English for Specific Purposes (Efsp): A Journey of Learning and Growth

ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (EFSP): A JOURNEY OF LEARNING AND GROWTH

If touch is called the mother of senses, then communication is the heart of relationships. Believing that only through communication can human life hold meaning, we—a team of seven members from the Research and Resource Centre of Pallavi Educational Institutions—started EFSP (English for Specific Purposes) under the able guidance of our director, Ms. Sudha Turuga.

For any organisation to be successful, all stakeholders need to be skilful, especially in communication. Through effective planning and execution, our program lasted nearly eight to nine months, with regular online sessions for the teachers of Pallavi Institutions. Looking back, we realise that the unprecedented lockdown period was used fruitfully to hone English language skills.

EFSP has been a beautiful journey—learning and teaching English using current topics and articles from newspapers, magazines, online resources, and news channels.

We engaged in brainstorming and thinking out of the box with short TED talks, customised PowerPoint presentations, videos, interactive games, and conversations. Listening and speaking activities took place in Zoom breakout rooms, with important points patiently repeated when necessary. We had fun with vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation—including tongue twisters—and interacted with stories, narratives, and the nuances of letter writing, notice writing, and report writing.

Of course, we faced our own challenges, such as working with a wide group of non-English subject teachers and helping them shed their inhibitions about speaking. But once rapport was built, the sessions took off. The participants demonstrated a great inner drive and a yearning to learn and strive. Ultimately, their hard work and perseverance—combined with the right attitude—paved the way for successful learning.

Assessment was continuous, with both formative and summative evaluations conducted via Google Forms, and ongoing need analysis informed module design. To instil skills for independent, future-ready learners, both self- and peer-assessment were encouraged. Innovative, self-directed learning was facilitated through reading materials, web links, and rubrics on the topic “Extroverts and Introverts.” The culminating session used an open-ended “WebQuest” as a self-assessment tool.

With plenty of bonding, sharing, and love, we—the RR members—feel immense satisfaction in conducting this EFSP programme.

This journey and experience also reminds me of Henry Ford’s words: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”