english for professional purposes: backwards? forwards? towards!
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English for Professional Purposes: Backwards? Forwards? Towards! E - merging Forum-3, Moscow, March 1, 2013. Why EPP but not o ther ELT research and praxis fields? ESP – too generalistic of a term, and not being professional life grounded - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
English for Professional Purposes: Backwards? Forwards? Towards!
E-merging Forum-3, Moscow, March 1, 2013
Dr. Andrei KuznetsovProfessor
Academy of Professional Development and Re-Training of Educators
Master William Shakespeare's Moment
Sonnet 22
Why EPP but not other ELT research and praxis fields?
ESP – too generalistic of a term, and not being professional life grounded
EAP – too remote from the down-to-earth professional praxis of graduates, exam-oriented
CLIL – predominantly used for the EL advanced students, single-subjected, plus mostly at the secondary level
• Teaching the something that has direct bearing on the formation of the professional expertise of graduates (hard and soft skills)
• Facilitating students’ mastery of other university subjects
• ELT content development being grounded on the understanding of ‘not teaching English, but teaching through English’ for the sake of professional competency development
• Best practices for the mediocre students
Step away from the learner-centered approach, i.e. contrasted to other, ‘more communicative’, ELT trends - return to the ‘obsolete’, notoriously promulgated ‘Soviet’ ELT concept
Introduction of didactic and social innovations [preferably revolutionary!] that seems to be a high trend and a must today
A more-or-less dynamic movement towards the meeting of the requirements of the university education stakeholders
A major EPP Drive -shift in the educational paradigm: from anthropocentric towards sociocentric
• Establishment, maintenance and development of sustainable social networks, i.e. interrelations within the community that are to be efficient, harmonious, mutually beneficial and aesthetic
• Establishment of the EL mastery as a social good that is valuable for all stakeholders
• Students• Social communities• Professional Communities• Employers• ELT associations• Course developers• School Administrators• International Professional Organizations
• Government (officials, state standards, etc.)• Sponsors• FL Teachers• System of Education• Parents• FLT Publishers• International FLT-related Organizations• FL Teacher Associations• FLT Course Developers
Revision of ELT objectives that would be true to the needs and expectations of various groups of stake-holders, those needs being re-addressed in terms of the requirements of the new Russian educational standards and participation of stakeholders in ELT content development
• ProblemUniversity Administration declares support of the
quality ELT, but stands strongly against any increase in the number of the contact hours for ELT
• Steps towardsDemonstrate the value of ELT for the formation of the
holistic professional competency of a graduateDemonstrate the value of the particular ELT
extracurricular activities (e.g. local/national contests, festivals, video conferences, etc.) for the development of the University’s goodwill
• ProblemStudent declare their strive for EL mastery, but tend to
invest their minimal effort to EL learning
• Steps towardsExplain the actual EPP objectives Introduce the rational assignments (to-the-point, power-
optimal and time-optimal)Develop the student motivation to EL learning (provision
of the rationale behind the EL learning chores, inculcation in exchange programmes, visualization of the profession-related EL mastery value)
• Problem Employers exercise excessive requirements to EL
mastery, but, first, cannot provide the rationale behind those requirements, second, are not ready to compensate for the required EL mastery (oppose labour capitalization)
• Steps towardsJoin the effort in ELT objective research, setting and
specificationCooperate in EPP material development Provide the background for the internship programmesProvide opportunities for their participation in ELT
classes and extra-curricular activities
• Problem Publishers are trying to impose their ELT materials
that are loosely connected to the actual mission of EPP
• Step towardsTempt them to cooperation in the joint development
of the EPP materials that would meet Russian requirements
Offer them local EPP materials for editing and further publication
• Problem University EL Teacher Community is EPP-reluctant and
heavily intoxicated with EGP, ESP, EAP and CLIL myths
• Steps towardsExplain the actual goals of EPP Offer refresher/professional development courses in
EPPProvide the well-rounded support (methodological,
psychological, special-field, resource, etc.)
• Problem Other chair groups oppose the development of ELT
programmes in the universities, as this ELT expansion endangers their own well-being
• Step towardsDemonstrate the resource potential of the EPP courses
in terms of provision of those chair groups with the cutting-edge special-field data for their activities (teaching, research, fund-raising, etc.)
• Problem International professional community has little
understanding of the actual ELT process and the Russia-relevant learning outcomes
• Step towardsProvide the EPP courses and materials that would
relate to the actual speech skills and language aspects that are vital for the international community
Cooperate in the development of the internship programmes that may bridge the axiological gap
English for Professional Purposes: Towards!
[The yoke] … of human bondage …
Andrei [email protected]