Description of the Negotiation Module
Who is it for?
Students who are taking
English for Special and English for Academic Purposes courses at universities,
colleges and private schools, and particularly those in English for Business
Communication courses.
Language proficiency
level: higher intermediate and advanced.
What is unique about this language teaching module?
It creates an authentic
negotiation situation in which each student is paired up with an opponent
who may live in a faraway country.
How is it done?
This module consists
of two components, i.e. negotiations on the Web which which has been designed
as a homework assignment, and in-class language activities. Students carry
on negotiations outside of class and report on the progress of their individual
negotiations in the class where they also engage in a variety of language
activities and exercises.
Approach and methodology
The language teaching materials in this module are based on the following assumptions and beliefs:
- language is communication
- negotiations require the use of communication skills
- authentic tasks enhance language learning
- tasks should be stimulating and involving, allowing students to take initiative
- there should be a gradual progression in the difficulty of tasks
- in language learning both the process and the product are important
- the more the students use the language, the more progress they make
- a great amount of language learning can occur outside of class, monitored by the teacher
- the teacher's role is to facilitate language learning
- computer technology can be used to develop communication skills
Language learning objectives
Developing writing skills (both formal and informal writing)
- practicing polite forms
and the language of persuasion in e-mail correspondence
- learning the language
of negotiations in a context
- practicing reading,
understanding and following instructions
- practicing filling out
questionnaires (pre- and post-negotiation questionnaire)
Tasks
- preparing offers and
counter-offers
- exchanging e-mail messages
with the opponent
- describing and analyzing
consecutive steps of negotiations, strategies and tactics (group discussions
in class) keeping a Negotiation Journal in which each step of the negotiation
is recorded
- giving an oral presentation
- writing a formal report
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