6. Формування професійних компетентностей при підготовці товарознавців-експертів (ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF TRAINING PROFESSIONALS IN EXPERTISE OF GOODS)

ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF TRAINING PROFESSIONALS IN EXPERTISE OF GOODS

English for Specific Purposes is a developing branch in training professionals in different spheres. Recent research shows that for many years English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction has been limited to training special vocabulary and translating numerous texts. Of course, such methods did not reflect students' interests and resulted in low learners’ motivation and poor participation. With the spread of the student-centered approach and the continued increase of international contacts in various spheres, much attention has been paid to the design of ESP courses that can prepare students for professional communication.
How is ESP different from English as a Second Language (ESL), also known as general English? The most important difference involves learners and their purposes for learning English. 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 the 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 (or wishes); instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to learners.
However, ESL and ESP diverge not only in the nature of the learner, but also in the aim of instruction. 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 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 speaking skills in students who are learning 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 can 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. Subject-matter knowledge gives them the context they need to understand the English language 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 master English through the 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 students are learning and enables them to use 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 teaching of relevant skills.
The teacher that already has experience in teaching ESL can exploit her / his background in language teaching by finding the ways in which her / his teaching skills can be adapted for teaching English for Specific Purposes. Moreover, she / he will need to look for content specialists to help in designing appropriate lessons in the subject matter field.
The ESP teacher must play many roles, including organizing courses, setting learning objectives, establishing a positive learning environment in the classroom, and evaluating students’ progress. Both long-term goals and short-term objectives for students’ achievements must be set. The learning goals should be transformed into an instructional program with the timing of activities. One of the main tasks will be selecting, designing and organizing course materials, supporting students in their efforts, and providing them with feedback on their progress. Good conditions for learning in the classroom have to be arranged. The teacher’s knowledge of students’ potential is central in designing the syllabus with realistic goals that takes into account students’ concern in the learning situation.
Teachers’ 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. The ESP teacher may be the only English speaking person available to students, and although his / her time with any of them is limited, she / he must ensure effective communication in the classroom. In order to do so, the teacher should listen carefully to what they are saying and give her /his understanding or misunderstanding back at them through replies during interactions with students. Good language learners are also great risk-takers, since they can make many errors on the way to their success: 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 the atmosphere which supports students in the language classroom. Learners must be self-confident in order to communicate and the teacher has the responsibility to assist to build learners’ confidence.
The teacher is a resource that helps students identify their language learning problems and find solutions to them, discover the skills they need to focus on, and take responsibility for making choices which determine what and how to learn. The ESP teacher will serve as a source of information to students about how they are progressing in their language learning.
People learn languages when they have opportunities to understand and work with the language in a context that they comprehend and find interesting. In this view, ESP is a powerful means for such opportunities. Students will acquire English as they work with materials which they find interesting and relevant and which they can use in their professional work or further studies. The more learners pay attention to the meaning of the language they hear or read, the more they are successful; the more they have to focus on the linguistic input or isolated language structures, the less they are motivated to attend their classes.
The ESP student is particularly well disposed to focus on meaning in the subject-matter field. In ESP, English should be presented neither as a subject to be learned in isolation from real use, nor as a mechanical skill or habit to be developed. On the contrary, English should be presented in authentic contexts to make learners acquainted with the particular ways in which the language is used in functions that they will need to perform in their professional fields or jobs.
Learners in ESP classes are generally aware of the purposes for which they will need to use English. Having already oriented their education toward a specific field, they see their English training as complementing this orientation. Knowledge of the subject area enables students to identify a real context for the vocabulary and structures of the ESP classroom. In such a way, learners can take advantage of what they already know about the subject matter to learn English.
Adults must work harder than children in order to learn a new language, but the learning skills they bring to the task permit them to learn faster and more efficiently. The skills they have already developed in using their native languages will make learning English easier. Although the ESP teacher will be working with students whose English will probably be quite limited, the language learning abilities of the adult in the ESP classroom are potentially immense. Educated adults are continually learning the new language behavior in their native languages, since language learning continues naturally throughout our lives. They are constantly expanding vocabulary, becoming more fluent in their fields, and adjusting their linguistic behavior to new situations or new roles. ESP students can exploit these innate competencies in learning English.
References
1. Graves, K. (1996). Teachers as course developers. England: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
2. Hutchison, T. & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: a learner-centered approach. England: Cambridge University Press.
3. Nunan, D. (1988). Syllabus Design. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
4. Vygotsky L. (1978). Mind and society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.