An Effective Way of Teaching English for Specific Purposes in Big Classes

 

 

Dwi Santoso

 

 

We all know that teaching English in Indonesia has not yet come to its goal, though many efforts have been so far made to improve its quality. That is also caused by some problems faced by ESP teachers especially when they teach English for Science and Technology. According to Hutchinson & Waters (1987:160), the problem is that ESP teachers may also have to struggle to master the language and subject matter beyond the bound of their previous experience.

There will be many problems that can emerge in teaching ESP in big classes. Those problems will influence the result and the process of teaching-learning English. It can be said that there will be success and failure in getting the goal. Thus, the writer, that has experienced in teaching ESP especially English For Science and Technology, will limit the discussion on 3 determining aspects that will absolutely give big influences in teaching ESP especially in big classes: (1) materials of teaching; (2) atmosphere; (3) methods of teaching.

 After analyzing the aspects that can give influences toward the process of teaching-learning English especially ESP, it can be concluded that the success of handling big classes in teaching ESP needs to concentrate on some aspects. It does not only depend on the method used, but also on the motivation of the students, the devotion to duty of the teachers. Success comes to teachers with foresight and creativity. However, careful planning of the selecting is required to achieve maximum effectiveness.

 

------- ---- -------

 

Santoso, D. (2002, March). An effective way of teaching English for specific purposes in big classes. Paper presented at the national conference on Autonomy, Bandung, Indonesia.

 
Website: www.geocities.com/eltindonesia

Email: eltindonesia@yahoo.com