- Students should first master the basics of the specialty subject before applied language exercises begin.
- Pace the teaching carefully—there is no single right rhythm. Tailor it to each group’s needs and decide when applied exercises can start.
- Role-player participation is crucial to the success of the exercise. For example, people not specialized in the field make good role players because their behaviour is “less in the know” and they have no preset assumptions about procedures. They also most closely resemble the clients the students will meet in professional practice. People not specialized in the field can therefore create more authentic customer-interaction scenarios, but it is important to brief them adequately for each exercise.
- For effective collaboration, it is essential that people not specialized in the field, such as language teachers, are thoroughly oriented and given the chance to familiarise themselves with the other subjects and with real workplace situations. A well-designed exercise benefits both teachers and students.
- In addition to staff, students who possess the necessary or adequate language skills can be involved in training. Give students a chance to play to their strengths: use bilingual or native-speaker students as role players.
- When planning an applied exercise, decide whether the main emphasis is on operational procedures or on language learning.
- Success depends on everyone’s motivation. Experience shows that the more cooperation takes place, the greater the motivation of all parties—teachers and students alike—and the more meaningful the exercise becomes.
- Community spirit, interaction and cooperation are key to success. Effective teamwork and trust in one’s colleagues encourage continuation of the exercises and lower the threshold for asking for help, giving feedback or joining another subject’s exercise. Formal meetings are not always necessary, progress can often be made through informal conversations (for example over a coffee break), which helps the practice evolve.
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