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Mexicali, B. C. México
June, 2014
Abstract
Project: English for Specific Purposes course designed for Hospitality in Tourism students in
Preparatoria CONALEP, fourth semester. This course was prepared in an online course with
Linguistics Department of University of Oregon.
Contact with the educational authority, led to a presentation in the line of having a population of
students who would benefit with an ESP course in their area of study, Technical Preparatory
(Junior College) students, making an appointment to present the project based in the recognition
of students already existing motivation to the specific area, a more focused training of the second
language with occupational purposes that is related to the actual institutional programming and
the agreement that there is no need to change the actual teachers since they do not need to be
experts in the field but in second language teaching.
At the institution there was interest and collaboration, from all, principal, supervisor, teacher and
students. The procedure followed to integrate an ESP course is based on Kay Westerfield
(2010,2013).
Key words: Target Situation Analysis, Present Situation Analysis, Context Analysis
English for Specific Purposes course designed for Hospitality in Tourism students
in Preparatoria CONALEP, fourth semester.
Background:
First one must consider the motivation already present in the students that will
take ESP courses since they have chosen the area themselves based on the
preference for an occupation they will develop in a near future. It therefore solves
specific needs of participants (Fiorito, 2002).
Self-direction requires some freedom in the choice of what and how to study
(Gatehouse, 2001), enhancing autonomy in an ever changing world that calls for
knowledge of learning strategies, which the teacher can provide.
The contents of the course are related to the subjects students are studying in
their native language in preparation for work on a specific area and within the
communicative competence required on the second language (English) to
complete their instruction, but also based in real situations they have identified and
clearly defined from the area of study chosen following a needs analysis
questionnaire.
Students who opt for studying a technical career in this level (Technical
Preparatory) have plans to work as soon as they complete the three year program.
At this time of their life they may not have the means or plans to continue their
education to University level.
The institution offers 38 different technical professions and students receive
both a college certificate and a technical professional certificate after three years of
this middle Higher Education program. Technical careers offered will depend of
the geographic area where the centers are. They aim to construct work
competencies, with knowledge and experience, training students both in theory
and practice (with small labs for each profession) and providing social service
programs in the community. They will also acquire competences to communicate
in English at the job. They already have a general program for English where
teachers in each campus have gathered to agree on the specific structural
contents.
Therefore the aim of the ESP course project is to integrate a course that
considers the institution´s general program, the teachers planning from general
everyday situational and structural perspectives, adding the specific situations and
real materials that will give a focus to the second language learning in this
profession.
The Institution
The Mission of this institution is to train and certify students following general
rules of systems for work certification. It aims to assist the communities where
campi are located through social training and social service programs in different
areas, thus supporting their development.
The Procedure.
After a meeting with the State vice director for the middle higher level education
system presenting the project as advantages for technical school students:
1. Visit the institution to present the project, working with a pilot group.
2. Identify the competencies students must build in English as a second
language in this level and program.
3. Analyze the contents of the subjects in the technical professional program.
4. Apply a needs analysis questionnaire to students.
5. Evaluate previous knowledge of English.
6. Design a syllabus (Annex A)
7. Gather authentic material
A visit to the institution´s director and technical supervisor to present the project
of a pilot course made it possible to approach both students and teachers. The
program and the curriculum are found in Internet, where one can see both the
technical subjects and regular subjects besides the general goals of the English
courses per semester. Fourth semester was the group available in the morning
shift to apply the needs analysis questionnaire to students.
The interview to the teacher of this classroom allowed the researcher to have
an assessment of students´ previous knowledge of English, to talk with him about
the convenience of shifting to ESP courses of English and to discuss the
possibilities of using what equipment is available in the school. He also presented
the semester´s plan as collaboratively agreed by the English teachers in the
beginning of the semester.
The syllabus resulting from all the above information is designed considering
plans from the institution, teachers and curriculum, besides regarding students´
wants and needs.
NEEDS ANALYSIS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE QUESTIONNAIRE 14 women, 6 men from 16 to 19 years of age.
7. Which skills do you use in those situations? Speaking (29) Listening (19) Reading (18) Wrting (18)
8. What skills are more useful to you? Speaking (16) Listening (16) Reading (12) Writing (15)
Most students inform they studied English in secondary (grades 7-9) and only
one has taken additional courses, external to the schooling system. They report so
even though English is mandatory in secondary school.
An 80% of the students has a computer at home, only 55% have a laptop. This
question was included since the school has no computer lab available for English
students.
All of them consider they need English in their profession, especially to give
service and information. The skills they need are for reception, telephone calls, to
guide de customers, answer questions, give information, greet, and in general,
speak (communication).
The answers are very related to the questions included, and when compared to
the subjects they take this semester, Hospitality Services Management,
Reservation system administration, Groups and Conventions, there is a clear
awareness of what their needs are.
Needs Assessment:
1. By the end of the course students will master English for the reservation
system, for the hospitality services, and to handle group and
conventions.
These are the three subjects taught in this semester for the career as
presented in the Internet page from the State Government for
Preparatory level, through CONALEP who offers technical careers.
3. Their desires about learning English are related to the technical subjects
they are learning in fourth semester according to questionnaire answers:
To give service and information, for reception, telephone calls, to guide
de customers, answer questions, greet, and in general, speak
(communication)
B. Context Analysis
1. Who are the stakeholders in the proposed course?
It directly interests managers of hotels, travel agency, restaurants,
casinos, bars, convention center.
D. Nature of course
1. How many learners? 20 in the pilot group for design purposes.
No aspects to improve or adjust.
2. Enrollment and attendance is mandatory.
3. Total hours in a semester are 50-60 hrs., the language courses are
taught 3 hrs. per week in this institution. First semester of the year in
Mexico has many holidays.
4. They apply tests developed the institution, based on structures. This will
require adjustment later.
5. All the information needed has been gathered.
E. Teaching Resources
1. Potential materials available to use or adapt are both authentic and non-
authentic. There are videos and script, exercises on grammar and
dialogues specific to the course.
The teaching resources needed are access to computers existing in the
school, projector and laptop for the teacher.
2. There is a blackboard, photocopy machine available. The laboratory is
for accounting students only and some teachers have a cassette player.
3. To improve the CA I need to find out what resources teachers can
supply, also negotiate access to the computer laboratory, once the
course is ready to be taught.
ACTION PLAN
Teachers can use the materials suggested, print and hand in, show videos or have
students see it for homework, they will design their own lesson plans. Materials
cover foreseen grammar in their planning and the communicative competence
planned by the institution.
Bibliography:
Be my Guest pp. 24-31 CUP
U3 Information Listen, take Adjectives Negative A video on ways of handling customer Chart
and notes, ask Nouns sentences complaints. Quiz
12 Complaint clarification, Would like List of
hrs Handling handle (Dismissal, to Page on common complaints and compl
complaints Employee Compariso resolutions to read and roleplay. aints
turnover, ns and
Harass) Infinitive Six ways to deal with customer polite
Hospitality Gerund complaints by answs
services, Present Entrepreneurs´Organization ers,
Training perfect Collag
Past Slideshow: Complaint Handling Keeping e
Perfect Guests Happy. By Vasantkumar Role-
Parakhiya, 2009. Akshar telecom. Play
Bibliography
Welcome Ss book pp. 32-35 CUP
Bibliography:
Be my guest pp. 32-39 CUP
Genre Analysis
This is the page of a small and well-located hotel in Mexicali. The information is
also displayed in a brochure in the different rooms of the hotel.
1. Linguistic Competence
2. Sociolinguistic Competence
3. Discourse competence
4. Strategic Competence
Teacher_______________________________________ Date:_________
Linguistic competence:
a. Review phrases used in the conversation. Then play again.
b. Students write (note down) the conversations in pairs, each is a
participant.
Sociolinguistic competence:
Discourse competence:
Strategic competence.
h. Evaluate: did you include all the information needed by the hotel? Is it
in the best sequence?
i. Role Play, use intonation.
A recorder or laptop and proyector. Hotel reservation forms. Paper and pencil.
VI. Assessment
A chart containing columns for students names, attendance, pair writing,
underlining, Id questions, possible Qs, Qs-Ans, New conversation, a
reservation form design. Corpus.
VII. Follow-up
Teacher talks about polite phrases used and how questions are different
(instead of the colloquial when are you coming? What date do you plan
to check in?).
This course will apply to a pilot group and will be tuned with the teachers at the
institution.
Bibliography:
Fiorito, L. (2002). How is English for Specific Purposes (ESP) different from
English as a Second Language (ESL) also known as General English?
UsingEnglish.com
Kizlik, B. (2006). Lesson Planning, Lesson Plan Formats, and Lesson Plan Ideas.
Retrieved- May 17, 2006 from http://www.adprima.com/lesson.htm