A ‘STANDPOINT MODEL’ (SM) IN DESIGNING TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES FOR PROMOTING AUTHENTIC TASKS AND TEXTS

Abstract

The notion of ‘authenticity’ in the teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has long been considered as a trend in the production of learning tasks, materials development, and assessment tools. The term authenticity in English Language Teaching (ELT) is defined as the use of tasks, materials, and assessments, which are related or closely related to real-life situations. This article discusses problems and constraints pertaining to issues of authenticity in ELT and provides a suggested solution through the use of a ‘Standpoint Model’ (SM). In this paper, the authors argue that ESP learning tasks, materials development, and assessment tools can be developed based on the models of what and how professionals perform their day-to-day professional jobs. This model is based on a set of conceptual assumptions that in providing services, a professional worker performs job activities (tasks) and use job-related materials (texts) in more or less the same patterns (schema) within a period of time repeatedly and cyclically. The paper concludes that an ESP course designer can benefit from SM through the use of fixed movement (fixed standpoints) in the targeted situations (authentic tasks) and fixed contents/materials to be delivered at each standpoint (authentic texts).