Esp teacher’s Transforming Profile

3.1.1 Communicative learning
Communicative learning is directly connected with “is understanding the meaning of what others communicate concerning values, ideals, feelings, moral decisions, and such concepts as freedom, justice, love, labor, autonomy, commitment, and democracy.” (Mezirow1990,8)
This learning offers the possibility for perspective transformation by tackling epistemic, socio-cultural and psychological issues.
a) Learning
ESP teachers’ perspectives towards their learning comprise epistemic and psychological issues and can be summarized as follows: they should be life-long learners, always upgrading their professional knowledge and teaching philosophy, curious learners open for application of new teaching ideas and technologies; they should be virtuous enough to recognize and admit their weak points in their teaching on the basis of self-assessment and students evaluations and to be ready to improve them; they should appreciate their profession so much that they consider it integral part of their personality. This can happen only if the teachers are on the right path to self-actualize in their profession (or have already done it), (which means that their es muß sein is to be language and more precisely ESP teachers).

b) Interaction with students

These characteristics refer mostly to psychological and socio-cultural issues and reveal that ESP teachers should approach students in a holistic manner which means that they should not be treated as subject to be taught particular content, but as human beings with all aspects of their personality . In this respect ESP teachers are supposed to: avoid traditional views that the new generations are worse students, indifferent towards studying. If the teachers are open to students’ real qualities, they will inspire them to improve their teaching as well as communication with students; show true care and understanding towards students’ needs and motivations which in turn will enhance the trust between teachers and their students and bring to better results in the classroom in every respect.

The goals of an ESP transformative teacher training should include initiating competences for personal and professional development of ESP teachers to reassess and if necessary transform the prior worldviews and professional philosophy. The content should consist of exercises that will ensure balance between all aspects of the teacher’s personality: the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Particular activities to achieve the goals may include: workshops on diferent aspects of the teachers’ personal and professional development, self-observance, group support, keeping diary, peer cooperation, preparation and presentation of portfolios, analysis of incidents etc.
Being aware that the emotional and mental aspects require critical reflection more intensely than the other two, the classes dedicated to these exercises can comprise some of the following topics: value systems with separate dwelling on core values like: equality and democratic relationships; the ways one’s beliefs shape one’s teaching philosophy; teaching as a relationship; understanding active and lifelong learning etc.