Syllabuses in ELT
Syllabi are not totally distinct from
each other. All actual language teaching syllabuses are integrated product of
two or more of the types of syllabi presented here. In other words, although
different language teaching syllabuses are introduced here as though each can
be employed on its own, in practice, these syllabuses rarely occur
independently of each other. For a particular course, one type of syllabus
usually dominates, while other types of content might be integrated with it.
For instance, there is minimal distinction between the skill-based and
task-based syllabuses. In fact, the way in which the instructional content is
employed in the real teaching procedure is the determining element in choosing
a syllabus. The characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of individual
syllabuses are investigated in a nutshell as follows.
A procedural syllabus
The procedural syllabus was proposed by Prabhu (1980). Prabhu’s 'Bangalore
Project' was based on the premise that structure can be best learned when
attention is concentrated on meaning. The focus shifts
from the linguistic aspect to the pedagogical one focusing on learning or the
learner. The tasks and activities are designed and planned in advance but not
the linguistic content. In this syllabus tasks are graded conceptually and grouped by similarity. Within such a
framework the selection, ordering and grading of content is not so much
considerable for the syllabus designer. Arranging the course around tasks such
as information- and opinion-gap activities helps the learner perceive the language
subconsciously while consciously focusing on solving the meaning behind the
tasks.
A process syllabus
The actual syllabus is designed as the teaching and learning
proceeds. This type of syllabus was supported by Breen (1984a:1984b) whereby a
framework can be provided within which either a pre-designed content syllabus
can be publicly analyzed and evaluated by the classroom group, or a developing
content syllabus can be designed in an on-going way. It supports a frame for
decisions and alternative procedures, activities and tasks for the classroom
group. It explicitly attends to teaching and learning and particularly the
possible interrelationships between subject matter, learning and the potential
contributions of a classroom.
by Mohammad Mohseni Far, M.A., Shahid Chamran University,
Iran.
"A notional/functional syllabus." The content of the
language teaching is a collection of the functions that are performed
when language is used, or of the notions that language is used to express.
Examples of functions include: informing, agreeing, apologizing, requesting;
examples of notions include size, age, color, comparison, time, and so on.
"A
situational syllabus." The content of language teaching is a collection of real or imaginary situations in
which language occurs or is used. A situation usually involves several
participants who are engaged in some activity in a specific setting. The
language occurring in the situation involves a number of functions, combined
into a plausible segment of discourse. The primary purpose of a situational
language teaching syllabus is to teach the language that occurs in the
situations. Examples of situations include: seeing the dentist, complaining to
the landlord, buying a book at the book store, meeting a new student, and so
on.
"A
skill-based syllabus." The content of the language teaching is a collection of specific abilities that may play a
part in using language. Skills are things that people must be able to do to be
competent in a language, relatively independently of the situation or setting
in which the language use can occur. While situational syllabi group functions
together into specific settings of language use, skill-based syllabi group
linguistic competencies (pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and discourse)
together into generalized types of behavior, such as listening to spoken language for the main idea,
writing well-formed paragraphs, giving effective oral presentations, and so on.
The primary purpose of skill-based instruction is to learn the specific language
skill. A possible secondary purpose is to develop more general competence in
the language, learning only incidentally any information that
may be available while applying the language skills.
"A
task-based syllabus." The content of the teaching is a series of complex
and purposeful tasks that the students want or need to perform with the
language they are learning. The
tasks are defined as activities with a purpose other than language learning, but, as in a content-based
syllabus, the performance of the tasks is approached in a way that
is intended to develop second language ability. Language learning is subordinate to task performance,
and language teaching occurs only as the need arises during the performance of a given task. Tasks integrate language
(and other) skills in specific settings of language use. Task-based teaching
differs from situation-based teaching in that while situational teaching has
the goal of teaching the specific language content that occurs in the situation
(a predefined product), task-based teaching has the goal of teaching students
to draw on resources to complete some piece of work (a process). The students
draw on a variety of language forms, functions, and skills, often in an individual and unpredictable way, in completing
the tasks. Tasks that can be used for language learning are, generally, tasks that the
learners actually have to perform in any case. Examples include: applying for a
job, talking with a social worker, getting housing information over the
telephone, and so on.
"A content-based-syllabus." The primary purpose of instruction is to teach some content or
information using the language that the students are also learning. The students are
simultaneously language students and students of whatever content is being
taught. The subject matter is primary, and language learning occurs incidentally to the content learning. The content teaching is not
organized around the language teaching, but vice-versa. Content-based language
teaching is concerned with information, while task-based language teaching is
concerned with communicative and cognitive processes. An example of content-based
language teaching is a science class taught in the language the students need
or want to learn, possibly with linguistic adjustment to make the science more
comprehensible.
In
general, the six types of syllabi or instructional content are presented
beginning with the one based most on structure, and ending with the one based
most on language use. Language is a relationship between form and meaning, and
most instruction emphasizes one or the other side of
this relationship.
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-928/design.htm
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