Difficulties in teaching multilevel students in an ESP course

Abstract

This internship report is based on experiences from the classes I observed and taught during my internship at Institute of Science and Technology (IST) with the focus on identifying the difficulties in teaching an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. The course I conducted during my internship was titled ‘English Foundation Course’. The main objective of the course was to enhance students’ efficiency in four skills of their L2 (English) - speaking, writing, reading and listening (both for academic and professional purposes) and prepare them for formal oral presentations or job interviews. My students were of Diploma in Engineering Programme. All of them were from Bangla medium background and of varying levels of English language proficiency. During my internship, I tried to identify the difficulties I faced because of being a multilevel class, different medium of instruction, age differences between students and teachers, optional course, and level of motivation of the students. I also devised strategies to solve and overcome such difficult situations.