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EST teacher training: Possible lines of further implementation
The ESP Journal, Vol. 2, pp. 56-57, 1983 Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in the USA.
0272-2380/83/010056-02503.00/0 Copyright © 1983 The American University
EST Teacher Training: Possible Lines of Further Implementation In the paragraphs that follow I will make a few comments on three possible extensions of the procedures indicated by Jack Ewer. My comments have to do with the practical teaching component in the training program, the contribution of computer technology, and the need for research-oriented EST teacher training. In Ewer's account the practical teaching component is limited to peer teaching ("microteaching"): EST teacher-trainees simulate actual conditions by teaching other teacher-trainees. A natural complement to this activity would have to involve the trainees in teaching actual EST learners in the various faculties concerned with science and technology. Most colleges and universities all over the world are engaged in EST; this would provide an excellent opportunity for the trainees to extend their classroom experience beyond the useful but limited exposure provided by the microteaching component. Such an extension would no doubt bring about exchanges between the EST teacher trainers and the EST instructors-often working on different campuses--which would be of great benefit to both and also to the learners. From here the teacher trainers might consider extending their operations to institutions in the community engaged in English for occupational and vocational purposes. Familiarity with computer applications would also be of great value to EST teachers in training. Although access to computers is likely to be difficult for teachers in developing nations, this is not the case in the United States, Europe and the more affluent countries in the Middle East and Asia. EST computer applications are most valuable in conducting text analyses quickly, efficiently and in a variety of formats, from straightforward frequency counts to fairly sophisticated concordances and grammatical analyses. This capability is clearly an important aid in planning syllabuses and materials for disciplines for which EST/ESP textbooks are either unavailable or inadequate. Let us remember that Jack Ewer and Odette Boys (1981) proved the latter to be true for a large number of current EST textbooks. A second aspect of familiarity with computers might be an introduction to computer assisted instruction. A third possible extension of Ewer's teacher training scheme could be addressed to familiarity with research procedures. A few of the teachertrainees will eventually become engaged in syllabus and materials design; hence the need for some training in research. Jack Ewer himself pointed out elsewhere (Ewer 1981) that "we simply do not know enough facts about the various aspects of ESP", a statement that applies both to the language of science and technology and also to the process of learning/ acquiring an ESP competence. Some introductory treatment of research methods would be a step in preparing people who would help clarify some of the issues Ewer indicated. This discussion will end with an attempt to assess Jack Ewer's contribution to EST teacher training. The temptation to use the label "model" 56
Responses to "Teacher Training for EST"
57
in this context is nearly irresistible, but we must bear in mind an important qualification. In its most widely accepted sense, a model implies an abstract representation that mediates between basic theoretical principles and partial or incomplete data from experiment or observation. But what Jack Ewer has produced is more like a set of procedures, nearly universal in applicability, to conduct EST teacher training. These procedures develop from five problem areas (attitudinal, conceptual, linguistic, methodological and organizational), all of them derived from his formidable expertise as a teacher trainer. All procedures are strictly aimed at eliminating those problem areas. No doubt Jack would have been mildly annoyed at my attempted distinction between model and procedures, but I think his main concern was with results, not explanation. It is this firm commitment to practical experience that constitutes the major strength of all the EST work he attempted; this strength is brilliantly exemplified in his statements on teacher training. Guillermo Latorre West Lafayette, Indiana REFERENCES
Ewer, J. R. 1981. Nine Problems Areas in ESP. English for Specific Purposes 54:1-7. Ewer, J. R. and O. Boys. 1981. The EST Textbook Situation: An Enquiry. The ESP Journal 1,2: 87-105.
0272-2380/83/010056-02503.00/0 Copyright © 1983 The American University
EST Teacher Training: Possible Lines of Further Implementation In the paragraphs that follow I will make a few comments on three possible extensions of the procedures indicated by Jack Ewer. My comments have to do with the practical teaching component in the training program, the contribution of computer technology, and the need for research-oriented EST teacher training. In Ewer's account the practical teaching component is limited to peer teaching ("microteaching"): EST teacher-trainees simulate actual conditions by teaching other teacher-trainees. A natural complement to this activity would have to involve the trainees in teaching actual EST learners in the various faculties concerned with science and technology. Most colleges and universities all over the world are engaged in EST; this would provide an excellent opportunity for the trainees to extend their classroom experience beyond the useful but limited exposure provided by the microteaching component. Such an extension would no doubt bring about exchanges between the EST teacher trainers and the EST instructors-often working on different campuses--which would be of great benefit to both and also to the learners. From here the teacher trainers might consider extending their operations to institutions in the community engaged in English for occupational and vocational purposes. Familiarity with computer applications would also be of great value to EST teachers in training. Although access to computers is likely to be difficult for teachers in developing nations, this is not the case in the United States, Europe and the more affluent countries in the Middle East and Asia. EST computer applications are most valuable in conducting text analyses quickly, efficiently and in a variety of formats, from straightforward frequency counts to fairly sophisticated concordances and grammatical analyses. This capability is clearly an important aid in planning syllabuses and materials for disciplines for which EST/ESP textbooks are either unavailable or inadequate. Let us remember that Jack Ewer and Odette Boys (1981) proved the latter to be true for a large number of current EST textbooks. A second aspect of familiarity with computers might be an introduction to computer assisted instruction. A third possible extension of Ewer's teacher training scheme could be addressed to familiarity with research procedures. A few of the teachertrainees will eventually become engaged in syllabus and materials design; hence the need for some training in research. Jack Ewer himself pointed out elsewhere (Ewer 1981) that "we simply do not know enough facts about the various aspects of ESP", a statement that applies both to the language of science and technology and also to the process of learning/ acquiring an ESP competence. Some introductory treatment of research methods would be a step in preparing people who would help clarify some of the issues Ewer indicated. This discussion will end with an attempt to assess Jack Ewer's contribution to EST teacher training. The temptation to use the label "model" 56
Responses to "Teacher Training for EST"
57
in this context is nearly irresistible, but we must bear in mind an important qualification. In its most widely accepted sense, a model implies an abstract representation that mediates between basic theoretical principles and partial or incomplete data from experiment or observation. But what Jack Ewer has produced is more like a set of procedures, nearly universal in applicability, to conduct EST teacher training. These procedures develop from five problem areas (attitudinal, conceptual, linguistic, methodological and organizational), all of them derived from his formidable expertise as a teacher trainer. All procedures are strictly aimed at eliminating those problem areas. No doubt Jack would have been mildly annoyed at my attempted distinction between model and procedures, but I think his main concern was with results, not explanation. It is this firm commitment to practical experience that constitutes the major strength of all the EST work he attempted; this strength is brilliantly exemplified in his statements on teacher training. Guillermo Latorre West Lafayette, Indiana REFERENCES
Ewer, J. R. 1981. Nine Problems Areas in ESP. English for Specific Purposes 54:1-7. Ewer, J. R. and O. Boys. 1981. The EST Textbook Situation: An Enquiry. The ESP Journal 1,2: 87-105.