For a long time I believed that the teaching of English, regardless of purpose (general, business, academic etc)  was essentially the same, and to a certain extent I still believe this to be true.

Afterall, in every context there is still focus on the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking -- and all related sub skills) and the four systems (function, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation) -- more or less -- coupled with other possible aims of establishing positive class atmosphere, cultural awareness, task achievements and so on.

What has interested me recently is the idea of fostering critical thinking skills, which tends to be addressed only in EAP classes.   If we ask the average EAP instructor about critical thinking skills and how they practice and promote them in class, they might have quite a bit to say on the topic. However, if we ask a general English teacher, they may be a bit stumped -ironically, not because they do not use activities in their class that promote critical thinking, but just because they might be unaware of this underlying aim.

Any exercise that asks students to analyze, evaluate, assess, conclude, create criteria,share opinions and back them up etc. seem incredibly valuable to us all -- in every context.

I wonder then, if the transition from general English teacher to EAP teacher isn’t so much about a big shift in the approach to teaching and even less related to a shift in methodology, but rather simply a shift in materials and task types, and emphasis of certain aims over others -- and even more importantly a growing awareness of what those underlying aims are.

In our interview with Olwyn Alexander, author of EAP Essentials: A teacher’s guide to principles and practice, she directly answers what she feels the main differences are between teaching general English and EAP. Her answer is interesting -- although I have to disagree somewhat with what she says about general English teaching.

Clearly Olwyn and her fellow authors have a wealth of experience to share,  and I would say the best advice she gives is to work through some of the lesson ideas and materials offered in the CD that accompanies her book. By experiencing the activities directly the theories of EAP are grounded in real world practice and those all important connections and additions to current teaching understanding can be made. For me, it’s all about the practical -- and frankly more about the confidence a new EAP teacher can gain by realizing they aren’t dealing with a whole new animal, but the same animal in a new environment.

Posted by Tania