| Body | This activity was created to support learners studying Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) for use at work. It allows learners to consider power differentials between themselves and the people that they work with. It also guides their analysis of the language they would use with others based on power. It was created for Intermediate and Advanced learners, and it would be particularly useful for Facilitated Interdependent Language Learning contexts or other language self-study contexts. As such, the instructions are written with the learner as the intended audience.
Learning outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Evaluate who generally has + power / = power / - power in their workplace
- Predict how someone with + power / = power / - power would give commands
- Observe how someone with + power / = power / - power would give commands
- Analyze any differences between their predictions and observations
Mode(s): Interpersonal, Presentational
Materials: Power in the Workplace video, Power Observations worksheet
Procedure:
- First, watch the Power in the Workplace video. How would you define plus power, equal power, and minus power based on what you learned in the video?
- Then, think about the people you communicate with at work. If you do not currently work in the setting for which you are learning the target language, imagine who you might work with in this future setting.
- Compared to you, which of these people have plus power, equal power, or minus power in this workplace? Identify or imagine one or more person for each category, and record them on the first page of the Power Observations worksheet.
- Next, think about how commands are given in your current workplace, or imagine how they would be given in a future workplace. Are there communicative differences when the person giving a command has plus power, equal power or minus power compared to the receiver of the command? Write down your predictions for these commands on page two of the worksheet, including the language or gestures used, and why you think they would be used.
- Then, observe commands in your workplace, and write what you see down on page three of the handout, including the language or gestures used, and why you think the person giving the command used them. If you do not yet work in your setting, find an example of a spoken, signed or written conversation to observe. This could be in a target language textbook, in a TV show or film, on social media, etc.
- For example, if you are studying English with the goal of working in a corporate office setting, you could use this clip from The Office for your observation. However, if you choose a humorous, scripted show as your example, keep in mind that humor often exaggerates how one might communicate in real-life settings!
- If you are studying medical Spanish, you could use this mock interview clip between a patient and a doctor.
- Finally, compare your predictions to your observations. Did what you observed follow the communicative patterns you predicted? Why or why not?
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