The Art of Workplace English

The Art of Workplace English is a book whose time has come.
—The Quarterly

By the year 2000, more than 70 percent of the jobs in this country will require no more than a high school degree. But they will also demand a higher level of skill directly applicable to the workplace. The problem is that few teachers are familiar with the genres of workplace literature or with the audience and contexts in which they are used. This book provides a much-needed solution.

The Art of Workplace English blends theory and practice to present a picture of how workplace English can be integrated within a traditional English curriculum to create a lively, challenging, and satisfying experience for both teachers and students. Readers will discover how to teach the literacy skills students need in the workplace and learn more about the relationship between these skills and those of traditional literary and composition studies. Boiarksy looks at the kinds of jobs students will be expected to hold and demonstrates how communication skills are applied in these jobs.

Rather than replacing the present English curriculum, The Art of Workplace English recommends expanding it. According to the author, students should learn to read and write not only short stories, poems, and plays, but also proposals, position papers, and patent applications. They should learn to read, understand, interpret, and evaluate information in an occupational field as well as communicate information about the field. While students must still learn to write persuasively, develop a coherent text, and meet usage and mechanical standards, this book can help you show them how the grammar they're learning, the literature they're reading, and the papers they're writing relate to the real world.

While grounding the discussion in a theoretical framework, The Art of Workplace English is above all a practical resource, providing a wealth of suggestions for classroom activities, lessons, and assignments as well as suggestions for developing a curriculum relevant to the particular needs and resources of a community and industry.