Global Resources and Leadership Development in ESP: The TESOL Resource Center

At the ESP IS Open Meeting at TESOL 2012, Sarah Sahr, TESOL professional development manager, announced that the TESOL Resource Center (TRC) would make some resources available free of charge to everyone in the world – members and nonmembers of TESOL. That means ESPers could use the TRC to  share resources  worldwide!

Of course, some TRC resources would be available to TESOL members only, but TESOL members would be able to use these resources in their various professional activities around the globe.

This is very good news!

As ESPers, our work is clearly cut out for us.  We need to fill the TRC with resources that are valuable for ESPers.  In this way, we create the TESOL Dream Center described in previous posts.

One resource that I noticed at a booth at TESOL 2012 was American English Online, provided by the U.S. Department of State.  According to the site:

The Office of English Language Program staff in Washington, D.C. provides academic expertise, advisory and consultative assistance, and materials resources worldwide. They also organize several exchange programs that send American academics overseas at the request of American Embassies or Consulates to conduct activities related to training, methodology, curriculum development, needs analysis, textbook development, program evaluation, and English for Specific Purposes (ESP).

 People around the world need English communication skills in their work and in their training, and ESPers are dedicated to meeting such immediate, real needs.  So, if you know of any ESP resource that would be of benefit to ESPers around the world, get ready to share it!

I’ll see you next week!

Kevin

PS – I am now Immediate Past Chair of the TESOL ESP IS (2012-2013).

About Kevin Knight

Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight (PhD in Linguistics, MBA, MPIA) is an associate professor in the Department of International Communication (International Business Career major) and has also been working in the Career Education Center of Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, Japan. In the TESOL ESP Interest Section (ESPIS), he has served as chair and English in occupational settings (EOS) representative, and he is currently the ESPIS community manager. He was also a member of the Governance Review Task Force (GRTF) appointed by the board of directors. In addition, he has been a TESOL blogger in the area of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). He has more than 30 years of professional experience working for private, public, and academic sector institutions including Sony and the Japan Patent Office. His doctoral research on leadership communication (i.e., discourse) as a basis for leadership development was under the supervision of Emeritus Professor Christopher Candlin and Dr. Alan Jones.
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