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Types of syllabuses

BIT 3073 ELT and the SchoolCurriculum

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Types of syllabuses

Task based syllabus

Process syllabus

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Introduction

Development of task based and process

syllabuses is actually a change of focusrather than a revolution in syllabus

design

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Introduction

Prior to these syllabuses, outcomes ofinstruction were emphasized

In task based and process syllabuses,

pedagogic processes, which are mostlikely to lead to these outcomes, arestressed instead

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Task Based Syllabus

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Task Based Syllabus

Emphasizes on means rather than

product

Language task has become an

important concept (Nunan, 1993)

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Task Based Syllabus

Participation in communication and

communicating for learning are equallyimportant in TBS (Breen, 1987)

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Task Based Syllabus

Does not focus on linguistic items studentswill learn

Does not focus on the communicative skillsthat students are able to do as a result ofinstruction

Does specifythe tasks and activities thatlearners will engage in the class

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Definition of task

An activity or action which is carried out

as the result of processing or

understanding language. ... Tasks may ormay not involve the production of

language. A task usually requires the

teacher to specify what will be regardedas successful completion of the task.

(Richards, Platt and Weber, 1985:289)

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Definition of task

... a piece of classroom work whichinvolves learners in comprehending,manipulating, producing or interacting in

the target language while their attentionis principally focused on meaning ratherthan form. The task should also have a

sense of completeness, being able tostand alone as a communicative act in itsown right.

(Nunan, 1993:59)

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Definition of task

... an activity in which:

i) meaning is primary;

ii) there is some sort of relationship to the

real world;

iii) task completion has some priority; and

iv) the assessment of task performance is in

terms of task outcome.(Skehan, 1996:38)

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Definition of task

An activity which required learners to

arrive at an outcome, from given

information through some process ofthought, and which allowed teachers to

control and regulate the process.

(Prabhu, 1987:24)

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Task Based Syllabus

The term task has therefore become

very broad, and can imply almost anyactivity in any L2 classroom

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Types of tasks

Real-world tasks

tasks that the learner might be required to do inreal life

e.g., a role-play in which students practise a job

interview

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Types of tasks

Pedagogic tasks

tasks that are specially designed to be carried outin the classroom

the interactional processes needed by such tasks

provide useful input to language development

e.g., a task in which two learners have to try to

find the number of differences between two

similar pictures

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Task Based Syllabus

One example of TBS is the Bangalore

Project

N. S. Prabhu the main designer

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The Bangalore Project:

Task types

1.Information-gap activity:

transfer given information from oneperson to another (or from oneform to

another, or from one place to another)

generally needing information to bedecoded or encoded from or into

language

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The Bangalore Project:

Task types

1.Information-gap activity:

each student has some informationthat the other needs to complete the

task

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The Bangalore Project:

Task types

1.Information-gap activity:

examples:

Spot the difference Complete the chart

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2WGZ74d5iE8/TneazN_0U7I/AAAAAAAAAA4/4aUaxtKr_Dw/s1600/table.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spot_the_difference.png

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The Bangalore Project:

Task types

2. Reasoning-gap activity:

get some new information from giveninformation through processes of

inference, deduction, practical

reasoning, or a perception ofrelationships or patterns

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The Bangalore Project:

Task types

3. Opinion-gap activity:

identify and articulate a personalpreference, feeling, or attitude in

response to a given situation

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The Bangalore Project:

Possible shortcoming

No guidance is given on the selection of

problems and tasks, or how these mightrelate to the real-world language needs

of the learners

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Task Based Syllabus

Task selection

Selection and grading of tasks is animportant issue

Task difficulty is the main criterion

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Task Based Syllabus:

Task difficulty

It is generally assumed that difficulty is

the main factor in determining thesequencing of items in a syllabus

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Task Based Syllabus:

Task difficulty

The problem for the TBS designer is thata variety of factors will interact todetermine task difficulty

Some of these factors are dependent onlearner characteristics, e.g., what isdifficult for Learner A may notnecessarily be difficult for Learner B

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Task selection: Some criteria

Relevance to the learner

Time available

Vocabulary used

Assistance given

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Task selection: Some criteria

Complexity

number of steps involved

complexity of instruction cognitive demands

quantity of information

grammatical complexity of the text

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Task Based Syllabus: Problems

Excessive focus on meaning during task

completion may cause learners toneglect accuracy

(Skehan, 1996)

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Task Based Syllabus: Problems

Two important questions need to beaddressed:

1.Does task-work result in actual

acquisition/learning and, if so, does it havean equal effect on receptive and productiveskills?

2.What is the role and nature of instruction inTBSs?

(Sheen, 1994:146)

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Process Syllabus

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Process Syllabus

Puts the learner at the centre of the

learning process, derive partly from a

holistic approach

An extension of Task Based Syllabus

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Process Syllabus

Focuses on the learner's affective,

cognitive, and linguistic needs, his/her

conscious or subconscious strategies, and

his/her own perception of the objectives,

aims, and other aspects of the learning

situation

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Process Syllabus

An important characteristic is that it is an

infrastructure rather than a learning plan,

with the syllabus designer no longer pre-

selecting learning content, but providing

a framework for teacher and learners to

create their own on-going syllabus in theclassroom

(Breen, 1987:166)

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Process Syllabus

This accommodates differing abilities,

learning needs, and perceptions in the

learners, without specifying particular

content, methodology, lexis, structure, or

grammar

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Process Syllabus

The teaching-learning process provides

significant lesson content

Content is planned by consulting the

learners

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Process Syllabus

Some reasons for using Process Syllabus inlanguage learning (Breen, 1987):

1. provides a means of relating content matter and

methodology2. it requires reinterpretation of itself during the

learning process, and is therefore flexible,allowing for emerging changes in needs

3. classroom decision-making is of utmost priority4. decision-making is seen as an authentic

communicative activity in itself

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Process Syllabus:

Some shortcomings

Difficulty in grading and sequencing tasks

(Candlin, 1987)

Language form is not addressed

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Process Syllabus:

Some shortcomings

Unclear how process syllabus fits in with

theory or research in SLA

Pedagogic tasks in process syllabus are

not based on any prior needs

identification (Long and Crookes, 1993)

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References

Breen, M.P. (1987). Contemporary paradigms in syllabus design, part II. Language Teaching,20/3, 158-174.

Candlin, C.N. (1987). Towards task-based learning. In C.N. Candlin & D. Murphy (Eds.).Lancaster Practical Papers in English Language Education. Vol. 7. Language LearningTasks. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 5-22.

Long, M.H. & Crookes, G. (1993). Units of analysis in syllabus design: the case for the task.In G. Crookes & S.M. Gass (Eds.). Tasks in a Pedagogical Context. Cleveland, UK:

Multilingual Matters. 9-44.Nunan, D. (1993). Task-based syllabus design: selecting, grading and sequencing tasks. In In

G. Crookes & S.M. Gass (Eds.). Tasks in a Pedagogical Context. Cleveland, UK:Multilingual Matters. 55-66.

Prabhu, N.S. (1987). Second Language Pedagogy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Richards, J., Platt, J. & Weber, H. (1985). Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics. London:Longman.

Sheen, R. (1994). A critical analysis of the advocacy of the task-based syllabus. TESOLQuarterly, 28/1, 127-151.

Skehan, P. (1996). A framework for the implementation of task based instruction.AppliedLinguistics, 17, 38-62.