English
for specific purposes: aspects of teaching Business English
Author: Tim Bowen
Level: starter/beginner, advanced, elementary,
pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate Type: reference
material
An article about the different aspects of
teaching Business English.
Some EFL teachers may feel intimidated when
faced with the prospect of teaching Business English. This is generally
because they are concerned that their possible lack of business experience or
knowledge about the world of business will be exposed and they will be made to
feel inadequate as a result.
This concern is often based on the
misconception that teaching Business English means teaching Business Studies to
learners of English. While in some cases this may be true (pre-service Business
Studies courses, for example, where teachers will need to present business
concepts and business terminology), a large number of students of Business
English are people who are already working in business within their own
linguistic environment and who wish, for a number of reasons, to be able to
function in their business role in English too. The teacher’s role in this
second case is not to present business concepts to the learners or to instruct
them how to conduct their business. On the contrary, it is to enable such
learners to develop their language skills within a business context. Teachers
of Business English are first and foremost teachers of English.
Where teaching Business English differs
from teaching General English will normally be in the choice of contexts for
listening and reading texts and in the choice of lexis in grammar and
vocabulary exercises, where examples such as "We have just received the
invoice" will replace "We have just see Peter". In addition to
such linguistic considerations, there are a number of affective factors that
relate to teaching in-service Business English. In many cases learners will be
in positions of authority and influence within their company. As such they will
often expect their teacher to be informed and experienced and may react badly
to someone who is noticeably younger or badly dressed.
There may also be an adverse reaction to
statements such as "Oh, you’re an accountant. I know absolutely nothing
about accounting." While the teacher is not expected to teach the learner
how to be an accountant, they will at the very least need to adopt the position
of an informed layperson and ask relevant questions about the learner’s field
of expertise. Some brief research (the internet is, of course, a wonderful source)
will pay dividends later and questions such as "Can you explain (in
English, of course) exactly how a balance sheet works?" can be highly
productive and will not appear to be ignorant questions but rather questions
that will subsequently provide the teacher with plenty of diagnostic data about
weaknesses in the learners’ grammar, gaps in their vocabulary and pronunciation
problems. In short, putting the onus onto the learner to explain specific
business concepts in English will kill two birds with one stone – it will both
give learners relevant practice in his or her field of expertise and put the
teacher into the role of language provider, correcting where necessary and
providing the correct word or phrase where necessary.
Similarly, asking learners to give a
presentation about their particular product, their company or their current
research will also be a highly focussed activity, where the teacher can both
give guidance at the preparation stage and feedback on performance. A
particularly effective general approach for the teacher is to see this kind of
teaching as both a teaching and a learning process for the teacher, where a
great deal of interesting information about a wide range of business processes
can be acquired. In the final analysis, it is important not to be intimidated
by the status and professions of the learners but rather to establish the kind
of teacher – learner relationship where both sides are recognized as experts –
the learners as experts in their particular field of expertise and the teacher
as an expert in the field of language teaching and as an indispensable source
of linguistic information.
English
for specific purposes: aspects of teaching English one-to-one
Level: starter/beginner, advanced, elementary,
pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate Type: reference
material
A discussion of the benefits of teaching
one-to-one.
Aspects of teaching English one-to-one
The idea of one-to-one teaching often
provokes quite extreme reactions in teachers. They either love it or hate it.
Those in the former category will point to the advantages of working with the
linguistic needs of a single learner and the highly focused programme that can
produce, while those in the latter group will often highlight in a negative way
the affective factors that can come into play in the one-to-one classroom.
"What if I don't like my student and he or she doesn't like me?" is a
commonly heard complaint, as is "I don't want to be stuck in a room for
two hours with the same person". Such comments are understandable, of
course, but in focusing on these negative aspects it is easy to lose sight of
the numerous advantages that one-to-one teaching can offer.
Naturally, there are many techniques that
teachers routinely employ with groups that are inappropriate with one-to-one
classes. Apart from the obvious ones (pair and group work, for example), the
specific classroom dynamic of one-to-one may make it counter-productive to do
"traditional" situational grammar presentations based around the
whiteboard. Likewise, the teacher standing while the student sits may not be
the best solution. On the other hand, the one-to-one classroom can offer great
possibilities for working in a collaborative style. Consider the difference
between the teacher sitting facing the student across the table in classic
interview mode and sitting alongside the student while working on a particular
task. Consider too, the difference between the teacher standing at the
whiteboard writing example sentences and sitting at the table with the student
using A3 paper to write examples and using pictures, graphs, maps and so on as
the basis of discussion.
One-to-one teaching also provides huge
benefits in terms of pace and timing. In a class of fifteen or so students, it
is difficult to please all of the people all of the time and, no matter what
you do, when some students are fully engaged, others may switch off. In the
one-to-one classroom, there should be constant feedback on the activities
chosen, whether they are relevant and useful and when it is time to move on.
Breaks can be taken when it seems appropriate to do so. Both teacher and
student can move around the room as and when the need arises. It might also be
appropriate for some time to be spent reading silently, using the dictionary,
researching a contentious or problematic grammar point, drafting an e-mail or
preparing a presentation.
There is no need for the class to become a
constant one-way question and answer session with the questions all coming from
the teacher. Once trust has been built between teacher and student, a
one-to-one class can be as varied and stimulating as any group class. It can
also be incredibly informative for the teacher who, if he or she is interested
enough, can learn a wealth of information about a wide range of professional
activities.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of teaching
one-to-one classes, however, is the individual focus that this kind of teaching
provides. The teacher can work on the specific difficulties of the individual,
dealing with persistent grammar problems in a remedial way, filling in gaps in
the student's knowledge of grammar, focusing on pronunciation problems and
giving intensive practice in apparent areas of weakness such as listening. In
addition, where a group class would almost certainly not accept class time
being devoted to a very specific topic area that was relevant to just one
member of the class, in the one-to-one class this is not only desirable but an
essential part of the course - the background and professional needs of the
student will go a long way towards determining the content of the course.
In short, one-to-one teaching can be
stimulating, focused, collaborative and rewarding. "But what if you don't
like your student?"... well, perhaps you are in the wrong job.
English
for specific purposes: conversational feedback - effective error correction
Author: Colin Barnett
Level: starter/beginner, advanced, elementary,
pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate Type: reference
material
Suggestions for effective error correction
and language improvement.
I
teach one-to-one at various levels, but the biggest problem I have is with
error correction (especially during conversation). Is there a structured way to
go about this so that the student gets something out of class (than just
talking in English)?
What
do you do during one-to-one classes? I bring in interesting materials to
discuss, but I wish I could do more (like grammar and increasing vocab) to
really make my students feel like they've made some progress.
With
advanced students, I know they're using the level of English which enables them
to communicate without making mistakes. But I feel I should make them go beyond
that. With lower levels, jeez! They make so many mistakes, I don't know where
to stop them and elaborate...
I'm
really at a loss at times. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by sleeper in the forum
Posted by sleeper in the forum
Several years ago I was in a fast food
restaurant in London. As a teacher I couldn’t help ignore a one-to-one session
taking place. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. A teacher and a
student sitting down chatting – where were the paper cut ups, PPP and
photocopies that were key ingredients during my CELTA training? They were just
talking…
“Just talking” is after all fluency
practice. There comes a time though when we need or want to go beyond “just
talking” in conversations. Whether the need or the want is our own or the
learner's is a topic for another day. In this article, though, you’ll find out
or be reminded of:
·
Two
ways to develop and extend a learner's competence during conversations
·
Several
ways to develop, extend and help learn expressions, vocabulary and structures
after the conversation
·
Two
ways of modelling anglophone active listening skills
Giving corrections either during or after a
conversation in a one-to-one situation is useful. There are of course different
ways of going about it. Correction is only one filter we can use to help
develop our learners. Williams and Burden in Psychology for Language Teachers
talk about “informational feedback” or feedback which provides opportunities to
develop. Having the objective of feedback as a filter offers more options:
·
Increasing
motivation
·
Increasing
accuracy
·
Extending
repertoire
Providing feedback allows us to give the
learner more than “just talking”. The interesting part is how we can provide
feedback both during and after conversations.
Keep talking and using your active
listening skills
“Good
listening” we are told “is vital in spoken interactions…and goes beyond
understanding words and key points… active listening includes the non-verbal
physical expressions, gestures and movements, and verbal ‘back channeling’
devices… active listening also involves paraphrasing and summarizing”
(Developments in English for Specific Purposes p. 106).
Using verbal active listening skills in
one-to-one situations can be a huge boon. In addition to letting the speaker
know he or she has been heard and understood it also allows us to teach new
language and offer corrections Paraphrasing what the learner said is similar to
reformulating. Back-channelling or echoing in a slightly modified version what
the learner has just said can be seen as recasting.
Say the same things in other words -
Paraphrasing
Particularly if the learner is quite proficient
offering corrections can be quite difficult. Paraphrasing or reformulating on
the other hand gives us the possibility to teach or at least remind of
alternative ways of expressing something while encouraging the learner to keep
talking. I often flag up paraphrases/ reformulation during conversations with
the expression “in other words…” or e.g.
Teacher:
How was the meeting you went to?
Jean-Luc: It was cancelled, the guy I was supposed to meet was a bit sick.
Teacher: Oh dear. So in other words he was bit under the weather, was he?
Jean-Luc: You mean he was a bit sick?
Teacher: Yes that’s right…
Jean-Luc: It was cancelled, the guy I was supposed to meet was a bit sick.
Teacher: Oh dear. So in other words he was bit under the weather, was he?
Jean-Luc: You mean he was a bit sick?
Teacher: Yes that’s right…
l find that some learners can interpret all
comments from the teacher during the conversations as corrections. Flagging up
the paraphrase with the expression “in other words..” gets round this problem
and merely informs that learner that what you are saying is a paraphrase not a
correction. My next step is to note what the learner originally said on the
Language Improvement Sheet (PDF).
Repeat what was said as a question but in a
correct way - Recasting
Echoing what was said but in a correct way is a gentle way to offer corrections during a conversation while still encouraging the development of the discourse. I flag up modified echoes/ recasts with the word “So…” and question tag e.g.
Echoing what was said but in a correct way is a gentle way to offer corrections during a conversation while still encouraging the development of the discourse. I flag up modified echoes/ recasts with the word “So…” and question tag e.g.
Ariane:
I had a good weekend. I am going to Paris to an exposition.
Teacher: So you went to Paris for an exhibition, did you?
Ariane: Yes but it was snowy.
Teacher: So you went to Paris for an exhibition, did you?
Ariane: Yes but it was snowy.
Here the correction was offered and it was
up to Ariane to use it immediately or not. My next step is to get a record of
what the learner said by noting it on the Language Improvement Sheet for later
practice. I explain at the beginning of each conversation that I’ll be taking
notes so that the learner can concentrate on talking. I did have one Turkish
student though who was a fantastic multi-tasker and could take part in the
conversation and note down (and employ) new or improved language. I just had to
be present and use active listening skills.
Language Improvement Sheet
At its simplest the Language improvement
sheet (see attachment at the bottom of the
page) is little more than a sheet of paper with a record of bits of language
which popped up during the conversation. I usually group exponents in two broad
categories:
·
Things
to keep saying and their variations
·
Examples
for improvement
Paraphrases get grouped into the first
category and modified echos/recasts in the second group.
Conversational drilling
Once you have a record of examples and
exponents there are of course many things to do with it:
·
Give
it to the learner to see if the can give the variation/ improvement by
themselves.
·
Test
the learner “You said …… can you remember what I said?”
·
Ask
the learner to dictate the variations or improvements to you and you note on
the back of the sheet. The learner can then note corrections and check with the
“key” (on the back).
·
Create
a tape recording of the language improvement sheet. For the variations you or
the learner can say the original followed by a long enough pause for the
variation to be said/thought followed by the variation itself. For the
improvements, a possibility might be to get the learner to translate the
improved version into their language, record the translation followed by a
pause then the target language version of the improvement.
Further oral practice can be using a
conversational drill process. An example might be useful here:
Teacher:
How was the meeting you went to?
Jean-Luc: It was cancelled, the guy I was supposed to meet was a bit sick.
Teacher: Oh dear. So in other words he was bit under the weather, was he?
Jean-Luc: You mean he was a bit sick?
Teacher: Yes that’s right…( teacher notes expression on the sheet)
Teacher: Okay thank you I enjoyed that conversation and I understood everything you said. Let’s go over some of the things we wrote down. You said that the guy you were supposed to meet was a bit sick do you remember the other expression I used? No? Okay… Just answer my questions. This guy he wasn’t sick or he was sick?
Jean-Luc: He was sick.
Teacher: Okay so he was sick OR in other words he was a bit under the weather? Was he a bit under the weather?
Jean-Luc: Yes, he was.
Teacher: he was what?
Jean-Luc: A bit under the weather.
Teacher: And who was a bit under the weather?
Jean-Luc: This guy was
Teacher: This guy was what?
Jean-Luc: He was a bit under the weather
Teacher: So why didn’t you meet this guy?
Jean-Luc: He was a bit under the weather
Teacher: So when was the last time you were a bit under the weather?
Jean-Luc: It was cancelled, the guy I was supposed to meet was a bit sick.
Teacher: Oh dear. So in other words he was bit under the weather, was he?
Jean-Luc: You mean he was a bit sick?
Teacher: Yes that’s right…( teacher notes expression on the sheet)
Teacher: Okay thank you I enjoyed that conversation and I understood everything you said. Let’s go over some of the things we wrote down. You said that the guy you were supposed to meet was a bit sick do you remember the other expression I used? No? Okay… Just answer my questions. This guy he wasn’t sick or he was sick?
Jean-Luc: He was sick.
Teacher: Okay so he was sick OR in other words he was a bit under the weather? Was he a bit under the weather?
Jean-Luc: Yes, he was.
Teacher: he was what?
Jean-Luc: A bit under the weather.
Teacher: And who was a bit under the weather?
Jean-Luc: This guy was
Teacher: This guy was what?
Jean-Luc: He was a bit under the weather
Teacher: So why didn’t you meet this guy?
Jean-Luc: He was a bit under the weather
Teacher: So when was the last time you were a bit under the weather?
If you want to work out how the drilling
pattern works take some time to do that. If you prefer to read how it’s
structured look below.
Conversational drill
1. Outframe – state your intention and that you
understand that the activity is not wholly communicative as both of you know
the answers to most of the questions. Get agreement that the activity is to
help the learner really get their tongues round the new language.
2. Remind of original - Draw attention to the original
utterance. Allow learner to recall alternative if they can.
3. Check intended meaning - Ask a “either/ or” question - using
the positive/ negative verbs ( you met the manager or you didn’t meet the
manager?) or expression/ opposite expression (e.g. “ The manager came or the
manager left?”).
4. (Re-)Introduce exponent – Use the structure “So you like
giving presentations OR you’re keen on giving presentations” it’s important to
emphasise the OR to indicate that what follows is a near synonym.
5. Get agreement on new exponent – ask a yes/no question using the
exponent. This models the language further.
6. Check meaning and elicit exponent – ask an “either/ or” type question.
Ask same question again if the learner needs to clean up the pronunciation or
is missing a word, etc.
7. Elicit exponent again – using "who...?" question
8. Elicit exponent without modelling language – a question like “What can you tell me
about….?” usually does this.
9. Extend content – asking WH- questions such as “when
was the last time you …?” can draw this out.
It helps to sort out the need to knows from
the nice to knows when doing this exercise so that you can give restricted
practice in the essential/ most useful language.
Structured feedback in a nutshell…
What I have suggested is that using
feedback rather than just correction offers more choices. It can help motivate,
inform and develop learners. Moreover by using verbal active listening
strategies not only can we model what good listeners do, in Anglophone cultures
at least, but we can give learners an experience of partaking in meaningful
dialogue as well as experience new/ improved language in a their own meaningful
contexts. This can be done by use of flagged up paraphrase and/ recasting.
Using a language improvement sheet serves
as a record of language encountered. It can also serve a basis for
informational feedback. The Language Improvement sheet can be followed up by a
variety of ways such as conversational drilling to give restricted oral practice
of language met during the conversation. The sheet also acts as a product that
the learner can take away.
Thinking back to that teacher in the fast
food restaurant there may have been much more method to what seemed to me as
madness.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น