Conference presentation (IATEFL-H) Eger, Hungary, 2012. Teaching Tourism English - a new blended learning course

1. A New Tourism ESP Blended
Learning Course at ELTE
ADORJÁN MÁRIA
MARY@ADORJAN.COM

2. BA in ENGLISH output requirements
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„Az alapfokozat birtokában az anglisztika alapképzési szakon végzettek alkalmasak:
megszerzett tudásuk alkotó szellemű alkalmazására a kulturális kapcsolatok ápolása terén
nyelvi közvetítői szerep betöltésére;
az önkormányzati és kulturális életben szervezői feladatok ellátására, különösen az angolszász
kultúrkör ismeretéhez kötött munkakörökben;
tömegkommunikációs szerveknél nyelvi szervezői feladatok ellátására;
az idegenforgalomban nyelvi közvetítői szerep betöltésére.”
http://www.nefmi.gov.hu/english/the-hungarian-higher/the-bologna-system
Mediating role in tourism

3. Students’ needs
 More practical courses
 More work-specific knowledge and skills
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Az egyetem által az első végzős BA alapszakos hallgatók körében készített felmérés szerint hallgatóink határozott igényként
fogalmazták meg az olyan gyakorlatorientált kurzusok iránti érdeklődésüket, amelyek az alapvető bölcsészeti ismeretek
mellé valamely konkrét szakterületen kínálnak jól hasznosítható, szakmaspecifikusabb tudást és készségeket, és ezzel
segítik a hallgatók későbbi elhelyezkedését.
 http://seaswiki.elte.hu/studies/BA/specialization/English_in_business

4. Employers’ needs
 Multinational companies – good L. knowledge, own
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training, restricted jobs, +1 L!
Hungarian SMEs – good L. knowledge, ability to work
unsupervised, various jobs
Employed by the state – good L. knowledge
Vocations abroad – some L. knowledge, own training
Professions abroad – ?
 ALL: overall employability skills, initiated into working
community, ability to work without supervision

5. 21st century skills
 Tony Wagner Harvard University
 Any job that pays more than minimum wage today
requires employees who know how to solve a range
of intellectual and technical problems.

6. 21st century skills
 7 Survival Skills as defined by business leaders

7. Realizing autonomy (Irie/Stewart)

8. 1. What?
2. How?
3. Feedback
4. Future?

9. 1. Content
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National Qualifications Register (OKJ-s képzés), BBS Tourism College (BGF), College of
Nyíregyháza– 90% similarity

10. Materials
 Challenge: teaching ESP to sts. who have no basic
content knowledge in the subject
 Hungarian coursebooks
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Exam centric, knowledge provider (rules, regulations, data)
Outdated content, outdated approach, tasks not interactive
 Foreign coursebooks for lower language levels
 SOLUTION:
 Tourism journals, research articles, theory
 Authentic, practical materials, modern topics
 ICT

11. From tourist …

12. … to expert. (Maslow pyramid)

13. 21st century topics, new concepts, trends
staycation

14. Couch surfing

15. 21st century topics, new concepts, trends
 parasailing, paragliding
 Glocalization
minimoon, kitesurfing
 capsule hotel, honesty
bar, bathroom Charley
 Heritage, erosion of local
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cultures
 Ecotourism, sustainablitiy
 Cultural commoditization

16. Hungarian self-representation in tourism … vs. how
others see us
Accessing
information,
critical thinking

17. …vs. Irish self-representation

18. Case studies: inductive approach
 A key attraction or
activity: Blarney Stone
 Kissing the stone:
curiosity
 ’The gift of the gab’
 cultural experience +
enchanted fairy-tale
context = wellstructured commercial
product
generalization

19. Supplementary products, attractions and services
 The Great National
Blarney Hotel Golf and
Spa Resort ****
 Blarney Woolen Mills
Hotel

20. Blarney Woollen Mills
 once a small souvenir shop in a
thatched cottage on wheels
 now the largest Irish store in the
world
 now occupies a space of 60,000
square ft
 is a key feature of the renowned
Irish village

21. The Blarney Stone
 The origin of the famous
Blarney Stone itself is
unknown; theories (to be
taken with a large pinch
of salt) range from it having
once been part of the Stone
of
Scone
(held
at
Edinburgh Castle) presented
to a local chieftain by Robert
the Bruce; to being a
fragment of the Wailing
Wall in Jerusalem. Read
more:
http://www.frommers.com/
destinations/corkcity/A1975
1.html#ixzz251qdRbWJ
 It's
wedged
far
enough
underneath the battlements to
make it uncomfortable to
reach, but not far enough that
countless tourists don't bend
over
backward,
hang
upside down in a parapet,
and kiss it in hopes of
increased loquaciousness. It's
customary to tip the attendant
who holds your legs (you might
want to do it before he hangs
you
over
the
edge).
researching

22. Tourism destinations
Drawing
conclusions
 A key attraction or
 + supplementary
activity
 Instantly recognizable =
a key identity
 A must-see place
products
 + supplementary
attractions
 + supplementary services
(food, accommodation)
 = a complete experience

23. Social networking, web2
 Dream hotel (image)
 Reality (tripadvisor.com)

24. Text types, genres, communication
Oral
Written
Informal
Formal
For the
public
For insiders

25. 2. Methods
 Home preparation via internet 3-4 min.
videos using worksheets
 simulation of workplace (selling air ticket, room
reservation, press conference
 Other competencies /soft skills: individual
work, cooperation, mini presentations

26. Sample types of exercises
Tasks
Translating a hotel ad
(E-H)
Structural analysis:
Situation/Problem/Solution
Writing draft,
Process + Product approach
Feedback as "at work"
Organizing a press
conference
Team work
Real conference
organizers’ checklist
Simulation of a press
conference
Prompt anwers from data
H. data – E. report
Writing the news article
Writing subtitles to
videos,
Dubbing videos
Video presentation
of regional festival
Interview with
foreigners about
destinations
Debate about
contoversial issues
Extensive linguistic
analysis of
advertisements
Designing
questionnaire,
SWOT analysis

27. Simulation of press conference, writing news
Tourism in Hungary
Complex task:
Collecting and
interpreting data/ role
play (speaking)/followup (writing article)

28. Tourist guide speech:
recording voice, directing video/animation
adaptation

29. Blended learning /e-learning, Internet + moodle
No. of views by students
(excluding teacher)!!

30. Digital portfolio – dual aims
 4000 – 10000 words
 100-500 MB!
 Pictures, videos, sound
recordings, podcasts,
interviews
 Aims:
 Showcase competencies:
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For the teacher
For future employer
Sts took it very
seriously!

41. 3. Feedback
(Survey Monkey)
Which course materials were the most useful? Why?
 The new type of sports, I didn't know most of them before.
 5/28/2012 6:00 PMView Responses
 The Hotel industry course materials, because now I can fully understand
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the different rates and terms.
5/23/2012 6:58 PMView Responses
Cultural tourism, because finally, I could get to know Bp. and other parts of
the country (thanks to the short presentations in class) a little bit better. To
be honest, I had no idea what e.g. the Millenium Monument symbolises...
But now I do. :)
5/22/2012 1:12 PMView Responses
tourism translations, hotel terminology
5/15/2012 5:50 PMView Responses
translating and producing advertising texts/materials
5/14/2012 1:35 AMView Responses
ppt-s with many-many good links and videos, I just loved them!
5/13/2012 10:56 PMView Responses

42. Feedback (Survey Monkey)
Which course materials were the most useful? Why?
 Translating technical texts, the diverse activites (e.g. doing slideshows,
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voice recording, etc)
5/13/2012 10:01 PMView Responses
Ppts and vocabulary lists.
5/13/2012 9:41 PMView Responses
Presentations and articles about the topic discussed.
5/13/2012 6:02 PMView Responses
Actually I found all materials useful as they greatly added to my knowledge
about tourism, but if I had to highlight one as the most useful, I'd choose
the hotel industry topic, and as for the most enjoyable, the Disney topics. :)
But really, I did like and enjoy all of our topics! :)
5/13/2012 4:19 PMView Responses
I found the most useful the one called: "James Chicago Forditasi
gyakorlat.pptx", because it showed the most common translation problems
and their solutions.
5/13/2012 2:25 PMView Responses

43. From what did you benefit the most in the course?
 Vocabulary materials
 Translations, because I know now how to improve my written skills.
 From the course material, because this was a course where I could learn something
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useful, something that I can make good use of, like the different kinds of
accomodation etc.
from everything
from practical assignments (although sometimes they challenged my limits, they
were of great use to me)
Now I have the basic concepts of tourism in mind, and if I travel somewhere, I will
feel I know more than average tourists, which is great.
Translating technical texts, the diverse activites (e.g. doing slideshows, voice
recording, etc)
From the diverse and creative tasks, like writing an advertisement, recording my
voice, etc...
I got to expand my vocabulary about tourism and learn some interesting things
about Hungary and its culture.
From the translations and the videos. And the hotel industry and the travelling
topics.
Now I am able to create a SWOT analysis on myself :)

44. 4. Future?
 Do you think the course content would have been
easier to study in a book format?
 64% disagree, 33 % agree
 How much would you be willing to pay for a Tourism
English book?
 36% btw HUF 1500-2000
 Less: 57%
 Nothing, I would copy it!