Motivating topics for your business students Maja Sirola, managing editor, Business Spotlight Lucy Williams, commissioning editor, onestopenglish.com IATEFL-BESIG 2011 Dubrovnik, 20 November

2  Business Spotlight survey results  onestopenglish.com  Joint activity  Lesson plans author: Karen Richardson  Q&A Overview

3  Founded 1981  Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year  Subsidiary of the Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck  Staff: 100+ from 18 different countries  Seven successful print products  Websites for magazines and e-commerce German Italian SpanishFrenchEnglish Spotlight Verlag

4 The Business Spotlight blend

5 Teachers’ notes with every issue for teachers who subscribe to the magazine 3,400 teacher subscriptions  Lesson activities  One-to-one  Group work  Warmers  Energy raisers  Copy files to use in the classroom  Product reviews Business Spotlight in the classroom

6 New products

7 Digital edition

8 What do teachers need? Teachers’ online survey:  featured in the Teachers’ Zone area of our website  online for 2 months (mid-August to mid-October)  289 completed surveys  majority of respondents are business English trainers based in Germany Aims:  to evaluate material developed by Business Spotlight  to elicit feedback on Business Spotlight in the classroom  to explore trainers’ needs regarding instructional material  to research language usage in the classroom  to examine use of technology by trainers

9 Do you agree? 1.My students don’t care what kind of English they are learning as long as they can communicate in English. 2.My students are most interested in learning US English. 3.My students are most interested in being exposed to a wide range of native and non-native speaker accents.

10 What kind of English? Source: Business Spotlight Teachers ’ Survey 2011, 289 respondents

11 Business Skills: most popular section

12 Head-to-Head: controversial topics in the news

13 Type of articles 1.Useful for class activities:  shorter, one-page “business skills” articles  jokes, comic strips  smaller news items 2.Articles that are longer than three pages are more difficult to adapt for use in the classroom. 3.One or two-page articles are more motivating for students 4.Controversial topics provide stimulus for lively lessons.

14 Easier and shorter articles

15 ESP: Financial and Legal English

16 ESP: English for...

17 Language levels Source: Business Spotlight Teachers' Survey 2011, 289 respondents

18 Old habits and new trends Source: Business Spotlight Teachers ’ Survey 2011, 289 respondents

19 Teachers’ first language Source: Business Spotlight Teacher's Survey 2011, 289 respondents

20 Explaining grammar Source: Business Spotlight Teacher's Survey 2011, 289 respondents

21 Using your students’ first language In monolingual classes, would you use your students’ first language to translate difficult vocabulary?

22 Translating difficult vocabulary Source: Business Spotlight Teachers ’ Survey 2011, 289 respondents

23 Teachers’ Zone

24 Contact details Maja Sirola managing editor, Business Spotlight Spotlight Verlag GmbH, Fraunhoferstraße 22, Planegg, Germany