BESIG Weekend Workshop: Implementing a CEFR action-orientated approach in Business English

Join IATEFL Business English Special Interest Group (BESIG) with Randi Harlev and Debbi Lahav for this workshop.

All tertiary EAP faculties in Israel are undergoing a three-year national reform, in which they are transitioning from the teaching of English from the perspective of EAP to that of EPIC (English for the Purposes of International Communication), affecting all English courses taught, including Business English. This paradigm shift involves alignment to the 2020 Companion Volume of the CEFR and implementation of an action-oriented approach. Learners are seen as owners of their own learning, and as such, become “social agents” who complete real-world tasks based on meaningful scenarios that lead to final products. 

In this workshop, we will introduce the principles of the action-oriented approach and present a possible framework as it is being applied to business English courses at our institution. Participants will have an opportunity to plan an action-oriented unit of study suitable to their teaching, coaching, or consulting context. During the workshop, participants will share their plans, insights, and challenges, enabling all of us to gain a better understanding of how an action-oriented approach can be implemented in practice.

PRESENTER:

Randi Harlev manages a three-year tertiary national reform project at Ruppin Academic Center in Israel, and is involved in developing an online professional development course for all tertiary English teachers in Israel. She has taught both EAP and Business English in Israel and in China, and has worked in professional development, both pre service and in-service. She has conceptualized, designed, and developed EFL, EAP, and ESP courses for publishers and universities worldwide. Randi has presented and given plenary talks at conferences in Israel and abroad. She is a certified organizational consultant, and has a PhD in Organizational Behavior and an MATESOL.

Debbie Lahav is a senior teacher at Ruppin Academic Center in Israel, teaching both EAP courses and Business English courses in the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. She has participated in various national and international EFL/ESL projects, involving professional development for in-service teachers. She also has extensive experience in materials development as well as the integration of technology as a pedagogical tool in the classroom. Debbie has been active in the Ministry of Education’s English curriculum reform and in the implementation of a national reform project for EAP at the tertiary level. She has an MA in Linguistics.

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