An Overview of Syllabuses in English Language Teaching

By: Mohammad Mohseni Far, M.A., Shahid ChamranUniversity, Iran

Presented by Angela Britton

What is a syllabus?

According to Wilkins’ (1981) it is defined as “specifications of the content of language teaching which have been submitted to some degree of structuring or ordering with the aim of making teaching and learning a more effective process”

In the simplest terms…. “a statement of what is to be learnt” (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987,80)

Syllabuses in ELT

A Procedural SyllabusProposed by Prabhu 1980

Focuses on learning or the learner

Tasks/activities designed ahead of time, but not the linguistic subject matter

Learner perceives the language content subconsciously while focusing on the meaning behind the task.

A Cultural SyllabusIntroduced by Stern 1992

Many different viewpoints on culture and how to study culture

Stern (1992) believes the aims for teaching culture should be:

• research based• Native to the learner• background knowledge of the

culture studying• Affective goals; interest, intellectual

curiosity, empathy • Similarities and differences between

the studied culture• Emphasis on understanding the

implications on society and language use.

A Situational SyllabusLanguage is in relational to the situational context

Designer predicts the situations that learners will encounter

Collection of real or imaginary scenarios

Situational needs are prioritized over grammatical units

Liar of situations reflective of how language and behavior are used in everyday situations

Learner centered verses subject centered, which heightens motivation

A Skill Based SyllabusSkills that people must be able to do competently in a language

Consists of a collection of skills that could potentially play a part in using language

Main objective is to learn the language skill

Develop competence in the langauage

A Structured or Formal Syllabus“Traditional” syllabus

Focus on outcomes or product

Structual patterns as the basic units of learning and organizes as such

Learner expected to master each step

Highly controlled, structured and sequenced pattern practice drills

A Multi-Dimentional SyllabusIdea is that this is flexible to change the central point of teaching material as the course progresses

Less rigid design, flexibilty and responds to learner’s needs

A Task Based SyllabusUsing tasks and activities to promote learning and make use of communication to fulfill a need

Interaction and practice that perfects language skills

Meaningful tasks that are multifaceted and focused to enhance learning

A Process SyllabusSupported by Breen (1984)

Designed as learning and teaching progress

Takes into account the interrelationships between content, learning and the contributions of the classroom

A Learner-Led SyllabusBreen and Candlin (1984) proposed focusing on how learners learn.

Emphasis on learner and their interest and motivation while developing the skill

Some feel this is far reaching, complicated to follow, lack course book and puts the responsibility on the student

A Proportional SyllabusGoal to provide an overall competence

Appropriate and applicable for learners who need exposure to the target language

Incorporates a variety of elements; form and interaction

Indicates what will be taught moreso than what will be learned

Dynamic and has plenty of opportunity for feedback and flexibility

A Content-Based SyllabusCritical goal is to teach specific information and content using the language that is being learned

Language and content learning are occurring simultaneously

A Notional/Functional SyllabusEmphasis is on the communicative purpose and conceptual meaning of language; notions and functions

Proposes a list consisting of notions and functions that are the main focus

A Lexical SyllabusAdvocated by Willis (1990)

Based on the most common words and phrases and their meanings in English

Real language and research into natural language instead of other pedagogic grammars

Shifts responsibility for learning onto the learner

Need to consider all the points when choosing a syllabus to be used.

Many times syllabus’ are combined together in order to meet the needs of all parties.

No single syllabus type is appropriate for every learner or situation; many things should be considered

Questions to Consider:Most of us who have been in a collegiate setting, know

that the syllabus is often the framework of what will be taught in the weeks ahead for a given course. I myself find that it is very helpful to have an overview of the expectations and the desired goals and outcomes. My questions to consider are as follows:

1. Given the several syllabus types outlined in this article, do you see a particular type that would be more beneficial than the others for an English Language Learner?

2. Do you feel it is more beneficial to have the course outlined in whole or a more flexible approach that allows for planning in process as you go? Or is it situational?