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The majority of the content should be related to the learner’s work, and if not, at least be related to their daily life activities. It is good to have some other topics in the lesson as well, to give them a break from their routine but this should be kept to a minimum as they have a limited time and a set goal. If the topics are irrelevant to their work and daily life, they may loose interest, become demotivated or feel like the lesson is waiting their time. So the main focus should always be on content that is related to their work.
I would say they should get a fifty fifty portion of general foreign language lessons as also of the learner´s work in their particular industry.
What is important in establishing a relationship between one or more people is to find common interests. By transmitting any personal experience through language, common interests and points can be reached. Because in these classes language learning is not a hobby, it is more of a need. So you have to go to find common ground to maintain linguistic communication in the classroom for production.
I believe for this specific matter it would entirely depend on the student. Some learners are really happy to talk about their jobs or the field they work in, in every class and are also wiling to broaden their knowledge and even ask us tutors for very specific words or expressions that they want to use in their jobs. Us tutors have to be very mindful of this situation and once we’ve realized that this particular student is interested in this type of class, then we can make their job/field/industry into the cardinal feature of the class and adapt the vocabulary words, expressions, etc. to this. To be honest, this is the easiest for us teachers, or at least to me. It’s like I can easily create the whole class around something I already know is relevant and important for the students. Nonetheless, is not the case for every learner. When this is the case, we got to find out what the student wants from this lesson or this course. We have to be both attentive and sensible enough to “browse” into all the possibilities and “display” them to the student to see what works best for them. I remember this time in which I was giving a French lesson to this student I had never met before, I was told he was the director of an area at a big bank corporation, so I overly prepared myself, the class and since he was at a high level I even got some extra material. I had prepared the lyrics for a song I found to be powerful and full of meaning so it was a nice opportunity to discuss without having to talk about business and such. The first part of the class went pretty well, as I expected we moved forward pretty easily and the student was a fast learner. He also came in prepared, he knew exactly what KPs we were supposed to cover, he even made some exercises beforehand. HOWEVER, once we were finished and I took out the extra material he was just not feeling it. Having to analyze a song and having me playing the song actually made him nervous. He even asked me to lower the volume down despite of being in a secluded conference room at 8 am in the morning with no one around. I realized he was not enjoying the exercise as I thought so I kind of had to make it faster and move on to a different topic. It was that time I learned he LOVED talking about his trips and the times he had had to move to a different office in a different country. From that moment on, every time we had extra exercises I knew exactly what to ask him about.
I believe it is extremely important to cater to the specific needs of the student in this case.
As I mentioned in the previous section, business learners do have a goal they have to reach and sometimes they have very little time to do that. If this is the case, it is key to relate to their industry as much as possible during the lessons, making practical examples and creating real-life situations where they can practice and communicate to consolidate the language learned and improve their fluency. Of course the trainer could provide some break from the routine from time to time, but this should be kept to a minimum, especially when time is tight.
In other cases the student has much more time available and here the teacher could give more opportunities for activities ‘off the beaten track’ so that the learner could change things up every once in a while.I would say there are two approaches to answer this question. The first one depends on the number of people in the class. If it’s a one-to-one class, it definitively depends on the interests of the learner, in this case, the trainer would be able to modify some questions to fit what the learner requests and needs. Modifications of the content should only have the purpose of helping the learner improve his/her skills. I have sometimes done these modifications, but always teaching the target language or structures stated for the lesson. That way, I have managed to engage the student, and consequently, the student can relate to his/her experiences, having the LTT high throughout all of the lesson. In the case of a group, it’s very difficult to cope with these situations because sometimes some students are interested in the topic and other students can not even relate to it. In that case, I had to ask specific questions, rephrasing them a bit to fit everyone’s needs. The challenge of finishing a lesson on time, having everyone happy and engaged is gigantic. On some occasions, I had to find extra material to cover during class, knowing it would help students understand and grasp the target language.
I think that 80% of sessions should be related to the learners work. The other 20% should be related to anything that doesn’t contribute to their profession.
If class sessions are only structured around their work, it can make language learning robotic and boring.
Having 20% of miscellaneous activity during the session can help learners grow a bigger and stronger interest which can improve language curiosity and proficiency.I think it is imperative that the learner’s work be related to what they are actually doing. If the company required that the industry terminology be known, then it is without saying. Yes, one could expand a little further in terms of other industries to expand vocabulary however the main focus should be the student’s own industry.
Most of the language discussed in a business class should be related to the learners’ industries, as it is what they need and expect to learn, and also what the companies pay for. However, this shouldn’t become too obvious or boring for the learners, who could eventually disengage because of the monotonous routine. Thus, a small portion of the lesson should cover external topics, or interest the learners giving them the opportunity to expand into different themes.
Well, baisc structures in the foreign language will always have to be taught! After the leraner has learned thi, he/she could go into specific vocabulary related to his/her field or area (English for Specific Purpose). How ever, there are strategies to use and let the learner go in and out of the business world, so he/she can take a break but still produce in the language. And this is great, because English is an international language and is part of every day life and many circunstances.
Business learners are mostly purpose-driven. And since they have a time crunch, it’s a good idea to stick to the learners work using their particular industry about 75% of the time. This is just so they understand concepts easily and can apply their knowledge in the right context. It also makes it easier for them to use them in situations that they would definitely find themselves in. The other 25% the trainer can use an industry that’s different from the leaners’ to introduce new context and will prove to be a positive challenge for them. It gives them an insight to how they can apply the TL is situations that they wouldn’t normally come across but could be well-prepared for. It also opens doors for them to new opportunities for their career. This gives them the confidence to make small talk, an important interpersonal skill when it comes to business and making new connection with potential clients.
Business learners are professional people, and students preparing for a business career who want to learn a language for specific purposes. They are interested in learning particular vocabulary, and grammatical structures that can be used in their professional fields and different contexts. They focus on developing communicative competence in a specific discipline such as banking, finance, insurance, international trade, commerce, and many office settings.
Motivation: Their motivation is closely related to the functionality of the language. They learn to communicate. The target language is a necessary tool for business learners to reach their personal goals: get a promotion at work, travel, communicate with international partners, and so forth.
Time: Since business learners are professional busy people they aim to learn the more specific language in the less possible time. Master their language skills in a short period is a must.
Interest in language:
There is less focus on grammar in conversations and more emphasis on functionality. Pronunciation in the business language is very crucial. Business learners need to produce effective communications. The aim of acquiring a foreign language is to avoid misunderstandings and ensure effective business relationships. Business learners are interested in learning the language skills that get them ready to face real-life situations in the workplace and business world.I thins bussiness classes have to be related to our learners’ work, as they are doing this for that end only. Using their particular industry would make them possibly, more motivated to learn, as they see the rpacticality and use of the language. Of course exceptions may apply, and concessions too, as to give them a break from their routine, but in the end I think they and thankful when they see they can use it where they need it.
I think it really depends on the student and their goals/what their job expects from them. Sometimes, there is a time limit and the student can only take so many classes. If the goal is to reach a certain level of business English for their job, then it would probably be in their best interest to keep the focus on what the specifically need to know. The teacher must remain very mindful of the situation/what the student should be there to study. However, it may also be beneficial to sometimes add in other vocabulary, discuss the students interests just to add more fluency practice/make them more comfortable overall with the language. It always depends on the specific situation.
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