RSS feedsBESIG at the IATEFL 2010 Conference
Pre-Conference Event: Business or Business English?
As part of the IATEFL 2010 Conference, BESIG held a full-day Pre-Conference Event (PCE) sponsored by Cambridge ESOL (World of Work) on the theme "Business or Business English?" The intention was to provide a platform to examine and discuss the following issues:
How much business background do business English trainers need to have? Are we responsible for teaching just vocabulary, grammar and communication skills in a foreign language, or do we also need to understand exactly what it is that our clients deal with in their jobs? Is it possible to completely separate the teaching of business English for the teaching of business skills and business content – even if we have not actually worked in the particular business area ourselves?
This issue facing many of us in the Business English field will be discussed in a combination of presentations and workshops. Participants will have the chance to exchange information with others in the field and to experience how these topics are handled by those in different countries and fields of expertise.
The speakers and their topics in order of appearance were as follows:
- Ian Badger: Business English trainers - knowing our limits, developing our competences
- Rita & Duncan Baker: Frameworks for task-based learning: how to avoid chucking out the baby with the bath water
- Mark Waistell: The Anatomy of a Business English Teacher ... “The Sequel!”
- Rhonda Bowen: Professional Business English Training
- Deshini Chetty: Assessing Business English
Most of the talks were filmed and can be viewed in the player below:
Alternatively, you can see the talks listed and view them directly on BESIG's new YouTube Channel here: PCE - IATEFL 2010 Harrogate
The slides for Ian Badger's talk can be viewed by clicking here.
The PCE Event Sponsors
We would like to thank Cambridge ESOL for the generous sponsorship of the event
And many thanks also to Business Spotlight for their support as event Media Partner
BESIG Programme Day
For the first day of the IATEFL conference, BESIG had also organised a full programme of talks as follows:
Marjorie Rosenberg's talk was recorded by an IATEFL film crew and can be viewed on the Harrogate Online site by clicking here: Getting Business English Learners to Speak.
Robin Walker's talk was also filmed by the IATEFL fim crew and can be viewed by clicking here: The Globalization of English.
Petra Pointner's talk was also recorded and can be viewed in the player below:
Alternatively, you can see the talks listed and view them directly on BESIG's new YouTube Channel here: What students can get out of Twitter
During the Open Forum Session BESIG Committee Members Marjorie Rosenberg and Wolfgang Ridder introduced the SIG to potential new members and updated those present on the SIG's current activities, including the plans for the BESIG 2010 Annual Conference in Bielefeld, Germany.
The forum concluded with Committee member Carl Dowse briefly outlining new developments regarding BESIG's web presence. The slides below will provide some indication of the areas covered:
BESIG Photos at the Harrogate Conference
The BESIG Committee turned out in force at this year's IATEFL Conference and for those who were unable to attend the event here are one or two snaps:
All materials © BESIG. Site design by Matthew Taylor & Eric Baber. Last updated April 2010
