國際技能競賽汽車技術職類英語標靶訓練模式技術報告 - 以臺灣選手參加第43屆2015年競賽為例

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(1)國立臺灣師範大學工業教育學系碩士技術報告指導教授：李景峰博士. 國際技能競賽汽車技術職類英語標靶訓練模式技術報告 - 以臺灣選手參加第 43 屆 2015 年競賽為例 A Technical Report on English Communication Skills Training Program Targeted to Automobile Technology of WorldSkills Competition – A Case Report of Taiwan Participant in 2015. 研究生：王惠美中華民國一○五年六月.

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(3) Acknowledgments If life is a journey, the people we encounter every day are blessings; the routine duty we perform each minute is an honor, --in which we are able to enjoy the beauty of being connected, --by those we are enable to appreciate the various and marvelous landscapes along the way. Day by day, year after year, nevertheless staying inside of the fence develops a comfort zone for us. We go to same places and do similar things day in day out. However some unknown moment, there was a trivia tiny little sound coming far far away from my heart saying, “If you don’t keep going, you will miss the chance to see more beautiful scenery ahead.” The idea was lingering for a while, and then all of a sudden, out of my surprise, the voice of Le Petit Prince was floating in the air and declaimed , “No one is ever satisfied where he is.” Therefore, here I come. Although after working for years, going back to study in a graduate school is a challenge. Writing this paper is considered an exploration and navigation to my mind, somewhere I’ve never been before. Gratefully I am given wider and more extensive vision to view the world throughout the process. With guidance, now I can say, I’m glad that I made the choice and stepped forward. First of all, I would like to take the chance to thank my advisor, Dr. Li. Besides routine teaching, he also serves as department chairman. Although in the busy daily schedule, he always wore a smile on his face and made sure that I was on the right track. He inspired countless ideas and inspiration to my writing. Without him, I wouldn’t accomplish this paper. Also, I have to show my best gratitude to all the professors that attended the monthly joint meeting to check thesis progress. Thanks to them, I did not fall behind schedule. Because of the meeting, I could see my blind spot. During each presentation and oral defense, I had the chance to specify and verify personal perspectives and opinions in front of professors and schoolmates. I think the outcome is fruitful. Moreover, I like to thank my classmates. Together, we experienced a spiritual learning tour. We tried our best, made every efforts, and found most possible time to achieve each assignment. With the understanding and brainstorming each other, thankfully we made it happen. It will be our memory in a very long time. Last but not the least, I need to thank my family and friends for their support and understanding my absence during writing. At numerous silent nights, I felt their warmth and encouragement to uphold and keep me going. Most important of all, they made me believe in myself. Thank you all..

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(5) 摘要臺灣自 1970 年加入國際技能競賽迄今，每屆均有卓越的表現。經過激烈的全國賽所選拔出來的汽車技術職類國手，堪稱技壓群倫；然而面臨以英語為官方語言的國際技能競賽時，語言的隔閡對部分選手造成競賽的障礙，導致其競賽時產生焦慮感及不安定性，面對競賽的測驗項目以及來自國際裁判的提問，無法隨機應變、遇到非預期狀況時，缺乏臨場反應，使得選手無法真正發揮專業技能實力，這不僅是選手個人的遺憾，也是國家的損失。本文的目的在建構一個英文語言溝通訓練模式(附錄 2)，增進臺灣選手在國際技能競賽過程中之英文口語溝通表達能力。以國際技能競賽的語言環境為指標，協助選手建構、組織技能競賽溝通時所需的基本英文字彙、文本、句型；教學概念主要採納兩種教學法: 後設認知教學法、跨語言溝通策略；佐以資訊融入教學的工具性輔助；訓練的執行模式兼容並蓄兩大原則: 英語教學，技能競賽溝通導向訓練，藉由教材的選用、教學場所配置的專業設備，以模擬國際技能競賽的實際狀況，以及角色扮演的方式來進行教學活動，依此模式訓練下，本職類於 42 參賽國中獲得銅牌獎。為了記錄選手的學習歷程，本文收錄選手的英語學習日誌於附錄 3 內；在附錄 4 收錄選手遠赴國外參加技能競賽之後，針對本英語溝通訓練模式之學習成效，對選手及隨行教練進行個別訪談，著手資料的收集，以瞭解關於國際技能競賽的活動情況、選手本身參賽經驗的觀察與理解、以及競賽影響選手所產生的想法及感受，作為日後改善本訓練模式之參考。. 關鍵詞: 有效教學法、翻轉教學法、後設認知教學法、及跨語言溝通策略. i.

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(7) Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to contrive a language communication skills training program to promote Taiwan participants’ English competence targeted to WorldSkills Competition (WSC). English, the official language of WSC, is not the mother tongue of students in Taiwan. This paper illustrates an example to help Taiwan participants learn how to utilize English to get better two-way understanding throughout the competition process. It is hoped that with adequate communication skills, participants will be more focused on showing their professional talents and increase the chance of winning in WSC. The training program in Appendix 2 is targeted to WSC environment, expected to formulate a constructive and organized English communication skills teaching texture to Automobile Technology professional skill in WSC. The teaching concept is mainly based on 2 teaching methods: Teaching and Metacognition & Strategies in Interlanguage Communication. With the application. of. technology. integration. as. instrumental. media,. the. implementation follows two principles: English Teaching and Skills Competition Oriented Communication Training. By means of effective teaching materials selection, drilling in emulated competition environment, and interactive role-playing with International Juries, it is hoped the participant can be acquainted with cross-language interchange during the competitions. In order to keep track of the participant’s learning development, his English learning log is included in Appendix 3. Later in Appendix 4, as a quality control and exit program review, follow-up personal interviews were carried out and recorded to gather data: learning about specific events in WSC, gaining insight into the participant’s interior experiences, and how events affected the participant’s thoughts and feelings.. Keywords: Effective Teaching; Flipped Teaching; Teaching and Metacognition; Strategies in Interlanguage Communication. iii.

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(9) Table of Contents Acknowledgments 摘要..............................................................................................................i Abstract ..................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................v List of Tables .......................................................................................... ..ix List of Diagrams ....................................................................................... xi List of Abbreviations .............................................................................. xiii Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................1 1.1 Background .......................................................................................1 1.2 Motivation of the Study ....................................................................3 1.3 Research Purposes ............................................................................6 1.4 Problems To Be Solved ....................................................................7 1.5 Research Scope .................................................................................7 1.6 Limitation of the Study ...................................................................10 1.7 Definition of Terms ........................................................................10 Chapter 2 History of WSC ........................................................................15 2.1 The Origin and Development of WSC ...........................................15 2.2 The Current Status of WSC ............................................................20 2.3 The Core Professional Skill Competence of Automobile Technology .....................................................................................24 2.4 Taiwan Participants’ Performance in WSC – Automobile Technology …………………………………………………....…26 2.5 The Essential English Competence Needed for WSC ...................27 Chapter 3 Technical Approach and Implementation ................................29 3.1 Creative Concept ............................................................................29 3.2 English Communication Training Program Timeline ....................34 3.3 Teaching Tools and Materials ........................................................36 3.4 Teaching Approach and Implementation .......................................38 3.5 Program Expectations .....................................................................43 Chapter 4 Evaluation System....................................................................45 4.1 Evaluation Instrument ....................................................................45 4.2 Criteria of Assessment ....................................................................46 4.3 Methods of Assessment Implementation .......................................50 4.4 Assessment Scoring Record ...........................................................54 Chapter 5 Competition Result and Suggestions .......................................57 v.

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(11) 5.1 Competition Result .........................................................................57 5.2 Suggestions .....................................................................................58 References .................................................................................................61 Appendix 1 Interview Consent Form .......................................................65 Appendix 2 Illustration on Teaching Materials ........................................67 Appendix 3 English Learning Log of Taiwan Participant in WSC ..........91 Appendix 4 Personal Interviews ...............................................................97. vii.

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(13) List of Tables Table 2-1 Taiwan Competitors’ Performance in WSC ...................... 19 Table 2-2 WSI Current Member Countries/Regions as of 2015 ........ 21 Table 2-3 WSC Skill Areas Overview................................................ 23 Table 3-1 Gantt Chart ......................................................................... 30 Table 3-2 Teaching Materials Overview ............................................ 36 Table 3-3 Language Skill Requirements Comparison Local vs. International Competition .................................................. 39 Table 3-4 Targeted Language Patterns ............................................... 41 Table 4-1 Assessment Rubric for English Communication Skill Training Program Targeted to Automobile Technology of WSC ............................................................................... 47 Table 4-2 The Participant's English Communication Skills Scoreboard .......................................................................... 55. ix.

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(15) List of Diagrams Figure 2-1 Taiwan Participants' Performance in WSC Automobile Technology..................................................... 26 Figure 3-1 Strategy Implementation ................................................... 31 Figure 4-1 English Communication Skills Assessment Results......... 56. xi.

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(17) List of Abbreviations Abbreviation. Explanation. ESL. English as a Second Language. GEPT. General English Proficiency Test. IVTC. International Vocational Training Competition. IVTO. International Vocational Training Organization. PSA. Peugeot Citroën Group. TOEIC. Test of English for International Communication. TOEFL. Test of English as a Foreign Language. WSC. WorldSkills Competition. WSI. WorldSkills International. xiii.

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(19) Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1. Background. Taiwan, located the core of Asia, is one of the most significant transfer posts that connects the transportation of East Asia and North America. With its well-built traffic infrastructure, it’s easy and convenient to link up any other main city in Asia. In addition, Taiwan is the gateway for the ambitious international enterprises to enter Asia markets, especially the rapidly rising China economy. Therefore the outstanding, excellent location of Taiwan is obvious and needs to be put to good account.. 1.1.1. The. Relationship. between. Vocational. Education. and. Industrialization of Taiwan Taiwan is also known as “Formosa,” meaning the beautiful island in Portuguese. On the land where people reside, it’s the dedication from all kinds of professions to enrich their lives, provide what they need. The ceaseless efforts infuse its society with vivid vitality one generation to another. To support the communities to keep up with contemporary development in terms of technology and liberal arts alike, Taiwan vocational education and training system plays an important role to educate qualified and specialized professionals to bring innovation to Taiwan’s economy. The course of ROC vocational education and training has been over 100 years of history. Its development has been always corresponding with the economic growth throughout the time. As such, the coordination between vocational education and training and Taiwan’s economic goals sophisticatedly guide and cohere each other to gradually achieve a balance, so the country’s manpower can be properly trained and put to its best possible use. With the strong tie of the two, a rich and harmonious society can be built. Taiwan vocational education and training can be traced back to cope with the early agriculture, consumer goods industry, and trading business, then nowadays information technology era. It backs up the well trained skillful craftsmen to contribute their excellent skills into the professional market. As a result, the -1-.

(20) vocational education and training performs as a promoter and catalyzer to flourish Taiwan industry innovation and development, in order to lead its society to be more comfortable yet competitive unity. Furthermore, Taiwan long-standing vocational education and training system has successfully instructed a great deal of trustworthy technical work force, who built up the strong and steady foundation for the economic development over the past 50 years. And so the economic growth achievement makes Taiwan become the role model for many nations to learn the experience and knowledge from.. 1.1.2 Definitions of Skills Competition There are two basic definitions in skills competition. One, to observe and learn skills; second, to build up relationships and cultivate participants virtue. In a transition period of industrial society, there are multiple purposes and meanings to conduct skill competitions. Its inspiring guiding effect can not be ignored in terms of the establishment of skill values; moreover it provides benchmarking significance to industry elevation and economic development of a country (Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor, Taiwan, 2013).. 1.1.3 Spain – The Founder and Promoter of WSC WSC was initiated by Spain in 1950. Since then, it has been held for 65 years, 43 times biennially (WorldSkills, 2015). The mission of International Vocational Training Organization (IVTO) is to promote skills and create for technical practitioners mutual opportunities to observe and learn from one another, to enhance information and experiences interchange of vocational training in countries, and thus to give advanced education back to the individual members. It is run as a global entity by means of international skills competitions, conferences, and seminars, etc. At the 43rd WSC in 2015, there are 75 member countries/regions worldwide and the number is continuously growing. Taiwan joined IVTO in 1970 and becomes one of its members. A year later for the 20th WSC, Taiwan’s delegation participated under the name of “Chinese Taipei” for their international skills competition debut in Tokyo, Japan. Through hard work and extraordinary skills, Taiwan team strived for good results and earned the respect from many member nations (Taiwan Labor e-Quarterly, 2014). -2-.

(21) 1.2 Motivation of the Study 1.2.1 Automobile Industry Development in Taiwan Taiwan. Automobile. Technology. skill. area. ranks. extraordinary. performance in WSC, with good results to drive people’s attention. Taiwan hit the 6th place in 2007, and 4th place in 2009 and 2011 in a row (WorldSkills, 2015). It’s not easy considering the development status of Taiwan Automobile Industry. It was 1953 that the Automobile Industry started in Taiwan, which is 70 years behind European countries, like Germany. Even compared to its neighbor, Japan, Taiwan still lagged behind for 20 years or so. One factor has to be understood, that at the time of 1950’s, Taiwan put most of its efforts and emphasis onto building up economy for agriculture, consumer goods industry, for example tea business, textile manufactory, plastic products, etc. (Huang, 1984). Industries related to support the Automobile Industry: like petrochemical, steelmaking, and oil-refining weren’t well established nor ready until the 1970’s. The relevant supports for the Automobile Industry are not friendly in comparison with Taiwan star industries: IT, high tech, biotechnology fields. The Automobile Industry is considered stagnant at the phase of assembling or O.E.M. model. As a result, Taiwan was short of well-developed conditions to establish a successful Automobile Industry, with the hardship for over half century up to now. An external reason to foster professional and dedicated manpower for the Automobile Industry is stressed the importance more than ever for a vocational education and training system. After all, automobiles are an essential part of the transportation infrastructures. For example, the registered number of automobiles in Taiwan in 2014 is 7,554,319 and growing (Ministry of Transportation and Communications R.O.C. website, 2015). As such, the Automobile Technology market has a great human resource demand. It is a fact of life that technology has become the livelihood of society, particularly in the workplace for many decades. Technological advancements involve the integration of technology into a process for changing inputs into outputs. They are also used to provide better, more useful information. As Dr. Li mentioned, Automobile Industry is involving in the turbulence of technology development -3-.

(22) without exception, from auto design, development, manufacturing, and assembling, even after-sold service. For instance, most of modern cars today have a built-in computer circuit that a technician can plug into to determine operating problems, saving countless diagnostic hours for a mechanic, in order to keep holding a competitive ability (Li, Hor, & Wu, 2009). As a result, we can learn that the purposes of skills enhancement are to promote and elevate overall professional base to provide a more comfortable living environment with the support of sophisticated technological skills.. 1.2.2 Incentives to Taiwanese WSC Winners Taiwan participants always have excellent performance in the previous WSC over the years. Especially in 2015 for the 43rd competition which was held in São Paulo, Brazil. Forty-one competitors were sent to compete in 39 skill areas, where they received tough competition from 63 member countries/regions with 1,189 participants to compete for the great honor. The results for Taiwan are surprisingly good, to mention the top scores of the last 17 years: players brought back 5 gold awards, 7 silver awards, 5 bronze awards and 19 medallions of excellence, and being rated as the 3rd place (WorldSkills, 2015). In order to show the government’s commitment to value and urge the brilliant record to go on, Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor, ROC, raised the gold award prize to Taiwanese WSC winner from NT$500,000 to NT1,000,000, the silver award prize from NT$400,000 to NT$500,000. The bronze award prize and the medallion of excellence remain NT$300,000 and NT$60,000 respectively in 2014 (Workforce Development Agency, 2014). In addition, Workforce Development Agency is working to create more incentives to attract and encourage young professionals to join the program. For instance, the coordination with Ministry of Education to recommend winning competitors for admission to college. Once and again it shows the great outcome is made by team work.. 1.2.3 The Vision of WSC WSC aims for skills excellence and development in vocational, technological and service oriented careers around the world. Over the 65 years, -4-.

(23) it has successfully raised awareness and understanding among member countries/regions worldwide. At the same time, individual members advocate the same goals to cohere with the WSC vision to commence with national competition in order to create mutual learning by competition and dialogue with each other. The expectation is to have more opportunities for the young professionals, as well as their parents, teachers and enterprises to interact and so stimulate more innovative and creative ideas. Once the vocational education and training system is well built, the professional skills can be elevated correspondingly.. 1.2.4 English – the Official and Working Language of WSC English is the official language for WSC. According to The Report of the 42nd WorldSkills Competition, ROC, there is still a gap to overpass in English language capability for Taiwan participants (Skill Evaluation Center of Workforce Development Agency website, 2013). Take the example of Fu, a young candidate who is interested and very good at beauty therapy, yet failed in the local competition and was not able to be selected as Taiwan representative for the WSC in 2011 because her English wasn’t good enough (Taiwan Labor Quarterly, 2013). However, she didn’t give up. Before she eventually won the privilege to represent Taiwan and successfully brought back the WSC gold medal from Leipzig, Germany in 2013, it has been six years of hardship breaking her back working from early dawn to late night every day. Besides her excellent professional skill, she made remarkable progress in terms of English communication skill as well. Prof. Hou, the WSC International Jury for Carpentry from Taiwan, mentioned, the English proficiency of the participants should be well developed. In competitions, it requests a certain level of communication competence that would help participants to be responsive and able to improvise when encountering the unpredictable situations (Taiwan Labor Quarterly, 2013).. 1.2.5 The Language Gap to Overcome It’s common for Taiwan students to learn English as a foreign language. On average, students start to study English at the 3rd grade of elementary -5-.

(24) school, which is at the age of 9. That means by the time of becoming a WSC competitor, the participants have about 10 years of English learning background. Teenage students tend to be more comfortable to deal with reading and writing in English learning. When they are requested to give a presentation or express themselves in English orally, not many find it easy to speak up. Some will feel embarrassed and start to stutter when speaking, like getting a swelling tongue all of a sudden. Thus it should take some efforts and measures to help young professionals that are just the same age of WSC competitors in oral communication skills. For most young people, it isn’t easy to speak in an unfamiliar language with strangers, let alone joining an intensive competition in a foreign country when they have to face the “terrifying” jury, peer competitors, and working staffs. And according to The Report on the 42nd WorldSkills Competition, ROC, there is a gap in English language capability for Taiwan participants (Skill Evaluation Center of Workforce Development Agency website, 2013). So far, there are not many studies done to explore the training process and strategy for Taiwan Automobile Technology competitors for WSC on English oral communication. So this paper would take the opportunity to review the WSC organization, competitors qualifications, and language training program, etc. Hopefully it can be the future reference for parents, teachers, trainees, enterprises, and the government to have better performance for the international Automobile Technology skill competitions.. 1.3 Research Purposes In accordance with the motivation of this paper, there are 3 objectives followed by different aspects that will be interpreted in Chapter 3. 1.. Establishing available English training materials associated with Automobile Technology skill.. 2.. Developing feasible patterns of teaching approaches to cope with frequently used dialogue at WSC. -6-.

(25) 3.. Conducting possible interpersonal verbal communication strategies for WSC.. 1.4 Problems To Be Solved As mentioned earlier the importance of how WSC affects Taiwan’s vocational education and industrial development, to have the mutual beneficiary from competition interaction. It helps Taiwan to stay competitive in the rapidly growing and challenging global economic entity. In such international competition which English is conducted as the official language to go through, the winning chance depends on a large proportion whether or not the participants can utilize the right way to make themselves understood, not only for the professional skill itself but also the face to face social skill. A positive English training approach can help the participants understand and being more in control of the competition pace and tempo. Thus it helps build up their confidence to a better comfortable mindset to be more productive and proactive during the competition. On the contrary, it’s pitiful to see an excellent skillful competitors failed to comprehend the English language running system, and so they don’t follow the right instruction or make themselves misunderstood. Those might result in score deduction and give bad influence to the performance ranking. Therefore, this paper is aiming to find the way to enhance and reinforce Taiwan’s WSC competitors’ English oral communication competence within the limited training period of time, which is 10~11 months at most. It is hoped that with better oral language skills, participants who successfully meet Automobile Technology professional skill can also fully realize their actual strength and potential to the most and help to improve the international ranking on average.. -7-.

(26) 1.5 Research Scope This paper focuses on the WSC Automobile Technology participants and trainers to study the training program of learning English oral communication skill. The selected relevant data of WSC for research is from 2003 to 2015, the 38th to 43rd competitions. Covering 12 years of statistical data. Also, as we know WSC member countries/regions and competitors are rapidly growing every year. The tension and hardship of the recent competitions are not comparable to those of 12 years ago, so it’s considered a reasonable range of time. The literature review includes the history and current status of WSC. This data helps us generate a picture of their background, starting points and competition goals, and how they impacted on young talented professionals, coaches, entrepreneurs, industry innovation, and the vocational education and training system all over the world. 1.. Taiwan participant in WSC, 2015 The bronze medal winner of Automobile Technology skill in the 43rd WSC,. São Paulo, Brazil in 2015. There is one and only participant to represent Taiwan in WSC for Automobile Technology for the year. This paper is designed to analyze his expertise and proficiency about the target professional background knowledge in English. Therefore, his English learning history needs to be taken into account. Still other factors like his decision to take a year off from college, his learning style, personality traits, stress endurance, and time management, and so on are collected via interviews. 2.. Taiwan participant in WSC, 2013 The former Taiwan participant joined WSC in 2013. He is excellent in the. Automobile Technology professional skill, who won the first place both in National Industry-Related Skills Competition and National Championship Competition. This didn’t happen by coincidence. As an evening school student of vocational senior high, he had to practice even harder than others day and -8-.

(27) night in order to perform well in the district level competition. As soon as he was selected the WSC competitor to represent Taiwan, he decided to take a year off from college and devoted the best time of his youth receiving a yearlong training. The training program was dominated by his alma mater, Affiliated Industrial Vocational High School of National Changhua University of Education. There is a team in charge of the professional skill training program, mainly held at school and some car repair garages in central Taiwan. For the WSC that took place in Leipzig, Germany, 2013, he encountered tough challenges but still earned the honor of medallion for excellence. His performance was ranked 14 among 34 competitors. 3.. Taiwan Training Coordinator for Automobile Technology in WSC 2015 The training coordinator also serves as the Expert and Jury of Automobile. Technology skill area in 43rd WSC, São Paulo, Brazil. As a gold medal winner of the Automobile Technology in 34th WSC, 1997, he put most of his experiences and professional know-how into the training program, which includes the cooperative training plan to practice and drill Automobile Technology at the factory of Ford, Toyota, Volks Wagon, Bosch, etc., and National Taiwan Normal University automobile workshop as well. And the firsthand English technical service manuals from original car manufacturers were collected to study the features and particularity of each module to different brands of cars. Right after the national champion of Automobile Technology was selected on Sept. 1, 2014, a yearlong training program was immediately initiated. 4.. Dr. Li, Taiwan National Head Jury of Automobile Technology Dr. Li, the former Expert and Jury of Automobile Technology skill area in. 42nd WSC, also serves as the current Taiwan National Head Jury for Automobile Technology. Dr. Li has been always keen to dedicate all his professional knowledge, human resources, and solid assistance to the vocational education and training to push team work to go on. The affinity with Automobile Technology started from his early childhood. Because of the -9-.

(28) professor’s limited family income, he gave up his leisure activities to earn money to subsidize the family by helping nearby villagers repair bicycles. As a Chinese proverb goes, “Insufficiency leads to change, change brings development, and perseverance follows development.”. With the spirit of. perseverance and never giving up, he has earned great achievement in his professional career. His story is truly one of the most inspiring portraits to impress and encourage numerous students and the society.. 1.6 Limitation of the Study This paper focuses on exploring the WSC English communication skill training program. The process of the participant develops communication skill in English speaking and build up appropriate interactive strategies that refer and follow international manners to deal with the competition’s common conversation. Because each skill area requires different technical terms and professional expertise, once the Automobile Technology skill area is chosen, it’s not practical to incorporate other skill areas. Different from other researches that covering general skills, this paper specifically and exclusively deals with Automobile Technology. Whether or not the training program can be inferred or applied to other skill areas for future reference, it’s something to consider given the background knowledge and reference conditions, etc.. 1.7. 1.. Definition of Terms. Effective Teaching Effective teaching can be defined as teaching which successfully achieves the learning by pupils intended by the teacher (Kyriacou, 1997). In essence, there are two simple elements to effective teaching: 1). The teacher must have a clear idea of what learning is to be fostered.. 2). The teacher sets up and provides a learning experience which - 10 -.

(29) achieves this. Over the years, thinking about effective teaching has been approached in a number of different ways. Before the 1960s, research on effective teaching was largely dominate by attempts to identify attributes of teacher, such as personality traits, sex, age, knowledge and training, which might have a bearing on their effectiveness. However since the 1960s, research on effective teaching has focused fairly and squarely on activities in the classroom, and in particular the interaction between the teacher and students. Therefore, there is now a good consensus regarding the basic framework for our outlook about effective teaching. Overall, the five most frequently reported were (in order to frequency):. 2.. 1). Personality and will. 2). Intelligence. 3). Sympathy and tact. 4). Open-mindedness. 5). A sense of humor.. Flipped Teaching Flipped teaching or a so called Flipped classroom is strategy using reversed task assignment for student, most common facilitated by a blended teaching environment. The objective is to give the student prior to the classes the relevant teaching material for self-study. The actual class would result in review of the student’s self-study progress and issues. Main benefits from flipped teaching strategy is the class time is predominately centered for an active engagement of the students emphasizing inquiry and collaboration between students and more problem solution oriented teacher - student interaction. Compared to traditional teaching strategies with flipped teaching the class time is more efficiently used to reinforce learning by interaction rather than spending class time on presenting educational material followed by review cycle. Regarded blended learning, it augment flipped teaching perfectly. By using the internet and multi-media as teaching- and self-study teaching - 11 -.

(30) material distribution- medias (Educause, 2012). 3.. Teaching and Metacognition Metacognition is to give the students the skill and tools to be self-conscious of the teaching materials and underlying teaching method they are presented within the classroom. The idea behind this learning strategy is that for the students being able to think and reflect on the teaching materials. It will improve the students -learning and -learning experience. By giving the student a reference framework “think about learning” to work with, the students can effectively answer for themselves: . if they are prepared for classes and exams. . if they are able to identify why they have difficulty with some subject matters. . their subject matter learning progress As such this gives the students a sense of mastery over the learning. process and practically enables them to provide immediate focus and feedback to teachers on relevant learning issues (Muijs & Reynolds 2005). Several examples of how these student self-questions can be explicitly used in teaching a biology course are considered below (Tanner, 2012). 1). Pre-assessments: encouraging students to examine their current thinking. 2). The Muddiest Point: giving students practice in identifying confusions. 3). Retrospective Post-assessments: pushing students to recognize conceptual change. 4). Reflective Journals: providing a forum in which students monitor their own thinking. 4.. Strategies in Interlanguage Communication Students learning a second language face issues in relating to the second language as non-native speakers due to a variety of differences: grammar- and pronunciation- differences with their native language, as - 12 -.

(31) well as mismatch in supportive language acquisition factors such as the second language’s cultural-, historic-, social- context (Faerch & Kasper 1983) . An interlanguage communication strategy commonly addresses in some form or another the above points by (Chen, 2006). 1). Making the students aware of what the interlanguage communication strategy encompasses.. 2). Encouraging students to take risks and use the communicative strategy, in other words encourage the student learning by doing.. 3). Providing students an overview of the second language native speaker’s language -strategies and –patterns.. 4). Providing students with core vocabulary and basic sentence structures for carrying out these native communication strategies.. 5). Providing opportunities for students to practice these strategies, rather than memorizing them as with direct teaching is the case.. - 13 -.

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(33) Chapter 2 History of WSC Skill competition is to check up and assess the results of vocational education and training system. Through open and fair competition, the excellent craftsmanship and potential talented experts with a variety of different professional backgrounds can be discovered and honored. In the process of competitions, competitors can observe and have dialogue to brainstorm and stimulate with knowledge exchange, and so to elevate the skills level for both sides. Also, as the time moves on, the substance and content of skills need to be renewed and shifted to more comply with contemporary life style of the society. Skill competitions play the role to carry an important mission to bring the innovated and inventive technology ideas and concepts to the public to guide and bring influence to the professional world. Changes in the demand for skills and qualifications in the workplace have been a constant feature of economies since the beginning of industrialization. Shifts of manpower among the sectors of agriculture, manufacturing and services, changes in technology, increasing specialization, and growth in firm size and expansion of managerial control have brought about changes in the vocational and professional skills required, too (Mayer & Solga 2008). Chapter 2 will introduce the history and current status of WSC and Taiwan’s English language teaching situation respectfully.. 2.1 The Origin and Development of WSC WSC is considered the highest level of skills competition which is held every other year. The idea to celebrate Vocational Training Competitions can be compared to Pierre de Coubertin´s initiative to create the modern Olympic Games (WorldSkills, 2015). So WSC is also referred popularly, as the Skills Olympics. It is a platform to compare the craftsmanship of the youth, skilled labors and experienced trainers in order to set a benchmark for vocational - 15 -.

(34) education and training system. WSC aims to promote skills training and knowledge exchange as well as providing innovation and concepts exposure to the competitors, trainers and experts all over the world. It is to promote the most up to date technology and to recognize the young professional’s potential talent in various skill areas. By means of the competitions, the quality of skills training curriculum can align with the latest requirements of the industry. The country can nurture skilled workers and world-class coaching expertise. In addition to this, the WSC is viewed as a vocational arena for exchanging and competing the skills of international standards in the industry. It’s long-standing and up front vision is to improve our world by the power of skills. In June 1954, the first Organizing Council that consisted of official and technical representatives of the participating countries was established to set the rules for international competitions. Since then, the council which was called International Vocational Training Organization (IVTO) was in charge of the International Vocational Training Competition (IVTC), also known as International Youth Skills Olympics until 1999. In 2000, IVTO was renamed to WorldSkills International (WSI), while IVTC was renamed to WorldSkills Competition (Huang, 2009). The mission of the WSC is to raise the profile and recognition of skilled people, and show how important skills are in achieving economic growth and personal success.. 2.1.1 1946-1952 Iberian Competition The IVTC was initiated when the European countries were still suffering from the World War II when its industry was almost destroyed. It was 1946, in the attempt to recover their homeland and economy, a great need for skilled workers in Spain occurred. The General Director of Spanish Youth Organization, Mr. Jose Antonio Elola Olaso, had the insight: it was necessary to convince youth, as well as their parents, teachers and prospective employers, that their future depended on an effective vocational training system. So he nominated Francisco Albert-Vidal to further develop his idea along with other two fellow partners, who were on different occasions directors of the Work Centers in Spain. For this challenge the most suitable solution was apparently - 16 -.

(35) to promote a competition. So young people’s competing spirit would be aroused, adults can discuss the competition results and visitors would be able to see a great variety of trades being demonstrated. This simple yet brilliant idea of joining people from different trades at their workstations proved to be a great success and popular. In 1947, the first National Competition took place in Spain with the participation of around 4,000 apprentices from a dozen mechanical trades. But the initiators’ ambition was more than just holding a national competition. As a matter of fact, they had far-reaching objectives: to motivate young professionals to compete, to be enthusiastic about vocational training and to compare skills and abilities of people from different countries. Due to similarities in language, history and culture, Portugal showed interest in the project. Therefore in 1950, Mr. Vidal started to spread the idea abroad with great passion, promoting the first Iberian Competition, with the participation of 12 young skilled workers from Portugal and Spain. Thus the IVTC were ready to set up.. 2.1.2 1953-1969 Europe Gets in In 1953, with the invitation from Spain, youth from Germany, Great Britain, France, Morocco and Switzerland took part in it for the first time. In June 1954, the first Organizing Council, which was composed of officials and technical representatives of the participating countries, was established to set the rules for international competitions. With the participation of young German and Swiss workers, the Spanish organization became acquainted with the Dual System, a traditional vocational training model utilized with great success in Germany and Switzerland. During 1958 World Exhibition, the 7th IVTC was held in Brussels; one year later in Modena, Italy.. 2.1.3 1970 - Present: Become Worldwide In 1970, the IVTO made a jump to Japan. With the admission of member countries/regions from all continents, IVTO gained experience, increased its knowledge of vocational training and applied new working techniques and - 17 -.

(36) methods in several trades. In 2000, IVTC was renamed WorldSkills Competition (WorldSkills, 2015). Nowadays, in WSC, young skilled professionals are performing enthusiastically and seriously the best quality of their know-how. Their pride on having been selected and the pleasure they feel to meet their counterparts from other continents have great impact on their minds. In spite of language barriers, the experience they gain will certainly affect their professional, personal lives forever. The Competitions were not only designed for ranking members of the participating countries/regions and awarding medals. In fact, they can give a new impulse to countries’ vocational training systems. Taiwan competitors’ performance in WSC since 1970 is shown in Table 2-1. It appears that Taiwan participants has achieved extraordinary results although they encountered tough competitors from around the world.. - 18 -.

(37) Table 2-1 Taiwan Competitors’ Performance in WSC Skill Gold Silver Bronze Session Areas. Awards Awards Awards. Medallions Number of Chance of of. awards. awards. Excellence. winning. winning. 20 th. 8. 0. 0. 2. 1. 3. 37. 21 th. 11. 1. 4. 2. 1. 8. 72. 22 th. 15. 2. 5. 2. 0. 9. 60. 23 th. 16. 3. 4. 2. 1. 10. 62. 24 th. 20. 2. 4. 6. 1. 13. 65. 25 th. 23. 2. 1. 6. 2. 11. 47. 26 th. 27. 2. 4. 7. 2. 15. 55. 27 th. 27. 6. 4. 5. 1. 16. 59. 28 th. 27. 3. 4. 9. 10. 26. 96. 29 th. 27. 4. 8. 7. 5. 24. 88. 30 th. 30. 7. 4. 4. 7. 22. 73. 31 th. 35. 8. 10. 2. 8. 28. 80. 32 th. 38. 18. 10. 4. 4. 36. 94. 33 th. 34. 6. 6. 5. 12. 29. 85. 34 th. 34. 8. 7. 2. 12. 29. 85. 35 th. 34. 7. 8. 1. 14. 30. 88. 36 th. 37. 3. 5. 8. 14. 30. 81. 37 th. 18. 4. 1. 2. 9. 16. 89. 38 th. 31. 1. 2. 4. 10. 17. 55. 39 th. 40. 0. 5. 5. 19. 29. 73. 40 th. 37. 4. 0. 8. 17. 29. 78. 41 th. 38. 1. 4. 3. 15. 23. 60. 42 th. 39. 6. 4. 8. 13. 31. 79. 43 th. 39. 5. 7. 5. 19. 36. 92. Note. From Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor website ( 2015). - 19 -.

(38) 2.2 The Current Status of WSC WSC embraces the faith that skills competitions held around the world to showcase and inspire world-class excellence in skills and introduce youth to a variety of skilled careers. There are 7 main objectives specified in the WSI Constitution (WorldSkills, 2015). 1. Marketing the Organization by drawing on the global efforts of Member organizations. 2. Positioning the WSC as the premier world event for skills recognition and advancement. 3. Developing a new modern identity and a flexible structure to support the global activities of WorldSkills International. 4. Developing strategic partnerships with selected corporate, government, and non-government organizations to further the aims of the Organization. 5. Disseminate information and share knowledge about skill standards and the Organization’s performance bench-marks. 6. Facilitate networking among the Organization’s experts to develop new opportunities for skills development and innovation. 7. Encouraging the transfer of skills, knowledge, and cultural exchange between participants in the Organization and other young people across the world.. 2.2.1 WSI Current Organization WSI is the organization to conduct WSC every two years. The General Assembly is the highest authority of WSI. The General Assembly consists of the Official Delegates and the Technical Delegates, representing the members of the organization. Up to 2015, WSI has 75 member countries/regions. Like many other international events, WSI members may apply to the Board of Directors to host a competition, the final decision is to be made by the General Assembly. Applications must be submitted at least five years before the proposed event. - 20 -.

(39) WSI’s working language is English. It’s understood that there is a high proportion of members where English is not their native language and therefore must make all source files for documentation and resources available to members for translation. WSI will support and coordinate translation management of documentation and resources with its members (WorldSkills, 2015). The number of WSI member countries/regions as of year 2015 is 75. Taiwan joined the membership under the name of “Chinese Taipei” in 1970. Table 2-2 shows the membership list and their code. Table 2-2 WSI Current Member Countries/Regions as of 2015 (Continued) Code. Countries/Regions. Code. Countries/Regions. AR. Argentina. KW. Kuwait. AM. Armenia. LV. Latvia. AU. Australia. LI. Principality of Liechtenstein. AT. Austria. LU. Luxembourg. BH. Kingdom of Bahrain. MO. Macao, China. BB. Barbados. MY. Malaysia. BY. Belarus. MX. Mexico. BE. Belgium. MN. Mongolia. BR. Brazil. MA. Morocco. BN. Brunei Darussalam. NA. Namibia. CA. Canada. NL. Netherlands. CL. Chile. NZ. New Zealand. CN. China. NO. Norway. CO. Colombia. OM. Oman. CR. Costa Rica. PS. Palestine. HR. Croatia. PY. Paraguay. DK. Denmark. PH. Philippines. - 21 -.

(40) DO. Dominican Republic. PT. Portugal. Table 2-2 Continued. Code. Countries/Regions. Code. Countries/Regions. EC. Ecuador. RU. Russia. EG. Egypt. SA. Saudi Arabia. EE. Estonia. SG. Singapore. FI. Finland. ZA. South Africa. FR. France. ES. Spain. GE. Georgia. LK. Sri Lanka. DE. Germany. SE. Sweden. HK. Hong Kong, China. CH. Switzerland. HU. Hungary. TW. Chinese Taipei. IS. Iceland. TH. Thailand. IN. India. TT. Trinidad and Tobago. ID. Indonesia. TN. Tunisia. IR. Iran. TR. Turkey. IE. Ireland. AE. United Arab Emirates. IL. Israel. UK. United Kingdom. IT. South Tyrol, Italy. US. United States of America. JM. Jamaica. VE. Venezuela. JP. Japan. VN. Vietnam. KZ. Kazakhstan. ZM. Zambia. KR. Korea. Note. From WSC Membership website (2015). 2.2.2 WSC Current Skill Areas The number of professional skills in 1950 is 12. In 2015, the number of professional skills has grown to 46. The total number of skills at the Competition is determined by the application of the principles and processes in WSC Competition Rules, which are updated by the Technical Committee and - 22 -.

(41) are ratified by the General Assembly, to ensure that the skills reflect the WorldSkills mission and competition goals and represent the skill needs of the global economy (WorldSkills, 2015). Table 2-3 appears updated WSC skill areas overview as of 2015. Automobile Technology was first launched in 1977, the 23rd WSC. It has been coded as 33. Table 2-3 WSC Skill Areas Overview (Continued) Code Professional Skill. Code Professional Skill. 01. Polymechanics/Automation. 24. Cabinetmaking. 02. Information Network Cabling. 25. Joinery. 03. Manufacturing Team. 26. Carpentry. Challenge） 04. Mechatronics. 27. Jewellery. 05. Mech. Eng. Design-CAD. 28. Floristry. 06. CNC Turning. 29. Hairdressing. 07. CNC Milling. 30. Beauty Therapy. 08. Architectural Stonemasonry. 31. Fashion Technology. 09. IT Software Solutions for. 32. Confectioner / Pastry Cook. Business 10. Welding. 33. Automobile Technology. 11. Printing Media Technology. 34. Cooking. 12. Wall and Floor Tiling. 35. Restaurant Service. 13. Auto body Repair. 36. Car Painting. 14. Aircraft Maintenance. 37. Landscape Gardening. 15. Plumbing and Heating. 38. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. 16. Electronics. 39. IT Network Systems Administration. 17. Web Design. 40. Graphic Design Technology. 18. Electrical Installations. 41 - 23 -. Health and. Social Care.

(42) 19. Industrial Control. 42. Construction Metal Work. 20. Bricklaying. 43. Plastic Die Engineering. Table 2-3 Continued. Code 21. Professional Skill. Code Professional Skill. Plastering and Drywall. 44. Systems. Visual Merchandising/Window Dressing. 22. Painting and Decorating. 45. Prototype Modelling. 23. Mobile Robotics. D1. Plastic Die Engineering. Note. From The 42nd WorldSkills Competition Report, ROC, 2013. 2.3 The Core Professional Skill Competence of Automobile Technology Base on the technical description of WSl, the following requirements are adopted for the skill of Automobile Technology (WorldSkills, 2015). A. Description of Skill There are seven important car systems: 1.. Diesel engine systems. 2.. Handling systems (Braking, stability control etc.). 3.. Electrical systems. 4.. Petrol engine systems. 5.. Transmission and gear system. 6.. Mechanical repair of the motor. 7.. Chassis and steering systems. Technicians must be able to understand the functioning of these systems, and carry out troubleshooting, maintenance and repair work. They must be to work logically and systematically, adhering to the health and safety regulations. B. Competency specification Competitors must have good knowledge and understanding of the following. - 24 -.

(43) 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. General competencies: 1). Select and use appropriate tools. 2). Maintain records of work. 3). Work safely. Engines overhaul and management: 1). Dismantle, measure and assemble automotive engines. 2). Diagnosis and repair engine management systems. 3). Diagnosis and repair ignition systems. 4). Diagnosis and repair fuel, air induction and exhaust systems. 5). Diagnosis and repair emissions control systems. 6). Diagnose, service and repair petrol fuel systems. 7). Prepare and use a gas analyzer. Electrical Systems: 1). Diagnose and repair electrical circuits. 2). Construct electrical circuits. 3). Alternator and starter motor overhaul and testing. Brake and Stability Control Systems: 1). Service and repair braking systems. 2). Diagnose and repair anti-locking braking system. 3). Diagnose and repair stability control systems. Suspension & Steering Systems: 1). Diagnose and repair suspension systems. 2). Carry out four wheel alignments. 3). Diagnose and repair steering systems including 4-wheel steer. Transmissions Manual and Automatic Including Transaxle: 1). Diagnosis and repair transmission/transaxles. 2). Diagnosis and repair drive shaft/half shaft, universal and constant-velocity (CV) joints. 7.. Diesel Systems: Diagnose and service diesel fuel systems including common rail. - 25 -.

(44) 2.4 Taiwan Participants’ Performance in WSC – Automobile Technology Taiwan joined IVTO in 1970 and becomes one of its members. A year later for the 20th WSC, Taiwan’s delegation participated under the name of “Chinese Taipei” for their international competition debut in Tokyo, Japan. Automobile mechanics was first launched in 1977, the 23rd WSC and was later renamed to its current name “Automobile Technology” in 1991, the 31st WSC (Haung, 2009). Figure 2-2 illustrates Taiwan participants performance since 1979 up to date.. Bronze. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. 1. Gold. 1. Excellence. Gold. 1. Gold. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015. 1. 2. 3. 4. 3. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. Taiwan Participants' Performance in WSC Automobile Technology. Figure 2-1. Taiwan Participants' Performance in WSC – Automobile Technology. - 26 -. 4. 4.

(45) 2.5. The Essential English Competence Needed for WSC. A research paper from PRC specifies that English training program for their participants needs to fulfill 3 aspects of requirement for the WSC (Luo & Wang 2013).. 2.5.1 Competition Requirement English, as an international language, is the most frequently used in many major world events. During the WSC, if participants can have good command of English to deal with tests related affairs, such as to communicate with the Juries, to raise an objection, or even to file a complaint, the test results will not be affected by misunderstanding or poor communication.. 2.5.2 International Interaction Requirement In addition to skills competition, WSC also provides enormous multiple. learning,. professional. forums,. and. fellowship. interaction. opportunities. This is the best chance for participants to display their own view and perception, to strengthen cooperative learning, and to develop good friendships.. 2.5.3 Participants’ Personal Development Requirement The concept of WSC comprises of the characteristic of humanization. It not only emphasizes the skill and quality of the test results, but also puts much more concerns on the comprehensive quality promotion for the talented young professionals. Contemporary talents should be completed by traditional single craftsmanship shift to a novel compound talents.. - 27 -.

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(47) Chapter 3 Technical Approach and Implementation 3.1 Creative Concept English training program refers to the language proficiency of English learners for short-term intensive training. English skills training aiming for vocational skills competition in the world has its particularity for Taiwan participants, mainly in: training time before the competition; vocational skills training target for the competitors; training process including the establishment of the training system combined with specific training programs and so on. Therefore, such training is necessary to comply with the law of language learning, but also to meet the professional requirements of the competition. How to balance and obtain equilibrium relationship between the two parties is a challenge to train logistics arrangements. Among many considerations that must be taken into account when designing explicit strategy and instruction programs for Taiwan participants to WSC, the following 7 steps (Cohen, 2011) are the guidelines to formulate the framework and generate core spirit of this training program. 1.. Determining the learners’ needs and the resources available for instruction. 2.. Selecting the strategies. 3.. Considering the benefits of integrated strategy instruction. 4.. Considering motivational issues. 5.. Preparing the materials and activities. 6.. Conducting explicit strategy instruction. 7.. Evaluating and revising the strategy instruction. - 29 -.

(48) A. The Gantt Chart shown as Table 3-1 reveals the work done by different periods of time for this report.. Table 3-1 Gantt Chart. Work Schedule – Gantt Chart 2015 Task Name. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Identify Research Area Formulate Writing Topic Data Collection/ English Training Program History of WSC Interviews Conducted Data Analysis First Draft Writing Final Draft Writing Submission. - 30 -. 2016 10. 11. 12. 1 2 3 4 5 6.

(49) B. The diagram shown as Figure 3-1 illustrates the strategy implementation.. Flipped Classroom Face to Face Self-Study Internet Access. Review Face to Face. Target Pattern. Multi Media. Competition Emulation. Target Articles. Role Play. Physical. Conceptual. Metacognition. Intercultural Language. Figure 3-1. Strategy Implementation 1、 The Physical course 1). Flipped Classroom: The course was conducted based on the concept of Flipped Teaching. The cloud storage hard drive was chosen as the channel for English teacher to upload the teaching materials which include videos, handout, or assignment, etc. Before each class, the participant can access the cloud drive and download relevant materials for self-study in advance. Then the following actual class was to review study progress and resolve issues.. 2). Self-Study Internet Access: With the popularity of Internet Services, both the English teacher and the participant can have the access to upload/download relevant teaching materials from the cloud storage hard drive whenever needed. It increases the convenience and flexibility for information exchange.. 3). Review face to face: The purposes of 3-hour class per week are - 31 -.

(50) as follow:. 4). . Checking the participant’s learning completion rate. . Supporting the participant’s learning deficiency. . Resolving the participant’s learning issues. . Assessing the participant’s learning effect. Multi Media: English Learning Websites, Video Recorder, DVD, Car Magazines, etc.. 5). Target Articles: Automobile Technology Service Manuals, Archived WSC Test Projects Documents, Frequently Used Competition Dialogue, etc.. 6). Face to Face: It is not only the time to deliver the teaching materials, but also the important meeting to interact and check learning status. It is vital for the English teacher to observe learning effect to see if teaching materials need adjustment or not.. 7). Target Pattern: This English Communication Skill Training Program is specifically targeted to Automobile Technology of WSC.. 8). Competition Emulation: To provide a matching WorldSkills environment as Language emulation environment, all sessions were held at the car repair workshop where the participant received Automobile Technology teaching, instead of using a traditional classroom.. 9). Role-Play: For practicing “Interactive Pattern Conversation”, role-playing scenario was set up for an English speaker to act as WorldSkills -official and - Jury for the participant to interact with.. 2、 Conceptual basis: 1). Metacognition: Metacognition, or knowledge of one’s own cognitive processes, leads the problem-solving process and improves the efficiency of - 32 -.

(51) this goal-oriented behavior (Metcalfe & Shimamura 1996). The metacognition concept matches perfectly with this English communication skill training program. The WSC is extremely task oriented competition. The participant needs to not only speak up what he knows, but also execute how he solves problems accordingly. In other words, it is the practice of knowing of knowing, moreover performing of knowing. Therefore, before competitors actually arrive at the competition site, they need to be trained as problem solvers by following four steps as below:. 2). . Understanding test projects.. . Diagnosing the problems to be solved.. . Figuring out solutions.. . Carrying out tasks to reach a solution.. Intercultural perspective Language: The approach to teaching which seeks to go beyond disembodied language is intended to provide more lasting results than a purely cognitive method, but it is also a process of providing the learner with a richer engagement with the target language (Byram & Fleming 1998). English, the official language of WSC, is not the mother tongue of Taiwan’s students who were mostly taught traditionally: swotting up on vocabulary, analysing and learning grammar, translating texts, etc. However all the vocabulary and grammar was in their heads, instead of being in their arms, mouths, eyes or feet. Such a disembodied language is regrettably forgotten quickly The experience of being dumbstruck in a foreign country may take place under the circumstances. To avoid this situation from happening to the participant, the concept which seeks to promote a full sensory, physical and emotional expression of the language has to be taught and seen as a form of cross-cultural interaction. - 33 -.

(52) C. English Teaching Concept The following education strategies and concepts were applied in preparation and during the participant’s language program 1.. Flipped teaching. 2.. Metacognition teaching concept. 3.. Intercultural perspective language communication strategy teaching. 4.. Language environment emulation. 5.. Interactive pattern conversation. 3.2. English Communication Training Program Timeline. In late August of 2014, as soon as the national champion has been selected as Taiwan participant to join the WSC, 2015, a yearlong professional training session is activated almost at the same time, and so does the English training program. Roughly the English training program can be divided into 3 periods because of different purposes and manpower deployment.. 3.2.1 Initial Stage – Preliminary Arrangement The first 3 months from September to December are basically for the data collection purpose. Like mentioned earlier, “Automobile Technology” as competition skill area, is extremely domain specific and task oriented. Not many ready-made English teaching materials can be found to fit into this program. So it takes some time to search and gather information. Most of the teaching materials have to tailor-made to cope with WSC environment and deal with Automobile Technology skill professional terms. Thanks to the Internet, practical skills competition and automobile introduction videos are available to obtain from around the world. The following items for teaching English communication skills are exclusive and unique, especially designed for WSC competitors in Automobile Technology skill area. 1. Frequently Used Competition Dialogue: The most difficult mission was going to visit local skill competitions in order to collect frequently used competition dialogue, then later edited and - 34 -.

(53) translated into English. It turns out great teaching essence and help the participant put his domain technical vocabularies and terms into context and scenario. 2. Automobile Professional English 3. Professional Vocabulary Quotient Credential - Automobile Professional English 4. Automobile Technology Service Manuals 5. Archived WSC Test Projects Documents from previous years 6. Internet videos related to Automobile Technology. 3.2.2 Mid Stage - Autonomous Learning Mid stage lasts 5 months from January to May. It is mainly the autonomous learning period for English. The training at mid stage focused more on the professional skill area, which sometimes took place out of town to have off-site training. The participant had to manage self-study in the evening after receiving daily skill courses. Whenever it is necessary to cross-reference to certain issues with the Automobile Technology Service Manuals or Test Projects Documents which came across in the day time training. There were two simulation competitions held in January and May respectively. Simulation documents included Test Projects, Objective Marking Form, and Report Sheet were all in English. Furthermore, the second simulations in May and the later one in July, English is the language to use in verbal and written form.. 3.2.3 Final Stage - Physical Courses From late May to July it is the most critical period of the time for the English Communication Skill Training Program. It is the core session to carry out the spirit of the program which targeted to help the participant get ready for the WSC in terms of English communication competence. The ultimate goal is that the participant is acquainted with professional vocabularies and terms in English and is able to deal basic conversation with International Juries and staffs as well as other international competitors. It is hoped with the language communication skill, the participant can manage and improvise to competition - 35 -.

(54) tests routine or unexpected accidents, if any. Thus the winning chance can be increased. The following sections will specify the program in details.. 3.3. Teaching Tools and Materials. For the participants language teaching the following tools and materials were used as shown in Table 3-2. Table 3-2 Teaching Materials Overview (Continued) Teaching Materials. Description. 1. Frequently Used. It is used to help the participant combine his. Competition. domain knowledge with English context and. Dialogue. scenario.. 2. Automobile. It provides the vocabularies and terms of. Professional. Automobile parts, components, systems,. English. functions, and performances, etc. for the participant to review.. 3. Professional. Professional Vocabulary Quotient Credential. Vocabulary. (PVQC) is good for self-study and on-line. Quotient. self-assessment as well. It is ideal to practice 4. Credential -. elements of English learning: Listening,. Automobile. Speaking, Reading, and Writing.. Professional English 4. Automobile. In preparation for WSC Automobile Technology. Technology. competition, the participant receives technical. Service Manuals. service manuals for different brands of cars to be serviced during the competition. These manuals are used as conversation pieces for interactive language teaching.. - 36 -.

(55) Table 3-2 Continued Teaching Materials. Description. 5. Archived WSC. Archived Test Projects are used in class and. Test Projects. simulation competitions in order to help the. Documents from. participant be familiar with not only reading but. previous years. also carrying out the test tasks.. 6. DVD. Video equipment is used to record language teaching session for later review by teacher and participant. And secondly use for archiving purposes as well.. 7. Internet. Internet is used as distribution medium for making teaching materials available to the participant for Flipped Teaching Approach Teaching materials such as videos and English handout.. 8. Targeted Language This approach seeks to promote a full sensory, Pattern. physical and emotional expression of the language that has to be taught and seen as a form of cultural education.. 9. Self-study Materials. Self-study materials such as handout, Video subtitle script, are adapted for the participant’s English language skill level and facility program progress. The related teaching materials are illustrated in Appendix 2 by the above sequence.. - 37 -.

(56) 3.4. Teaching Approach and Implementation. 3.4.1 Teaching Approach This programs methodology is comprised of varied teaching and English language teaching strategies. Decisions to use these strategies were driven by the programs constrains, namely 1. Participant English language skills 2. Automobile Technology, as competition area, is extremely domain specific 3. WSC is very specific task oriented English language environment 4. Limited time available to hold sessions 5. Limited budget to prepare teaching -materials and -resources. 3.4.2 Implementation Language skills requirements as shown in Table 3-3 illustrate the difference between local versus international task-oriented competition that a participant is exposed to and assumed to have mastered to effectively compete.. - 38 -.

(57) Table 3-3 Language Skill Requirements Comparison Local vs. International Competition Local competition International/ WorldSkills requirements. Resources to. Competition requirements. Language. Skills. Language. Skills. Mixed. R. Mixed but. R. S,L. predominately S,L. Consult and Study (Automobile. English. Materials) Communication. Local. S,L. English. S,L. Local. R,W. English. R,W. with Juries Test Projects. S,L. S,L. Mixed: English and local language Local: S:. Local language. Speaking. L: Listening R: Reading W: Writing. The table highlights for international competitions English proficiency is required. There is a mismatch between language usage required for local competitions and international competitions, unless the local competition’s language is English. Therefore as first task for the teacher is to assess the participants English skills, even he or she might be excelled with local competitions.. 1. Participant English language skills The participant had not followed standard curriculum ESL program nor joined TOEIC or TOEFL equivalent tests. Thus there is no formal reference for his English language skills. - 39 -.

(58) First, from general conversation the participant’s English languages skills were deemed adequate for general conversation. And English reading and writing skills were better than adequate for daily communication. Second, since the participant had emerged himself for more than a year into practical hands-on car service teaching and studying the electronic English Automobile Technology Service Manuals that were made available as part for the WSC “Automobile Technology” participation requirements, he was with good domain specific vocabularies. During the first interaction with the participant, it was noticed that he had difficulty articulating his domain knowledge in English. Further observation over English task phrases, he could place into context by reference the key technical terms, but not so many complete sentences. Conclusion from this was that he lacked practical English conversation experience to put his domain knowledge readily and fluently in conversational English context, either to listen to a task assignment or to answer a question. As such the participant doubted his own capabilities, resulting in low confidence and manifesting himself as long time to digest the information or formulate a response. Or even questioning himself if he had understood assignments or gave the correct answer to questions. 2. Automobile Technology, as competition skill area, is extremely domain specific. Automobile Technology on know-how and special terms is extremely domain specific compared to the English language as a general second language for daily, business or academic usage. Given that the English communication skill training program instructor may not be with the major domain knowledge for Automobile Technology, the decision was made to encapsulate the participant’s domain knowledge and focus on utilizing it rather than testing it on English accuracy and completeness. And thus building on the work the participants already had through self-study and teaching from his coach, covering the specific car and service vocabularies and special terms.. - 40 -.

(59) 3. WSC is very specific task oriented English language environment Provided that the WSC is task oriented, the decision was made to structure the sentence patterns taught to participant accordingly. Base on the participants English language skill level, session time available and the participant’s extensive domain knowledge, the criteria for language patterns were defined as: i.. Generically useful in the domain. ii.. Short and concise. iii.. Easy to be deployed. iv.. Overcome intercultural language barrier. With patterns covering task orientation on:. Table 3-4 Targeted Language Patterns Acknowledgement To confirm: understanding assigned tasks understanding of question Non-Acknowledgement To confirm: not understanding a task not understanding a question Inquiry. Ask for: clarification following a task or question confirmation following a task or question. Others. Greetings and salutations to competition Juries. The idea behind the above patterns is to enable the participant to be proactive and reactive to the competition’s environment. Sometimes unforeseen events might happen, where at that point the participant has to manage alone to keep the execution of the assigned task going (Littlewood, 1981). And we have to be aware that besides operational skills, the impression being confident and demeanor the participant makes to Juries also contributes to Juries’ ratings. Hence the “Other” pattern category for greeting and - 41 -.