Esp vocabulary Teaching at the Vocational Secondary School of Furniture Industry

2.5. Unit organization and layout 25
2.6. The teacher´s role 26
2.7. The student´s role 27
2.8. Sample lesson plan 28
Conclusion 31
Résumé 32
Bibliography 33
Appendix 35

Introduction

English has become the language of the multicultural world and plays a key role in human lives. At present it is considered to be an inevitable part of general and specific education for people all over the world. People need English for different purposes: to deal with the foreign business partners in their jobs, to know it for their studies, to travel abroad to meet other cultures or on holiday. English has become not only an international language but also a global language, an Esperanto of nowadays, a language which is communicated in every part of the world. Moreover, one of the most important impacts of globalization is the broader opportunity to live and work abroad. To live contently and work successfully in another culture, in our case in an English-speaking country, means to manage not only the basics of the language but also the terminology of the relevant field of occupation.

The aim of this thesis is to display how to teach English Vocabulary for Specific Purposes (ESP) at the technical secondary school of furniture industry. This topic was not chosen by chance. Some students will be specialized in wood/furniture processing industry as joiners, carpenters, folk-art joiners and wood/furniture processing supervisors and managers. At the end of each term they are taught vocabulary from their branch. But there are only the words/special terms in isolation. The intention of this work is to demonstrate teaching vocabulary in a dynamic form, in practical use, in the form of practical exercises to remember the new words actively.

The thesis reflects a revival of interest in vocabulary teaching in recent years. This is partly due to the development of new approaches to language teaching which are much more word-centred, partly due to a long-term practical teaching experience and students´ results in managing language skills. Moreover, vocational classrooms are viewed as potentially good environment for language learning because of the work carried out in small groups, using authentic materials and equipment, and requiring close interpersonal communication. Another important aim of this work is to suggest how vocational teachers can enhance learning opportunities for students/apprentices with limited English proficiency in order to improve their English language skills as they master vocational content. The focus of this thesis is to find out the best way how to motivate mostly teenage students for learning special wood/furniture industry vocabulary and how to teach them with the best effect.

The theoretical part of this thesis is devoted to the short summary of basic principles of vocabulary teaching, and it also underlines the specific factors in teaching special terminology that the teachers at vocational secondary school should take into consideration. In the practical part, the examples of the lessons/topics aimed at practising ESP vocabulary are presented. Consequently, the students of furniture industry should have basic knowledge of vocabulary regarding their field. This knowledge might help them to adapt quite easily to the new working environment and fulfil the requirements of a foreign employer.