c



   

    by R.K.Singh, Book
Enclave, Jaipur, 2005, pp. xii +289, Rs. 725/-.ISBN 81-8152-118-8

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a needs based concept to determine which language skills
should be profitably developed for academic and professional success of students. It takes into
account certain basic questions like: ³who the learners are, what their linguistic background or
level of competence is, what their view to language learning is, what their purpose and
expectations are, what particular skill they will be needing in their actual, on- the- job situation
etc.´

English as a medium of instruction is integrated into a subject matter area important to the
learners, enabling them to use the English they know to learn even more English for all sorts of
transactions. It is assumed that the ESP learners already have the basics of the English language
and are learning the language in order to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform
particular job- related functions.

Thus the ESP approach provides opportunities to the learners to acquire English naturally, by
working with language in a context that they comprehend and find interesting.

Teaching English for Specific Purposes: An Evolving Experience by R.K.Singh is a useful

resource material for aspirant scholars, teachers and especially for any beginner of ESP practices,
particularly in technical institutions where English is both µa reading language¶ and µteaching
language¶. The book is a compilation of the author¶s 18 Research Essays followed by 22 Review
Essays that have been already published in reputed national and international journals during
1970s-1990s.These essays unravel several facets of ESP from 1970s to 1990s in India and
abroad.
The first section that comprises Research essays is a blending of theory and practice that should
help the readers to understand the role of ESP in India and its future prospects in the ever-
changing socio- linguistic scenario whereas the second and the final section of the book should
help in taking the readers to the larger domain of language learning, in particular ESL, EFL and
ESP. The ease with which the author links the two sections makes this book a convenient first
book for aspirant scholars who have little or no background in ESP or EST.

The Research Essays are the outcome of the classroom experiences of the author as a teacher
featuring the ESP approach at ISM, the role and the responsibilities of the ESP teachers and
effectiveness of ESP programmes in techno-savvy modern society. The first two essays throw
ample light on the role of English in the educational system of India. The third essay raises a
pertinent question µWhether teaching of English should be for communicative competence, or for
performance?¶ The notion of re-viewing the conventional pedagogy is also elaborated in this
article. The author advocates µCommunication¶ as the aim of English teaching and asserts that
communicative competence and performance can¶t be viewed separately. Both are indispensable
part of any language teaching and the ultimate criterion of language mastery. Singh also feels
that now the time has come for the teachers to adopt unconventional teaching techniques and
seek ways and resources of making the contents of their textbooks relevant, meaningful and of
interest to the students.
In the two essays ³Exploring Possibilities: Why Technical English?´ and ³Exploring
Possibilities: Why not General English?´ the author sounds self contradicting given his
performance for EST. Perhaps the author intends to show that like most teachers of English with
literature background, he too had reluctance for content- based Technical English teaching. But it
is also true that he views his µretrospection¶ as part of a teacher¶s evolution as an ESPist.

The next article ³Reading Development: Some Questions´, deals with the significance of
reading. In second / foreign language teaching and learning situations for academic purposes or
other programmes that make extensive use of academic materials written in English, reading is
paramount. But there are certain issues- Machine words reading vs. printed words reading;
printed text vs. video text, computer reading skills vs. traditional reading skills; effects of new
technology on spoken/ written language etc., which are still relevant.

In the seventh article Singh shares with the readers his experiences at ISM to suggest that a
language teacher along with his literary sensibility and nuances of technical and scientific
writing should develop skill-oriented syllabus to cater to the needs of his students.

The tenth and the eleventh articles ³ESP: Communication Constraints´ and ³ESP: A
Sociolinguistic Consideration´ expose the problems of ESP teaching in Indian technical
institutions where the students are from varied socio- linguistic backgrounds. The articles focus
on the problems encountered by the learners and ESP practitioners and the ways to combat those
challenges. The author traces out the constraints of ESP that are unfulfilling in Indian situation
and pronounces that although an ESP course can only follow on from a thorough grounding in
basic English, the teacher should not ³close his eyes to the classroom actualities.´ He should be
sensitive and sympathetic to the actual/ changing needs of his students. The author shows his
concern on the failure of Indian students in communicating effectively in English in social,
cross- cultural, interdisciplinary encounters and in mutual communication with proper linguistic
etiquette. The author points out that now there is a need for identifying the socio linguistic needs
of the ESP learner and ³ to restructure the needs- based ESP curriculum, accommodating socio-
linguistic instructions which will develop his ability to function linguistically in society beyond
the technical institution.´

The article, ³Some Reflections on Terminology´ stresses on the need to tackle with the
terminological difficulties, which is the by-product of rapid advancement in varied academic
disciplines. The author¶s thrust is on the growth of research in Terminology, which can be
possible, when the scientists and technologists, and the linguists work together.

The next article ³ESP in India: Developments in 1984-1985´ carries a profound investigation
into the development of ESP in India in a single year. The year can be called an experimental
phase of ESP in India as General English cause had to face open criticism from several quarters.
However, despite an awareness of the students¶ specific needs language teachers could attach
only peripheral importance to ESP. But even in this state of upheaval the ESPists carried out
different projects across the country. Some of the note worthy projects of that period were The
Communication Teaching Project, Bangalore, The TITI Project, Calcutta and The ISM Project
Dhanbad. The projects helped in establishing the ESP approach in India to a great extent.
In fact, as the essay on ³Communicative Teaching in Technical Institutions: A Needs
Assessment´ indicates, Indian School of Mines is possibly the first institution to have gone in the
ESP approach to English language teaching. The essay on ³Interactional Process Approach to
Teaching Writing´ is R.K. Singh¶s major contribution to ELT/EST practices in the world.

The first section of the book is kaleidoscopic in nature as it mirrors the emergence of the author
from an EGP practitioner to an ESPist.

The second section of the book Review Essays provides readers with the alchemy of English and
its different aspects. The essays of this section that concentrate on the tools of language,
communication skills, intercultural and intracultural communication, teaching translation and
translation and power will help teachers and researchers to become aware of what is new in
language and literature practices. The author has been conscious in selecting his material for this
section. Most of the essays are intended for classroom teachers to guide them and help them
apply their mind in their actual teaching situations.

Teaching English for Specific purposes: An Evolving Experience, is the author¶s journey
through his career as well as his academic research from EGP to ELT and finally to ESP. The
book is a store of experiences and even an ordinary reader can correlate himself with the
practicing teacher¶s evolutionary phase. The readers will find themselves with the author
questing, analyzing, establishing and re-establishing his ideas on language teaching and finally
firmly grounding his belief in ESP.

The experiences of R.K.Singh as an EST practitioner have opened up new vistas of academic
possibilities for language teaching in the immediate future. The articles in the volume are
reflective, analytical, informative and coherently organized. The book is written in a clear, lucid
language making it a user-friendly reference material and a historical document.

A must read for a better understanding of the history of ESP and EST in India.

Reviewed by: Dr Rajni Singh, Asst Prof of English, Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad
826004, India
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For over a decade the EST teacher-training course at the University of Chile at Santiago has been
a part of the regular undergraduate programme in English language for teacher-trainees.
Concentrating at first on scientific and technological English, in later years the course has also
included English for vocational purposes. The students in the course, like most potential and
practising EFL/ESL teachers, have a humanities background; further, they have learned their
English according to the traditional, ³general´ English system. Accordingly, they come to the
EST teacher-training course with five main types of problems: attitudinal, conceptual, linguistic,
methodological, and organisational. A combination of theoretical and practical classes has been
designed to overcome these problems. By careful planning and patient teaching the course builds
an entirely new, integrated conceptual network for the students. Not only the content of the
course, but also the methodology used in its presentation can serve as a frame of reference for
other institutions planning preservice or inservice teacher training in EST/ESP.

While scientific progress and technological discoveries are creating unique and exciting
opportunities in the 21st century, they can also bring with them new and complex ethical, moral
and legal dilemmas. In response to the rapid pace of change in this area, UNESCO has
strengthened its international role in regards to the ethics of science and technology.

By drawing on UNESCO¶s wealth of expertise, RUSHSAP is in a unique position to help

governments, industry, civil society and the scientific and intellectual communities understand
and respond appropriately to the many implications of new discoveries. RUSHSAP will continue
to raise awareness, encourage debate, set standards and promote equitable policies in this fast-
moving field.

In order to guarantee that scientific developments contribute to sustainable peace and

development, all people ± with due consideration and respect for diversity ± must be able to
participate in democratic decision-making on scientific matters. RUSHSAP promotes the transfer
and sharing of scientific research and knowledge to ensure equitable benefits for all. We
encourage the dissemination of information on the ethics of science and technology to
professionals in the field, universities, decision-makers, the media, the general public and
particularly young scientists. This includes the promotion of the Universal Declaration on the
Human Genome and Human Rights and the exploration of potential international instruments on
genetic data.

The use of science and technology has changed the way we live. The dreams of the previous
generation have led forth to the hopes and aspirations of the current generation, and the
livelihood of many. The same technology that gives us electricity has also led to environmental
pollution and threats to our peace. What draws the narrow line between miracles and abuses is
the responsibility of the practitioners of technology. Scientists who research, and technologists
who apply the knowledge to the betterment of all.

At this time, we are called to examine whether the codes that govern science and technology.
UNESCO¶s Programme on the Ethics of Science and Technology is designed to ensure that the
world remains secure for everyone by placing the ongoing revolutionary scientific and
technological progress within a context of ethical reflection rooted in the cultural, legal,
philosophical and religious heritage of the various communities. This programme covers two
primary areas of ethical reflection: bioethics, addressing concerns stemming from advances in
life sciences; and ethics of science and technology, addressing other areas of applied ethics in
relation to scientific and social developments. How can we continue to advance knowledge,
standards and intellectual cooperation in order to facilitate social transformations where the
values of justice, freedom and human dignity can be fully realized. Our task is to study what is,
to anticipate what could be, and to determine what should be, in order to reduce the gap between
what is and what should be.

A range of public consultation meetings examine the needs and priorities in different fields of
science and engineering. What are the good points that uphold responsible professional conduct
in these professions? What codes of ethics work and what do not? Can we link these to
international codes? In the global community are international codes needed?

UNESCO created the World Commission on Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology
(COMEST) in 1998, from different regions of the world and from various scientific and
humanistic disciplines. COMEST is tasked with formulating, on a scientific basis, ethical
principles that can shed light on the various choices and impacts occasioned by new
advancements in scientific and technological fields, thus fostering a constructive ethical dialogue
on the values at stake. There is a need to address the ethical principles of science and this
meeting is part of the process of regional and international consultations with scientists, ethicists
and policy-makers.

We invite readers to be part of this process by sending comments, joining collaborative research
projects, cohosting and/or participating in events organized by the Regional Unit for Social and
Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific (RUSHSAP), UNESCO Bangkok and partners. While
we have many issues within our own society which we hope to develop action plans for, the
networking in ethics in science and technology extends even more broadly. There has been
much hype about many of these issues, now is the time to work together to develop practical
initiatives to ensure ethical conduct and use of science and technology.

Project update of 5 June, 2009 in English and French.

:
 
 

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is known as a learner-centered approach to teaching English as a
foreign or second language. It meets the needs of (mostly) adult learners who need to learn a foreign
language for use in their specific fields, such as science, technology, medicine, leisure, and academic
learning. This course is recommended for graduate students and foreign and second language
professionals who wish to learn how to design ESP courses and programs in an area of specialization
such as English for business, for Civil Engineering, for Academic Purposes, and for health service
purposes. In addition, they are introduced to ESP instructional strategies, materials adaptation and
development, and evaluation.

Its objectives include:

 R? To develop an understanding about the factors that led to the emergence of ESP and the forces,
both theoretical and applied, that have shaped its subsequent development.
R? To assist students develop needs assessments and genre analyses for specific groups of learners.
R? To provide guidelines to adapt or create authentic ESP materials in a chosen professional or
occupational area and to critically evaluate currently available materials, including technology-
based ones.
R? To become knowledgeable about assessment procedures appropriate for ESP and apply this
knowledge in developing course and lesson evaluation plans in their professional or
occupational area.
R? To assist students in preparing a syllabus, lesson and assessment plan based upon their needs
assessments and genre analyses.

i


Textbook:

Dudley-Evans, T., and St. John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for specific purposes: A multi-
disciplinary approach. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Articles:

Basturkmen, H. (1998). Refining procedures: A needs analysis project at Kuwait University. V



 (4). Also available at:
http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol36/no4/p2.htm

Bhatia, V. K. (1997). O 
   V. In T. Miller (Ed.), Functional approaches to

written text: Classroom applications (pp. 134-149). English Language Programs: United States
Information Agency. Also available at:
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/pubs/BR/functionalsec4_10.htm

Bosher, S. & Smalkoski, K. (2002). From needs analysis to curriculum development: Designing a course in
health-care communication for immigrant students in the USA. English for Specific Purposes,
21(1): 59-79. (can be accessed online from IU Library website with an IU account)

Dudley-Evans, T. (2000). Genre analysis: A key to a theory of ESP? Iberica, 2, 3-11. Also available at:
www.uv.es/aelfe/WebRAs/RA-2-Dudley.pdf

Johns, A. M. (1991). English for specific purposes (ESP): Its history and contributions. In M. Celce-Murcia
(Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (2nd ed., pp. 67-77). New York: Newbury
House.

Johns, A. M., & Price-Machada, D. (2001). English for specific purposes (ESP): Tailoring courses to
students' needs-and to the outside world. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second
or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 43-54). Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
West, R. (1994). Needs analysis in language teaching. ßanguage Teaching 27(1): 1-19.

Ö
Ö





English for Specific Purposes, An International Research Journal (available online at Indiana University
libraries with IU account)

:
 

 
s   
 

August 30 ʹ Getting to know Practicing Oncourse and getting
September 3 each other to know each other.

Introduction to the
course
Sept. 6 - 10 The development Dudley-Evans & St. John Discussing
of ESP, historical (DE & SJ) Chapters 1 and 2.
and theoretical - the historical development of
perspectives Johns: English for specific ESP
purposes (ESP): Its history
and contributions - similarities and differences
between ESP and EGP

- contributions of ESP to the

Sep. 13- 17 Needs analysis DE & SJ: Chapter 7. Needs
Analysis and Evaluation
Johns &Price-Machada.:
English for specific
purposes (ESP): Tailoring
courses to students' needs-
and to the outside world.
Sep. 20-24 Needs analysis O 
 : Refining Discussing issues related to the
procedures: A needs
analysis project at Kuwait
University
s: Needs analysis in
language teaching
field.
Identifying as completely as
possible a real group of English
language learners.
Give and receive feedback on
each other͛s target population.
design of needs analysis tools for
your specific group of learners
 Design a needs
analysis plan for your target
population that you would carry
out if you had sufficient time and
 money. (Due on Sep 27)
Sep 27- Oct 1 Discourse/Genre DE & SJ: Chapter 5. Defining what genre is and
analysis operationally identifying different
Language Issues in ESP types of genre.

Dudley-Evans: Genre
analysis: A key to a theory
of ESP?
Oct 4 ʹ 8 Discourse/Genre Bhatia: Applied genre
analysis analysis and ESP
Oct 11 ʹ 15 ESP course design DE & SJ: Chapter 8.
Course Design
Oct 18 ʹ 22 ESP course design Bosher & Smalkoski: From
needs analysis to
curriculum development
 Find written or
spoken texts for analysis that are
appropriate for your learners and
conduct genre analysis (Due on:
Oct 15)
Discussing issues related to
planning, conceptualizing,
developing, implementing and
evaluating ESP programs.
Discussing how the results of
your needs analysis help setting
the parameters of your ESP
course design. Give and receive
feedback.

 Propose a course

design plan (Due on Oct 25)
Oct 25 ʹ 29 Instructional DE & SJ: Chapter 10.  Prepare a sample
approaches in ESP lesson plan (Due on Nov. 1)
Classroom practice and
beyond
Nov 1 ʹ 5 Issues involved in DE & SJ: Chapter 9. The Discussing factors involved in the
ESP materials role of materials identification of ESP materials.
development
Nov 8 ʹ 12 Issues involved in  Write a reflection
ESP materials paper on selecting materials for
development your target population (Due on:
Nov 15)
Nov 15 ʹ 19 Technology as a Locate an article on the use Discussing issues related to how
resource for ESP of technology for teaching technology can enhance teaching
English for your target ESP, and important points to
population consider when integrating
technology into classroom
practice.
Nov 22 - 26 THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov. 29 ʹ Assessment and DE & SJ: Chapter 11. Discussing student evaluation
December 3 testing in ESP Assessment: Continuous methods
assessment and testing.
Dec 6 ʹ 11 Assessment and Discussing issues related to the
testing in ESP evaluation of the ESP course.

Propose an
assessment plan to evaluate your
own ESP course. (Due on Dec 14.)
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3.? :


 !"#Develop the main components of a course design plan for your target
population. It should include a syllabus outline based on your selected students͛ outcome goals,
the duration of the program, length of lessons, class size, placement considerations, number of
instructors and so on. Another component of this assignment is for you to researcg current
foreign language methodologies that are appropriate for the needs of your target population.

4.? a
 
 !"#Develop a sample lesson plan for your target population which
includes

a.? Topic and list of task steps (e.g. steps to: giving a shampoo or manicure; checking the
suspension of a car; checking a patient's blood pressure; preparing vegetable soup for
50; etc.)
 b.? New vocabulary (5-20 expressions)
c.? One or two grammatical structures (hint: task steps are usually written in the imperative
and often contain prepositional phrases of location)
d.? Cultural information related to the topic (e.g. proper way to greet customers, talk to
superiors or colleagues, etc.)
e.? List of materials and resources needed
f.? One learning activity
g.? One evaluative activity

5.? $ 
 

  !"#Reflect about the types of materials that would
be best--more appropriate given time, availability, etc.--for your proposed course. Substantiate
your position with information from course discussions, readings, and your own experience.

6.? :


 !"#Propose a plan to evaluate your own ESP course. What criteria
for evaluation would you use? Who would you involve? What would you do with the
information should your ESP course were one that you regularly teach at an institute, university,
etc. Why?

%
&  !"#Prepare a portfolio that includes the revised versions of all the
assignments you have done for this course. Also include a short reflection paper that discusseshe
strengths and weaknesses ofyour lesson or of your current knowledge.

% 


  !"# Interaction is at the heart of any learning community and the research
confirms this statement suggesting that much if not most of online academic learning takes place in
the interaction. It is extremely important that students fully participate in all OnCourse forum
discussions, or via email with the instructor or their peers. Students are required to interact and
exchange ideas with their peers and with the professor, particularly about their successes and
concerns as they engage in course activities. Students will be evaluated according to whether (a)
they posted at least two or more entries, and (b) the postings reflect knowledge of the ESP issues
under discussion and a critical integration of what has been learned from lectures, readings, and the
student's own experience.