Download
1 / 70
700 likes | 944 Views
ESP Development in Taiwan: Conflict, Collaboration, Transformation & New Challenges. Yinghuei Chen, PhD Professor, Director General/Chair, Asia University, Taiwan President, TESPA TESOL ESPIS Chair (2013-14 ) . Four Phases of ESP Development in Taiwan.
E N D
ESP Development in Taiwan: Conflict, Collaboration, Transformation & New Challenges Yinghuei Chen, PhD Professor, Director General/Chair, Asia University, Taiwan President, TESPA TESOL ESPISChair (2013-14)
Four Phases of ESP Development in Taiwan • Pre-conflict (Innocence): Subject specialists taught only the terminology, thinking they taught ESP. This practice still continues, especially in medical and nursing schools. Terminology=ESP • Conflict (Negation): Subject specialists and language teachers fought over the control of semi-ESP curriculum (English application courses= ESP) Subject specialists taught the content while ESP teachers taught the language, each believing they taught ESP.
Four Phases of ESP Development in Taiwan (con.) 3. Collaboration (Synergy): Content specialists and language teachers agree to work together. They consult each other for both material and language input & output. Team-teaching or collaboration becomes a new norm. 4. Transformation (Harmony): Either language teachers or subject specialists (it doesn’t matter who so long as they are competent) can do the teaching alone. ESP and its best practice
1. Pre-conflict Phase The state of innocence ESP thought to be equivalent to teaching of terminology, considered an insider jargon, and no language teachers dared to tread subject specialists’ territory, even if the courses were language-oriented. This was in the 1960s to 1980s when specialization of knowledge began to diversify.
My “ex-colleague” Jane, teaching nursing and medical terminology
1. Pre-conflict Phase (con.) Courses (or domains) then offered: Medical English, Nursing English (medical and nursing professionals), Engineering English, English for Science & Technology (IT professionals), Business English, Business Writing (for Business & English majors), Academic Writing (for advanced studies)
1. Pre-conflict Phase (con.) Some conclusions about this phase: 1. No real ESP courses offered, esp. principled ESP 2. The concept of ESP and its best practice unheard of 3.Both content specialists and language teachers were unaware of the political implication in ESP discourse. 4.Content teachers were consideredthe norm, having right qualifications to do the teaching.
2. Conflict Phase One major event in the development of ESP in Taiwan: The establishment of what’s called “Applied English (Applied Foreign Languages)Department” in colleges and universities, especially in technical and vocational university system (distinct from comprehensive university system) in mid-1990s and its fast growth in its wake.
2. Conflict Phase (con.) Growth of Applied English in 10 years (from 1996-2005) 95 5
2. Conflict Phase (con.) The philosophy behind this applied language phenomenon: • Re-conceptualization of English as a tool/vehicle, not a subject/discipline • Pragmatism in language teaching • Failure of traditional language teaching in literature departments, a paradigm shift • Needs-oriented (Taiwan, an export-driven country)
2. Conflict Phase (con.) Applied language? Language applied to? To pragmatism? To something else? Popularity of Business English, English for Management, English for Tourism, English for Hospitality, English for Journalism, Medical & Nursing English, English for Science & Technology, etc.
2. Conflict Phase (con.) The majority of Applied Language (English) Departments eventually concentrate on twomajor areas: EFL and Translation (Oral Interpretation),which unfortunately lead to a dead end. Why? EFL jobs have been declined over the pastdecade because of Taiwan’s low birth rate.Translation demands high English proficiency.
2. Conflict Phase (con.) What caused the conflict? Vague, unclear definition of ESP--the root cause– and ESP seems to mean what one wishes it to be! Job security because of surplus of teachers Identity of applied English Anxiety over professionalism (insufficiency in domain knowledge) Academic politics (institutionalization of English)
2. Conflict Phase (con.) Types of conflict 1. language teachers vs. content specialists ESP is an interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary field that involves at least two domains of knowledge: language knowledge and discipline knowledge. Core conflict--who is qualified to teach ESP? the political nature of ESP pedagogy is revealing. Teaching ESP is more than purely a pedagogical matter. (Auerbach, 1993)
2. Conflict Phase (con.) Major argument: • about language teachers Lack of sufficient or even working knowledge of professional discipline • about subject teachers Insufficient or even poor language skills to teach ESP • Different teaching approaches: Language teachers mainly teach language skills whereas subject teachers teach just the content.
2. Conflict Phase (con.) 2. Insider vs. Outsider • ESP as a genre, a speech act for a specific community • To understand a genre, we need to know both the genericcodes and the cultural codes. • In conclusion, ESP is an insider language?! (Hyland)
2. Conflict Phase (con.) 3. language departments vs. discipline departments Which department is entitled to teach ESP? Conflict between language departments and discipline departments mainly focused on the ownership of courses. Who has the right to offer such a course like English for Finance?
ESP Teacher & Identity Crisis • ESP practitioners/teachers are often regarded as ‘outsiders’ not only by subject teachers but also by the faculty of English department. • ESP teachers find it hard to fight for positions and teaching rights because they lack a clear sense of value and identity. • The political nature of (ESP)pedagogy is revealing. Who is qualified to reach ESP is more than purely a pedagogical matter. (Auerbach, 1993)
Institutional Hierarchy department-- a community of professionals “competence as disciplinary insiders” (Ken Hyland, 2005) teacher identity =disciplinary identity ? (from novice to expert)
3. Collaboration Phase Some key factors that have contributed to collaboration in ESP: • The Glocalization (globalization + localization) of English • ESP has become one major global trend in English teaching and learning. • Taiwan, an export-driven country , needs to develop a workforce that can communicate in English.
“English Next” by David Graddol Why global English may mean the end of “English as a Foreign Language”? published in 2006
3. Collaboration Phase (con.) Some key factors that have contributed to collaboration in ESP: • Subsequent curriculum reform with a new emphasis on ESP (universities offering ESP MA programs) • ESP recognized as one research area by NSC (National Science Council), Taiwan • Establishment of Taiwan ESP Association (TESPA)
3. Collaboration Phase (con.) Some key factors that have contributed to collaboration in ESP: • Establishment of Taiwan ESP International Journal • Many major & minor ESP conferences across the island • Better understanding of what ESP is: Language for communicative needs • Teacher awareness : TESOL teachers need to be cross-disciplinary.
Prof. Jun Liu’s Plenary Speech in TESOL 2012 (in Philadelphia) “The Future of TESOL: Challenges and Opportunities”
Jane, Prof. of Nursing, co-teaching Nursing English with Robert
4. Transformation Phase Now we are heading towards this phase: either language teachers or subject teachers can do the teaching alone. The cocoon has transformed itself into a butterfly(the current phase).Eclectic-pragmatism (situated) (Abrar-ul-Hassan, 2012; Orr, 2002)
4. Transformation Phase: Opening of ESP programs at Asia Univ.
Two Success Stories in ESP Pedagogy 1.Legal English at National Kaohsiung First Univ. of Science & Technology (NKFUST) *Case studies + Presentation in English 2. Nursing & Medical English at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) *Program for Global Competence
Teaching English for Legal Purposes- Practice at NKFUST, Taiwan Pro Prof. Jason Tien Chou (周 天) Director, Intellectual Property Center, Graduate Institute of Science & Technology Law, NKFUST
Curriculum 1. One 3 hour/week class with the enrollment of 15 graduate students. A total of 15 U.S. Court decisions presented by students for a semester. 2. Each student is assigned to present a U.S. Court decision of their choice every week. 3. Each student is asked to find the original court decision, read it, and make a case brief under 1,500 words. Use Westlaw International Database. (Training for reading ability)
Curriculum (con.) 4. Each student will pass the case brief to the rest of the class a week before the presentation date. 5. The rest of the class will start asking the presenter questions like a client by e-mails before the presentation date. 6. The presenter will respond to the questions by emails before the presentation date. (Training for writing ability)
Curriculum (con.) 7. On the presentation date, the presenter will present the U.S. Court decision by PPT or other multimedia tools. 8. The presenter will need to respond to questions from the audience and comments from the teacher in a Q&A session. (Training for oral communication skills)
Teaching Materials 1. No single teaching material is appropriate. 2.Westlaw International Database is the best tool for finding U.S. Court decisions. 3. Longman Advanced American Dictionary 4. Black’s Law Dictionary 5. Guidebook for making PPT presentations 6. Taiwanese legal statutes for reference
Kaohsiung First Tech at 2013 Legal English Presentation Contest Held by OIT, Japan,
Legal English Presentation Contests Between Taiwan and Japan
Kaohsiung First Tech Won the Championship of 2013 Legal English Presentation Contest
English for Nursing Purposes --Embedded ESP programs at NCKU ESP Team for Nursing Director: Mei-Ling Tsai, PhD Language Specialist: Rita FY Tsai Content Specialists: Nursing Faculty South East Asia Health Education Center in Taiwan National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Rita Tsai Language/ESP specialist Mei-Ling Tsai, Director & EMI specialist Nursing Faculty in Skill Center
ESP programs in Nursing Education A learning process to self-actualization in Global Competence
English for Nursing Purposes In-house Design of English Clips for Nursing http://www.med.ncku.edu.tw/seahect/SEAHECT/Course_Information.html
Professional Issues in Trans-cultural Nursing Student explanation on the special trick in nasogastric intubation Student Demonstration on the procedures of nasogastric intubation
2013 Overseas observership in Japan & USA Measurement of vital signs Experience as Standard patient in Japan Presentation in San Diego
But, a New and Real Challenge --The Pragmatic Approach According to Ken Hyland’s observation, the need for learning subjects in English at college and university has led to an expansion of ESP teachers, and the vast majority of the teachers of EAP/ESP around the world are not native speakers of English. Thus the difficulty and challenge of ESP pedagogy.
A New & Real Challenge to ESP:Export of Taiwan Higher Education 150,000 95,000
