ІI Международная
научно-практическая конференция «Новейшие
научные достижения – 2011» Сроки проведения: 17.03 – 25.03.2011
Место
издания: Бял ГРАД-БГ (г.София, Болгария)
Филологические науки/Методика преподавания языка и литературы
V. Ishchenko
Poltava University of Economics and Trade, Ukraine
APPROACHES TO SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESS ENGLISH TEACHING
Nowadays,
Business English is in high demand and there are many teachers who teach it.
There's a lot more to teaching Business English than just introducing new
business terms or handing over endless lists of business vocabulary. It is
essential to learn how to make sure your students are really prepared to use
English in a real business setting [1].
Some
Business English teachers may find it difficult to decide what points to focus
on when asked to guide students for that big step into the real world. As the
world market becomes smaller and more interdependent, it is imperative that
teachers keep in mind that some of their students may one day have to work for
a foreign or a multinational company. It means not only training your students
on how to develop their foreign business language skills, but also helping them
come to terms with cultural differences and business styles.
"Business
English" means different things to different people. It can mean the
language of international trade or the language and communications skills office
workers need [3]. So, it is a good idea to research what is important for
future business people in their daily activity and taking into account the
results give your students realistic business English practice through role
plays of meetings, business negotiations, telephone conversations and more.
Focus on general vocabulary and phrases used in the business world, business
and professional writing such as letters, memos, proposals, preparing and
delivering professional presentations, etc. Students should come away from
these with a compilation of phrases they'll really be able to use. Don't
overlook small talk, either. Arm your students with the appropriate vocabulary
to chat with English-speaking colleagues, for example, during breaks at international
conferences.
Many
Business English teachers find it useful to practice creating and giving presentations
in English. In order to help your students create such presentations, provide
useful phrases for introducing a theme, transitioning from one idea to the
next, concluding a presentation and taking questions.
Almost
all professionals who use English for business will need to write letters, memos,
invitations and short reports. For each writing lesson, it is advisable to
select just one type of correspondence, such as a letter of complaint, and
provide good examples, useful phrases and practice writing a full example.
Sometimes
textbook exercises can be boring. The issue how to motivate students is a challenge all teachers face. Since every classroom
consists of a wide array of students, each student brings with them
different student learning styles, different interests, and different life
experiences that make each classroom unique and special. There are
several ways that teachers can tap into the individual learning styles and
interests of students, thus making learning more fun
and meaningful all at the same time [2]. That is why in the Poltava University of Economics and Trade we use Linked
Courses which we define as Learning Communities that involve two or more
classes linked thematically or by content which a cohort of students takes
together. In this instance, the faculty members do plan the program
collaboratively. Six courses based on learning through content approach have
been developed since 2000. We call them “Language of Marketing”, “Language of
Management”, “Language of International Economics”, “Language of Human Resource
Management”, “Language of Information Systems in Management”, “Language of
TNC”.
We
believe that Learning Communities strategy offers an array of opportunities
both for teachers and students. The approach utilizes case studies with
different types of activities problem solving, simulation, discussion, written
reflection, point of view presentation, mini-research, etc. It helps explore
issues in cross-cultural communication in the business context and encourages
them think critically to find solutions to business problems thus developing
communication skills and skills they need to succeed in an increasingly diverse
and technologically enhanced workplace of today.
Faculty
members involved in Learning Communities that facilitate cross-faculty
collaboration are expanding their repertoire of teaching approaches,
continually revising their course content, and acquiring new scholarly
interests. Learning community faculty members are also building mentoring
relationships with each other and are more frequently engaging with beginning
students and general education offerings.
In
such a situation the teacher can both give guidance at any stage and feedback
on performance. A particularly effective general approach for the teacher is to
see this kind of teaching as both a teaching and a learning process for the
teacher, where a great deal of interesting information about a wide range of
business processes can be acquired. In the final analysis, it is important not
to be intimidated by the status and professions of the learners but rather to
establish the kind of teacher – learner relationship where both sides are
recognized as experts – the learners as experts in their particular field of
expertise and the teacher as an expert in the field of language teaching and as
an indispensable source of linguistic information.
REFERENCES
1. Davies, Paul, Pearse, Eric. Success In English Teaching, Oxford
Handbooks for Language Teachers, Oxford University Press, 2000.
2. Eble, K. E. The Craft of Teaching. (2nd ed.) / K.
E. Eble. – San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1988. – 257 p.
3. Ellis, Mark, Christine, Johnson, Teaching Business English, Oxford Handbooks
for Language Teachers, Oxford University Press, 1994.