English for Specific Purposes: Designing an Intensive Course for Refugee Families in Australia

Running Head: ENGLISH 1
English with special purposes
Author's Name
Institutional Affiliation

ENGLISH 2
Introduction
Migrating to a new country is never easy as the migrants face a new environment and
culture. Social interactions play a major role in how fast they acclimatize to their new
surroundings and communication is very essential for social interactions. Their personal and
social skills are no longer effective once they find themselves in a new country with a foreign
language that they cannot speak or understand. The paper designs a program in English for
specific purpose for a refugee families and children in Australia. It discusses the students, their
special needs and the kind of curriculum and learning environment they need.
“Extending lives,” an NGO working with the Refugee Council of Australia has
supported the entrant refugees and helped them rebuild their lives in Australia. The
organization runs with the utmost integrity and realizes that one of the foremost hurdles faced
by the refuses is the new language. Lack of English and communication and writing skills
prevent them from making social interactions and settle down faster in the new country.
Based on the investigation, the NGO has been asked to prepare an intensive ESP course to
improve English speaking skills and are given four weeks to train them.
Description of students and their special needs
The language is the first major hurdle for refugee families and children arriving in an
English-speaking country such as Australia. English language skills are a basic requirement in
work and study in a foreign country (Davies, 2017). People from refugee and migrant
backgrounds who arrive in Australia are linguistically advantaged as they speak their mother
tongue and at least one other language. A limited understanding of the Australian education and

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low English literacy add to the challenges of these families and their children. Refugee families
experience a range of challenges during their resettlement in Australia. The families, after
facing life-threatening and traumatic experience at home, find themselves in an unfamiliar social
system and a new culture. They need to learn English to get education, build social supports
within their community and gain employment. Language barriers are further hindrance in their
access to education, employment and housing (Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2017).
They need a proficiency in English language to complete their education, get work and feel part
of the community.
The NGO must provide high quality learning one-to-one support that meets their
learning needs and for higher chances of success. Specially trained teachers are required to teach
refugee children who may be dealing with trauma and post-traumatic stress (Davies, 2017). The
mainstream teachers should get better EAL training in their pre-service education. There are
eight refugee families who come from Bangladesh and the group are made of 15 adults and nine
children in the age group of 4 to 10 years. Their English-speaking skills are very poor, and a
translator would be present during the first few days of the training. It is essential to provide the
refugee families with an easily accessible intensive English language provision so that they gain
adequate proficiency within a short period of time. They need to learn English fast and speak
effectively so that it is easier for them to communicate and feel part of the society.
Designing the ESP course
English for Specific Purposes or ESP is a prominent area in EFL teaching. It has become
essential to choose, develop and use appropriate teaching material that meets the needs of a
specific group of learners. The main purpose of ESP is to fulfill the very specific needs of very

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specific learners and meet their professional or vocational demands and respond to the needs of
the society (González Ramírez, 2015).
Before designing an ESP course, it is essential to understand the specific purpose of the
specific group and evaluate the suitability of the course and learning outcomes. Certain needs
and critical situations have been identified for the refugee families. They need to converse in
English during introductions and build rapport at home and at work. Thus, the key identified
areas include English communication and English grammar that can help them create new social
and professional networks, and lead to financial independence. Content instructors and
vocabulary specialists can help in the designing of the ESP course and
content.
The intensive English-speaking course for the refugees would be held at the community
center of the NGO and would run for six weeks. There would be six lessons given every week
for the six-week course. The ESP program can increase access to English language by teaching
refugees at home and hold special classes for mothers and their small children.
Linguistic features and Learning outcomes
English communication skills
Respond to casual introductions in English
Participate in in casual English conservations
Get aware of common Australian English slang words and accent
Get basic information on Australia and its people and culture.
English Grammar skills