Simposio Internacional “Desarrollo Humano, Equidad y Justicia Social"

Abstract:

With the consolidation of the destination of Cuba in the international market, the Ministry of Tourism guarantees the process of preparation and training of the human capital that will sustain the quality of the service. Logically, this process contemplates the teaching of a foreign language as globalized as English. Consequently, the role of English teachers in the tourism system is underlined, since they influence the development of the teaching-learning process. However, teaching English for tourism purposes implies overcoming certain challenges, linked not only to the individuality of the student or the context, but also to the teaching-methodological work itself. Then, based on principles raised by Advanced Education -a theory that contributes to professional and human improvement- this paper’s objective is to characterize the professional performance of the teacher of English for tourism purposes in Cuba. Theoretical methods such as historical-logical, systematization, analytical-synthetic and documentary analysis were used to guide the research. As a result, a definition of professional performance of the teacher of English for tourism purposes is proposed, as well as a system of professional competences after assessing the regularities and the theoretical-methodological objectives of this type of teaching in the world and in Cuba. Fundamental concepts were integrated and challenges were highlighted, paving the way for the design of new actions that contribute to the professional and human improvement of these teachers.