1. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
École nationale de l’aviation civile • The French Civil Aviation University
Michael O’Donoghue ( Head of Languages)

2. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Aviation English Trainers
Background (B)
Qualifications / Qualities (Q)
Attitude (A)
Aviation English Training Community
Language Teacher -> Aviation English Trainer

3. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Aviation Language Training Community
Know where to go now?
See where we’re coming from
30 years ago
Local
15 years ago
Regional
10 years ago
worldwide
Now?

4. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Aviation English Training Community
LangEx
Languages
Social sciences
Science
TEFL
Teaching experience
OpEx
Contollers
Pilots
Aeronautical engineers
Regulators
Testing experts

5. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Yves Rengade
30 years ago: Local
LangEx
Native speaker
Teaching methods
TEFL
OpEx
Controllers
Pilots
Aeronautical engineers
Credibility
‘Why are we doing this?’
Because you will / might need it to do your job

6. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
30 years ago: Local
Credibility
Teaching methodology:
Structural
‘Logical’ sequence
Functional / Notional
Threshold level
Communicative

7. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Teaching methodology (2):
General English Course
Dominated by ‘internal logic’
English for Special Purposes (ESP)
Specific needs
Limited time & resources

8. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Qualities / Attitudes
Ambition
LangEx
Develop an interest for all things aeronautical
Never become OpEx
Hiding incomptetence is very dangerous
Reassured
Not his / her knowledge
Humility
Proficiency of trainees

9. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
15 years ago: Regional
PELA:
Data driven
Needs analysis
How controllers actually manipulate language
Multi-disciplinary:
Development
LangEx / OpEx
Rater training
LangEx / OpEx

10. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
10 years ago: Worldwide
LangEx
Commercial
World English???
OpEx
TestEx
RegEx
AdminEx
LitigEx???
PRICESG
Doc 9835
Cir 318
Cir 323

11. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Now
Aviation English Training (AET)
Recognised discipline
Fertile collaboration
LangEx / OpEx et alia
Now the dust is settling
Clearer view of roles of LangEx and OpEx

12. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Varieties of AET
AET
Ab-initio training in L1
Phraseology & Subject Matter Training
Language skills
OpEx
Ab-initio training in English
Language assistance
Preliminary training to prepare for subsequent Operational training in English
Language skills & limited Subject Matter Training
In-service training
Trainee is SME

13. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
AET: Species in danger!
High stakes
Safety
Career
Economic / commercial
Accountability & Responsablity
Aviation English Trainer
Aviation English Tester

14. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Conclusion
Credibility
Ambition
Humility
Learner’s language proficiency
Communicative approach
Multidisciplinary
(World English)
Resource management
Accountability
Aviation English Trainer in an Aviation English Training Community
ICAO Workshops / ICAEA / WAME etc.

15. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Thankyou!

16. Washback vs Hijack Positive washback Perverse washback Hijack
Focus on oral / aural skills
Listening for information vs listening for words
Specific controller listening skills
Perverse washback
PELA
‘verbose’ on R/T
‘Tarting up for the test’
Cramming
Test-taking strategies
‘Archives’
Hijack
The test becomes the objective
Toeic / Toefl
The minimum becomes the maximum
ICAO level 4

17. Is [THIS TEST] more difficult than [THAT TEST]?
‘Ego-centric’ TESTS
Pass [THE TEST]
Is [THIS TEST] more difficult than [THAT TEST]?
[THE TEST] can distinguish between levels 3,4, and 5.
[THE TEST] is only validated to distinguish between levels 3 and 4.

18. Test-taker centred Tests
[The test] provides an opportunity for [the candidates] to ‘demonstrate [their proficiency] in [the target language]’.
[Test taker] [Raters]
Test

19. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Background Qualifications Attitude
LangEx
OpEx
BA languages
Love of the language & of language in general
(University professors)
Science Faculty
1 year!!! 
Teaching methods
Structural
TEFL
Workshops
Theory
ESP (English for Special
Purposes)
Prioritise
Select
‘Help them get by!’
Specific needs
Limited time &money

20. ICAO Workshop, Roma, 4th March 2010
Background Qualifications Attitude
LangEx
OpEx
30 years ago
NationalAviation School
Native
Speakers
Controllers
Pilots
Teaching
Experts
‘Why are we doing this?’
‘Because you will / might need it in your job’
Aeronautical
engineers
‘Just for the fun of it’
Credibility