Authentic texts in the ESP classroom: ideas and approaches

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Authentic texts in the ESP classroom ideas and
approaches

• Amy Krois-Lindner
• University of Vienna
• amy.krois_at_univie.ac.at

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Overview

• ESP Needs Analysis, Task Analysis, Text Analysis
• Task Analysis
• Authentic Texts
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Finding Authentic Texts
• Understanding Authentic Texts
• Text Analysis
• Didacticizing Texts Exercise Types and
  Approaches
• Conclusion

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ESP Three Types of Analysis

• Hutchinson and Waters (1987)
• Needs analysis ESP is designed to meet specific
  needs of the learner these needs must first be
  analyzed by the instructor.
• Task analysis ESP aims to prepare learners to
  communicate effectively in the tasks prescribed
  by their study or work situation tasks must be
  analyzed to determine what skills and language
  abilities they require.
• Text analysis ESP is centered on the language,
  skills, discourse, and text types appropriate to
  these tasks. Appropriate texts need to be found
  and then didacticized for use in the classroom.

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Task Analysis

• What is the main communicative purpose of the
  task?
• Which of the four skills does the task require?
• Are there preliminary and follow-up tasks
  involved?
• What language functions can be expected to play a
  role in the task?
• What text types does the task involve?
• Where can these texts be found?

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Authentic Texts

• What are authentic texts for classroom use?
• narrow and defined audience
• owned by discourse community
• used by people in the learners profession in
  the course of their work
• Examples
• written text types emails, memos, reports, calls
  for tender, contracts, project documentation,
  mission statements, minutes of meetings, etc
• spoken text types interviews, meetings, phone
  calls, etc

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Advantages of Authentic Texts

• Learners appreciate their relevance
• Texts have trigger function
• Learners see real language use, are motivated
• Texts contain vocabulary of immediate importance
• Learners often need to be able to read or produce
  texts of this type him or herself

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Disadvantages of Authentic Texts

• Not always readily accessible to the teacher
• Sometimes highly technical and very difficult for
  teacher to understand
• Need to be didactized, ie exercises need to be
  devised

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Finding Texts

• The role of the learner as text provider
• can provide texts they are using in their work
• can provide other relevant work-related texts
  (emails, reports, memos, specialist publications
  in the field, etc)
• Teacher can seek out publicly accessible text
  materials
• such as company websites, annual reports, company
  brochures

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Understanding Texts

• The role of the learner as subject specialist
• knowledge should be used in the classroom
  (paraphrasing, explaining, evaluating)
• motivating for learner
• symbiotic relationship subject specialist and
  English specialist
• The role of contact person in learners
  institution
• can help with needs analysis
• can serve as subject specialist and text provider

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Text Analysis Real Content vs. Carrier Content

• Carrier content the subject of a text, what it
  is about
• Real content language items which the teacher
  determines to be present in a text and which
  he/she regards to be worthy of teaching

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Practice Areas Website (P 138 ILE)
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Text AnalysisTechnical vs Semi-technical
Vocabulary

• Dudley-Evans and St. John (1997)
• technical vocabulary Vocabulary that has
  specialized and restricted meanings in certain
  disciplines and which may vary in meaning across
  disciplines
• semi-technical vocabulary Vocabulary that is
  used in general language but has a higher
  frequency of occurrence in the specialist
  discourse of professional life

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Didacticizing Texts The Lexical Approach (P 56,
ILE)
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Collocation Exercise (P 57, ILE)
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Table Of EU Member States And Anti-competitive
Measures Taken (P 206, ILE)
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Reorganised table (P 207, ILE)
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Writing 1 (P 208, ILE)
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Didacticizing Texts The Functional Approach (P
208, ILE)
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Language Use Warning a Client of Risks (P 209,
ILE)
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Didacticizing Texts The Genre Analysis Approach
(P 30, ILE)
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Analysing language functions (P 31, ILE)
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Writing A letter of advice (P 31, ILE)
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Conclusion

• Three-part analysis
• Subject specialist / English specialist roles
• Carrier content vs Real content
• Semi-technical and technical vocabulary
• Varied approach, 4 skills, linking tasks