Organizing the CourseANNAS SURDYANTO

Organizing a Course

Determining the organizing principles (themes, genres, tasks) Determining and sequencing the units Organizing unit contents

Organized around topics:

First four weeks of Denise Maksail-fine’s year-long (36 week) syllabus for her Spanish 3 course

Organized around texts:

She called “technical writing products”

Brooke Palmer’s Syllabus for an ESP course for professionals in the Sciences

First four weeks of Toby Brody’s syllabus for eight-week integrated skills course based on the newspaper

Each skill is the focus of the unit

Syllabus design can be defined as selection and organization of instructional content including suggested strategy for presenting content and evaluation ( Brown, 1995)

Hutchinson and Waters (1987:80) define syllabus as follows: “At its simplest level a syllabus can be described as a statement of what is to be learnt. It reflects language and linguistic performance”.

This is a rather traditional interpretation of syllabus focusing on outcomes rather than process. However, a syllabus can also be seen as a "summary of the content to which learners will be exposed" (Yalden.1987).

Structural

Structural syllabus: Grammatical and phonological structures are the organizing principles –sequenced from easy to difficult or frequent to less frequent.

Situational

Situational syllabus: Situations (such as at the school, at a restaurant, at the supermarket etc.) form the organizing principle – sequenced by the likelihood students will encounter them.Ex: At the school At a restaurant Food at the Supermarket

Topical/Thematic Syllabus

Topical syllabus: Topics or themes (such as our body, our house, our family, etc.) form the organizing principle- sequenced by the likelihood that the students will encounter them.Ex: Family Food Hobbies

Functional Syllabus

Functional syllabus: Functions (such as introduction, ask and give information, etc.) are the organizing principle –sequenced by some sense of chronology or usefulness of each functionEx: Expressing preference Apologizing Buying something

Competency-based Syllabus

Competence-based syllabus: Description of essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors required for effective performance or real-world task or activity serve the basis for organization of instructional content (Richards & Rogers, 2001; 144).Ex: Listening: Speaking: Reading: Writing:

Task Based Syllabus

Task or activity based syllabus: Task or activity-based categories (such as drawing maps, following directions or instructions, etc.) serve as the basis for organization – sequenced by some sense of chronology or usefulness of notions. The syllabus purposes to get something doneEx: Planning a trip Designing a brochure

Skill Based Syllabus

Skills syllabus: Skills serve as the basis for organization sequenced by some sense of chronology or usefulness for each skill.Ex: Producing fluent stretches Listening for invitations Using appropriate rhetorical structure Scanning a reading passage for specific information

Group project

Write the goals and objectives of the course. Find an English course book regarding the goals and objectives. It may

be English for elementary school, adults, ESP or reading, writing, listening, and speaking courses.

Copy the table of content and guide for teachers (if any). Mention the type of syllabus and explain the way teacher should teach

by using the book briefly.

Brown, JD.1996. The Elements of Language Curriculum; A Systematic Approach to Program Development. Boston, Mass.: Heinle & Heinle Publishers

Nation, I.S.P. & Macalister, J. 2010. Language Curriculum Design. Oxon: Routledge. Krahnke, Karl.1987. Approaches to Syllabus Design for Foreign Language Teaching.

Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents Hadley, Alice Omaggio.2001. Teaching Language in Context. Boston: Heinle &

Heinle Publishers. Richards & Rogers. 2001. Approaches and methods. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press. Graves, Kathleen. 2000. Designing Language Courses: a Guide for Teachers.

Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.