Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

Creating an English for Specific Purposes Program: Steps and Strategies

Department

Leadership and Learning

College

College of Education

Date Range

2014-2015

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

While English for specific purposes is no longer in its infancy stages, many institutions (companies, schools, and colleges) continue to implement courses geared toward meeting professional requirements. Oftentimes, instructors with little or no experience beyond their knowledge of the English language are called upon to develop and teach curricula that meet not only career but also learner needs. A number of experts in the field of ESP have shown how stressful and challenging the first years of teaching in these institutions can be for new instructors. As beginners, these instructors may not know where to start or how to select instructional materials. Participants in this round table will discuss steps and strategies that can be used to develop a ESP course or multileveled curricula. Drawing from the best practices, the presenters will share and discuss with participants their experiences in developing programs in ESP and specifically in business English. Two major cases: one dealing with the development of business English multileveled curricula at the College of Business and Management at the University of Cocody-Abidjan, Côte dIvoire and the other describing a workplace English for project managers in Lansing, Michigan, United States, will be discussed. These practical cases will serve as bases for session attendees, new or seasoned curriculum developers, to reflect on where and how to start the development their program or how to adapt an existing program to stake holders needs.

Conference Name

TESOL Convention 2015

Conference Location

Toronto

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