English For Science & Technology | ESP

Summary

This video introduces English for Specific Purposes (ESP), focusing on its role in science and technology education. It highlights ESP as a learner-centered approach that caters to adult learners in specialized fields such as science, technology, medicine, and business. The video explores the evolution of ESP, emphasizing how students are immersed in the language and values of their respective disciplines. The lecturer discusses the challenges of teaching ESP, particularly in conveying the linguistic nuances and cultural aspects of various scientific and technical disciplines. Key pedagogical strategies, such as materials adaptation and genre-specific instruction, are also outlined.

Takeaways

• 😀 ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is a learner-centered approach tailored to the needs of adult learners who require English for specific vocational fields like science, technology, medicine, and business.
• 😀 ESP focuses on teaching language skills relevant to specific professional or academic disciplines, including English for business, civil engineering, and health services.
• 😀 English for Science and Technology (EST) has gained attention due to the rapid expansion of scientific communication, leading to a need for specialized linguistic and literacy skills.
• 😀 A significant shift in ESP has been from teaching general transferable skills to focusing on specific disciplinary literacy, which reflects the unique genres and values of each field.
• 😀 Becoming a member of a discourse community, like that of science and technology, requires students to learn and adopt the language, genres, and values of the field, as well as engage in research practices.
• 😀 Disciplinary socialization is key in ESP, where students are not only learning language skills but also internalizing the values and behaviors of their specific disciplines.
• 😀 Teaching ESP involves balancing explicit instruction on linguistic features with immersive learning in disciplinary cultures, often using ethnographic methods to study target discourse communities.
• 😀 Specialized scientific and technical language, including vocabulary and grammar, is not naturally acquired by non-native speakers, so explicit teaching of these forms is essential.
• 😀 Visual elements like graphs, diagrams, and mathematical symbols play a crucial role in scientific and engineering discourse, requiring students to become literate in multimodal forms of communication.
• 😀 A key challenge for ESP instructors is helping students navigate the impersonal tone required in scientific and technical writing, while also being sensitive to the norms of their specific disciplines.
• 😀 The ESP field has evolved to consider how literacy practices reflect societal and disciplinary power, with recent research focusing on how language use in science and technology carries implicit values and power dynamics.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the course on English for Specific Purposes (ESP)?

The course on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) focuses on teaching English to adult learners who need it for vocational or academic fields, such as science, technology, medicine, and business. It emphasizes learner-centered approaches to meet the specific needs of students in their specialized areas.

Who is the target audience for ESP courses?

The target audience for ESP courses includes students, teacher candidates, and professionals who wish to learn how to design ESP courses and programs in specific areas of specialization like business, civil engineering, health services, and academic purposes.

What are some areas that ESP courses address in terms of language skills?

ESP courses address instructional strategies, materials adaptation and development, and evaluation. They also focus on providing learners with specific literacy skills required for their discipline or professional field.

What historical developments shaped the field of ESP, particularly in science and technology?

ESP research in science and technology was initially focused on linguistic forms and skills, later emphasizing disciplinary socialization. Recently, the field has adopted a more critical perspective, analyzing how literacy practices reflect societal and disciplinary power dynamics.

How has the role of genre and discourse community evolved in ESP teaching?

The perspective of ESP has evolved from focusing on transferable skills to emphasizing specific literacies acquired within a discipline. A discourse community is seen as one where members share values and use specific genres and languages, which students must learn to navigate.

What is the relationship between English for Science and Technology (EST) and disciplinary socialization?

In EST, students are not only learning language forms but are also being enculturated into the values and behaviors of the discipline. Disciplinary socialization helps students internalize these values, such as objectivity in science or problem-solving in engineering.

What challenges do ESP teachers face in providing access to a discourse community?

ESP teachers face the challenge of providing access to discourse communities where they are often not members themselves. They must help students integrate into these communities by teaching them the values, genres, and language used in specific fields.

Why is teaching the rhetorical use of language important in ESP courses?

Teaching the rhetorical use of language is important because students need to understand the context and purpose of language in specific disciplines. This helps them use language effectively and appropriately in academic and professional settings.

How do ESP courses approach the teaching of scientific texts and graphs?

ESP courses emphasize the importance of understanding scientific texts' unique structures, such as nominal packaging and the use of visual elements like graphs and diagrams. These visuals require disciplinary knowledge to interpret and communicate meaning effectively.

How is disciplinary literacy viewed in relation to second language acquisition in ESP?

Disciplinary literacy in ESP is viewed as a complex process of acquiring new literacy practices and taking on a new disciplinary identity. This process often involves overcoming resistance and adapting to new ways of thinking and communicating within a discipline.