Class Blog: Theories and Practices of ESP

It really is important to run an analysis on the needs of the learners before actually implementing it on them. I had the experience of teaching a module created by certain individuals without them being aware of what the learners of the course need from that particular course. In fact, what I had to teach during that semester was what they had learnt in their previous semester. Can you imagine how bored the students were; having to learn something which they already know, and maybe some, knew the subject at the back of their palm? When my students asked me why they had to learn what they were already taught in previous semester I really had a hard time giving logical explanations. Seriously, the students were not dump to not notice that there was something wrong with the management somewhere and it definitely wasn’t a pretty scene at all to see or hear them complaining to the higher management regarding this matter. Trying to find an explanation to this, I had to ask the right people to explain to me what was really going on. And true enough, every module which was under that particular faculty was hay wire. Why? Because nobody really knew what the learners need and need not learn. They just verbally instructed people to come up with modules for these purposes and for that purposes without considering if that was what the learners need in class. Therefore, it really is vital for us educators to run a need analysis on the learners before executing our so called ‘first-rate’ ideas.

Diane Sima a.k.a Cheyenne