Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP), often called English for Work, comes with its own set of unique challenges and rewards. In this post, I’m sharing my personal journey along with the go-to resources that help me make lessons both effective and engaging.
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Wishful thinking
Engaging students in planning
I had a strong belief that engaging learners in the planning of their own learning activities would be the key to all my problems; however, it usually only works perfectly with one-on-one lessons. If you teach groups too, you will probably get participants from different professional backgrounds. Even then, I still feel that asking learners what they need for their job is an important step to take.
Because I do try to take that step, here are some conclusions I was able to draw:
(1) most students find it difficult to pinpoint what they need;
(2) some have been known to pinpoint areas of study never heard of before.
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Placement test
Using a level test to assess previously acquired language skills
After gathering their specific technical needs, I find it useful to conduct a quick multiple-choice language assessment of my own at a very early stage, usually in the very first lesson. Having the students take a quick English language placement test gives me a rough idea of the participants’ level range.
I have created multiple versions of the test. Here are some video previews of an English Placement Test that you might find useful. They are both available for teachers and students at up2dateskills’ online stores: up2 and TPT.
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Educational Resources for ESP
Planning Stage: Creating and Testing English for Specific Purposes Resources
Teaching English for Specific Purposes requires abilities that go beyond most (if not all) language teachers’ technical skills. Therefore, being prepared with the right resources is the key for a successful lesson.
Below you will find some affordable resources to use in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). I hope they offer you a head start. I will be adding resources to this page on regular basis.
English for all Workplaces
English for Carpenters
English for Hairdressers
English for Sales
English for Human Resources
English for Customer Service
General English
Writing
Listening
