Type of Syllabus Design

 TYPES OF LANGUAGE SYLLABUS

There has been much confusion as to what types of syllabus are possible in language teaching and to how different they are in the level of implementation. Knowing the syllabus types will help us to decide and choose the one(s) that is appropriate with our teaching goals and our situations and conditions. The following are some types of language teaching syllabus that will be distinctively discussed (Lingualinks Library, 1999).

1.      A grammar or structural syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of the forms and structures of the language being taught.

Steps:

a.       We decide on a set of forms and structures that the students have to learn and arrange them in increasing complexity, meaning from simple to complex forms and discourses.

b.      We decide a set of vocabulary to be learned together with forms and structures.

c.       We sequence the vocabulary, considering that concrete nouns and more common forms should be taught.

d.      We fit the vocabulary, forms and the structures together into a set of learning tasks.

Below are language materials that have been developed based on grammar syllabus (taken from SIDE BY SIDE: English through Guided Conversation by Molinsky and Bliss, 1983).

Book 2A

1.      Simple Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

            Pronouns

Subject and Object

Possessive Adjectives

  2. Simple Past Tense (Regular and Irregular verbs)

    Past Continuous Tense

3. Future: Going To

Future: Will

Future Continuous Tense

Possessive Pronouns

4.   Present Perfect Tense

5.                  Present Perfect Tense vs. Present Tense

Present Perfect Tense vs. Past Tense

For, Since

The benefit of a grammar syllabus is that students move from simpler to more complex structures and they may learn the structures more easily. Even though the materials seem to consider grammar-based arrangement, activities in the book enforce students to learn English through guided conversations. The disadvantage of this syllabus is that students are often preoccupied with grammar when they are learning communicative activities, which may block natural communicative process. This syllabus may be more useful in a context in which the students do not have immediately communication needs.

2.      A notional or functional syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of the functions or the notions that are performed when the language is used.

Steps:

a.       We make a list of communication functions of the language that students expect to master.

b.      We make a list of the semantic notions (meanings) based on the culture the speakers of the language.

c.       We group the functions and the notions together into learning tasks.

The example below is a language syllabus that has been developed based on notional syllabus (taken from Impact: English for Social Interaction by Watcyn-Jones, 1980).

Unit 1: Socializing

a.       how to approach the person you are meeting

b.      how to reply

c.       How to introduce yourself

d.      How to respond and reply to an introduction

e.       Etc.

Unit 2: Asking and Answering Questions

a.       How to ask and answer direct questions where a short Yes or No answer is expected

b.      How to ask and answer direct questions where a longer answer than Yes or No is expected

c.       How to ask a direct question when you already think you know what the answer will be

d.      Etc.

3.      Finding the Way

a.       How to ask someone the way

b.      Etc.

The benefit of a notional/functional syllabus is that students learn how to use the target language to express their own ideas, notions and purposes. The disadvantage of this syllabus is that different kinds of structures are often used to express the same functions so that it is difficult to arrange the structure of the target language from simpler to more complex forms. This syllabus may trigger language learners to use the target language to express their own emotions, ideas or purposes.

4.      A situational (topical) syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of imaginary situations where the language is used.

Steps:

a.       We make a list of communications situations that students may face.

b.      We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequence them.

c.       We group the topics, forms and structures and fit them with communication situations.

The teaching units below are language materials that have been developed based on situational syllabus.

Unit 1              At Post Office

Unit 2              At School

Unit 3              At the Airport

Unit 4              At Restaurant

Unit 5              Shopping

Unit 6              At Party

The benefit of a situational syllabus is that students learn how to use the target language in an authentic communication. The advantage of this syllabus is that when unexpectable situations happen in communication language learners are not accustomed to communicate in the language spontaneously. This syllabus is good for language learners who are preparing to go to a country where the language is being learned. This situational teaching has the goal of teaching specific language content that occurs in situation. 

5.      A skill-based syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of specific skills in using the target language. Examples of skills in using the target language may include reading for the main idea, writing good paragraphs, and listening for the main idea.

Steps:

a.       We make a list of language skills that students need to acquire.

b.      We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequences them.

c.       We group the topics, forms and structures and fit them with the language skills.

The language materials below have been developed based on skill-based syllabus (taken from Writing Academic English by Oshima and Hogue, 1983).

Part I: WRITING A PARAGRAPH

1          What is a paragraph?

            Paragraph Structure

                        The three parts of a paragraph

                        Two additional elements

                        Assignment format

                        How to write a title

            The Topic Sentence

                        Position of topic sentences

                        The two parts of a topic sentence

                        Writing topic sentences: two reminders

            The concluding Sentence

            Review: What is a Paragraph?

2                    Unity and Simple Outlining

Simple Paragraph Outlining 

            Simple outlines

            The 'equivalent value" rule

            The "parallel from" rule

Review: Unity and Simple Outlining

3          Etc.

The benefit of a skill-based syllabus is that students can specify their learning to reach their communicative competence, such as using telephone, booking a hotel, and others. The disadvantage of this syllabus is that it is harder to sequence the materials. This syllabus is good for those who want to learn specific language skills, such as the writing skill as the example above.

6.      A task-based syllabus. The content of the language teaching includes a series of purposeful tasks that language learners need to perform; tasks are defined as activities that are needed when using the target language. Examples of a task-based syllabus may include applying for a job, ordering food via the telephone and getting housing information over the telephone. This syllabus is similar to a situational syllabus but it focuses on more general linguistic competence that is less culturally loaded. 

Steps:

a.       We make a list of abilities or tasks that students need to acquire.

b.      We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequences them.

c.       We group the topics, forms and structures and fit them with the tasks.

The following is a list of task-types used in a five-year project that consisted of teaching a small number classes in primary and secondary schools in southern India (Prabhu, 1987: 138).

1                    Diagrams and formations

a.       Naming parts of a diagram with numbers and letters of the alphabet, as instructed.

b.      Placing numbers and letters of the alphabet in relation to one another, as instructed, to arrive at particular formations.

c.       Placing numbers and letters of the alphabet in given crossword formats; constructing/completing such formats, as instructed.

2                     Drawing

a.       Drawing geometrical figures/formations from sets of verbal instructions.

b.      Formulating verbal instructions for drawing/completing such figures.

c.       Comparing given figures to identify similarities and differences.

3                    Clockfaces

a.       Telling the time from a clockface; positioning the hands of a clock to show a given time.

b.      Calculating durations from the movement of a clock's hands; working out intervals between given time.

c.       Stating the time on a twelve hour clock and a twenty-four hour clock; relating times to phases of the day and night.

4                    Etc.

The benefit of a task-based syllabus is that students learn to carry out activities using the target language. Language teaching through task-based syllabus occurs only as the need arises during the performance of a given task. The disadvantage is that students often learn to perform tasks and language learning is less emphasized.   

7.      A content-based syllabus. A content-based syllabus in language teaching is actually not a language syllabus. The primary purpose of instruction is to teach subject matter of the content course or information using the target language. The subject is primary and language learning occurs automatically while language learners are studying the subject. An example of a content-based syllabus is a science class that is taught in the target language.  

Steps:

a.       We make a list of topics from the content (subject).

b.      We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequences them.

c.       We group the forms and structures and fit them with the topics.

The following is a list of topics that have been developed based on a content-based syllabus and is designed to improve the job-specific English of non-native speakers who are working or being trained in the telecommunications industry (Comfort, et al, 1994).

Unit 1              Networks

Unit 2              Transmission

Unit 3              Switching

Unit 4              Computer communications

Unit 5              Radio communications

The benefit of a content-based syllabus is that students feel satisfied with the purpose of learning the target language, namely acquiring information. The feeling of satisfaction will promote their learning. The disadvantage of this syllabus is that the content of instruction is not organized around the language teaching so that there is almost no teaching of the target language even though the students will automatically learn the language. This syllabus is often used in the immersion program, which has been addressed earlier. 

Some syllabus types may be overlapped with the others. To some extent a content- based syllabus is similar to a skill-based syllabus, in a content-based syllabus students are often involved in activities that link the skills. Students might read and take notes, listen and write a summary, or respond orally to things they have read or written (Richards and Rodgers, 2001: 208). Richards and Rodgers suggest that the teacher or course developer has the responsibility to identify relevant grammar and other linguistic focuses to complement the theme of activities in a content-based syllabus. This implies that the teaching materials are arranged a combination of skill-based and grammar syllabus and such a teaching program may also be called an immersion program.