English for Science and Technology in Indian Condition

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Name :- Milankumar Parmar

Class :- M.A Sem-3

Roll no. :- 16

Course :- English Language Teaching

Enrollment :- PG14101026

Topic :- English for science and Technology in Indian Condition

Email_id :- parmarmilan1994@gmail.com

Submitted to :- The Department of English,

                                Smt.S.B. Gardi,

                                Maharaja Krishnkumarsinhji

                                Bhavnagar University,

                                Bhavnagar.

               

Introduction:-
Language is the foundation of the education system; we learn and teach through medium of the language, it is the linguafranca that connects the learner, teacher and the subject. It becomes bit more difficult when the language is not native one. In India same problem students and teachers has been  facing long, English is largely accepted as the language of science and technology, as it is second language in India there will be some issues is obvious.

 (Evans, 1998)

          English for science and technology is sub-branch of English for academic purpose(EAP), English for academic purpose is designed to prepare none-native user of English for English medium academic. Teaching English for science and technology is different from general English, EST courses/English tends to teach formal and academic genre.  

Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998) provide a more comprehensive characterization of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) as language teaching designed to meet the specific needs of the learners through employing effective teaching methodologies and teaching activities.

Definition of ESP (Dudley-Evans, 1997):

v  Absolute Characteristics

Ø  ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners.

Ø  ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves.

Ø  ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre.

v  Variable Characteristics

Ø  ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines.

Ø  ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of General English.

Ø  ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a professional work situation. It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level.

Ø  ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students.

Ø  Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems.

There are three aspects which we should apply for the sake of understand the problems and then what can be its probable solution. They are

1.       Need Analysis

2.       Structure of technical English and teaching material

3.       Expertise

NEED ANALYSIS:-

Need analysis is fundamental to an EAP approach to design the course and teaching method. In this John Munby’s model could serve as good guide, in his work “Communicative Syllabus design he has given very helpful and comprehensive need analysis method to identify the needs of the learner. In his article ‘Identifying the nature of the learner’s need’ R.Mackay(Mackay, 1978) has discussed in detail the methods of questionnaire and structured interview for gathering necessary information.

 V. Chandra Sekhar Rao a professor from well known university of Hydrabad has done research on “English for Science and Technology: A Learner Centered Approach”. He has collected data from his own work place he collected data for his research paper employed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches and the research findings are discussed with the descriptive data collected from the Questionnaires, Interviews and Classroom Observations. The questionnaire data were gathered from 180 participants (120 B.Tech students, 30 teachers of EST and 20 teachers of technical subjects) belonged to different Engineering Colleges affiliated to JNTU, Hyderabad. And findings of his research are as below.

Needs Analysis Questionnaire to Students reveals that students of Engineering and technology have recognized English:

Ø  As skill-oriented one and given importance to its basic language skills and sub-skills and their priority such as: 1.Listening 2.Speaking, 3.professional Speaking, 4. Grammar, 5. Reading, and 6. Professional Writing.

Ø  The teachers of English in Engineering Colleges need a special set of competencies than those of the General English teachers.

Ø  The EST Teachers to be facilitators, knowing the strategies of modern class room teaching and providing a lot of activities in the classroom and making them active participants.

Ø  Phonetics should be taught for correct pronunciation, equipping with latest technology and multi-media software.

From the above analysis it is clear that the students of the science and technology views English as a tools of communication, of opportunity, they are more interested in subjective English rather than general English. They need it to comprehend the course books which are in English they need it to write answer in English, and some time what happens that they give more importance to writing, and that results in incompetency in oral communication, and thus unable to get employment, which is in a way loss to our nation at large.

Another need analysis which is done by R.S.Sharma a researcher from Banaras Hindu University Varanasi, he has done need analysis of the students who have passed entrance test and admitted to first year of B.SC or B.Tec. He had used entrance test itself as need analysis, and below are some conclusion that can be skimmed.

Ø  Learner posses intelligence above average

Ø  Learner has basic knowledge of general English though there is need of some improvements

Ø  Learner wants to learn with understanding

Ø  His chief concern for next three to four years will be academic

Ø  His basic need is an ability to gather scientific knowledge found in textbooks and science journal which were written in English

Ø  Other need is to be able to communicate in classroom, laboratory, college and in university he/she needs English language t communicate.

The above analysis clearly points out that students of science and technology when they enter in the college they need two competency. They are

Ø  Reading and comprehension of technical texts written in English

Ø  Writing of technical English in exam and in report writing, where speaking is not that much important.

Structure of technical English and teaching material

Basically technical English is situational variety employed for communication “in systematic manner of particular branch of knowledge pertaining nature and conditions in life. It is formal and objective in style. The technical writing is thus related to the law or philosophy as to Electronics or biology(R.S.SHARMA, 1985). We are here concerned with subragisters which is used for standard communication in science and technology. And this can be attended at the level of

Register:- lexical and grammatical structural features.

Discourse:- the effect of communicative context, the relation between text and its writer/readers

Genre:- how language is used in particular setting, such as texts, journal and lectures in classroom.

Let’s see some parts of technical English, and Teaching Materials

Vocabulary:- The most distinguish characteristic feature of Technical English(TE), is Technical vocabulary, Words from Science and technology for instance Thermodynamics, transmitter, hydrogen, electron, and various instruments and process, gases, tools and ingredients etc. 

There are some familiar words which, as Herbert has pointed out, create much difficulty because they are used in both technical as well as non technical meanings such as words are, plant, feed, load, work etc. these words we also use in day to day life, but when they are used in technical context its meaning will be changed. And sometimes that create difficulty in learner and teachers mind.

Another feature of the vocabulary mentioned by him is the use of verbs, adjectives and adverbs which are not specifically scientific, but which belongs to phraseology of science: words like Extruder, Propagate, Obviate, and negligible.(A.J.Herbert, 1965) 

Grammar:- Science texts are generally written in simple present tense, and basically use passive construction without agentive phrase and conditional clause are some peculiar features of scientific grammar.

Use of Symbols/ symbolic language:- Scientific language uses symbols for tools, process. These we will not find in day to day language.

¿> rope link      

Ɂ> hook link

ἁ> alpha

Discourse:- A paragraph In texts is constructed around a topic for elaboration, explanation, description and exemplification. It is for the comprehension of scientific theories. Two major forms of the discourse which covers nearly 90% of the text in technical English are description and Explanation. The description might be of an instrument, system or process. The description of process read like a narrative but it is written in present tense. Two more forms of scientific discourse which should be included are 1.Defining and 2.Report writing.

Therefore, from the above discussion and according to the analysis of students need, the teaching material must be suitable for science and technology, some of the features of the technical English materials are

Ø it should be come out from standard scientific writing, such as found in texts books, journals, and book on specific topic.

Ø The selected book should not be diluted by simplification.

Ø Material should be taken from the field of mathematics, physics and chemistry, agriculture, zoology, botany and even from medical.

Ø A teaching material should be challenging, and also provide practice for learner

What should technical English text provided for exercise and practice:

Ø  Verb form exercise

Ø  Grammatical error spot

Ø  Sentence practice

Ø  Classification of the words

Ø  Term and terminology for given word

Ø  Explanation exercise

Ø  Finding the principle of science which is at work in sentence or word.

Ø  Scientific and technical terms, model auxiliary in technical English  

But right kind of material is that which answers specifically needs of students and according to register which learner requires as medium of communication for academic purpose.

Competency of the teacher for science and technology:

Subject specific competency, it is on the part of the teachers, EST expected to have more than one qualification. A good command over English language is necessary condition but one also has to have some knowledge of science is required. But this is rarely found in English teachers, we could not get teachers with double qualification. But TE is a situational variety, thus expertise in applied linguistics is third requirement, because it is well known that the knowledge of the mother tongue interferes with the learning of foreign or second language. But in some cases R.S Sharma found that in technical writing of the student there is double interference from (L1) as well as conversational English, for example

1.       Every reaction hasn’t got the same rate

2.       The substance which encourage or discourage the reaction

To come up with this requirement there are some diploma courses which can provide help, short term certificate courses are available, even for computer science, laboratory etc. the question answer method and challenge to student will help a lot to teaching in class of science.

The teacher’s role in a learner-centered classroom of EST:

The teacher’s role in a learner-centered classroom of EST is absolutely critical. It takes practice. It takes patience. It requires a willingness to try new things, fail, reflect, revise, redeem and repeat. The teacher has to use many techniques in the teaching process. The teacher in a learner-centered classroom of EST has to:

Ø  Introduce challenging, engaging ideas that inspire student questions.

Ø  Find a happy medium between giving students too much direction and too little.

Ø  Establish routines and structures in the classroom that support inquiry.

Ø  Engage in frequent conversations with students.

Ø  Focus students on generating arguments based on evidence.

Ø  Provide opportunities for students to choose how they demonstrate their learning.

Ø  Connect students with experts in fields relevant to their inquiry and facilitate their conversations.

Ø  Teach skills and processes that students need to know in order to engage in effective inquiry.  Provide time for reflection and meta-cognition within the structure of learning cycles.

Ø  Maintain the students to have their mood and mind happily and hilariously all the time.

Conclusion:-

EST is English foe academic purpose thus its chief aim is to complete the requirements and needs of the students as well as organization, and for that need analysis is necessary and the analysis should be kept in mind, materials and methods of teaching should be according to need analysis. And for that a professor V. Chandra Sekhar Rao suggested that Learner centered approach is of worth.

Work Cited :

A.J.Herbert. (1965). The Structure of Technical English. In H. A.J, The Structure of Tecnical English (p. 7). London, England: ELBS.

Evans, T. D. (1998). English for specific Purpose. In The Cambridge Guide to Teach English to speakers of other Language (pp. 131- 135).

Mackay, R. (1978). Identifying The Nature of the learner's need. In R. M. Mountford, English for Specific Purpose (pp. 21-37). London: Longman.

R.S.SHARMA. (1985). Technical Writting. In R.S.Sharma, Technical Writting (pp. 1-10). Varanasi: Academic Publisher.

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