Teacher Training Course a Key Success to ESP Challenges: Knowledge and Practices

Abstract

In an English for specific purposes (ESP) setting, teachers are not expected to be just language experts; yet, their competencies go beyond to include more other skills to effectively fulfill his role as an ESP practitioner. Investigating learners’ needs, designing courses, and writing materials are more additional duties that this latter holds beside his natural task of teaching. To release from this heavy workload, ESP teachers require additional knowledge and skills that enable them to cope within this new teaching setting. This can be achieved through a professional ESP teacher training. To broaden their knowledge about the ESP teaching/learning world, this paper reviews the literature on the ESP issues and challenges that may face ESP teachers while accomplishing their responsibilities. For the sake of satisfying their learners’ English specific learning needs, developing teachers’ knowledge and practices via a specialized ESP training program is deemed necessary. When teachers’ needs are thoroughly investigated using Kennedy’s needs analysis modal (1983), an establishment of teacher training course that would help ESP teachers overcome all the ESP teaching difficulties will be the result.