Lacks and Problems Encountered in a Military English Communication Course

Abstract

The paper focuses on the lacks and problems encountered by teachers and learners of a military English course on communication and gives recommendations on how to overcome them. After these problems have been identified, it relies on all parties involved in the teaching process to contribute in reducing them, i.e. the syllabus design board, the teachers and the military students. One of the most apparent issues is related with the lack of a specific syllabus design for military English communication. Thus the teacher’s job becomes quite a challenge. What is more, some teachers are not well-trained in teaching military English communication, so they are not familiar with the subject matter and do not master the content. Moreover, the officers who attend a communicative military course have different English competence, starting from low levels to advanced one, so the teacher has to select and use appropriate communicative tasks according to the students’ language knowledge. Besides that, there are not many military course books on communication available, so it is teacher’s responsibility to find the right materials and to make use of all available English resources. In fact, another fundamental aspect concerning a military English communicative course has to do with students’ eagerness to learn English. In conclusion, knowing all the weaknesses and difficulties that a teacher may face while teaching English communication in a military group helps the teacher to focus, be committed and accomplish his teaching mission by providing a class of competent communicators.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n11p516