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This unit went over the teaching and learning aspects within a Business English classroom. This unit discussed the advantages and disadvantages to teaching one-to-one (individual) and to groups for both the student(s) and teacher. It is important that a teacher always checks his or her groups beforehand or after the first lesson, as sometimes groups are organized in terms of friends rather than English language level. If this is the case, then a teacher should try to consult with his or her employer to see if it is possible to rearrange the groups according to English level. It is easier to teach classes that are generally at the same level. however, teaching mixed level classes are not impossible, and a list of strategies and methods to be applied are listed in this unite. Some examples include the following: use of graded activities, making mixed-level groups, using different levels of structure in activities, and setting expectations accordingly. Teaching Business English requires the same components as teaching English in a regular language classroom: the teaching and learning of the two receptive skills (listening and reading) and the two productive skills (writing and speaking). The difference, however, in Business English is the level of contextualization (i.e. creating/providing activities that are practical, specific to the business, and applicable in usage. The skill of listening is used during meetings (information about company given) and telephone calls (verbal instructions). It is helpful that the teacher tries to mimic scenarios of his or her students' business work in activities. The skill of reading is used in mail, company memos/reports/technical documents, and business publications. Students should practice skim reading vs scan reading vs context reading, as all are valuable skills to grasp. Annual reports are most often produced by companies and can prove to be a very helpful teaching tool/material to use in lessons. The skill of speaking is used in telephoning, messaging, and presentations. When creating activities based on speaking, it is important to not expect students to create dialogue directly in L2 (English). Students need time to think about the dialogue that they wish to create/say in their L1 (Native) during role play activities to then translate it into L2. Teachers should always encourage the use of a variety of visual props during presentations. The skill of writing incorporates the skills of listening and reading, and is used in mail/faxes, meetings, presentations, and reports/notes/messages. With mail/faxes, format is more important to grasp than context. The teacher should make it clear that during meanings information should be precise and not verbose. Frameworking when writing helps to create effective and efficient written products. This is a method that involves generating a flowchart to organize language through a process. This unit also went over the general format of a Business English lesson: ESA (Engage, study, activate) and its varieties. Lastly, this unit briefly explained different learning theories and how they are applied to language learning.
