The Future...



Have you ever pondered upon the future? Have you ever thought about what you are actually doing for the future? During this week, I was wondering where language teaching is going and what the future may bring in that specific area; and I must say that I was shocked to think that I didn’t have many ideas in terms of what I could do to improve what already exists. Yet, during one of those shocking moments I had an eye-opening instant, I realized that ESP has a long way to go, at least here in Costa Rica, so maybe there is hope because by going down this road we can become pioneers in the field to enlighten the ones that come after us and prepare many others to accomplish their goals in a different way. ESP allows the language teaching environment to take a new path in increasing the learning process because, as it has been said before, it focuses on the learners’ needs and takes them into account in the course preparation.


Gollin-Kies, Hall, and Moore (2015) established three mayor trends that impact ESP, or as they name it LSP (Language for Specific Purposes): globalization, new technologies, approaches to language and learning. If we take into account these three mayor factors, it can be said that they are change-causing aspects that can no longer be overlooked. Globalization is a fact that has been part of the world for years now, and the changes it has caused are huge. As a result of this, technology has opened its way up to all areas of life. It has become in many ways the only way for communication, learning and interaction, so, it can no longer be left out. New approaches in language learning is also a result to the changes face in each society.


It is mandatory to recognize that evolution is not a choice; therefore, we have to evolve as well in terms of methodologies, approaches, topics, and even resources. All of these must serve the society’s needs and also help the stakeholders adapt to the changes as well. All these factors corelate because they represent the innovative part of the human thought. They converge and result in the newest ways to tackle the previous problems or deficiencies. ESP or LSP responds to some of the issues gathered through investigation and curiosity. It has become an answer to the common questions of the future here in Costa Rica and also around the world.


Here I include a link for you to listen to Professor García from Universidad de Alcala, Spain, where he comments on the newest approaches in ESP and provides a historical background. I found it interesting because it backs up what we have been discussing, and also it relaxes me because I realize that it does not happen only in Costa Rica, but everywhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5VM3ToHqRQ

Comments

  1. DanielaApril 4, 2019 at 9:04 PM

    Evolution is a must. We cannot continue doing the same thing over and over again. As teachers, it is noticeable when things need to change or improve. Through constant practice and experience, we are able to quickly identify the things that need to be modified in order to have better procedures and outcomes. We as future ESP practitioners have a big responsibility in regards to planning and material creation. If we really commit to this. Future generations will have more knowledge, resources and ideas to continue working on and improving ESP fields.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VivianApril 9, 2019 at 7:48 PM

    It was a great idea to share that video link. I agree with you it's very interested to get inform on how ESP is done worldwide.

    ReplyDelete

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