Module 25
Classroom practice and beyond
What’s inside
• Learner’s specialist knowledge
• Class size
• Beyond the classroom
• Learner’s specialist knowledge
Since ESP learners bring to their language
learning some knowledge of the own specialist
field and the communication within it, the ESP
teacher has to develop a conscious awareness
so that control is gained, whether over language,
rhetorical structure or communication skills.
Content Knowledge
Teaching ESP is different from teaching EFL
because learners have knowledge that they
need to use, which generally ESP teachers do
not have.
Roles and Relationships
An ESP teacher provides a bank of English for
learner’s to use. Any judgment of appropriacy,
versus accuracy can only be made jointly.
 An ESP teacher is often more of a consultant
than a teller giving advice, suggesting
alternatives and allowing the learner to make
informed decisions.
• Teaching and learning Materials
• Methodological approaches
Integrating the methodologies of other
Disciplines
• Case studies
- design an advertisement
- write a letter/report
- draw up a business plan
- design an announcement for display on
computer screens.
• Project Work
In subject projects students generally have to:
- generate a hypothesis
- carry out a literature review
- test the hypothesis
- write a report
- give an oral presentation or seminar
Module 26
Classroom practice and beyond
What’s inside
• Learner’s specialist knowledge
• Class size
• Beyond the classroom
Class Sizes
1. When is large large?
2. When small is small – one-to-one
classes.
1. When is large large?
The notion of what constitutes a large class
depends on situation, purpose and experience.
Large class size
Largest Class
taught
Large becomes
intolerable
Large, problems
begin
1-20
33.3
25.0
21-40
44.5
34.1
41-60
50.0
37.4
61-80
60.5
42.1
81-100
64.5
44.5
101-120
85.0
62.9
121-140
80.0
55.0
Dealing with large classes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Run classes at alternative times
Combine and split classes
Split classes
Team-teach
5. Get the authorities to increase resources –
teachers, rooms, materials, etc so that class
size can be reduced or out of class support
can be increased
Changing the approach
•
•
•
•
Allow learners to consult each other
Introduce pair and group work
Introduce new feedback procedures
Have core and alternative/additional activities
When small is small
one to one
Intensive
Direct
Eg. Professionals in
Business, diplomacy
courses
Extensive
Direct
Eg. EAP Tutorials
Indirect
Eg. Telephone
courses
Beyond the classroom
Five modes of technology
1. Video discs and CD-ROMS
2. The Internet
3. Electronic mail (E-Mail)
4. CALL Material
5. Computer-based corpora