Genres: A Proposal for Application in ESP Courses

The motivation for this study is my work in ESP contexts, more specifically in the area of teacher development & course design, where the theoretical views of genre find the ideal place for their application. Although much has been written about genres (Swales, 1990; Askehave & Swales, 2001; Bhatia, 1993; Martin, 1984, 2000; Eggins & Martin, 1997; Marcuschi, 2002, among others), little has been done in pedagogical contexts (Cristovao, 2002; Castro, 2003; Cardoso, 2003; Vian Jr. 2003). This study may bring a contribution for this area, presenting a pedagogical suggestion for the implementation of genre-based tasks in the classroom. This article presents ways in which genres may be exploited in the ESP classroom. First, the concept of genre that underlies the pedagogical suggestion is presented, & objectives & types of activities to be considered for such an implementation. Next, the three phases suggested for the development of the work in the classroom are presented, as well as the components to be exploited: contents, their reasons & examples of possible activities to be used in the classroom. 37 References. Adapted from the source document