CONSIDERATIONS FOR AVIATION-RELATED ENGLISH TEACHERS CAPACITATION: A REFLECTION ABOUT TRAINING AVIATION-SPECIALIZED ENGLISH INSTRUCTORS

Abstract

Teaching aviation English has become popular worldwide due to the language proficiency requirement test that some aviation professionals must meet. Since International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) established that mandatory recommendation, some instructional experts in the civil aviation industry have provided courses, workshops, and books to ease this knowledge to key aviation personnel which include pilots, and air traffic controllers, mainly. Almost 25 years have passed since ICAO implemented such a compulsory standard in its Annex 1; nevertheless, some teachers still have difficulties teaching this specialty of English for Specific Purpose because there are few suggestions for teaching this specialty of English. ICAO pays much more attention to the language proficiency requirement than to teaching specific aviation related English, as something that air radiotelephony personnel tend to study before meeting the language proficiency test. A reflection about capacitating teacher of aviation-related English, its tendency, and what is needed, will be discussed in the present article to go deeper on this matter and contribute to language safety. This is a qualitative research based on updated trends on this type of English for Specific Purpose, and on questionnaires submitted to English teachers from different countries who have engaged themselves in teaching in this important field.