ESP Course Introduction - Module 1

1. “Sharing and Improving our
ESP Practices”
March 28th
Module 1: Introduction to ESP
Profesorado Superior de Lenguas Vivas
Programa Nacional de Formación Docente

2. Module 1: Introduction to ESP
 KWL Chart
 Myths and Facts about ESP
 EGP vs. ESP Tasks
 EGP and ESP differences
 ESP Definitions
 ESP Branches
 ESP Acronyms
 To do List

3. KWL CHART
WHAT I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO
KNOW
WHAT I LEARNT
Students only learn
technical terms or
isolated words
The context
I know how to prepare
a normal lesson with
some ESP vocabulary
input
Some skills are left
aside
Strategies to support
my students to
develop the
competences they
need to work with ESP
To have tools to build
up the syllabus .
How to motivate
students
To develop ESP
materials

4. Myths and Facts about ESP

5. 1. Every language course is really an
English for Specific Purposes(ESP)
training program.
2. EOP (English for Occupational
Purposes)is simply memorizing technical
vocabulary.
3.Just use any specialized textbook and
you will have a great EOP program.
4. Anyone who teaches can develop and
teach an EOP training program.

6. 5.The focus of every ESP course should
be on developing reading, writing and
translating skills.
6. Needs Analysis is an integral part of
any ESP course.
7. ESP teachers should become
specialists on the technical and scientific
fields they are teaching.

7. 1. Every language course is really an
English for Specific Purposes(ESP)
training program
 Every well-designed language course takes
into consideration the needs of learning
objectives and appropriate materials,
methodology, and evaluation procedures.
However because learners in an ESP
situation have more specific and definable
needs, ESP programs need to be focused
than general English courses . English for
occupational purposes EOP programs, in
particular need to be built on knowledge of
the workplace because participants have
clear , often urgent work-related needs and
goals.

8. 2. EOP is simply memorizing
technical vocabulary
 EOP involves much more than
memorizing long lists of technical
terminology. It is not learning about a
task, but learning how to do the task in
the target language. This requires
consideration of all areas of
communicative competence, and is far
more complex than just lists of
technical vocabulary.

9. 3. Use just any specialized
textbook and you will have a
great EOP program
 An EOP does not start with the text
and let that drive the course. EOP is
based on needs assessment that
specifies exactly what the learner has
to do in the target language and
employs actual workplace texts and
tasks to teach it. Published materials
or parts thereof may or may not be
appropriate, depending on the results
of the needs assessment. EOP
programs by definition are not off-the-

10. 4. Anyone who teaches can develop
and teach an EOP training program
 EOP is a training specialty. To develop
and teach a workplace program that
effectively meets the needs of ESP
learners, the teacher should be
grounded in the theory and practice
language learning and teaching and
learning styles.

11. 5. The focus of every ESP course should be
on developing reading, writing and
translating skills.
 As ESP professionals, we must be prepared to
find out how language is used in real world
situations and teach that language. Knowledge of
discourse and genre analysis is crucial for us.
6. Needs Analysis is an integral part of any
ESP course.
 ESP is a needs based discipline, which
involves all stakeholders (people interested on
the development of ESP courses: learners,
workplace supervisors, head departments,
core subjects teachers, etc)

12. 7. ESP teachers should become
specialists on the technical and scientific
fields they are teaching.
 An area of difficulty for teachers lies in
the gap between the learners’ knowledge
of the special subject and the teacher’s
ignorance of it. The teacher needs to
look for content specialists for help in
designing appropriate materials and their
implementation.
Adapted from Friedenberg, J. et al. (2003). Effective Practices in Workplace
Language Teaching.

13. EGP or ESP Tasks?

14. EGP ESP
•To initiate conversation with a
stranger
•To negotiate a
merger
•To make a doctor’s appointment
To exchange letters with a friend•To order food at a restaurant
•To engage in courtroom debate
•To report a crime to the police
To announce an aircraft’s position to the control tower
•To read a local newspaper
•To understand pesticide application instructions
•To fill out a credit card application
•To complete a grant proposal
•To comprehend a TV news program
•To read technical specification
•To address an envelope
•To explain how to operate a crane
To shop via the Internet
•To make a stock trade on the trading floo
•To make a stock trade on the trading floor
•To write a medical prescription
From: “Introduction”. Thomas Orr. Pp 1-2. in English for Specific Purposes. Ed.
Thomas Orr. Alexandria, VA: TESOL, 2002. Print.

15. EGP
(English for General
Purposes)
• The focus is often on
education
• As the future English needs
of the student’s are
impossible to predict, course
content is more difficult to
select.
• It is more usefully
considered as providing a
broad foundation on
language skills which are
equally stressed.
ESP
(English for Specific
Purposes)
• The focus is on training
• As the English is intended to
be used in specific
vocational contexts,
selection of appropriate
content is easier (but note
not “easy” in itself).
• It is needs analysis that
determines which language
skills are most needed by
the students, and the
syllabus is designed
accordingly.
Mohoseni Far, M. (2008). On the Relationship between ESP and EGP: A
general Perspective

16. What is ESP?
“Specific-purpose English includes not
only knowledge of a specific part of the
English language but also competency
in the skills required to use this
language, as well as sufficient
understanding of the contexts within
which it is situated.” (Orr, 2002)

17. What is ESP?
“ESP is English instruction based on
actual and immediate needs of learners
who have to successfully perform real-
life tasks unrelated to merely passing an
English class or exam. ESP is needs
based and task oriented.” (Smoak,
2003)

18. What is ESP?
“ESP consists of English language teaching
which is:
 designed to meet specified needs of the
learner;
 related in content (i.e. in its themes and topics)
to particular disciplines, occupations and
activities;
 centered on the language appropriate to those
activities in syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics,
etc.,
 and analysis of this discourse; in contrast with
General English.” (Strevens, 1988)

19. ESP Branches
ENGLISH FOR
SPECIFIC PURPOSES
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC
PURPOSES (EAP)
ENGLISH FOR
OCCUPATIONAL
PURPOSES (EOP)

25. To do list
Read the required bibliography from
Module 1
Post your task in the forum and
respond substantively to at least one
of your colleagues
Select your ESP target learners
Keep on working hard!

26. KWL CHART
WHAT I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO
KNOW
WHAT I LEARNT
Students only learn
technical terms or
isolated words
The context
I know how to prepare
a normal lesson with
some ESP vocabulary
input
Some skills are left
aside
Strategies to support
my students to
develop the
competences they
need to work with ESP
Get tools to build up
the syllabus .
How to motivate
students
Develop ESP
materials

27. THANK YOU!
“ESP is a challenge for all who teach it, and it offers
virtually unlimited opportunities for professional growth”
(Smoak, 2003)