This paper analyzes the evolution and development of the teaching of English for Specific Purposes (IFE), the stages through which this teaching has passed on a worldwide scale, and in Cuba.
An Alternative for the learning of the English Language is presented for the training of tourism managers from a CTS perspective as a modality of the contemporary teaching and learning process in order to achieve a better performance in the fulfillment of their functions. Managers are the ones who with their intelligence, ability, knowledge, experiences and example make the main decisions, who guide the rest of the workers, who march to the forefront of any task.
None of this could be achieved if they are not well prepared, if they do not have the language skills that guarantee continuous and effective training from which they can nourish themselves to be at the height that the time demands.
The Alternative for learning the English Language is based on the use of a virtual learning platform centered on the student, rich in didactic materials that meet the demands of the needs set forth in the MINTUR Training Strategy for Tables and Reserves, without need for student-teacher coincidence in time and space, where the student is a builder of their own knowledge through study, interactive activities, self-assessment and evaluation, exchange of experiences, collaboration and multidirectional communication.
Introduction
As part of the Didactics of foreign languages. The IFE arises from the research process in the field of language teaching methodology and it is precisely in the constant search for a method that favors teaching practice that the idea of directing research towards other fields is demonstrated, in especially, take into consideration the needs and interests of students in relation to the foreign language for the achievement of their success and effectiveness of their learning.
On the other hand, it is shown that English is the main and most used language in books, newspapers, airports and air traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science, technology, diplomacy, sports, international competitions, pop music, and in advertising. More than two thirds of scientists in the world read in English; and, at least three quarters of the information stored in electronic format is in this language.
When English is taught for specific purposes, a detailed analysis of the learners' needs must be made, as this way the students will be directly involved in the teaching and learning process and do not end up frustrated by not having interest in what they learn (Mackay and Bosquet, 1987).
Such reasons constituted the ideal setting for the emergence of English for Specific Purposes (IFE) in the 60s of the last century.The mission outlined in the strategic documents of the tourism system in our country and for its successful fulfillment is mainly required by a system of preparation and improvement of tourism managers that is effective, continuous and that leads to increasing their influence on the results of their companies and contributes to maintaining, solidifying and increasing the future results of the sector.
We are in a qualitatively higher stage, externally in a more competitive, globalized environment and increasingly influenced by the so-called digital revolution. A new tourism model is being developed motivated by various causes, mainly by the client's own demand, changes in distribution channels, and the introduction of low-cost products, all this means that a more dynamic tourism concept is being created., modern and functional.
Internally, we are in a very deep process of restructuring the sector in the country, assuming new challenges in terms of increasing the number of tourists that arrive in our country each year, increasing the housing fund for international tourism, with the consequent increase in human capital, in investment policy a discreet hotel growth is intended in favor of greater growth in the so-called extra-hotel activity.
Current situation:
The Mintur has a Training Strategy for Staff and Reserve with a well defined and objective Mission and a Guide for the control of the Overcoming and Training of Tourism human resources aimed at establishing and regulating the objectives, modalities and ways of carrying out the controls and evaluations of the management of the training of the cadres and workers of all the dependencies of this organism where Formatur is responsible as the governing entity of these functions.
Is known
- Time limitations for teachers to undertake all training and for managers to attend face-to-face courses in a scheduled time.
- Lack of an automated quality system for managing the English language learning process as in the tourism sector.
- Insufficient printed and digital material for teaching the English language.
The main weaknesses of the Sector to face training will also be known.
Among which are:
Lack of will and understanding by an important part of cadres and reservations of the importance of improvement and preparation.
High rate of work-related events inherent to management positions, such as regional and national meetings, audits, boards of directors, etc. that sometimes hinder the participation of cadres and reserves in improvement activities.
The main objectives pursued by the current Strategy are: 41
Achieve that 100% of the cadres and reserves of the territory are constantly preparing to perform, increasingly better, their functions so that they can give greater responses to tourism.
- Implement the model of continuous improvement of the tourism sector.
- Guarantee in 100% of tables and reserves the preparation in the components and prioritized topics with emphasis on economic preparation, management, computer science, languages, environmental preparation, defense and legal preparation, achieving a reciprocal correspondence between these, with the requirements of the continuous improvement model.
- Reach 10% of the actions for preparing and overcoming cadres and reserves through the Distance Learning modality and support its generalization.
- Expand and raise the quality of work with coaches and the trainer of trainers movement in all chains.
Development
Given the situation of managers in terms of time, spatial location and cost, virtual education represents a teaching alternative for the training of all those who cannot participate in the traditional educational system.
The technological advances that have taken place in recent decades have endowed virtual education with greater flexibility in terms of time management and self-management capacity, the absence of the requirement of periodic attendance to class, the possibility of continuing studies from anywhere Where they are forced to move for different work or personal reasons, in short, the high degree of autonomy that the student enjoys in the system, is what determines that the course is an attractive option for professionals in the business sector.
The computer is a tool that motivates learning, students enjoy contact and interaction with it. Attention in terms of the time devoted to a certain learning task is higher when they are in work situations with the microcomputer than in traditional classroom situations.
The main scientific novelty is that it provides a specialized computer medium on the English language for tourism managers from a STS perspective.
The theoretical value lies in that it can be used as a consultation and study document, as it presents technical vocabulary in English for tourism managers from a CTS perspective.
The practical value is based on having been able to create a specialized computer medium adapting it to the characteristics of the teaching-learning process in English language courses, for tourism managers.
This Alternative is proposed for the Learning of the English Language to tourism managers from a CTS perspective, it can be exploited in any other sector, company or entity of the national or educational economy where it is intended to develop a virtual learning of the English Language due to its comprehensiveness, flexibility, customization and effectiveness.
The relationships established between science, technology and society should not be ignored in the teaching-learning process, and in its development a guiding role corresponds to the didactic category - content.
For Carlos Álvarez, content is part of the culture that must be assimilated by students in learning to achieve the proposed objectives (Álvarez, 1999).
According to Fáima Advine Fernández, 2004, content is that part of the culture and social experience that must be acquired by students and is dependent on the proposed objectives.
Due to the peculiarities and growing importance of services in modern society, the professional training of their service providers must raise its scientific rigor, so that it meets the expectations of society, represented by all its members, who act as clients. in the most dissimilar scenarios and which are currently increasingly demanding, because thanks to advances in science and technology, they have more access to information and greater possibilities of exchanging and reconstructing it.
This requires that the actions for the writing service must be in correspondence well framed in a process of technoscience, therefore the school as a social artifact must direct its education to the fulfillment of all these requirements in each of the programs that are taught for the comprehensive training of students, as future service providers, from the professional fields in which they operate.
Due to the characteristics of the MINTUR learning process and the training of its cadres, a computer tool is proposed that facilitates expanding their language and cultural knowledge for their better job performance.Then, an educational model is needed for their training that integrates in a systemic way contemporary technological development with the competence needs of management personnel, which plays a decisive role in relation to the labor force and the entity's results.
Techniques applied in the workplace:
On-the-job training: contemplates a person learning a responsibility through their actual performance.
This technique is used frequently at the senior management levels. For example, the assistant position is used to train and develop the senior managers of the company, it facilitates learning since you learn by actually doing the work and they get quick feedback on what is taught.
II.3.3.a) Principles on which the proposed Strategy is based:
1.) Learning by doing: A virtual model, centered on the student, should not only describe situations, talk about principles, theories, definitions, it should also force them to think, to make decisions, to make mistakes, to react. In addition to transmitting information and demonstrating, it must enable practices, simulations, have interactive exercises and self-teaching. The model considers the student at the center of the educational process with an active and autonomous role, with a tendency to self-learning.
2.) Learn by Collaborating: Tools and resources that promote collaborative learning must be guaranteed: Chat, email, discussion forums, online conferences, workshops that guarantee teamwork and encourage the group to cooperate towards the achievement of the same objective, to the construction of knowledge through exploration, discussion, negotiation and debate that in addition to helping to develop critical thinking in students, also contributes to improving interpersonal relationships, since it implies that each of the members learn to listen, discern and communicate your ideas or opinions to others with a positive and constructive approach.
3.) Have relevant information: You must develop the ability to work with experts to understand what the process they follow, where the most common mistakes are made, what is the best way to solve them; at times when help is needed to move forward, they can have these experts at their fingertips, videotaped, online, for consultation. Obviously, the value of technology is to provide all those experts who may never be known, or in other words, have the relevant information at the time it is needed.
4.) Motivation: Motivation and curiosity are the energy for learning. The individual must pursue her own objectives and only learn when she asks a question and seeks the answer, and not when the answer is given without being asked.
5.) Mistakes: It is very important to practice, but above all, it is important to make mistakes. Because when a mistake is made, an automatic mechanism is activated that looks for a way to solve the problem, either by itself, or by asking someone for help. For this reason, practice improves learning and reflection leads to deep learning. The computer allows you to practice as many times as necessary. And while in real life people accidentally make mistakes, in the virtual world they can be caused to make them. And this is an advantage that you can take advantage of incomparably.
6.) The individual decides his own rhythm and controls his process: People, although they learn the same, have different styles. Some prefer to take action directly, others prefer to investigate, others seek advice, others see how an expert does it. That is why good content should take into account that different ways must be provided so that all those styles are represented and the individual can choose their own path, even give them the freedom to advance when and how they want.
7.) Emotions: If you manage to provoke experiences that leave a mark on a user, learning will be greatly reinforced. An effort must be made to provoke memorable, intense, lasting situations, where the individual forgets that he is in a virtual simulation and experiences the sensations he experiences in real life.
8.) Moodle Platform: It follows a constructive training where opportunities are created to transmit information to the student, to carry out activities that help them restructure their knowledge, problem-solving activities / real cases, which require interaction and work in groups, collaboration, (with other students and with the teacher) all of which contributes so much to the development of individual, cooperative learning In this sense, the author should bear in mind the following objectives:
Conclusions
A study was developed that allows diagnosing the current execution of the training of Tourism Managers in the English Language, where it is appreciated that it is carried out in a traditional way.
The availability of human and technological resources to face training was studied, showing that despite the strengths of the tourism sector in having competent personnel and adequate technology, these technologies are not exploited for training purposes.
The need for computer courses is justified that, given their versatility, flexibility and comfort, guarantee a continuous and effective training process for managers.
The benefits of an efficient use of ICT by human capital are demonstrated.
An English Language course has been implemented to facilitate learning for Tourism Directors.
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