Abstract:

With the focus of second language acquisition for academic purposes in teacher education (K-12) what has been neglected is teaching for specific and occupational aspects. This is an arena in which does not only pertain to the English Language Learners but across all languages. Question one may pose in academia, is there any teaching methodology courses that pertain to these specific language acquisition needs? Looking at the requirements for teacher education in many parts of the United States one finds that there is very little offered in these areas that are increasing across disciplines due to the job market and demands. In the case of Spanish for Teachers it is a need in many of the major cities due to the high number of English as a Second Language (ESL) population. Likewise one can see that there is a demand for these specialized courses yet faculty teaching those classes have not been trained in these specialized subjects. One must make a differentiation between general/academic language and specific or occupational purpose methodology. Methodology whilst can be similar there is a component that deals with cultural issues and etiquettes that emerges within the specific field or occupation when dealing with that population either locally or internationally. Educators need the procedure and knowledge base of the specific language for the fields. There is another jargon that is utilized in accordance to the discipline and the cultural elements that go hand in hand in order to succeed in the new societal population of the learner.

Keywords:

Language and cultural acquisition, language for specific purposes, innovation, technology.