ELIA 4, 2003, 189-200
THE ESP TEACHER AS A MATERIALS DESIGNER: A
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
Na alia Ca bajosa Palme o
Uni e sidad Poli écnica de Ca agena
In his pape , a numbe o ma e ials om di e en pedagogical sou ces will
be analysed om he poin o iew o hei sui abili y o he ESP class.
Teaching English o Speci ic Cou ses has, in he las ew decades, become
an op imal way o adap ing linguis ic needs o inc easingly di e si ied
p o essional and social demands. Consequen ly, ESP eache s ha e o
become ma e ials designe s, selec o s and esea che s o a mul iple,
complex eali y o be b ough o equally changing eaching se ings. On he
o he hand, hese ma e ials mus obse e ce ain ules (abo e all, hey will
comply wi h he equi emen o ele ance), and be conside ed wi hin he
linguis ic pa adigms mo e a ou able o his ype o eaching. An example o
ma e ial implemen a ion h ough a conc e e uni is p o ided, oge he wi h
he sequencing, ac i i ies and skills in ol ed. Special emphasis is placed on
au hen ic ex s and sou ces p o ided by he s uden s hemsel es, who u n
ou o be, in many cases, he bes o ien a ion o he eache .
Key wo ds: ma e ials design, ESP, in e disciplina i y
1. In oduc ion: he eaching o ESP
The eaching o ESP (English o Speci ic Pu poses) in ou uni e si ies, i s
inclusion in mul idisciplina y cu icula and he c ea ion o ad hoc
depa men s whe e specialised esea ch is encou aged, has become a egula ,
Es udios de
lingüís ica inglesa aplicada
190 N. Ca bajosa Palme o
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
wo ld-wide p ac ice, des ined o mee he linguis ic demands o u u e
p o essionals, especially in scien i ic and echnological a eas.
The peculia condi ions which his ype o eaching imposes ha e
been amply s a ed by one o i s main heo is s, Dudley-E ans (1997: 4-5).
Among hese, we can ecall ha ESP p ac ice cons i u es lea ne -cen ed
eaching whe e mos o he s uden s a e highly-mo i a ed adul s wi h a leas
some p e ious elemen a y knowledge o he language; emphasis is placed
only on hose aspec s o English which a e mo e ele an o he p o essional
discou se in ol ed; lea ning objec i es a e mainly communica i e and
immedia e (sho - e m esul s a e sough o ); ma e ials mus be highly
di e se, p e e ably aken om he specialised a ea; and inally, he eache
ac s as a ma e ials designe and as a collabo a o in class, encou aging
au onomous lea ning s a egies and le ing him/he sel be inspi ed by he
s uden s’ mos u gen linguis ic needs.
All hese cha ac e is ics a e g ounded mainly on wo di e en
eaching pa adigms, i.e., he p agma ic and he cogni i e1. The o me , wi h
i s concep o language in use, has been s udied in e ms o communica i e
compe ence, con ex ualised eaching, a en ion o he sociolinguis ic aspec s
o in e ac ion and use o au hen ic ma e ials, among o he s. The la e
emphasises aspec s such as he s uden ’s esponsibili y owa ds his/he own
p og ess o he inclusion o c ea i e asks ( ega ding also e alua ion
echniques) wi hin he syllabus, and is a solid amewo k o he
implemen a ion o echnological aids in class (CALL o o he s). Bo h ha e
o be aken in o accoun , oge he wi h he cha ac e is ics o ESP, on
p oceeding o he design and selec ion o he app op ia e ma e ials.
1 Fo an exhaus i e ela ion o linguis ic pa adigms in language eaching, see Alca az (1990),
excep o he cogni i e pa adigm, o which Skehan (1998) mus be consul ed.
The ESP eache as a ma e ials … 191
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
2. Selec ion o ma e ials
Fo se e al easons, he selec ion o ESP ma e ials2 cons i u es a
conside able challenge:
-ESP lea ning con ex s a e so nume ous, di e en in con en ,
du a ion, e c, ha i would be impossible o ga he hem wi hin a single
syllabus model.
-Excep in he case o Business English, he e a e no many
published ma e ials and hey a e no e y equen ly upda ed.
-As ESP eaching is ocused on eal se ings, i needs o be ed by
au hen ic ma e ials which, in hei u n, mus be subs i u ed o new ones a
he same pace as science ad ances. The use o In e ne has imp o ed his
condi ion conside ably.
These challenges can be summa ised in h ee condi ions which all
ESP ma e ials mus obse e:
-They mus be au hen ic o c edible (simula e eal si ua ions).
-They mus be in e disciplina y, i.e., he specialised a ea o which
hey a e des ined will also poin o hei o igin.
-They mus be used wi h lexibili y and e ol e acco ding o con ex
changes, bo h in e ms o opic and ansmission ehicle.
Basically, he o igin o ESP ma e ials can be classi ied as ollows:
EGP (English o Gene al Pu poses), ESP, e e ence, au hen ic and s uden s’
ma e ials. A sample lis is included in he bibliog aphic sec ion. Le ’s
conside hem b ie ly.
2 On in oducing ESP, all heo is s dedica e a chap e o he design and selec ion o ma e ials
and he di icul y i en ails [see o example Dudley-E ans & S . John (1998), Hu chinson &
Wa e s (1987), Robinson (1991) o Swales (1990)].
192 N. Ca bajosa Palme o
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
2. 1. EGP
Some imes i is no necessa y o ejec ma e ial designed o English
o Gene al Pu poses cou ses al oge he . Nowadays any upda ed
manual includes a numbe o sec ions dedica ed o business, science
and echnology, heal h, educa ion, e c, which can be easily employed
o speci ic pu poses. I is a clea sign o how o me ly closed pieces
o knowledge a e becoming o gene al conce n, a leas in hei
in o ma i e e sion. Wo king wi h hese ma e ials can be ideal o
s uden s who ace ESP o he i s ime o who do no ha e a good
command o English in gene al e ms.
2. 2. ESP
In his sec ion we can ind wo ypes o publica ions: hose issued by
publishing houses, and hose specially designed by eache s and usually
eleased by hei espec i e uni e si ies, o i ually sha ed on In e ne . Ve y
seldom can we ind, among he i s men ioned, a single me hod able o mee
he demands o a speci ic cou se, in spi e o hei p o essional o ien a ion.
The second case cons i u es exac ly he opposi e: me hods a e likely o be
oo speci ic as o be emo ed om hei o igin si ua ion and se e somebody
else’s pu poses. An excep ion o bo h o e s could be he p o usion o
me hods on Academic English, whe e w i en and o al skills can be
ex apola ed o di e en p o essional collec i es (ou would-be enginee s,
scien is s, lawye s, e c).
2. 3. Re e ence
G amma s and dic iona ies ha e also adap ed hei con en s o he new
eaching si ua ions; hanks o his, we can ind echnical g amma s and
dic iona ies especially designed o di e en a eas o knowledge, no
o men ion elec onic glossa ies whe e almos all disciplines a e
included.
The ESP eache as a ma e ials … 193
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
2. 4. Au hen ic
This sou ce o acquisi ion knows no limi s: ins uc ion lea le s, jou nals,
manuals, ad e isemen s, In e ne links, insc ip ion o ms, demons a ion
ideos, s a is ics, job o e s, e c. Such a la ge a ailabili y, howe e , can be
pe nicious in pedagogical e ms i we do no make he e o o selec and
p epa e e y ca e ully wha may ac ually se e he lesson pu poses.
2. 5. F om he s uden s
Combined wi h he es , i can be acknowledged ha his is he bes
con ibu ion by ESP o language eaching me hodology. Asking ou s uden s
o sea ch o he in o ma ion hey will la e wo k wi h in class (e.g. p epa ing
an o al p esen a ion) and, once we ha e p o ided hem wi h he adequa e
linguis ic ame o deal wi h any ype o speci ic con en , we can lea n wha
hey a e eally in e es ed in. We will be able o make ou eaching mo e
ele an and s uden s will eel mo e in ol ed in hei own lea ning p ocess.
A his s age, he ESP eache ac s as a collabo a o and p o i s ully om he
sha ed knowledge.
3. A p ac ical example
A eaching uni o Technical English o Telecommunica ions Enginee ing
will be shown in his sec ion, so as o se e as an illus a ion o he
combina ion o ma e ials used. This uni belongs o a syllabus de eloped a
he Uni e si y o Ca agena du ing he academic yea 2001-2002. The
sequencing is as ollows:

194 N. Ca bajosa Palme o
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
Fig.1: GIVING INSTRUCTIONS / DESCRIBING HOW THINGS WORK
ACTIVITY
TIME TYPE SKILL MATERIAL
1s session
Sa egua ds/ p ecau ions 40 min G oup wo k Reading comp . ESP
Checking wi h Checke 50 min Indi idual O al comp ehension Au hen ic
2nd session
G amma ical poin s 30 min Class wo k G amma Re e ence
P ac ice 60 min Pai wo k O al/ w i en exp . S uden
Re iew
How does a ideo
wo k?
30 min Indi idual O al comp ehension EGP
La indus ia química en
nues a ida
60 min Indi idual /
g oup wo k
T ansla ion/ o al
exp ession
Au hen ic
The uni is di ided in o wo sessions o 1:30 hou s each; addi ional
e iew ma e ials a e p o ided o u he p ac ice. Each ac i i y will now be
b ie ly explained. An example o he ma e ials used can be sea ched o in
he appendix sec ion.
3.1. Fi s session
Sa egua ds and p ecau ions: I consis s o i e sho ex s issued by a F ench
eache o Technical English on he ne (www.mul imania.com/jc iel),
whe e p ecau ions when handling di e en de ices a e gi en. The pu pose is
o hold an agile, quick and sha ed eading; he e will be a se o ques ions
common o he di e en ex s; in o de o p o ide he answe s, g oups o
s uden s will ha e o sha e hei espec i e pieces o in o ma ion (none o
hem has he comple e in o ma ion). The ques ions a ise as examples o
induc i e g amma : we do no gi e he ules p e iously bu allow s uden s o
The ESP eache as a ma e ials … 195
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
de ec linguis ic mechanisms wi hin he con ex and ex ac hei own pa ial
conclusions.
Checking wi h Checke : This is no pedagogical ma e ial, bu an au hen ic
echnical demons a ion ideo bo owed om one o he Enginee ing
Depa men s a he Uni e si y. A ansc ip ion wi h gaps o be illed is
p o ided. The linguis ic exp essions appea ing on he p e ious ac i i y come
up again, bu now s uden s ha e o ecognise hem h ough he o al discou se
and in ou s ages: p esen a ion o he p oduc , equi emen s, wa nings and
ins alla ion ules.
3. 2. Second session
G amma ical poin s: So a , s uden s ha e assimila ed new s uc u es
co esponding o a language unc ion qui e a andom. I is ime o ix hem
wi h he help o echnical g amma (Aguado and Pé ez 1992). The h ee
s uc u es p ac ised a e: ime s a emen s, use o modal e bs in echnical
desc ip ions and impe a i es. Examples a e exclusi ely p o ided om he
echnical con ex . Toge he wi h g amma p ac ice, we s a o cla i y
p onuncia ion and spelling mis akes.
P ac ice: This sec ion also equi es homewo k. In pai s and as a ee w i ing
exe cise, s uden s will p o ide hei own echnical de ice, ollowing he
pa e ns p e iously gi en and using he necessa y help (g amma s,
dic iona ies, phone ic explana ions). A e ha , hey will con ey hei wo k
o ally o he es o he class. Thus, we a ou c ea i i y and check o wha
ex en s uden s a e eady o ake heo e ical knowledge o a simula ed
p o essional se ing. In addi ion, as I poin ed ou be o e, he eache comes
ac oss a unique sou ce o ma e ial.
3. 3. Re iew
How does a ideo wo k?: This is an example o EGP ma e ial, aken om
The New Camb idge Ad anced English (2000). I is a lis ening
comp ehension exe cise sugges ed as a e iew o he desc ip i e ocabula y
196 N. Ca bajosa Palme o
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
in ol ed in he unc ioning o echnical de ices. I is qui e easy and can
eassu e s uden s’ con idence in skills hey had p e iously p ac ised
h oughou he cou se, bo h o al and w i en.
La indus ia química en nues a ida: An in o ma i e lea le dis ibu ed by
he egional go e nmen whe e ins uc ions a e gi en on how o beha e in
case o acciden a he nea by chemical indus ial plan o Escomb e as. I
allows s uden s o p ac ise ansla ion (ins uc ions a e gi en in a simple,
clea manne ), as well as s a a discussion o high social ele ance. Ve y
sub ly, we can ins il in o hem a ‘humanis ic’ posi ion wi h ega d o he
opic (e.g. wha would be hei esponsibili y, as enginee s, when dange ous
indus ial ac i i y akes place nea u ban cen es?)
4. Conclusion
The uni shown is jus an example o he a ie y, c ea i i y and a ailabili y
o ma e ials which can be used in he design o an ESP cou se. I is a
ho ough ask, des ined o make ou eaching mo e and mo e ele an o he
s uden s’ speci ic needs. I s implemen a ion in class, howe e , mus be
subjec ed o he linguis ic pa adigms mos sui able o his ype o eaching.
In gene al e ms, s uden s eac posi i ely o his combina ion o
ma e ials and welcome he oppo uni y o con ibu e. Fu u e e o s owa ds
an op imal ele ance in ESP classes mus lead us o close con ac wi h bo h
he eache s and cu icula shaping s uden s’ specialisa ion: i hey lea n, o
example, abou senso echnology a he same ime as i s co esponding
ocabula y and language unc ions in English, mo i a ion and u u e
possibili ies o use will be equally explo ed.
The ESP eache as a ma e ials … 197
ELIA 4, 2003, pp. 189-200
APPENDIX I
Sa egua ds and p ecau ions (sample ex s and ques ions)
TEXT 1: MINOLTA AF ZOOMxiLENSES - CARE AND STORAGE
-Do no ouch he lens con ac s.
-Ne e ouch lens su aces wi h you inge s. I necessa y use pho og aphic lens issue, which
may be mois ened wi h a d op o lens-cleaning luid. Ne e d op luid on o he lens su ace.
-When no in use, always keep he lens capped and s o ed in i s cases.
-S o e he lens away om hea , humidi y, and ha m ul chemicals.
-Do no subjec he lens o s ong shock o ib a ion.
-Fo all se ice o epai s, con ac an au ho ized Minol a se ice acili y.
TEXT 2: TERRAILLON – ELECTRIC PERSONAL SCALE
You new TERRAILLON pe sonal scale has been designed o accu a ely indica e you weigh
gain o loss o e a pe iod o ime and should gi e many yea s o se ice wi h no mal use.
-Always weigh you sel on he same scale placed on a ha d loo su ace. A oid using on
ca pe .
-Clean he scale wi h a damp clo h bu do no allow wa e o ge inside.
-Remo e he ba e y i he scale is no being used o a long pe iod o ime.
-Ba e y equi emen s: 1 9V alkaline ba e y (inse he ba e y in he housing loca ed
unde nea h).
Which e b ense is used in ex s 1 and 2?
Which e b o m is ound a e AVOID?
Pick up a modal e b in ex 2. Wha does i mean?
TEXT 1. T ans o m he sen ences shown by using YOU MUST / MUST + PASSIVE (e.g.
you mus no ouch he lens con ac / he lens con ac mus no be ouched).
Pick up he ad e bs. Which is hei posi ion in he sen ence?
APPENDIX II
Checking wi h Checke ( ansc ip ion ex ac s)
REQUIREMENTS: When you unpack he sys em you should ha e: a checke uni ; so wa e;
an I/O connec e ... you will also need a lens, a ligh sou ce and powe supply.
WARNINGS: Be o e p oceeding, please ake heed o he sa e y p ecau ions:
-On no accoun connec powe o Checke unless all o he de ices ha e been
disconnec ed.
-Ensu e ha nobody is wo king on he p oduc ion line.
INSTALLATION:
-Fi s , connec powe o Checke .
-Then, swi ch on he PC. An aid p og amme will appea on you sc een.