Introduction to this edition of the newsletter 

Thank you for taking the time to read this edition of the Aviation English Services newsletter.

In this edition we hear from one of our aviation English teachers, Phil Hawks, who has been delivering the English for Aviation Safety training programme to several groups of overseas air traffic controllers and assisting them in achieving the Level 4 requirement.    

In case you missed the November 2007 issue of Aerosafety World, published by Flight Safety Foundation, we have included their article “Speaking the Same Language”. 

AES principal, Elizabeth Mathews comments on the need for industry standardisation and accreditation of language training and testing providers.  Organisations cannot underestimate the need for quality language training and testing, or ignore other commercial factors such as reducing insurance costs or meeting ICAO audit requirements. 

As the leader of the PRICE study group which developed the aviation English language proficiency requirements for ICAO, Elizabeth Mathews is well placed to comment on language training best practice.  Her article, "The Value of Content-Based Language Training" describes the approach to language learning and training that is best suited to the aviation environment and to the ICAO language proficiency requirements. 

Content-based language learning involves material and activities that are relevant to the aduience and that engage learners in tasks such as those they will perform in "the real world".  In an aviation environment, this means engaging students in content and tasks that help them to become more proficient at pilot - controller conversations.  From a content-based language learning perspective, a topic such as "The Four Forces of Flight" might be of interest to beginning flight or ATC students, but will not prepare experienced pilots or controllers, in a focused way, for conversations they will encounter in their work envrionment.  More appropriate for this audience are safety-related topics that hold students' interest and will engage them in tasks that are relevant to their work.

The third article in this newsletter is written by Philip Shawcross, an AES director and President of the International Civil Aviation English Association (ICAEA).  Philip’s article explores the impact of language and communication in aviation. and it highlights the role of communication in aviation safety.   

We welcome your feedback on our articles as well as possible contributions.

Speaking the Same Language - Linda Werfelman

Responding to warnings that some states will miss the 2008 deadline for compliance with English language proficiency requirements for pilots and air traffic controllers, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has approved a resolution to allow more time for learning while pressing authorities to spell out their training and testing plans.

The ICAO resolution, adopted in late September during the 36th session of the ICAO Assembly in Montreal, also calls for establishment of globally harmonized language testing criteria.

Under previously existing requirements, approved in 2003, ICAO formally designated English as the language of international pilot-controller communications and established a March 5, 2008, deadline for completion of initial testing of pilots and controllers to ensure that they complied with English language proficiency requirements. Aeronautical station operators also must comply.

Click this link to read the full article

The Value of Content-based Language Training for the Aviation Industry -  Elizabeth Mathews, Aviation English Services

The shift in the requirements for English training in the aviation industry necessitates a significant investment of time and financial resources, for individuals, airlines, air traffic service providers, training organizations, and national economies. The safety and economic impact of the ICAO language Standards obligate aviation English training providers to provide the most economical, efficient, and effective programs possible.

The ICAO Document 9835: Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements recommends Content-based language training as a way to economize and to maximize the effectiveness of an aviation English program.

A Changed Landscape for Aviation English

While the ICAO Language Standards apply to all languages used for radio - telephony communications, the greatest training challenge falls on the teaching of English. The most significant change in how English must be taught stems from the establishment of clear training targets, described in the ICAO Language Proficiency Rating Scale, for speaking and listening proficiency.

The requirement for speaking and listening proficiency means that aviation English testing must comprise proficiency  tests, and not “pen-and-paper, grammar focused, or indirect tests of knowledge about English.” Rather, Proficiency tests assess a candidate’s ability to use the language, in other words, their communicative competence. Testing for compliance with the ICAO Language Proficiency Standards must include direct tests of speaking and listening proficiency.

This is important because test methods affect training design, a phenomenon called test washback. Test washback refers to the effect a test has on training, or how the test method ‘washes back’ into the training. Typically, perhaps naturally, people want to see a direct correlation between training and testing; we want to learn what we will be tested on. In some fields, the correlation is obvious: in knowledge-based learning —history, mathematics, English literature, ground school for flight training—a direct teach/test correlation may be possible, and may, in fact, be a principle of good curriculum design.

Click this link to read the full article