TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES TO MILITARY OFFICERS: UTOPIA OR REALITY WITHIN THE CLASSROOM

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TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES TO
MILITARY OFFICERS UTOPIA OR REALITY WITHIN THE
CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
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Orientation of the ESP situation
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Orientation of the ESP situation

• Institution

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Orientation of the ESP situation

• Institution
• The School of Foreign Languages a post-
  (language) study Institute (as Robinson 19913-4
  might classify it) in the Hellenic Air Force
  Academy.

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Orientation of the ESP situation

• Institution
• Learner profile

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Orientation of the ESP situation

• Institution
• Learner profile homogeneous-in
  terms of work and specialist studies-class
• within the boundaries of
  Freidmans (1972) career development stage
• 
  if increasingly
  present-(instead of future-)
• 
  
  oriented
• 
  with no interest in
  promotion
• between the first and second phase of
  Havighursts (1972) adulthood theory
• 
  
  concern for self-image and
• 
  
  occupational advancement

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• via education-and training in Widdowsons
  (198311) terms
• -within a period of professional stability
• less introspection
• Less self-doubt
• perceive themselves as self-directing
  individuals
• adulthood (as Knowles 1990 would maintain)
  through a natural process of maturation
• 
  a progressive
  movement towards
• 
  
  autonomy.
• students self-determination limited down to
  the expectations and the intentions
• identifiable outcomes (elevation to higher
  ranks of hierarchy and wage increase)
• at the one end of Houles (1961) continuum of
  adult intentions.
• instrumental-oriented in Houles (1961) terms
  cited in Rogers (1986/200277-78)

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ESP as EOP
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ESP as EOP

• English for Occupational Purposes (Dudley-Evans
  St. john 19985)
• learning programme
• on a post-experience opportunity basis see
  Robinsons (19913-4) ESP classification by
  experience
• one-off episode classes not backed up by other
  studies (Rogers 1986/200260)
• single-disciplinary content of the course
• between Positions 4 5 in the continuum of ELT
  course types (Dudley-Evans St. John
  1998/20018-9) technical fighter-aeroplane
  English terminology study and learning
• students cultivation
  of speaking skills
• 
  exercised at a highly specialised level.

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• English for Military Purposes
• between English for Science and Technology
  (EST)
• and English for Business and Economics

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Needs analysis specifications
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Needs analysis specifications

• ESP as an approach to language teaching in
  which all decisions as to content and method are
  based on the learners reason for learning
  (Hutchinson Waters 1987 19).
• objective needs (for the term consult Brindley
  198965) through target situation analysis.
• subjective needs (ibid 65) focusing on
  students expectations of the course
• what Hutchinson Waters define as learners
  wants (198755).
• lacks (ibid) through
  
  deficiency analysis
• 
  
  (O Brien 1998/34) skills students possess
  and the language they may actually use present
  situation analysis
• 
  Dudley-Evans St. Johns term(1998/2001123-125
  ).
• 
  
  means analysis
• 
  Holliday
  Cooke (1982133) groups needs should be
  prioritised ordered and met (Dudley-Evans St.
  Johns 1998/2001124).

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Syllabus and course design specifications
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Syllabus and course design specifications

• carrier content (Dudley-Evans St. Johns
  1998/200111 Sifakis 200035).
• the difference in comprehension lies in the
  subject knowledge not the language knowledge
  (Hutchinson and Waters 1987161)
• Hullen (1981) argues that what distinguishes
  language for special purposes from General
  English is the factual knowledge needed for
  understanding the usage of technical terms.

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Materials implementation
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Materials implementation

• when learners are very familiar with a topic
  they will be bored with any treatment of it as
  something not familiar Crofts (1977)cited in
  Swales (198067)and their motivation will be
  dramatically reduced.

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Methodology adapted
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Methodology adapted

• In real life languages primary purpose is
  probably social (Nolasco Arthur 1987).
• To develop grammatical competence
• Lack of coherence
• Absence of task environment3 (Hayes Flowers
  1980) did not allow the students to plan
  articulate and monitor their target language and
  simply led them to final draft language use.
• Predictability of mechanical-type exercises
  determine in advance what the learner is
  expected to say (Underhill 1987)
• behaviourist approach to foreign language
  teaching and learning whose primary objective
  was accuracy achieved by the students instead of
  increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of
  the ESP learning situation (Hutchinson Waters
  1984) in a learning-centred approach.

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Classroom discourse
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Classroom discourse

• in more specific ESP classes the teacher
  sometimes becomes more like a language
  consultant enjoying equal status with the
  learners who have their own expertise in the
  subject matter (Dudley-Evans St. Johns
  1998/20014).

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Classroom environment and lesson plans
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Classroom environment and lesson plans

• abortive communication networks (see Shaw 1964
  cited in Long 1977289-290) established by the
  students.
• However a lesson is a communicative event
  which is created by the interaction of a number
  of forces (Hutchinson Waters 198782).

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Learners motivation
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Learners motivation

• Mc Gregors(1960) Theory X.
• the teacher as a demotivator a hygiene factor
  (Herzberg 1972)
• It thus becomes apparent that motivation
  depends as much on the attitudes of the teacher
  as on the attitudes of the students (Dudley-Evans
  St. Johns 1998/2001100).
• Instead of being integrative (Gardner Lambert
  1972)
• motivation seemed to be goal-driven (Dudley-Evans
  St. Johns 1998/200199) reflecting an
  external need (instrumental motivation in
  Gardner Lamberts theory.

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Learners and teachers roles
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Learners and teachers roles

• Lack of inner impulse
• statu pupillari attitude (Rogers 198678-79)
• The observed practitioner a reluctant dweller
  in a strange and uncharted land (Hutchinson
  Waters 1987158) although she seemed willing to
  undertake the role of the consultant
  (Dudley-Evans St. Johns 1998/200114)
• a member-rather than a leader-of the group
  (Rogers 1986190)
• no agent of change (ibid)
• relied on the traditional recipe of
  Initiation-Response-Follow up (Dudley-Evans
  St. Johns 1998/200114) teaching model.

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Conclusion
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Conclusion

• ESP has frequently been a hotbed of conflict-the
  Wild West of ELTwith new settlers in the land
  having often found it difficult to find their
  bearings with no agreed maps to guide them
  (Hutchinson Waters 1987158).

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listening
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