Dear bounce'em all and bufe01,
I am an aviation English teacher. I was contacted by this branch of the military in Italy for my experience as an aviation English teacher. I have been teaching English as a foreign language for 15 years and specialized in Aviation English for civil pilots (A and H), mechanics, engineers and cabin attendants. I have been asked to develop material for security agents for the local handling agent here and now have been called upon by the military. I have developed a course that is teaching pilots the language necessary to cope with everyday life on an air force base according to the chief of languages for the Department of Defense in the USA. I am teaching them aspects of language they could never find in a general English classroom.
My original questions were as follows:
My question for you is this: in your opinions what is important subject matter for an officer on base that is also a pilot? I must teach them aviation English for communications on the radio when standard phraseologies do not suffice but also simple things such as ordering food in a restaurant, sending a package, briefing and debriefing for a mission....
I have materials for both subjects but not enough time to cover both. I must take the best (meaning the most effective) of both programs and leave out the least important due time constraints.
I have too much material. I needed to know what was important to put into a 70-hour course to make it as effective as possible. I have to decide if describing debris on a runway is more important than being able to order food in a restaurant. (Both of these tasks, BTW, are required by officers on their Oral Proficiency Interview which they must prove proficiency on before being accepted to the program.) I asked a question to understand the importance of the particular material I have been writing over the last 5 years. I was sure that through all of you here I could have had some very good advice. I have gotten great ideas from people who have written me privately. I have since taught my "pilotini" using this advice and my pilots are dead tired from 48 hours (in 7 days) of intensive study but who are happy to be in class due I have kept them interested the whole time by not teaching Shakespeare.
Today was their first real progress assessment and found an improvement in each one's proficiency. They were taught about all areas of aviation and aeronautics that they didn't know before and learned it in English. They have had the opportunity of having an experienced fighter pilot in the room to ask whatever questions they wanted. They learned English by studying a film of Bob Hoover's spectacular stopped-engine aerobatics. Wednesday they will construct and airfoil and show me Bernoulli's law in action and describe aerodynamics.
They learn English by having to build paper airplanes. One stands in the back of the classroom and must tell another student (with his back facing the speaker) how to fold the paper airplane. The twist is someone else has built the airplane. Think about the language difficulties there! Dismantle the construction and figure out how to relay the instructions. Using the imperative form, passive forms and modal verbs. This is how to describe a process. This is important. They were taught the English language today of how a jet engine works. I had them do the free on-line courses from AOPA.com and they learned English and safety.
Aviation English is not just technical vocabulary. It is a task related specific language. Initiating a call, asking for clarification, using the imperative and passive forms of structures,linking sentences and these are just a few of its intricacies.
My questions to all of you were simply to help me refine my material into a two-week intensive course. I appreciate the helpful support you all have given me and your willingness to have done so.
And to who said to get the English speaking girlfriend: I will pass on the info but to tell you the truth they have already thought of this!
Thanks again and best to all,
PE