CHARLES UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE Faculty of Education

FINAL PROJECT

2011

Vlasta Vondrkov

CHARLES UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE Faculty of Education Department of English Language and Literature

Final project

Professional English in Study Programme AUTOTRONIK

December, 2011

Author: Vlasta Vondrkov Supervisor: Craig Morgan Type of study: Extension programme

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the people who supported me. They were the head master of Stedn prmyslov kola dopravn, a. s., Ing. Frantiek Novotn and my head teacher Ing. Vra Nejedl, then my colleagues at school. I would like to express my special thanks for patience with the extension programme students to all from Department of English Language and Literature Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education.

Declaration
I hereby declare that I wrote the final project on my own and that I listed all the used sources on the works cited page.

Praha, December 26, 2011

Mgr. Vlasta Vondrkov

Abstract
The thesis is focused on teaching Professional English in Study Programme Autotronik. It describes the current situation and demands of this study programme from the ESP/ Professional English teaching point of view. Then it introduces the positions of General English teacher and offers him/her some starting points. In this thesis different recommendations are mentioned and also some sample exercises presented.

Key words: Study Programme Autotronik, English for specific purposes/Professional English, diagnostics

Shrnut
Clem zvren prce je piblit problematiku vuky profesn anglitiny ve studijnm oboru autotronik. Prce mapuje souasnou situaci a poadavky kladen na tento studijn obor z hlediska profesn anglitiny. Dle pibliuje vchoz pozice uitele obecn anglitiny a nabz mu urit vchodiska. V prci jsou zmnna rzn doporuen, nechyb ani ukzky konkrtnch cvien.

Klov slova: koln vzdlvac program autotronik, anglitina pro specifick ely/ profesn anglitina, diagnostika

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................5 English for specific purposes .................................................................................................8 Professional English in Study Programme Autotronik ..........................................................9 Resources for teaching ESP/Professional English ...............................................................10 Methodology and ESP lessons content ................................................................................12 How to use materials; sample exercises ...............................................................................13 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................17 Appendix - Need analysis questionnaire ..............................................................................18 Works Cited .........................................................................................................................19

Introduction
English is the most widespread foreign language taught in the Czech Republic. Since the school year 2010/11 it has been also one of the two compulsory subjects for the leaving exam and in the near future, probably from spring 2013, English is going to be compulsory for every student who studies at secondary school. Students are able to choose from two levels of the exam (B1 or B2). It means that the minimal level of English should be achieved by students of all school types, grammar schools and also technical and vocational schools. Students of vocational schools have to be prepared not only for the leaving exam but also for their future occupations. So teaching professional English is an important part of education. This obligation is given in different study programmes that are compulsory for technical and vocational schools since the school year 2008/09. Study programmes were defined by The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and all schools had to write own School Study Programmes. Study programmes are available on the website of Nrodn stav odbornho vzdlvn. Despite this fact there is a lack of appropriate textbooks for many of them. The Study Programme Autotronik is defined for technical vocational education. The aim of this programme is to prepare students for a profession of diagnostician in automobile industry. They are trained to measure and diagnose condition of vehicles, to repair them, and to organize and carry on a business. Knowledge of professional English supports their future careers and makes them competitive in the labour market. They can apply for a job in different countries of the European Union. It is useful to integrate professional English into teaching English and it is also very useful to teach some technical subjects in English. Unfortunately, specialists in technical subjects are not often able to use English in their teaching and English teachers could not teach subjects like mechanical engineering or technology. However, English teachers are able to prepare their students for the practical usage of English in their businesses. Each secondary school is able to incorporate different topics of the professional language into its School Study Programme. However, technical and sub-technical vocabulary has to represent 20% of the students lexicon. The only appropriate textbook of professional English for the Study Programme Autotronik is English for the Automobile Industry (Kavanagh). It is focused on topics and skills like purchasing, sales, administration, design and production. For the general

knowledge of this specialization it is quite sufficient, although it does not cover the area of diagnosis and technological processes. It is necessary to use authentic instructional materials too. All the materials and the mentioned textbook could be confused for the students. The main disadvantage is comprehension. Everything that teachers could use is above the level of most students language knowledge. So teachers should simplify the learning materials for them. It is difficult to say how many teachers have enough time for preparing own materials. The main aim of this thesis is to show how the appropriate materials could be done. It is important to define the main thematic areas and their contents. Then it is necessary to divide them into the particular study years. It is also recommended to consult this process with the teachers of practical work because they know the real conditions and often use car diagnostics in their teaching. At first students of the Study Programme Autotronik have to acquire general knowledge about cars, e.g., types, parts of the cars, engine, transmission, traction, electronic systems, elements of safety, car accessories. They have to use this terminology to be able to understand diagnostic outcomes and work with them. It is useful when the topics taught in professional English lessons correspond to the topics of technical subjects and practical work. After this introduction to the terminology students are ready to start to work with car diagnostics. Modern cars are fully equipped with computer and electronic technology so only a car diagnostic scan is often able to point to a deficiency. How it works is taught in technical subjects and practical work but sometimes tools of diagnostics operate only in foreign languages, so it is almost essential to know English terminology. An English teacher is not obliged to explain functions of the systems analyzers/ diagnostic tools to them. He/she should give them opportunity to understand it in English. So it is necessary to train different model situations, to work with producers instructions. Students should be able to express how the car diagnostics works, and to designate tools, systems and methods. The other part of their education should be aimed at communication with customers. There is a huge absence of this kind of education in the Czech Republic. The situation could be improved by adding and practicing some techniques of efficient communication in different subjects, e.g., languages, psychology, and economics. The progress could be influenced by using interesting teaching methods. 7

The last, but not least important thing is to keep students interested in up-to-date information. The main trend for the future is the development of an alternative fuel engine and environmental-friendly vehicles.

English for Specific Purposes

General English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) are two main areas of learning English. General English is commonly taught at all school types and language courses. However, not all the English learners need the general knowledge. The importance of English as an international language is increasing every day. English knowledge affects peoples opportunities to find a good job or start own successful business. People need to communicate in fields of business, medicine, technology, etc.. English for Specific Purpose first appeared in the 1970s. At the beginning it was a response to immadiate needs of foreign students to enable them to pursue their subject studies in English (Harding 3). In 1980s ESP was divided into two areas English for Academic Study and English for work/training (Hutchinson and Waters 10). Nowadays there are plenty of subcategories, e.g., English for Medical Purposes, English for Occupational Purposes, English for Science and Technology (Harding 6). Professional English is a subcategory of English for work/training, it is aimed at different occupations. Since the school reform, that brought changes into the curriculums, there have been more opportunities to teach ESP next to General English. ESP is not a matter of teaching specialized varieties of English. ESP is an approach to language, which is based on learners need (Hutchinson and Waters 19). A need analysis questionnaire with its interpretation is essential precondition for the ESP teaching. An example of a need analyses worksheet could be found in Appendix. The worksheet should be adapted according to the learners category and specialism. ESP learners are usually divided into two broad categories. Firstly, there are those already working in their specialism or at an advanced stage of their training. Secondly, there are those who are pre-work and who will probably be younger and where cannot be expected that they have much detailed knowledge of their specialism (Harding 8). However, their General English syllabus should be covered by primary education and their English studies need an application, a purpose (Harding 7). In the Czech education system ESP teaching is mainly a matter of vocational schools where General English

knowledge often finishes at level A2-B1 of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The situation is different at grammar schools where General English knowledge achieves higher levels and no specialism is required. Sometimes it should be confusing to distinguish between the ESP/Professional English knowledge and the knowledge of some technical subject. It is not possible to demand specialist subject knowledge. The important point is that getting the correct answer should not depend on specialist subject knowledge outside the material used in the text (Hutchinson and Waters 147). Finally, it is necessary to answer the question how qualified ESP teachers should be. ESP teachers do not need to learn a specialist subject knowledge. They require three things only: a positive attitude towards the ESP content, knowledge of fundamental principles of the subject area and an awareness of how much the students probably already know. This can be sum up as the ability to ask intelligent questions (Hutchinson and Waters 163). It is surely an optimistic point of view. To teach ESP is not as easy as it seems to be, but it is not also so difficult.

Professional English in Study Programme Autotronik

There are no strict rules what the teacher should incorporate to his/her ESP/professional English teaching. An important indicator is what the learners need or expect to need for their work. So the need analysis questionnaire is the key material for preparing the ESP curriculum. It is useful to give it to the learners and also to the teachers of technical subjects and practical work. Only the cooperation between all the participants could be successful because English teachers are almost never specialists in a technical area. To know the technical terms faultlessly is one of the preconditions of an efficient work with systems analyzers. So the students have to be able to interpret diagnostic outcomes and decide about the following procedures. Another precondition is the skill of using them, but it is not a question of English teaching. At first the students ought to master terminology of describing a car and its functions. It is useful to divide it into subcategories, for example an introduction to the car, the exterior, the interior, under the bonnet, performance and technical specification, safety, design, future trends (Kavanagh). In fact the introduction to ESP is advised to teach in the

first years of studies at technical/vocational schools. The reason is obvious. Students in their first years are not educated enough in technical subjects so it is pointless to teach them diagnostics terminology which they are not able to use in practical work. The situation is changing in their third and fourth year of study. Students start to work with different kinds of systems analyzer at school and in car servicing centres too. There are two types of vehicle analysing. The first one is based on communication with control units, the second one is based on physical measurements by oscilloscope. Students use both of them. The most common system analyzers are VAG-COM, Bosch, GDS, VAS. At first, students have to understand the diagnostic terminology. There are three main area of work with the diagnostics; the test procedures, the components tests, the oscilloscope. The test procedures are used for getting information about general measurement conditions, a battery, an alternator, an ignition and an injection for example. The components tests are focused on testing individual sensors and actuators, such as wheel sensors, an atmospheric-pressure sensor, a throttle-valve switch, lambda sensors, a camshaft sensor, etc. The oscilloscope shows in real time how signals change over time. It measures exact voltage of individual sensors and actuators to find defects (Bosch FSA 720/740 Users Manual). Then, there is an important condition to be ESP teaching successful and in practice applicable. Students have to know how the diagnostics works and what the outcomes of the diagnostic processes mean. However, this is not the matter of ESP/Professional English teaching. English is only the instrument to use the systems analyzers efficiently.

Resources for teaching ESP/Professional English

For teaching ESP/Professional English in Study Programme Autotronic it is necessary to know what the students need for their practical education and future job. An English teacher can work with a need analysis questionnaire, technical subjects curriculum or he/she can ask his/her colleagues teaching technical subjects and find some information in different automotive websites to establish the content of ESP lessons. After clarifying what to teach the teacher has to start searching teaching materials. It is often hard to find supported materials (Harding 7). So an ESP teacher could select from existing materials, modify existing ones or write his/her own materials (Hutchinson and Waters 96). The last possibility is one of the most characteristic features

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of ESP in practice (Hutchinson and Waters 106). There are almost no suitable textbooks for teaching Professional English in Study Programme Autotronik, so the English teacher has to prepare own materials most of time. Many useful materials could be found on the internet. The cooperation between the teacher and his/her students could be closer than in General English lessons if the teacher asked them for participation in preparing materials. Some students could know better where the needed information is on the internet. On the Czech textbooks market there is available only one textbook usable for this study programme. It is called English for Automobile Industry by Marie Kavanagh. This textbook is designed for level B1-B2. Just this designation could be a problem, because students final level of using English is very often only A2-B1. So teachers should have to simplify and modify this textbook or just chose appropriate passages of it. This textbook could be used in the first years of studies to acquire the automotive terminology. Some specialized books are available in English or American internet bookshops. For example Advanced Automotive Fault Diagnosis by Tom Denton (2006), How to Diagnose and Repair Automotive Electrical Systems by Tracy Martin (2005), Automotive Computer Controlled Systems by Allan W. M. Bonnick (2001). Many useful materials could be found on websites of the firms that sell the systems analyzers. For example, Bosch, GDS, VAS, VAG-COM. Users manual and sometimes short instructional videos are often available too. Using these materials is very effective because students are familiar with the systems but it is essential to modify and simplify them. The original texts could be difficult to read and could include much technical terminology. The role of the text in the learning process is to get some information from it or to illustrate a particular sentence or discourse pattern, to increase learners motivation by emphasising the real world application of language. The text could be also used for a jigsaw reading task (Hutchinson and Waters 159-160). There are plenty of possibilities what to do with the text. The ESP teacher has to be careful in choosing the materials. Highly specialized texts can achieve face validity. If the use of such texts makes work in the classroom difficult, learners will soon lose their liking for such texts (Hutchinson and Waters 161). To balance highly specialized texts the teacher could use some texts from the car magazines written in English available on the internet. The texts contain terminology but their structure is not so difficult to read. For example, http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/,
http://www.whatcar.com/, http://www.caranddriver.com/, http://www.turbomagazine.com/index.html.

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Some TV series in English about motor vehicles could be also used for getting new vocabulary, practicing understanding and listening skills. Teachers could also prepare own materials but it is really time-consuming. Moreover, there is a risk of reinventing the wheel. However, it could be good idea to make older students prepare the worksheets for younger ones.

Methodology and ESP lessons content

ESP is not a specialized variety of English. The fact that language is used for a specific purpose does not imply that it is a special form of the language (Hutchinson and Waters 18). Only the content of the learning is different from General English. The processes of learning should be similar. There is, in other words, no such thing as an ESP methodology (Hutchinson and Waters 18). ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learners reason for learning (Hutchinson and Waters 19). Contrary to General English, teaching ESP means interacting closely with students and their needs (Harding 10). The students should participate in the process of defining the content of the learning by filling the need analysis questionnaire. There are two ways how to prepare it. The teacher can use existing one found in educational literature or on the internet. Alternatively, he/she can write own questionnaire and decide which type of questioning is more suitable open questions, multiple-choice questions, yes/no questions. Multiple-choice and yes/no questions are simpler to evaluate but open questions can say more about students needs. The combination of all types is also possible. The need analysis questionnaire prepared for the students of Stedn prmyslov kola dopravn, a.s. showed that they want to be educated in terminology, reading diagnostics graphs and communication with the customers. Then they are interested in the procedures they usually do in their workplaces. All of them think that it is important to know English terminology. According to the type of study (secondary education finished by the maturita exam) it is important to pay attention to all the skills students have to manage - speaking, writing, listening, reading and use of English. The teacher should use contexts, texts and situations from students subject area (Harding 10) and exploit authentic material that the students use

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in their specialism. The teacher should also try to make the task authentic as well as the text (Harding 11). As it was said, there are no special methods in ESP teaching, General English teaching methods could be used. The emphasis should be put on practising communication, understanding different types of texts such as graphs, diagrams, tables with data, effective vocabulary learning and searching information in different kinds of texts and interpreting them. Cooperation between students and teachers brings opportunities to teaching by eliciting. The students could sometimes know more than the teachers and could ease their worry about technical correctness. Most of the General English methods could be used in ESP lessons. The teachers have to respect students age and their needs. It is pointless to use only simple reading and translation. A good teacher can invent an interesting activity in a few minutes.

How to use the materials; sample exercises

It was mentioned many times, that there are not enough suitable materials which could be used for teaching ESP/Professional English without any modification. The English teachers should modify them by simplifying, shortening or choosing only some parts of the texts. Then the teachers can prepare tasks aimed to students needs and study programme demands. There are some sample exercises.

A. Reading and comprehension activity answering questions, finding main ideas; modified exercise from the textbook English for the Automobile Industry by Marie Kavanagh (28).
The engine work The principle of the internal engine has not changed in the last 100 years. The engine takes in fuel and air which is compressed in a combustion chamber. Then this mixture is ignited by a spark plug to produce an explosion, which moves the piston in the cylinder. The up and down motion of the piston in the cylinder is converted into rotational motion by the crankshaft. The rotational force generated by the engine is known as torque. The size of the engine determines the power. The more cylinders there are, the more powerful the engine. This power is transmitted through the clutch, the gearbox, the propeller shaft (in rear-wheel and four-wheel drive) and the axles to the wheels. The position of the engine can vary, but generally speaking it is mounted at the front. In some

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sports cars, the engine is mounted at the rear (eg. Porsche) or in the middle (eg. Ferrari or Lamborghini) because of weight distribution. - Answer these questions: 1. How long has not the engine principle changed? 2. What is torque? 3. Why is the number of cylinders important? 4. What influences the engine position? - In seven steps describe how the engine works. Use all the highlighted words. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

B. Use of English activity - multiple-choice; an authentic text from the article about the engine diagnostics (http://www.turbomagazine.com/tech/0704_turp_engine_diagnostics/index.html)
Diagnostics of starter system - There are several tests that 1.____________ check the starter system. The two easiest ones are the voltage drop test and amperage draw test. - Voltage drops when current flows 2.____________ a resistance-the higher the drop, the greater the resistance. High resistance 3.______________ to slow engine cranking or a starter that just clicks. The voltage drop test will tell us the difference 4.___________ the voltage at the source (the battery) and the voltage at the device being tested (the starter). - For a voltage drop test, disconnect the ignition and connect the multi-meter's leads to the battery's negative terminal and to a good chassis ground. Crank the engine and observe the results. The engine must be cranked over 5.___________ current to flow. Perform the same test on the starter and compare the results. Just connect 6.__________ of the multi-meter's leads to each end of the cable being tested. If the difference is more than 5 volts, check all connections and terminals and the cables 7._____________. A cable that's hot to the touch under cranking is a sign of high resistance and should be checked or replaced.

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- An amperage test, 8._______________ requires more specialized equipment, should be done if the starter still cranks slowly and the battery and all cables check out. The test can be done either on a bench with no load applied, or in the vehicle. Check your service manual for acceptable 9.______________ draw. If it's reading too high, check the battery for appropriate supplied voltage, otherwise 10.______________ a problem with the starter's armature, cables or internal windings.Time for a new one. - Choose the best answer into each gap. 1. 2. 3. 4, 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. a, can perform to b, can be performed c, can performed to a, over a, is leading a, next to a, in oder for a, all a, ones a, which a,current b, in b, leads b, between b, because b, some b, themselves b, what b, actual b, its c, through c, is led c, against c, while c, each c, c, whether c, eventual c, -

10. a, theres

C. Communication activity - making questions and preparing the dialog; the text from the professional literature - Automotive computer controlled systems by Allan Bonnick (178).
The six-steps approach At this stage it is important to emphasize the need to be methodical. A simple, but effective approach to diagnostic work is known as the six-steps approach. This six-steps approach may be recognized as an organized approach to problem solving, in general. As quoted here it may be seen that certain steps are recursive. That is to say that it may be necessary to refer back to previous steps as one proceeds to a solution. Nevertheless, it does provide a proven method of ensuring that vital steps are not omitted in the fault tracing and rectification process. The six steps are: 1. collect evidence; 2. analyze evidence; 3. locate the fault; 4. find the cause of the fault and remedy it; 5. rectify the fault (if different from 4); 6. test the system to verify that repair is correct. - Think about three questions to the underlined parts of the text. - Imagine the following situation. You are a new one in a car servicing centre and you have to do some diagnostics for the first time. Prepare a 3 minutes dialog with your partner about the appropriate approach.

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D. Reading a diagnostic graph, communication activity describing and explaining the graph; the main task is to make the English teacher understand the readings of the graph, the main aim of this activity should be to be prepared for communication with customers.
(http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/mult-OBDII/mult-ODBII.htm )

(Explanation to the graph - There is a separate screen specifically tailored to monitor your oxygen sensors. The oxygen sensor (also known as the O2 sensor) is probably the best indicator of your engine's health and performance. The oxygen sensor changes its value based upon the amount of oxygen present in the exhaust. This percentage is directly related to the air/fuel mixture that is fed into the engine's intake manifold. If the mixture is too rich or too lean, the engine will not generate an ideal fuel burn. This results in increase emissions, and a decrease in power.) It depends on the teacher if he/she let this text visible for the students. - Answer these questions: 1. Is the oxygen sensor test useful? Why? 2. Which readings can you recognise in the graphs? 3. What influences an ideal fuel burn? 4. What is the result of this test? Is there any serious defect? - For the next lesson prepare a short presentation about the oxygen sensor test.

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Conclusion
The thesis Professional English in Study Programme Autotronik is aimed to introduce one of the English teaching areas and its place in secondary education. It tries to present English for specific purposes complexly and explains what the ESP teaching exactly is. The most important precondition of the teaching is to find learners needs and define the ESP lessons content. The cooperation between English teachers, teachers of technical subjects and practical work is necessary. English for Specific Purposes/Professional English is usually taught at technical and vocational schools as a part of English education. There are almost no suitable textbooks for different study programmes. However, this lack of materials does not mean giving up the ESP teaching. There are many alternative resources. ESP teachers usually have to modify the materials, sometimes even write own ones. ESP teachers are hardly ever the specialist in technical subjects. The positive point is that they should not have detailed technical knowledge, because they teach only the language. They should have an awareness of how much students know, fundamental knowledge of technical subjects, so they are able to ask the right questions. The Professional English in Study Programme Autotronik is focused on diagnostics. Students have to know the automotive and diagnostic terminology to be able to use systems analyzers/diagnostic tools in their practical work or in car servicing centres. The most common analyzers are VAG-COM, Bosch, GDS, VAS. It is appropriate to work with the users manuals of these diagnostic tools in ESP lessons, mainly with graphs and diagrams. They could be found on the internet on sellers websites. ESP is an approach to language based on learners needs. It is not a special form of English so there is no ESP methodology. General English methods are usually used. Communication, understanding different types of texts, vocabulary learning and searching information and interpreting them should be the priorities of ESP teaching. English teachers do not have to forget the maturita exam so they should also practise skills needed for this exam in ESP lessons.

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Appendix

Needs analysis questionnaire

Name: Class: Date: _________________________________________________________________________ 1. Which topics of your study programme would you like to study? 2. What do you think? Which topics of your study programme would you need in your future job? 3. What diagnostics do you often use? 4. Which diagnostic operations do you exactly do? 5. Which situations do you need to practice in English? 6. Which English skills would you like to improve first? 7. Do you think that it is important to know English terminology in your practical work? 8. What would you improve in your English lessons? -

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Works Cited
Bonnick, Allan. Automotive Computer Controlled Systems. Oxford: ButterworthHeinemann, 2001. Dempsey, Wayne R.. Reading OBD-II Fuel Injection Systems. Pelican Parts. 20 December 2011 <http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/mult-OBDII/multODBII.htm>.

FSA Videos, Guides and Manuals. 12 December 2011 <http://yourdiagnostictools.com/bosch/System-Analyzers-FSA-Engine-Analyzer-Videos&-Guides/c6_29_116/index.html>. Harding, Keith. English for Specific Purposes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Hutchinson, Tom and Alan Waters. English for Specific Purposes. Glasgow: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Kavanagh, Marie. English for the Automobile Industry. Plze: Fraus, 2007.

Mentioned Links
GDS diagnostics 15 December 2011 <http://www.m2kinc.com/detail-gds-105-31-241.html>. VAG COM diagnostics 15 December 2011 <http://www.ilexa.co.uk/content/category/2/4/17/>. VAS diagnostics 12 December 2011 <http://www.obd2be.com/vas-5054a-p-448.html>.

CAR 15 December 2011 <http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/>. Car and Driver 12 December 2011 <http://www.caranddriver.com/>. Turbo Magazine 9 December 2011 <http://www.turbomagazine.com/features/index.html>. WHAT CAR? 12 December 2011 <http://www.whatcar.com/>.

Mentioned Literature
Denton, Tom. Advanced Automotive Fault Diagnosis. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2006. Martin, Tracy. How to Diagnose and Repair Automotive Electrical Systems. St. Paul: Motorbooks, 2005.

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