Teaching Advanced Business English learners

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Teaching Advanced Business English learners

• Rachel Appleby BESIG Bonn 2008
• for Oxford University Press

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Overview

• What is an advanced learner?
• What can they do?
• What do they lack?
• How can we address these problems?
• Recap So, are we addressing these issues?

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Welcome Introductions!
TASK!
Introduce your partner in one of these
contexts 1. as the key-note plenary speaker at
a conference 2. to your colleagues your
partner is a potential partner hoping to do
business with your company 3. to your colleagues
at an informal work Christmas party your
partner is a friend/ex-colleague staying
with you. Listen (a) for interest, (b) to
guess the context!
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What is an advanced learner?

• Someone who
• has passed / could pass FCE / B2 exam
• has a wide range of language between FCE and
  near-NS level (B2-C2)

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1 - Language

• Linguistic Profile An advanced student has
• some knowledge of all structures
• active vocabulary c. 3,000 words lt passive
• English sounds / intonation patterns
• ingrained mistakes

• Linguistic Needs
• An advanced student needs
• revision of structures
• sophisticated structures
• activation of passive vocabulary
• vocabulary discrimination
• work on pronunciation

The grammars awful and the spellings atrocious
otherwise its an impressive CV.
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2 - Communication

• Communicative Profile
• An advanced student has some ability in /
  awareness of
• style / register
• functional elements
• non-specialized spoken and written English

• Communicative Needs
• An advanced student needs
• further practice in different styles /register
• expansion of range of functions (in-/formal)
• extensive practice in freer Speaking,
• development of R, W, L skills,
• especially in specialized areas.

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Problems for Students

• basic entrenched errors
• avoidance strategies
• register/style over-formal, or over-familiar
• language plateau / lack of a sense of progress
• unbalanced proficiency in the skills
• they know what they want

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Approach

• 1 Needs Analysis check / redefine
• Interests exploit for practising language,
  vocabulary skills
•  

2 Diagnostic test for strengths and weaknesses
Record freer speaking activities for
priorities for correction

• 3 Syllabus course planning packaging language
  to motivate and show progress, e.g.
• by TOPIC / THEME
• by SKILLS
• by FUNCTION
• NB short and long term goals

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Grammar
TASK!

• Context Extracts overheard from a meeting of
  IATEFL-BESIG committee members discussing the
  conference over coffee
• Would you like to be on the BESIG committee?
• Look at the phrases underlined what is the
  FUNCTION of each?
•  

1 If wed advertised the conference earlier, wed
have got a lot of this paperwork out of the way
sooner. 2 But count yourself yourself lucky had
we invited more big name speakers, wed be
overrun with participants, and have far too many
people to deal with! 3 If we spoke individually
to some of the key participants, do you think we
could try to encourage them to join the
committee? 4 By the way, weve been told that the
main hall needs to be cleared by 2pm on Sunday
because theres something else theyre setting up
for Monday. 5 Oh, and Ive been asked to find
someone to collect all the feedback forms and
input the data on the computer. Could you do
that?
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Grammar
TASK!
1 If wed advertised the conference earlier, wed
have got a lot of this paperwork out of the way
sooner. 2 But count yourself yourself lucky had
we invited more big name speakers, wed be
overrun with participants, and have far too many
people to deal with! 3 If we spoke individually
to some of the key participants, do you think we
could try to encourage them to join the
committee? 4 By the way, weve been told that the
main hall needs to be cleared by 2pm on Sunday
because theres something else theyre setting up
for Monday. 5 Oh, and Ive been asked to find
someone to collect all the feedback forms and
input the data on the computer. Could you do
that?
Introduce your partner 1. as the key-note
plenary speaker at a conference 2. to your
colleagues your partner is a potential partner
hoping to do business with your company 3. to
your colleagues at an informal work
Christmas party your partner is a
friend/ex-colleague staying with you.

• Reminder
• To what extent does this meet the needs of
  advanced level students?

• Remember the introductions? How does that meet
  their needs?

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Vocabulary 1 Familiar words
1 I have to say that I was expecting something a
bit more professional.
2. What does this logo say about our company?
3 He should be promoted after this project
finishes it goes without saying.
4 You can say that again!
 a. communicate an idea ___ b. introduce a strong
opinion ___ c. someone has made a good point you
agree ___ d. its obvious ___
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Vocabulary 2 Confusing words

• 1 a. Were expecting him at 10, so Im sure
  hell arrive _________.
• b. So, __________, lets summarize what we
  done so far.
• 2 a. We had ________ a great time in Peru Id
  love to go back.
• b. The weather was ______ wonderful we were
  really lucky.
• 3 a. Johns leaving in 3 months, but, _________,
  due to the holiday hes owed, hell be leaving
  mid-March.
• b. We travelled ________ every weekend
  there was hardly a Saturday when I was at home.

practically / in practice so / such
shortly / in brief
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Vocabulary 3 - Development
TASK!

Name
Resources
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Skills - Writing
TASK!
1. What subject could you give this email? 2.
Whats wrong with the email? How could you make
it sound better?

• New Message
  
  _ ? X
• ? Send File Edit
  View Go Tools Compose
  Help ?
• To
• Subject ........................................
  .............
• Dear Sir / Madam,
• I read with interest your newsletter, which I
  received via email.
• I would like to have a meeting with you to
  discuss how you can help us with our recruiting
  and with our retention. I was unable to reach you
  by phone.
• Although our company is small in size, we
  currently have various different positions which
  are vacant. It is the most senior level
  candidates which need to be selected most
  carefully.
• A number of search companies have been used by
  our company
• but we are not fully satisfied with the company
  we are using
• currently. I believe .. c.

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Skills - Writing

• New Message
  
  _ ? X
• ? Send File Edit
  View Go Tools Compose
  Help ?
• To
• Subject ........................................
  .............

ellipsis
avoid circumlocutions
use of one / ones, etc.
redundancy
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Skills Writing being concise
Redundancy
Match a word on the left with one on the right to
form a redundant pair. (NB NOT for students!)
past various true future
terrible end final free
unexpected
result differences tragedy gift
facts memories plans surprise
outcome

e.g. past memories
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Skills - Speaking
SPORT ( LEISURE) Leisure time is that five or
six hours when you sleep at night. George
Allen 1 Is a global event like the Olympic Games
more about politics and money rather than sport
itself? 2 Are hobbies only for people who have
too much leisure time? 3 Is Formula 1 motor
racing really a sport? 4 Who is your countrys
most famous sportsperson? How are they a
reflection of national identity? 5 Which sports
are most popular in your country with a)
teenagers and b) women? 6 Describe your perfect
weekend. 7 How will you spend your retirement?
TASK!
Entertainment
Money, wealth and poverty
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Skills Activating passive language

• Focus on register, intonation, sentence stress
  and pausing.
• Make sure tasks are focused, with a clear
  communicative aim.
• Challenge them to use new words and phrases, as
  follows

A list of phrases student / s.o. ticks them off
as they use them
Put phrases on cards place on desk / students
turn over when used.
Deal out phrases students speak, and race to
use them up
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Showing progress / getting feedback

• Elicit what has been covered (list, mindmap, )
• Refer back to your original plan
• Run a discussion / meeting where students give FB
• Adapt the sentence starters
• Get sts to indicate how they feel about each
  language area / skills, e.g.

?
?
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Recap are we addressing these issues?
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Teaching Advanced Business English learners
Thank you!

• Rachel Appleby BESIG Bonn 2008
• for Oxford University Press

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Vocabulary 3 - Development
TASK!

•  

Name
Resources
23
Skills - Writing

• New Message
  
  _ ? X
• ? Send File Edit
  View Go Tools Compose
  Help ?
• To
• Subject ........................................
  .............
• Dear Sir / Madam,
• I read with interest your newsletter, which I
  received via email.
• I would like to have a meeting with you to
  discuss how you can help us with our recruiting
  and with our retention. I was unable to reach you
  by phone.
• Although our company is small in size, we
  currently have various different positions which
  are vacant. It is the most senior level
  candidates which need to be selected most
  carefully.
• A number of search companies have been used by
  our company
• but we are not fully satisfied with the company
  we are using
• currently. I believe .. c.

redundancy
ellipsis
use of one / ones
avoid circumlocutions