Teaching Communication Skills through Literature: Encouraging Master’s Level ESP Students to Speak Up and Move
Résumé
“Teaching communication skills through Literature: Encouraging Master’s level ESP students to speak up and move”, presents a task-based approach which endeavours to go beyond teaching verbal and non-verbal communication skills to non-specialist English language students of Literature at the Master’s level. The theoretical framework that forms the foundation and basis for this English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching methodology is presented first. The underlying objective of this didactic approach and action-oriented research is to engage students, while enhancing their motivation and personal investment, to assist them in conquering their fear of public speaking in order to improve their overall communication skills. This approach will additionally reinforce their self-confidence and encourage them in developing the professional skills that 21st-century professionals revere. The enhancement of these skills has shown that this approach not only serves general and discipline-specific pedagogical functions, but it also provides the opportunity for students to develop their metacognitive skills, which are lifelong transversal skills they will employ throughout their personal lives and professional careers.