John Batman Institute of TAFE, P.O.BOX 157 Coburg, Vic. 3058, tel. (03) 9353 1875; fax 9350 1148
FINAL PROJECT REPORT
J. B. I. Technical English Program at P. T. Koba Tin
Pulau Bangka, Indonesia
22 April, 1996
Consultant: Thor May
Distribution: R. M. Patterson Roger Bastone Alex Howell Yusmin Tanzil
FINAL PROJECT REPORT : J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996
1. Preliminaries
a). Introduction
b) Project objectives2. Needs evaluation
a) Company needs
b) Trainee needs3. Resource provision
a) Classrooms
b) Trainer time
c) Trainee time
d) Local material resources (actual & potential)
e) JBI resourcesa4. Implementation
a) P.T. Koba Tin's commitment
b) Liaison with Pangkalpinang STM
c) Assessment interviews
d) The teaching program
e) Teacher training
5. Recommendations
a) Overview
b) Initial
c) Interim
d) Final
5. Appendix A:
Trainer training6. Appendix B:
Books recommended for purchase
a) Bookshops
b) Technical References
c) General TEFL references
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
John Batman Institute of TAFE was commissioned by P.T. Koba Tin to initiate English language training for a selected group of employees at the Koba mining site on Bangka Island, Indonesia. A consultant from JBI undertook the project for a four week period in April 1996. Training in technical English was implemented during the month, a local trainer was inducted into the program, and the management at P.T. Koba Tin has come to a focused understanding of the company's language training needs.
This report should be read in conjunction with the Interim Report of the consultant, circulated on 15 April 1996. The Interim Report dealt in some depth with various issues of language learning.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
The consultant approached the P.T. Koba Tin project with the following objectives in mind:
1. <> Identify immediate training options for client selection
2. <> Set project priorities
3. <> Estimate human & resource needs
4. <> Provide management with the information required to make informed policy decisions on language training
5. <> Establish a pilot language training program, according to client preference
6. <> Demonstrate training methodologies to the local trainer and provide any guidance needed for professional implementation of the program
7. <> Indicate the potential and limitations of the selected training program
8. <> Advise on professional development for local trainers
9. <> Supply and/or develop training materials appropriate to the pilot language program.
10.<> Advise on materials development from local & industry sources
11. <> Advise on publications & other sources of training materials
12. <> Alert the company to possible future language training paths; e.g. English for supervisory staff; English prior to overseas training; English for skilled tradesmen; English for the general enhancement of communication between management and site workers; English as a company contribution to community education.
13. <> Clarify benefits from English language training: e.g. improved efficiency, improved staff mobility & flexibility, improved worksite communication, improved site safety, staff satisfaction, community public relations.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
NEEDS EVALUATION
Prior to the consultant's arrival the management at P.T. Koba Tin had determined that there was a broad interest in the workforce and in the local community in learning English.
That body of employees who mediated communication between senior, English speaking management and indigenous local staff had a continuing interest in upgrading their English language skills. This group comprised middle management and a broader spectrum of administrative staff.
A second group of employees, comprising mechanics and other technical staff, had a need to access information in English relating especially to the operation and maintenance of machinery. They would also benefit from some capacity to communicate with English speaking staff on technical matters.
It quickly became clear to the consultant and P.T. Koba Tin management that the resources of time, manpower and materials available for a language teaching program were strictly limited. Available effort would best be concentrated to those ends which were most achievable and productive. It was therefore decided to confine the initial English language program to technical students, and especially those who would be undertaking the JBI Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training Program (which is English language sourced). Fifteen employees, mostly mechanics, were interviewed and selected for the first intake.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
The trainees selected for the JBI Technical English Program had had, on average, 12 years of formal education, and a large percentage were graduates of the Pangkalpinang STM (technical high school). Most were in their twenties, although a number of slightly older employees were also included. The engineering managers considered the group to include their most capable tradesmen. However, their English language ability was approximately 0+/5. That is, they were initially unable to use the language in any useful way.
The psychology of language acquisition (for most learners) is such that very early language learning is best conducted in a highly social mode, even when the final objective is reading technical texts. The social language is motivating, introduces the global patterns of the language, and becomes a vehicle to carry later communication in more technical registers. Introductory material for the JBI Technical English Program was designed with these needs in mind. Mechanics, of course, are also whole human beings, and the ability to communicate on general as well as technical topics is likely to satisfy their more personal agendas. The technical focus is expected to gradually intensify as the program proceeds.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
RESOURCE PROVISION
The personnel manager has been asked to make a permanent booking for the Technical English Class in the Koba Central Training Room on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3pm to 5pm.
The class has had to be conducted several times in a space adjacent to the Model Room (at Koba Central). That very crowded space is not suitable for seventeen men trying learn in a communicative mode, which requires a good deal of moving around, role play and social interaction. There is therefore a very strong recommendation that a suitable space be guaranteed for the duration of the class.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
The local trainer for the project, Yusmin Tanzil, had been occupied up to the commencement of the Technical English Project with company translation and other work. Management has indicated that it will second Yusmin Tanzil to a training section. The ongoing Technical English work will require a substantial amount of teaching resource creation and course planning, especially with the first group of students. There is a potential for conflict between translation and teaching duties. Competition for Yusmin Tanzil's time will be resolved a) by company policy decision, and b) by the terms of the teaching contract fixed between Yusmin Tanzil and P.T. Koba Tin. It is recommended that policy priorities be set on this matter at an early date.
One of the less tangible but very important benefits of the Technical English Program is the sense that it gives participants of company interest in their welfare and career development. The trainer will be better able to enhance that impression if he maintains some links with the trainees in their actual workplaces, outside of the classroom. Such liaison can also keep the trainer in contact with the actual language needs and resources of real working environments. To that end, it is recommended that some time be made available to the local trainer for on-site liaison in the workplace. It is emphasized that such visits would stress contact with the trainees themselves, as opposed to discussion with engineering management (which also has its place, of course).
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
The Technical English trainees are amongst P.T. Koba's most needed personnel. Their skills are required to keep the mining equipment operational, and that must always claim first priority in a mining company. Further significant demands on their time is about to be made by the JBI Heavy Equipment Training Program. On the other hand, a failure by P.T. Koba Tin to maintain the training commitment will see the loss of promising employees and an aging workforce. Without extended training, equipment will not be maintained at optimum levels, leading to increased breakdowns and an increase in the number of expensive outside maintenance contractors.
The demand for Technical English derives from the need for increased expertise in the technical workforce, and the pressure to retain personnel with attractive training opportunities. The time which can be devoted to teaching Technical English is therefore a product of these rather subtle equations. P.T. Koba Tin management has decided on a starting commitment of four hours per week for Technical English training, two hours of which will come from the employees' own time. Classes will be scheduled across shift breaks to maximize the opportunities for trainee participation. Time allocations may be reviewed at a later date.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
4. Local material resources (actual & potential)
A natural language is a global tool, with an almost infinite variety of specialized or local applications. This means in practice that the bulk of rules, patterns and even vocabulary needed to woo a lover, argue a legal brief or work in a mining company are pretty much the same. The limits on generalizing language from one context to another come not from English (or any other language) itself, but from the imagination, bias and motivation of the human beings who manipulate it. Language teaching is really the craft (it is scarcely a science) of marrying a technical knowledge of the language to those human variables which will maximize its mastery and use by particular groups of clients. The human end of this equation gives far more trouble than the technical end.
Much of the technical English needed at P.T. Koba Tin could be taught, if necessary, using knitting guides from a women's magazine. It can also be taught, and partly will be taught, using material or ideas from general English as a Foreign Language texts together with general training material for mechanics. However, those training resources which are likely to have greatest impact on the motivation and hence the language learning of Koba employees are materials adapted from the personal and professional encounters of their daily lives. A short dialogue which rings true for the local workshop, or an exercise cunningly developed from a Volvo BM A30 manual will be remembered long after the most professional imported teaching exercises are forgotten. This puts a heavy premium on the creativity of local trainers (and at this level "teacher" is a more appropriate term).
A skilled local teacher with sufficient time will find ways to adapt a huge variety of locally available documents, equipment, spoken language conventions and practices to language teaching ends. In reality, not many trainers have great creative flare, and the general run of trainers could be better off using professional material written elsewhere. The consultant cannot make a firm recommendation on the adaptation of local material for technical English teaching because it depends so heavily on the aptitudes of the trainer. However P.T. Koba Tin should be ready to encourage local materials development whenever it seems promising.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
The original marketing of the JBI Technical English Program included a sample daily timetable for a one month sandwich course aimed at trainee mechanics between the first and second years of their training (OMSEP<>EFL: English as a Foreign Language in the Overseas Mechanics Skills Enhancement Program). The consultant brought teaching material with him which could support such a program. Its core was drawn from his own draft volume (English for Mechanics Thor May 1996) which will be published commercially shortly. The existing eighty-five units of English for Mechanics have also been made available. In addition, the consultant bought a collection of other books and papers to assist in local materials development and trainer education. A list of these books will be recommended for purchase as a trainer resource by P.T. Koba Tin.
The OMSEP<>EFL sample program and materials were essentially pitched for trainees with an English skill level of about 2/5. Elements of them can be adapted to other levels, of course, by a skilled trainer. Current P.T. Koba Technical English trainees have an English skill level of around 0+/5, so it will be a year or two before they can make optimum use of the consultant's materials in their present form.
The very large number of modules purchased from JBI for the Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training Program are also in English at present. They are not designed for language teaching as such, but the Technical English Program could play an important part in their successful assimilation by trainees. It is recommended that the language trainer study the JBI heavy vehicle modules closely and adapt parts of them wherever possible for language teaching.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TECHNICAL ENGLISH PROGRAM
Following options presented in the consultant's interim report (15 April 1996), and a review meeting of interested parties on 17 April 1996, P.T. Koba Tin management has indicated that it expects the Technical English Program to run for two to three years (initially) with a weekly student contact time of four hours (subject to review). Two of the weekly contact hours will be in company time.
Management has accepted that teacher preparation time will not be at less than a 1:1 ratio with student contact hours, and may be more where significant materials preparation is involved. It is recommended that the trainer be allocated some additional time for workplace liaison. Actual contract conditions are to be negotiated directly between the trainer and P.T. Koba Tin management. Yusmin Tanzil, as the nominated local trainer, has been asked to recommend an individual who can be inducted as a support trainer. Contract or employment conditions for the support trainer have not been discussed at this stage.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
2. Liaison with Pangkalpinang STM (technical high school)
A JBI consultant, Peter McLinton, has spent the month of April 1996 in close liaison with Pangkalpinang STM (technical high school). His work has been on behalf of P.T. Koba Tin, and his task has been to find ways of integrating Year I of the JBI Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training Program with the Indonesian national technical curriculum. P.T. Koba Tin's aim, apart from establishing good community relationships, has been to encourage a supply of suitably skilled recruits to its technical operations. Training for Year II of the same program is expected to start on-site at P.T. Koba Tin in June 1996 under the direction of JBI training consultant, Alan Brooke.
In line with P.T. Koba Tin's wider aims, the JBI language consultant has visited the STM school and made contact with the three technical English teachers in that establishment. One of the teachers, Mr. Anwar Rohani, has been regularly traveling to Koba to sit in on demonstration teaching by the JBI consultant. The STM curriculum provision for English teaching (nationally) is only two hours per week, and the JBI consultant has been informed that it is heavily biased to formal grammar exercises and examination preparation. Most trainees in the P.T. Koba Tin Technical English classes are old STM students, and their 0+/5 English language competence is living proof that the STM program is not effective. Anwar Rohani is well aware of the national curriculum limitations for language teaching, and very interested in the alternative methodologies which he has seen. That said, there may be only limited scope for independent reform of the STM English language program, except as an extracurricular activity.
Although the actual curriculum impact of the P.T. Koba Tin Technical English Program on the STM may not be great, the liaison is worth pursuing for its goodwill aspects, for the insights that STM teachers are given into actual industrial needs, and for the long term encouragement of progressive language teaching ideas. Any adaptation of the JBI Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training module material for language teaching would certainly be of assistance to the STM.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
The JBI consultant arranged interviews with prospective trainees for the language program early in his visit. Personal interviews were followed up with a standardized test to check to consultant's judgments. Until these steps were taken, a realistic course profile could not be developed. Nor could P.T. Koba Tin management have any sound idea about the potential of its trainees for development, likely training costs or the duration of possible programs.
It is strongly recommended that any future language training proposals or contracts be grounded in a professional appraisal of potential trainees. Guesswork at this point by other staff, not professionally trained in language appraisal, is a poor economy. Actual interviews should be conducted in a room where the interviewee has proper privacy. Individuals with poor English language skills are easily intimidated in public arenas, and may not show their true potential.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
Classes for the Technical English program were begun on 9 April 1996. Lessons have been taught in demonstration mode by the consultant, with a gradual shift of responsibility to the local trainer, Yusmin Tanzil, towards the end of the month. Attendance has been consistently high, and the students appear to be well-motivated to succeed in the program. P.T. Koba Tin has accepted a proposal that the overall progress of the Technical English Program should be reviewed by a small management group on a quarterly basis.
Readers are referred to the Interim Report for an extensive discussion on the best methodology for teaching students at 0+/5 level. A highly communicative approach is favoured by the consultant, with early attention to social language which is motivating and will act as a vehicle to carry later, more technical topics. The consultant will provide a list of technical English EFL texts which can be used or adapted by the trainer as students become more sophisticated in their use of the language.
The Interim Report also laid out a sample 24 week 0+/5 level language teaching program. This program is indicative, with firm programming at this level only being possible from lesson to lesson. It is essential to work at the students' actual pace of learning, as opposed to a wish list of what "should be taught". Teaching that is not matched by learning is a waste of time, and students can only learn within their native ability, however restricted that may be. By the end of 24 weeks the local trainer should be sufficiently experienced to produce the next quarterly plan.
The chemistry between a teacher and his class is a very individual thing. The present pilot program has been stamped with the style, method, content and preferences of the JBI consultant. It works for him. Inevitably, whoever inherits the Technical English Program will impose changes upon all of these elements. This is quite proper. The final test is whether the program maintains its dynamism, retains the interest of trainees, and produces graduates who have acquired the facility to use English, especially technical English, in useful ways.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
An important part of the JBI language consultant's time has been concerned with training for the local trainer, Yusmin Tanzil. Any program that did not involve full local participation and understanding was not going to survive a transition from the one month consultancy.
Mr. Tanzil has been an apt learner. He has discussed and participated in the development of appropriate lesson plans. He has observed the particular teaching methodologies adopted by the consultant, and had a chance to begin adapting them to his own style in the classroom. It should be noted that most Indonesian teaching traditions are radically different from what Mr. Tanzil has been exposed to in the Technical English Program.
The consultant decided to meet with Yusmin Tanzil daily for an exchange of ideas. This usually involved a number of current matters, such as upcoming lesson materials, but also included the progressive introduction of source ideas, papers and texts. Over the period Mr. Tanzil has become acquainted with a range of resources and methodologies which will assist him in the ongoing generation of a technical English program. Unfortunately, there has been no opportunity to counsel a support trainer since the person has not yet been appointed.
Yusmin Tanzil should prove to be an effective trainer, and the consultant has every confidence that he will carry the Technical English Program successfully. As the program moves from the stage of 0+/5 language teaching to a more specialized level, the demands on the trainer will become more exacting. Skilled language teaching is a profession needing highly trained practitioners. Some intensive training for Yusmin Tanzil in teaching English as a Foreign Language to adults would be a very sound investment for the P.T. Koba Tin training program. Appendix A outlines an internationally syndicated one month course which costs around AUD$1800.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
RECOMMENDATIONS
The trainer has presented proposals to the management of P.T. Koba Tin in three documents. The first was an Initial Recommendation dated 3 April 1996. The second was an Interim Report dated 15 April 1996. The third was this Project Report dated 22 April 1996. Most suggestions have in fact been implemented, but the summary of key recommendations in order below may assist management to review the development of the project.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
Initial Recommendations (3 April 1996)
1. A focus on the students involved in the JBI Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training Program would lead to the most efficient concentration of teaching resources (staff, materials) with the optimum language outcomes.
2. The optimum outcome for mechanics trainees would be to integrate their technical program as closely as possible with the language program, both in terms of teaching materials and time tabling.
3. Koba Tin will need to allocate a realistic amount of time to the local trainer for materials preparation. There will need to be some experimentation to establish just how much time that should be.
4. The most productive language learning materials are likely to be developed from workshop publications, training modules etc. which directly relate to the operations at Koba.
5. Koba management will need to decide, as quickly as possible, how many students can be released (if at all) for the language as well as the mechanics program. Management also needs to establish on what days they can be released (if at all) and for how long.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
Interim Recommendations (15 April 1996)
a) Course Programming Options
Starting Language Level: 0+/5
Notional Exit Target: 2/5 = approximately 500 to 600 hours of tuition
Time Frames:
3 years @ 200 hrs/yr = 600 hrs = 5 hrs/wk x 120 weeks = 4 hrs/wk x 150 weeks
2 years @ 250 hrs/yr = 500 hrs = 5 hrs/wk x 100 weeks = 6.25 hrs/wk x 80 weeks
1 year @ 500 hrs/yr = 500 hrs = 10 hrs/wk x 50 weeks = 12.5 hrs/wk x 40 weeks
b) Recommendations & observations on Teaching Methodology
1. The focus of initial language training must necessarily diverge a little from purely technical English. This is a function of the psychology of language acquisition itself. The technical emphasis can be progressively built in, but a first language requirement is for basic communication skills; (see supporting papers).
2. Early language learners can take in only a tiny amount of new language in a single session, although the struggle inside their heads is very great. A program of "modules" at elementary stages is frankly meaningless. Although a strategic game plan is useful even at 0+/5 level, the actual lessons must in practice be planned from session to session.
3. Spoken language has many essential applications relevant to early second language learning, even where a sponsor's main aim is to improve the ability of employees to read particular types of texts (e.g. service manuals).
4. Teachers will greatly assist in the long run if they talk in English about English.
5. The small expatriate management group in an operation such as P.T. Koba Tin has an incentive to master bahasa Indonesia. Their status, and work pressure, means that they are not required to do so. In practice, management relies heavily on an elite of bilingual intermediaries. These management patterns amount to de facto policy decisions with major consequences.
6. Initiatives to establish extracurricular domains for English language practice are really up to a local community, but should be encouraged. Expatriate residents who wish to learn Indonesian would do well to develop similar domains in that language.
7. Students need frequent (preferably daily) practice in English rhythm, intonation, stress and pronunciation. It should be fun.
8. A large part of the spoken language component should involve students talking in pairs, groups, or circulating freely.
9. Teachers should monitor the ratio of teacher talk to student talk in the classroom.
10. Teachers should avoid browbeating or dominating a student when seeking a response. Students tend to operate nervously and uncertainly in L2 (the second language). They need "mental space", and plenty of time.
11. Prior planning must go into role plays, and into activities which set up "communication gaps". Just hoping for something to happen with elementary students will lead to teaching failure.
12. Less senior employees need coaching in the routines of generating particular forms, some simple reports (e.g. accident reports) and short memos or notes. It is a management decision as to how many of these documents require or favour an English language format.
13. Individuals at an English ability level of 0+/5 cannot be expected to produce trustworthy documents in English.
14. It is useful to take an inventory of documents that a) employees are required to produce in their present role, and b) that they might be required to produce at their next level of promotion.
15. Not all writing in the Technical English class need (or should) have a workplace focus since the initial barriers are at least as psychological as linguistic. Capturing a student's emotional engagement is a large part of the battle.
16. Teaching activities in writing should offer maximum structural support where it seems needed, while being flexible enough to allow more creative individuals the freedom to innovate.
17. Reading skills should be promoted in both first and subsequent languages since the carry-over is significant.
19. Technical manuals often depend for textual cohesion on linking points in a diagram to points in a text. Making these links conceptually is a reading skill that may have to be taught.
20. Manuals are normally read to extract specific information. Therefore scanning skills need to be taught.
21. Employees with 0+/5 level English should not be trusted to extract accurate information from English texts in the workplace.
22. When 0+/5 English level students are asked to read in class, they must be given plenty of time and "mental space". A hovering teacher can distract students and hinder reading
23. Uncertainty in the English language use of numbers can cause expensive misunderstandings. Teaching numeracy in English is a good investment.
24. Set up information-getting exercises that involve students in quizzing each other or outside parties, or researching manuals for numeric information. Use questions such as "How many; how much" etc.
25. Incorporate a numeric reporting function (verbal) when students do exercises in measurement, calculation, graphing etc.; e.g. a student must give a verbal report on numeric results to the class or group.
26. Develop exercises that require the interpretation of numeric tabular information into written or spoken prose.
27. Social language functions play a crucial role in the workplace, as they do everywhere else. Good teaching practice is to put a spot aside in each class session for a short role play or dialogue practice using one social language function.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
Final Recommendations (22 April 1996)
1. Following the consultant's recommendation, P.T. Koba Tin management has indicated that it expects the Technical English Program to run for two to three years (initially) with a weekly student contact time of four hours (subject to review). Two of the weekly contact hours will be in company time
2. P.T. Koba Tin has accepted a proposal that the overall progress of the Technical English Program should be reviewed by a small management group on a quarterly basis. The final test of value is whether the program maintains its dynamism, retains the interest of trainees and produces graduates who have acquired the facility to use English, especially technical English, in useful ways.
3. It is essential that the Technical English Program progress at the students' actual pace of learning, as opposed to a wish list of what "should be taught". Teaching that is not matched by learning is a waste of time, and students can only learn within their native ability, however restricted that may be.
4. It is strongly recommended that a suitable classroom space be guaranteed for the duration of the class. The Koba Central training room is adequate. The space adjacent to the model room is not a good substitute for 17 men in an interactive learning environment.
5. It is recommended that policy priorities be set on Yusmin Tanzil's time at an early date. There is a potential for conflict between translation and teaching duties. Competition for Yusmin Tanzil's time will be resolved a) by company policy decision, and b) by the terms of the teaching contract fixed between Yusmin Tanzil and P.T. Koba Tin.
6. The consultant is not able to advise on local labour contract conditions. However, P.T. Koba Tin is urged to recognize that particular skills are involved a) in teaching technical English as a foreign language to adults, and b) in adapting or writing curriculum materials for this kind of work. A component of the trainer/teacher's remuneration should reward the individual's particular competencies in these areas.
7. Management has accepted that teacher preparation time will not be at less than a 1:1 ratio with student contact hours, and may be more where significant materials preparation is involved.
8. It is recommended that some time be made available to the local trainer for on-site liaison in the workplace.
9. Yusmin Tanzil, as the nominated local trainer, has been asked to recommend an individual who can be inducted as a support trainer.
10. Some intensive training for Yusmin Tanzil in teaching English as a Foreign Language to adults would be a very sound investment for the P.T. Koba Tin training program.. As the program moves from the stage of 0+/5 language teaching to a more specialized level, the professional demands on the trainer will become more exacting. Skilled language teaching is a profession needing highly trained practitioners.
11. P.T. Koba Tin should be ready to encourage local materials development whenever it seems promising.. The consultant cannot make a firm recommendation on the adaptation of local material for technical English teaching because it depends so heavily on the aptitudes of the trainer.
12. It is recommended that the language trainer study the JBI heavy vehicle modules closely and adapt parts of them wherever possible for language teaching.
13. It is recommended that P.T. Koba Tin accumulate a small library of English as a Foreign Language and Technical English texts to assist in local materials development and trainer education. The consultant will recommend some suitable titles. A number of such books could also be useful for community work in local schools. The books should be catalogued and lent in a systematic way since they tend to be expensive.
14. It is recommended that contact be maintained between the Technical English Program and technical English teachers at Pangkalpinang STM (technical high school). Although the actual curriculum impact of the P.T. Koba Tin Technical English Program on the STM may not be great, the liaison is worth pursuing for its goodwill aspects, for the insights that STM teachers are given into actual industrial needs, and for the long term encouragement of progressive language teaching ideas. Any adaptation of the JBI Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training module material for language teaching would certainly be of assistance to the STM.
15. The consultant has brought with him for the course a complimentary set of 30 Mobil Inside Information: your car and how it works [ Mobil Oil (Aust.) Ltd, 1992] The books are elementary, but have colourful diagrams with fairly easy text. They are a cheap, useful reference for mechanics beginners. P.T. Koba Tin can either keep them, or perhaps donate some/all as a goodwill gesture to the Pangkalpinang STM.
16. It is strongly recommended that any future language training proposals or contracts be grounded in a professional appraisal of potential trainees. Guesswork at this point by other staff, not professionally trained in language appraisal, is a poor economy.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
1. Present trainer resources: Yusmin Tanzil has been seconded from translation duties to teach the Technical English Program. His English language skills are excellent. His teaching experience has effectively been with primary school age children a number of years ago. He could obviously benefit from some intensive in-servicing on general teaching methodology with adults, and teaching English as a foreign language to adults (TEFLA). For a fairly modest investment P.T. Koba Tin could provide such an opportunity.
2. Suitable TEFLA training programs: The most suitable generic TEFLA program available to individuals in Yusmin Tanzil's position is the Cambridge/RSA CTEFLA (Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults). This is a one month, extremely intensive course which is syndicated worldwide, most commonly through the British Council. It presumes no prior teaching experience, but is of benefit even to trained teachers (I have done it). A slightly modified version is available to individuals who speak English as a second language. The cost is approximately AUD$1800.
A wide variety of other TEFLA training programs are available internationally, ranging up to full university degrees, but none have quite the marketability or focus of the Cambridge/RSA CTEFLA.
3. Pros & Cons of the Cambridge/RSA CTEFLA:
Pro:
A great deal is taught in a very short time. Students are apt to find themselves preparing materials to midnight most evenings.
The standard is consistently high. Each course is checked by external moderators for content and professionalism.
The orientation is practical. Three hours is spent each morning developing language awareness, and exploring classroom techniques. Three hours is spend each afternoon teaching demonstration classes. Trainees and the tutor write a critique of whoever is teaching at a given moment. A post-mortem is done after each teaching session.
Classes are small. Normally each class of twelve trainees will be split into two teams of six, who stay together with a tutor throughout the course.
The qualification has instant, worldwide recognition in the English as a Foreign Language teaching profession.
Con:
The course is aimed at general English teaching methodology, not technical English. Note however that most of the methodology and much of the material is transferable to specializations like technical English.
The content and methodology is heavily British oriented. The British approach is fine, but a graduate should be aware that there are a very large number of ways to successfully teach a language, especially with motivated students.
Trainees are advised to leave all their emotional problems at home! There is no time for other business. It is common in every course for some trainees to burst into tears, or otherwise demonstrate extreme stress.
Venues
The Cambridge/RSA CTEFLA is conducted on an almost continuing basis at many venues. Melbourne, Australia alone has four such venues, although most courses there are directed to native English speakers. In South East Asia there are centers in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang (I think), Bangkok and Hong Kong. Possibly other places as well. Any British Embassy can direct an enquiry in the right direction.
Note: The very intensive nature of the course almost requires that a trainee be within close proximity to the training centre, preferably walking distance. Every waking moment is needed during the training month. To that end, the Bangkok location is quite attractive. The British Council is located in Siam Square, near a number of book shops. A major shopping centre is adjacent. When I am in Bangkok (spending my own money!) I often stay within walking distance of this complex at the Muangphol Apartments, Soi Kasem 2. A comfortable air-conditioned room with en-suite and a desk costs US$15 (400 baht) per night. There is a restaurant on the ground floor, and rooms are always available.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
APPENDIX B: Books Recommended for Purchase
The list of books listed below is in no sense comprehensive. The general EFL list in particular is short and eclectic. If P.T. Koba Tin wishes, the consultant can send details of a larger collection upon return to Australia. A few of the EFL books are quite old, but have proved to be extremely useful over the years. Several thousand new EFL/ESL books are published annually.
A couple of Australian bookshops are dedicated to ESL/EFL publications, and have very large collections. However books in Australia are not cheap and P.T. Koba staff may well have access to book shops in S.E. Asia with lower prices. The name of a Bangkok bookseller with a large collection of ESL/EFL texts is given below.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
D.K. Book House (Duang Kamoi Siam Square Co. Ltd), 244-246 Siam Square, Soi 2, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10500, Thailand; tel. +66 (2) 516 335/6;
[ large collection of English as a Second Language books; cheaper than Australia]TESL Bookshop, 397 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia; tel +61 (03) 9670 3532; [large collection of English as a Second Language books]
Technical Book & Magazine Co., 295 Swanston St, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia; tel. +61 (03) 9663 3951; fax +61 (03) 9663 2094 [ a good source for technical manuals]
Mobil Oil Australia Ltd (for Mobil Inside Information : AUD $5), P.O. Box 412 South Yarra 3141, Victoria. Tel. (03) 9252 3761.
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
Technical English Sources and References
[most of these books are available in Bangkok]
Caterpillar Tractor Co., Instruction Manual for Caterpillar Fundamental English, Illinois: Caterpillar Tractor Co. [One version has been translated bilingually into Indonesian/English (translator unknown). It contains quite a lot of useful vocabulary. The teaching program itself is wooden and unimaginative, but parts could be adapted].
Glendinning E.H. & McEwan J, 1993 Oxford English for Electronics, UK: OUP
Glendinning E.H. & N, 1995 Oxford English for Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, UK: OUP Hong Kong: Longman
Hutchinson T & Waters A 1990 Interface: English for Technical Communication, UK: Longman [Very good exercises for technical language students; easy language]
Indonesian language series on basic vehicle mechanics etc. : Teknik Chasis Mobil; Sebab-Sebab: Kerusakan Mobil; Perawatin & Perbalkan: Mesin Disel; Teknik Motor Disel Mobil; Tanya-Jawab: Reparasi Sepeda Motor; Teknik Mesin Bensin Mobil; pub. C.V. Aneka (1995) , Jl. H. Agus Salim, No. 43, Solo 57147, Indonesia; tel (0271) 719 890; [cheap (about Rp.4500) and a potentially useful source for elementary technical language teaching]
International Labour Office (United Nations) 1971 Maintenance Repair of Motor Vehicles; Geneva. [Technically dated but an outstanding example for teaching mechanics in developing countries if you can get hold of it].
Kennedy J & Hunston S 1982 Patterns of Fact, London: Edward Arnold
Methold K & Waters D 1974 Understanding Technical English (books 1 & 2)
Mobil Oil (Aust.) Ltd, 1992 Mobil Inside Information: your car and how it works, Melbourne: Mobil Oil (Australia) Ltd, P.O. Box 412 South Yarra 3141 [Elementary, but colourful diagrams with fairly easy text. A cheap, useful reference for mechanics beginners. The consultant has brought a complimentary set of 30 of these books with him for the course. P.T. Koba Tin can either keep them, or perhaps donate some as a goodwill gesture to the Pangkalpinang STM]
Stackpoole L, Morrison M & Gregory A 1994 Introduction to Motor Mechanics (2nd ed.), Melbourne: Longman. [Widely used in Australia as a text for Year I mechanics apprentices. A copy has already been supplied to Koba through the JBI Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training Program]
St. John Ambulance 1992 Australian First Aid: Workplace First Aid Modules, pub. St. John Ambulance, Victoria, Australia
Toboldt W, Johnson L & Olive S 1995 Goodheart-Willcox Automotive Encyclopedia, Illinois: Goodheart-Willcox Co. Inc. [Large, very comprehensive, good illustrations; American vehicles. A copy has already been supplied to Koba through the JBI Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Training Program]
Vafeas J, 1993 Basic Car Maintenance & Servicing (4th ed.), Kingsford, NSW: Car Maintenance & Services Co. [ Cheap (AUD$10) with useful hints on car maintenance]
Weber M, 1983 Elementary Technical English, Book 1 (student's book & teacher's book), UK: Nelson ELT
Weber M & Seath J., 1984 Elementary Technical English, Book 2 (student's book & teacher's book), UK: Nelson ELT
Yates C St. J & Fitzpatrick A, Technical English for Industry (course book & instructor's manual), UK: Longman
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May
General Texts for Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Allsop, Jake 1988 Penguin English Tests, Book 2, U.K., London: Penguin Books
Granger, Collin 1980 Play Games with English: games, puzzles and quizzes for practising your English, Books I & II, U.K., Oxford: Heinemann; [the consultant has never met a student who didn't love these books]
Molinsky, S & Bliss, B 1981 Side by Side: English grammar through guided conversations, Book II, N.J., Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall
O'Neill R. 1962 English in Situations, U.K., Oxford: OUP [old, but this has to be the consultant's favourite EFL book]
Seal, Bernard 1987 Vocabulary Builder, Books I & II, U.K.: Longman
Spencer, D. H. 1967 Guided Composition Exercises, U.K., London: Longman
Stannard Allen, W 1952 Living English Speech, U.K.: Longman; [ancient, but very useful for teaching the intonation and stress patterns of English]
Wajnryb, Ruth 1990 Grammar Dictation, U.K., Oxford: OUP
Willis, Dave & The University of Birmingham 1991 Collins Cobild Student Grammar, U.K., London: Harper-Collins; [very useful for reference & homework exercises. Other Cobild publications, such as the dictionaries, are also good value].
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J. B. I. Technical English Program 1996 consultant: Thor May