English for Professional Purposes: Backwards? Forwards? Towards!

E-merging Forum-3, Moscow, March 1, 2013

Dr. Andrei KuznetsovProfessor

Academy of Professional Development and Re-Training of Educators

Master William Shakespeare's Moment

Sonnet 22

Why EPP but not other ELT research and praxis fields?

ESP – too generalistic of a term, and not being professional life grounded

EAP – too remote from the down-to-earth professional praxis of graduates, exam-oriented

CLIL – predominantly used for the EL advanced students, single-subjected, plus mostly at the secondary level

• Teaching the something that has direct bearing on the formation of the professional expertise of graduates (hard and soft skills)

• Facilitating students’ mastery of other university subjects

• ELT content development being grounded on the understanding of ‘not teaching English, but teaching through English’ for the sake of professional competency development

• Best practices for the mediocre students

Step away from the learner-centered approach, i.e. contrasted to other, ‘more communicative’, ELT trends - return to the ‘obsolete’, notoriously promulgated ‘Soviet’ ELT concept

Introduction of didactic and social innovations [preferably revolutionary!] that seems to be a high trend and a must today

A more-or-less dynamic movement towards the meeting of the requirements of the university education stakeholders

A major EPP Drive -shift in the educational paradigm: from anthropocentric towards sociocentric

• Establishment, maintenance and development of sustainable social networks, i.e. interrelations within the community that are to be efficient, harmonious, mutually beneficial and aesthetic

• Establishment of the EL mastery as a social good that is valuable for all stakeholders

• Students• Social communities• Professional Communities• Employers• ELT associations• Course developers• School Administrators• International Professional Organizations

• Government (officials, state standards, etc.)• Sponsors• FL Teachers• System of Education• Parents• FLT Publishers• International FLT-related Organizations• FL Teacher Associations• FLT Course Developers

Revision of ELT objectives that would be true to the needs and expectations of various groups of stake-holders, those needs being re-addressed in terms of the requirements of the new Russian educational standards and participation of stakeholders in ELT content development

• ProblemUniversity Administration declares support of the

quality ELT, but stands strongly against any increase in the number of the contact hours for ELT

• Steps towardsDemonstrate the value of ELT for the formation of the

holistic professional competency of a graduateDemonstrate the value of the particular ELT

extracurricular activities (e.g. local/national contests, festivals, video conferences, etc.) for the development of the University’s goodwill

• ProblemStudent declare their strive for EL mastery, but tend to

invest their minimal effort to EL learning

• Steps towardsExplain the actual EPP objectives Introduce the rational assignments (to-the-point, power-

optimal and time-optimal)Develop the student motivation to EL learning (provision

of the rationale behind the EL learning chores, inculcation in exchange programmes, visualization of the profession-related EL mastery value)

• Problem Employers exercise excessive requirements to EL

mastery, but, first, cannot provide the rationale behind those requirements, second, are not ready to compensate for the required EL mastery (oppose labour capitalization)

• Steps towardsJoin the effort in ELT objective research, setting and

specificationCooperate in EPP material development Provide the background for the internship programmesProvide opportunities for their participation in ELT

classes and extra-curricular activities

• Problem Publishers are trying to impose their ELT materials

that are loosely connected to the actual mission of EPP

• Step towardsTempt them to cooperation in the joint development

of the EPP materials that would meet Russian requirements

Offer them local EPP materials for editing and further publication

• Problem University EL Teacher Community is EPP-reluctant and

heavily intoxicated with EGP, ESP, EAP and CLIL myths

• Steps towardsExplain the actual goals of EPP Offer refresher/professional development courses in

EPPProvide the well-rounded support (methodological,

psychological, special-field, resource, etc.)

• Problem Other chair groups oppose the development of ELT

programmes in the universities, as this ELT expansion endangers their own well-being

• Step towardsDemonstrate the resource potential of the EPP courses

in terms of provision of those chair groups with the cutting-edge special-field data for their activities (teaching, research, fund-raising, etc.)

• Problem International professional community has little

understanding of the actual ELT process and the Russia-relevant learning outcomes

• Step towardsProvide the EPP courses and materials that would

relate to the actual speech skills and language aspects that are vital for the international community

Cooperate in the development of the internship programmes that may bridge the axiological gap

English for Professional Purposes: Towards!

[The yoke] … of human bondage …

Andrei Kuznetsovandremos@inbox.ru