Issues in Syllabus Design (original) (raw)

Designing a Language Learning Syllabus

Syllabus design plays an important role in the life of every teacher, however its centrality has become overshadowed by mainstream language teaching. A syllabus helps think systematically and coherently about what and how is being taught. Learning about the principles of syllabus design as well as being informed about the complexity of language teaching helps develop a more critical awareness of what a good syllabus actually is as well as review current practices. Are students being taught what they need to know? Are they being provided with meaningful and relevant pedagogic tasks? Is accuracy being focussed on at the expense of fluency or vice–versa? Is one aspect of language being privileged at the expense of others? These are just some of the questions that most teachers are concerned with. Finding appropriate answers is difficult. This book makes an attempt to give sufficient theoretical background that, combined with our own beliefs and assumptions about language teaching and learning, will help think about these issues systematically and overlay the whole pedagogical process with coherence.

INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL AND CRITICAL APPROACHES TO SYLLABUS DESIGN: A THEORETICAL STUDY Yasin Khoshhal Department of English Language and Literature, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Hamidreza Babaee Department of English Language and Literature, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran ABSTRACT: Chronolo

2017

Chronologically speaking, the view to syllabus design has been changed over the decades of development of the phenomenon of second language learning and teaching, as we go through from language centered methods to learner centered methods and to learning centered methods. An attempt was made in this paper to revisit the concept and the types of syllabus approaches in the realm of second language learning and teaching. Topics analyzed included, the definition of syllabus, the categorization of syllabi types, the introduction of an integrative approach to syllabus design and the presentation of the proposed model to syllabus design. In this paper, I focus on the traditional and critical approaches to syllabus design and introduce an integrative approach and finally I present the proposed model to teachers and syllabus designers to apply in practical contexts.

Rethinking The Languages For Specific Purposes Syllabus In The 21St Century: Topic-Centered Or Skills-Centered

2016

21st century has transformed the labor market<br> landscape in a way of posing new and different demands on<br> university graduates as well as university lecturers, which means that<br> the knowledge and academic skills students acquire in the course of<br> their studies should be applicable and transferable from the higher<br> education context to their future professional careers. Given the<br> context of the Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) classroom, the<br> teachers' objective is not only to teach the language itself, but also to<br> prepare students to use that language as a medium to develop generic<br> skills and competences. These include media and information<br> literacy, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving and analytical<br> skills, effective written and oral communication, as well as<br> collaborative work and social skills, all of which are necessary to<br> make universi...