Agency All TEFL

Using authentic material for business English students Authentic material, written by native english speakers for native english speakers, should be material of choice for business students. Some of its advantages are: 1. Authentic material brings students into direct contact with a reality level of Business English. Real Business English, used by businesspeople to communicate with other businesspeople, can be a great motivator. When students work with, and practice real Business English they are developing a tool they can use in real life. Many of our students are already in business so they would have a certain amount of exposure to English language used to conduct business. A lot of value can be generated out when using real Business English and students` real business experience. 2. Authentic material is drawn from periodicals and is always up-to-date and constantly being updated. Material that is always up-to-date and topical has its own reason for being read with interest. Besides practicing English, the student will also get some important and up to date business news. So at the end of their English lessons, they are better informed, and maybe also better businesspeople. The English language itself is constantly developing and changing. Working with up-to-date materials means that not only the content of the material is up-to-date, but also that the language itself is up-to-date. It`s a part of businesspeople` work to be aware of current business news, so material of this kind will allow the students to bring their own knowledge of the world to their lessons. 3. Authentic material from a particular source (The Economist, Wall Street Journal) targets specific area of language. Therefore, students who regularly read them will become experts in reading English language business publications. Being able to read the commercial and business press is another great motivator. By limiting the area of English that is being practised, the students will be able to measure their own progress. 4. Authentic material is a source of up-to-date information is relevant to the needs of business English students. The students will always be able to find articles about their area of business or industry, even their own companies. This can lead to interesting discussions about how their companies compare with, or differentiate themselves from the rest of their industry. Either way, the combination of directly relevant authentic materials and the students? own input will generate better English and better business knowledge. In order to choose appropriate articles for the students the teacher should ask him/herself following questions: 1. Is this the kind of real English that my students need? Will we get additional value when combining the real English in these materials and students? real business knowledge? 2. Is it up-to-date? Is it topical? Will business students learn something new? Will they be able to combine their knowledge of the world with the knowledge they gain from this material? 3. Am I limiting the area of language sufficiently for my students to feel that they are making progress? 4. Is this material directly relevant to my students? requirements?