characteristic features of ESP in practice. In marked contrast to
general English teaching, a large amount of the ESP teacher’s time may well be
taken up in writing materials. There are a number of reasons for this:
a) A teacher or institution may wish to provide teaching material that will fit the
specific subject or area of particular learners
b) Even when suitable materials are available, it may not be possible to buy
them because of costs.
c)ESP materials may also be written for non-educational reasons.
Materials are a visible product of activity, regardless of whether such activity is
useful or even necessary.
1.Defining objectives: What are materials suppose to do?
a) Materials provide a stimulus to learning. Good materials do not teach:
they encourage students to learn. Good materials will contain: interesting
texts, enjoyable activities which engage the learners’ thinking capacities,
and opportunities to use their existing knowledge and skills.
b) Materials help to organize the teaching-learning process. They provide a
clear and coherent unit structure which will guide teacher and learner
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through various activities in such a way to maximize the chances of
learning.
c) Materials truly reflect what you think and feel about the learning process.
d) Materials should try to create a balanced outlook which both reflects the
complexity of the task, yet makes it appear manageable.
e) Materials can have a very useful function in broadening the basis of
teacher training, by introducing teachers to new techniques.
f)
Materials provide models of correct and appropriate language use.
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2.A materials design model
The aim of this particular model is to provide a coherent framework for the
integration of the various aspects of learning, while at the same time allowing
enough room for creativity and variety to flourish. The model consists of four
elements:
a) Input: This may be text, dialogue, video-recording, diagrams or any kind of
communication data, depending on the needs you have defined in your
analysis. It provides a number of things such as stimulus material for
activities, new language items, correct models of language use, a topic for
communication.
b) Content focus: Language is a means of conveying information and
feelings about something. Non-linguistic content should be exploited to
generate meaningful communication in the classroom.
c) Language focus: Our aim is to enable students to use language. Good
materials should involve both opportunities for analysis and synthesis. Thus,
students have the chance to take the language to pieces, study how it works
and practice putting it back together again.
d)
Task: The ultimate purpose of language learning is language use.
Materials should be designed, therefore, to lead towards a communicative
task in which learners use the content and language knowledge they have
built up through the unit.
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The primary focus of the unit is the task. The model acts as a vehicle which leads
the students to the point where they are able to carry out the task. The language
and content are drawn from the input and are selected according to what the
learners will need in order to do the task. It follows that an important feature of the
model is to create coherence in terms in both language and content throughout the
unit. This provides the support for more complex activities by building up a fund of
knowledge and skills.
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The syllabus in ESP 4.-What role should a syllabus play in the course design
process?
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In the institutionalized frameworks in which most teaching takes place, we must
accept the predetermined syllabus as a fact of life. Used sensibly and sensitively a
syllabus can provide the support and guidance that creativity thrives on; it is a
working document that should be used flexibly and appropriately to maximize the
aims and processes of learning.
TASK: 1. How can the ESP course designer take account of the ‘learner syllabus’?
2. Choose one of the syllabuses above. What assumptions about language and
learning do you think underlie the ordering in it?
Adapted from: Hutchinson, T. & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific
Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.65-77.
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GLOSARIO

Currículos abiertos: Programas de estudio que permiten a profesores y
alumnos participar intensamente en la planificación de los objetivos,
metodología de evaluación de la enseñanza.

Currículum (currículo, en español): Término para referirse a la
distribución de las materias del plan de estudios; al fundamento y desarrollo
general de dicho plan de estudios, incluyendo los fines y los métodos
didácticos, además de las bases psicosociales para elaborarlo.

Currículo nulo: Serie de conocimientos no previstos en los programas
educativos y a los que los estudiantes tienen dificultad por conocer.

Currículo oculto: Conocimientos, actitudes y valores tácitos en el tipo de
enseñanza que se imparte, difiere de institución a institución.

Desarrollo curricular: Proceso a través del cual se llevan a cabo una serie
de cambios en la institución docente, adaptando ciertas características del
plan inicial a las necesidades de los alumnos. Este desarrollo cuenta con
dos niveles de especificación: a) -la elaboración del currículo atendiendo a
las necesidades de la institución escolar; b) la elaboración del currículo
atendiendo a las sesiones programadas en clase.
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Modelo: Lo que es puesto como testigo a los ojos de todos y que –
referencia ideal- es susceptible de ser imitado, ofreciendo de entrada una
estructura a aquel que se deja dar forma (sean cuales sean sus
intenciones, su nivel de conciencia, incluso de inconsciencia).
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
Programa escolar: Determina y organiza las asignaturas o temas globales
para cada uno de los grados escolares: los programas seleccionan y
distribuyen la materia de cada asignatura o las unidades de trabajo de cada
tema global.
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Teoría: Representación o construcción mental que lleva a la relación de
fenómenos y leyes, donde de los primeros pueden ser deducidas las
segundas, en el entendido que en la práctica no corresponde con rigurosa
exactitud.
Adaptado de: Meza, J. (2012). Diseño y desarrollo curricular. Estado de
México: Red Tercer Milenio S.C
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ESP bibliography

Duddley-Evans, T. and St. John, M. ( 1998).Developments in English for
Specific Purposes. A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

Hutchinson, T. and Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Robinson, P. (1991). ESP today: A Practitioner's guide. Hertfordshire:
Prentice Hall.
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