Realising the Benefits of Authentic Spoken Workplace Texts in the Classroom
Learners studying in adult English as an Additional Language (EAL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms, aim to improve their English language proficiency so as to move into further mainstream study, get a job and/or successfully communicate in social situations with other English language speakers. For many learners, the ‘real’ world is in employment and in the workplace. Becoming familiar with authentic spoken workplace texts (ASWTs) is one way for learners to bridge the gap between the classroom and the ‘real’ world.
For migrants who have not worked in an English speaking company work talk is certainly new. All employees need to adapt to the language of the culture of the workplace that they are working in. Different workplaces have different cultures and may have different communication patterns and strategies that people need to follow and understand. Teaching with authentic workplace texts can highlight the differences for language learners.
In adult ESL classrooms there is an increasing awareness that teaching with resources that include ASWTs has many benefits. These benefits will be discussed in this workshop, along with suggestions for teachers on the use of these texts in the classroom. Examples of authentic texts on complaints to superiors and/or inferiors and making a joke, will be analysed. Participants in the workshop will discuss how well these can be used in their own countries. It is hoped that a global group be set up where online we pool our own authentic workplace texts.
Keywords: Authentic Spoken Workplace Texts, Workplace Culture, Employment, Curriculum
Mr T. Pascal Brown
Senior Lecturer, School of Language Studies, Unitec NZ
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Ref: L06P0271