Kurikulum

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CURRICULUM

 

GROUP 7

Jimly Rafi’i Masrul                 (2317052)

Dwi Antika Afwi Sagala                   (2317074)

Alfitri Maulina                        (2317075)

Supporting lecturer

Mrs. Absharini Kardena, M. Pd

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHER TRAINING

ENGLISH EDUCATION SECTION STATE ISLAMIC OF

BUKITTINGGI (IAIN)

2019M/1441H

PREFACE

Praise the author for the presence of the almighty God who has had the opportunity to provide abudant health, and His gifts so that the paper entitled “Course planning and Syllabus Design” can be elaborated well.

This is paper is structured in terms of the task of English Language Teaching Curriculum courses. Upon complimation of this paper, the author realizes that in the preparation of this paper there are still many shortcomings. Therefore, I hope constructive critism and suggestions from various parties for the sake of this issue can be even better. The author also hopes that this paper can be usefull in termsn of science for all of us.

Penulis,6 Oktober 2019

THE COURSE RETIONALE

A starting point in course development is description of the course rationale. This is abrief written description of the reasons for the course and the nature of it. The course rationale seeks to answer the following question :

-          Who is this course for?

-          What is the course about?

-          What kind of teaching and learning will take place in the course?

The course rationale answers these questions by describing the beliefs. Values and goals that underlie the course. It would normally be a two or three paragraph statement that has been developed by those involved in planning and teaching a course and that serves to provide the justification for the type of teaching and learning that will take place in the course. It provides a succinct statement of the course philosophy for anyone who may need such in information, including students, teachers, and potential clients.

Developing a rationale also helps provide focus and direction to some of the deliberations involved in course planning . the rationale thus serves the purposes of :

1.      Guiding the planning of the various components of the course

2.      Emphasizing the kinds of teaching and learning the course should exemplify

3.      Providing a check on the consistency of the various course components in terms of the course values and goals.

The following is an example of a course rationale:

This course is designed for working adults who wish to improve their communication skills in English in order to improve their employment prospect. It teaches the basic communication skills needed to communicate in a variety of different work settings. The course seeks to enable participants to recognize their strength and needs in language learning and to give them the confidence to use English more effectively to echieve their own goals. It also seeks to develop the participents’ skills in independent learning outside of the classroom.

In order to develop a course rationale, the course planners need to give careful consideration to the goals of the course, he kind of teaching and learning they want the course to exemplify , the roles of the teachers and learners in the course, and the beliefs and principles the course will reflect.

DESCRIBING THE ENTRY AND EXIT LEVEL

In order to plan a language course, it is necessary to know the level at which the program will start and the level  learners may be expected to reach at  the end of the course. Language programs and commercial materials typically distinguish between elementary, intermediate , and advanced levels, but these categories are to broad for the kind of detailed planning that program and materials development involves. For these purposes, more detailed descriptions are needed of students’ proficiency levels at the end of it. Information may be available on students’ entry level  from their result on international proficiency test such as TOEFL or IELTS . or specially designed test may be needed to determine the level of students’ language skills. Information from proficiency test will enable the target level of the program to be assessed and may require adjustment of the program’s objectives if they appear to be aimed at too high or too low a level.

An approach that has been widely used in language program planning is to identify different levels of performance or proficiency in the form of band levels or points on a proficiency scale. These describe what a student is able to do at different stage in a language program.

CHOSING COURSE CONTENT

The question of the course content is probably the most basic issue in course design. Given that a course has to be developed to address a specific set of needs and to cover a given set of objectives, what will the content of the course look like? Decision about course content reflect the planners assumptions about the nature of language, language use, and language learning, what the most essential elements or units of language are, and how these can be organized as an efficient basis for second language learning. For example, a writing course could potentially be planned around any of the following types of content:

-          Grammar ( using the present tense in description )

-          Function ( describing likes and dislikes )

-          Top[ics ( writing about world issues )

-          Skills ( developing topic sentences)

-          Processes ( using prewriting strategies)

-          Texts ( writing a business letter)

Similarly a speaking course  could be organized around:

-          Function ( expressing opinions )

-          Interaction skills ( opening and closing conversations, turn talking )

-          Topics ( current affairs , business topics)

The choice of particular approach to content selection will depend on subject-matter knowledge, the learners’ proficiency levels, current views on second language learning and teaching, conventional wisdom, and convenience, information gathered during needs analysis contributes to the planning of course content , as do additional ideas from the following sources:

-          Available literature on the topic

-          Published materials on the topics

-          Review of similar courses offered elsewhere

-          Review of test or exams in the area

-          Analysis of students’ problems

-          Consultation with teachers familiar with he topic

-          Consultation with specialists in the area

Rough initial ideas are noted down as a basis for further planning and added to through group brainstorming. A list of possible topics, units, skills, and other units of course organization is then generated. One person suggest something that should go into the course, others add their ideas, and these are compared with other sources of information until clearer ideas about the content of the course are agreed on. Throughout this process the statements of aims and objectives themselves are revised and finetuned as the course content is planned. For example, a group of teachers listed the following initial ideas about what they would  include in a course on listening and speaking skills for a group of intermediate-level learners:

-          Asking questions

-          Opening and closing conversations

-          Expressing opinions

-          Dealing with misunderstanding

-          Describing experiences

-          Social talk

-          Telephone skills

-          Situation-specific language , such as at a bank

-          Describing daily routines

-          Recognizing sound contrast

-          Using communication strategies

These topics then have to be carefully reviewed and refined and the following questions asked about them:

-          Are all the suggested tpics necessary?

-          Have any important topics been omitted ?

-          Is there sufficient time to cover them?

-          Has enough emphasis been put on the different aspects of the areas identified?

-          Has sufficient priority been given to the most important areas?

-          Will the areas  covered enable student  to attain the learning outcomes?

Developing initial ideas for course content often takes place simultaneously with syllabus planning , because the content of course will often depend on the type of syllabus  framework that will be used as the basis for the course.

DETERMINING THE SCOPE AND SEQUENCE

Decisions about course content also need to address the distribution of content throughout the course. This is known as planning the scope and sequence of the course . scope is concerned with the breadth and depth of coverage of items in the course, that is, with the following questions:

-          What range of content will be covered?

-          To what extent should each topic be studied?

for example, in relation of the course on listening and speaking skills reffered to in the preceding section, one area of potential content identified was “describing experiences” but how much will be included in relation to this topic? And should two, four, or six class periods be devoted to it? The sequencing of content in the course also needs to be determined. This involves deciding which content is needed earlyin the course and which provides a basis for things that will be learned later. Sequencing may be based on the following criteria :

-          Simple to complex

One of the commonest ways of sequencing materials is by difficulty level. Content presented earlier is thought to be simpler than later items. This is typically seen in relation to grammar  content, but any type of course content can be graded in items of difficulty. For example, in a reading course reading texts may be simplified at the beginning of the course and unsimplified at later levels. Or simple skills such as “literal comprehension” may be required  early on , and more complex skills such as “inferencing” taught at a later stage.

-          Chronology

Content may be sequenced according to the order in which events  occur in the real world. For example, in a writing course the organization might be  based on the sequence writers are assumed to employ when composing : 1) brainstorming; 2) drafting; 3) refising; 4) editing . in a proficiency course , skills might be sequenced according to the sequence in which they are normally acquired: (1) listening (2) speaking (3) reading (4) writing .

-          Need

Content may be sequenced according to when learners are most likely to need it outside of the classroom. For example, the rationale for the sequencing of the content in a social survival curriculum is given as follows:

The topics and cross-topics in the curriculum are sequenced “in order of the importance to students’ lives, ease of contextualization and their relationship to other topics and cross-topic”

-          Prerequesite learning

The sequence of content may reflect what is necessary at one point as a foundation dor the next step in the learning process. For example, a certain set of grammar items may be taught as a prerequisite to reading unsimplified texts at latewr stages of the course.

-          Whole to part or part to whole

In some cases, material at the beginning of a course may focus on the overall structure or organization of a topic before considering the individual component that make it up. Alternatively , the course might focus on practicing the parts before the whole. For example, students might read short stories and eact to them as whole texts before going on  to consider what the elements are that constitute an effective short story . or, students might study how to write paragraph before going on to practice putting paragraph before going on to practice together to make essay.

-          Spiral

This approach involves the recycling of items to ensure that learners have repeated opportunities to learn them.

PLANNING THE COURSE STRUCTURE

The next stage in course development involves mapping the course structure into a form and sequence that provide a suitable basis for teaching. Some of the prelimarly planning involved will have occurred while ideas  for course content were being generated. Two aspects of this process, however, require more detailed planning: selecting a syllabus framework and developing instructional blocks. These issues are closely related and sometimes inseparable but also involve different kinds of decisions.

Selecting  a Syllabus Framework

A syllabus describes the major elements that will be used in planning a language course and provides the basis for its instructional focus and content. The syllabus could be:

1.      Situational: organized around different situations and the oral skills needed in those situations

2.      Topical: organized around different topics and how to talk about them in English

3.      Functional: organized around the functions most commonly needed in speaking

4.      Task-based: organized around different tasks and activities that the learners would carry out in English

In deciding syllabus framework, planners are influenced by the following factors:

1.      Knowledge and beliefs about the subject area: a syllabus reflects ideas and beliefs about the nature of speaking, reading, writing, or listening. Knowledge is the result of interpreting information, we use knowledge to build up sets of rules. But, belief in contrast to knowledge, belief refers to the subjective mental acceptance that a claim is true. Beliefs unlike knowledge need not to be true. Because beliefs are subjective mental states. It is possible to be firmly convinced that a belief is correct when it is not, other times our beliefs are true but we cannot offer evidence for them. Some beliefs are more reasonable than others, and there is a big difference between informed belief and mere belief.

2.      Research and theory: research on language use and learning as well as applied linguistics theory sometimes leads to proposals in favor of particular syllabus types. The lack of a theoretical framework through which to ground research results makes interpretation of the findings and an explanation of why the findings may have occurred difficult. Theories are the basis for the hypotheses to be tested. Without theory there is no foundation allowing hypotheses to be generated or predictions to be made regarding the expected findings. Left without hypotheses, testable relationships or predictions, the research is not likely to have practical results. Research also is the mechanism through which theories are developed, confirmed or rejected. Without the role of theory in research, either as something to be developed or tested, studies will be isolated such that they will not be linked to other research in a substantive manner and will not lead to further research. The relationship between research and theory can be discerned through the definitions of their functions.

3.      Common practice: the language teaching profession has built up considerable practical experience in developing language programs and this often serves as the basis for different syllabus types. common practice is a usual or accepted way of doing things.

4.      Trends: approaches to syllabus design come and go and reflect national or international trends. We can follow to make a syllabus from the other source which is trending.

  Approaches to Syllabus Design

To make a syllabus, the first we have to make the grammatical about approaches to syllabus design. Grammatical (or structural) syllabus: one that is organized around grammatical items. Traditionally, grammatical syllabuses have been used as the basis for planning general courses, particularly for beginning-level learners. It organizes around grammatical items. In developing a grammatical syllabus, the syllabus planners seek to solve the following problems:

1.      To select sufficient patterns to support the amount of teaching time available.

2.      To arrange items into a sequence that facilitates learning.

3.      To identify a productive range of grammatical items that will allow for the development of basic communicative skills.

Criticisms on Grammatical syllabus:

·         They represent only a partial dimension of language proficiency.

·         They do not reflect the acquistion sequences seen in naturalistic SLA (Second Language Acquisition).

·         They focus on the sentence rather than on longer units of discourse.

·         They focus on form rather than meaning.

·         They do not address communicative skills.

Gramnar remains a core component of many language courses. There are several reasons for this:

·         Teaching a language through its grammar represents a familiar approach teaching for many people. In many parts of the world, teachers and students expect to see a grammar strand in a course and react negatively to its aosence.

·         Grammar provides a convenient framework for a course: grammar can readily be linked to other strands of a syllabus, such as functions, topics, or situations.

·         Grammar represents a core component of language proficiency: communicative competence includes the ability to use grammar and therefore deserves a place in the curriculum.

Lexical syllabus is based on vocabulary and lexical units. There are many linguistics issues that can be applied to the lexical syllabus. For example:

·         Vocabulary related to topics. Word formation suffixes, morphemes,).

·         Compound items.

·         Connotations.

·         Dennotations.

The similarity or the relationship between lexis and grammar makes difficult to create lexical syllabus because the designers may be confused in selecting an appropriate topic. The Lexical Syllabus: Sets numerical lexical targets. Includes suggestions to facilitate the transition from receptive knowledge to productive use of target vocabulary. Identifies a target vocabulary to be taught and is arranged according to such levels as:

·         ELEMENTARY (1.000 WORDS)

·          INTERMEDIATE (2.000 WORDS)

·          UPPER INTERMEDIATE (+ 2.000 WORDS)

·         ADVANCED (++ 2.000 WORDS)

Functional Syllabus: one that is organized around communicative functions such as requesting, complaining, suggesting, agreeing. Advantages of Functional syllabus:

·         They reflect a more comprehensive view of language that grammar syllabus and focus on the use of the language.

·         They can readily linked to other types of syllabus content.

·         They provide convenient framework for the design of teaching materials, particularly in the domains of listening and speaking.

Criticisms on functional syllabus:

·         There are no clear criteria for selecting or grading functions.

·         They represent a simplistic view of communicative competence and fail to address the processes of communication.

·         They represent an atomistic approach to language.

·         They often lead to a phrase-book approach to teaching that concentrates on teaching expressions and idioms.

·         Students learning from a functional course may have consider able gaps in their grammatical competence because some important grmmatical structures are not taught.

Situational syllabus: one that is organized around the language needed for different situations such as at the airport or at a hotel. A situation is a setting in which particular communicative acts typically occur. Ex: (1) on an airplane (2) at an immigration counter (3) at a bank (4) on the telephon (5) on the street, etc. Criticisms on situational syllabus:

·         Little is known about the language used in different situations.

·         Language used in specific situations may not transfer to other situations.

·         Situational syllabus often lead to phrase-book approach.

·         Grammar is dealt with incidentally, so a situational syllabus may result in gaps in a students' grammatical knowledge.

Topical Syllabus one that is organized around themes, topics, or other units of content. Advantages of topical syllabus:

·         They facilitate comprehension.

·         Content makes linguistics form more meaningful.

·         Content serves as the best basis for teaching the skills areas.

·         They address students' needs.

·         They motivate learners.

·         They allow for intregation of the four skills.

·         They allow for use of authentic materials

 (Brinton, Snow, and Wesche 1989; Mohan 1986)

Competency-based syllabus:

·         One based on a specification of the competencies learners are expected to master in relation to specific situations and activities. Competencies are a description of the essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for effective performance of particular tasks and activities.

·         Competency-based syllabus are widely used in social survival and work oriented language programs.

Skills syllabus: one that is organized around the different underlying abilities that are involved in using a language for purposes such as reading, writing, listening and speaking. Advantage: focus on performance in relation to specific tasks and therefore provide a practical framework for designing courses and teaching materials. Disadvantages:

·         There is no serious basis for determining skills.

·         They focus on discrete aspects of performance rather than on developing more global and integrated communicatives abilites.

Yalden (1983) gives the following example of a skills syllabus for the teaching of study skills:

Basic reference skills: Understanding and use of

·         Graphic presentation, namely, headings, subheadings

·         Table of contents and index

·         Cross-refencing

·         Card catalog

·         Phonetic transcriptions/diacritics

·         Bibliography

·         Dictionaries

Skimming to obtain

·         The gist of the text

·         A general impression of the text

Scanning to locate specifically required information on

·         A single point

·         More than one point

·         A whole topic

Transcoding information presented in dingrammatic display, involving

·         Completing a diagram/table/graph

·         Constructing one or more diagram/tables/graphs

Note-taking skills

·         Completing note-frames

·         Deletions

·         Use of diagrams

Appendix 6 contains a skill syllabus for listening and speaking from a national curriculum document in an EFL country. Claims made in support of skill-based syllabuses are :

·         They focus on behavior or performance

·         They teach skills that can transfer to many other situations

·         They identify teachable and learnable units

Skill-based syllabuses have the advantage of focusing on performance in relation to specific tasks and therefore provide a practical framework for designing courses and teaching materials.

Skill syllabuses have been cricitized, they are :

·         There is no serious basis for determining skills

·         They focus on discrete aspects of performance rather than on developing more global and integrated communicative abilities

Task-based syllabus is one that is organized around tasks that students will complete in target language. A task based syllabus , is one based on tasks that have been specially designed to facilitate second language learning and one in which tasks or activities are the basic units of syllabus design. While carrying out these tasks, learners are said to receive comprehensible input and modified output, processes believed central to second language acquisition. A text based syllabus is a type of integrated syllabus because it combines elements of different types syllabus.

An integrated syllabus is decisions about a suitable syllabus framework for a course reflect defferent priorities in teaching rather than absolute choices.

DEVELOPING INSTRUCTIONAL BLOCKS

Instructional blocks represent the instructional focus of the course and may be very specific or more general. Planning the organizational structure in a course involves selecting appropriate blocks and deciding on the sequence in which these will appear. In instructional blocks there are two commonly used planning by modules and by units

Modules, this is a self contained and independent learning sequence with its own objectives. Modules allow for flexible organization of a course and can give learners a sense of achievement because objectives are more immediate and specific.

Units, this teaching blocks is normally longer than a single lesson but shorter than a module and is the commonest way of organizing courses and teaching materials. It is normally a group of lesson that is planned around a single instructional focus.

The factors that account for a successful unit include :

·         Length

·         Development

·         Coherence

·         Pacing

·         Outcome

Preparing the scope and sequence plan

Having considered the different processes involved in planning and developing a language program.