ESL Curriculum Design and Administration

NAU Summer Session I (1996)

ENG 578 ESL Curriculum Design and Administration
Time: Mon thru Fri 1-2:45pm; Place: LA 226
Instructor: Eniko Csomay
Office: LA 150; Tel: 523-9237
Office hours: Tues 3-4:45; Wed 3-4 or by appointment

Course description

The main goal of English 578 is to provide means for professional development in two main areas:
a) ESL/EFL curriculum and syllabus design including materials development
b) language program administration.
The course will provide a survey and analysis of ESL/EFL curriculum and syllabus design; you will explore theoretical and practical issues related to both areas as well as aspects of administration. The course will facilitate the creation of a curriculum based on your own interests and needs.

Course materials

Books (letter indicates reference in syllabus)

Brown, J. D. (1995). The elements of language curriculum. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.(B)

Krahnke, K. (1987). Approaches to syllabus design for foreign language teaching. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Regents Prentice Hall. (K)

Additional reading materials on reserve in Cline Library (letter indicates reference in syllabus)

Budd, R., & Wright, T. (1992). Putting a process syllabus into practice. In Nunan, D. (Ed.), Collaborative Language Learning and Teaching (pp. 208-229). New York: Cambridge University Press. (BW92)

Graves, K. (Ed.). (1996). Teachers as course developers. New York: Cambridge University Press. (G)

Nunan, D. (1989). Hidden agendas: The role of the learner in programme implementation. In R. K. Johnson (Ed.), The second language curriculum (pp. 176-186). New York: Cambridge University Press. (N89)

Nunan, D. (1991). Communicative Tasks and the Language Curriculum. TESOL Quarterly, 25 (2), 279-295. (N91)

Prahbu, N. S. (1990). There is no best method - Why? TESOL Quarterly, 24 (2), 161-176. (P90)

Stoller, F., & Grabe, W. (in press). A six-T's approach to content-based instruction. In D. Brinton., & Snow, A. (Eds.), The language within: Readings on content-based instruction. New York: Longman. (SG)

Course requirements and evaluation

Graduate level performance is expected from all students. At the graduate level, it is assumed that students take responsibility for their learning, i.e., do all the assigned work in a quality manner, attend regularly, pay careful attention to any change in the syllabus we might agree upon. All out-of-class assignments should be type-written, unless otherwise stated. Late work will not be accepted.

Evaluation will be based on completing the following coursework and assignments:

Project (45 points): Students will complete a multiple-step curriculum project. Due in stages. The aim of the project is twofold. On the one hand, it is designed to help you synthesize your knowledge of the theoretical background to curriculum design. On the other hand, it provides means for you to monitor your understanding of the material via putting it into practice. (Completed project due 1 July)

Journal (8 points; 2 points each entry): Every week (except for the last) you will turn in a journal of 1-2 typed pages in which you reflect on your learning. In the journal you may reflect on the course content, assignments and activities or you may pose and explore questions. Other issues connected to the course are welcome, such as, your reactions to group discussions, et cetera. (due 7, 14, 20, 27 June)

Book review (10 points): One book will be reviewed. You can choose to review a book from one of the categories listed below. It is recommended that you review a book that you need to consult for your project.
a) Professional development
b) Teacher resource book
c) Course book of your choice (due 28 June)

Short assignments (2 points): A series of short assignments will be given related to the reading materials (due as assigned).

Quizzes (15 points; 5 points each): The dates for the three quizzes are: 10, 17, 24 June.

Final examination (15 points)

Participation (5 points)

Timetable

Curriculum project
parts are adapted from Stoller, F. (1995). Multi-step curriculum/syllabus/materials project

Aim of the project
The aim of the project is twofold. On the one hand, it is designed to help you synthesize your knowledge of the theoretical background to curriculum design. On the other hand, it provides means for you to monitor your understanding of the material via putting it into practice.

There are two possible ways you can approach the assignments involved in the multi-step project. Version A will ask you to reflect in a critical way on a context you have already been involved in whereas Version B will ask you to adapt to a hypothetical instructional situation.

Background

Version A
Think about a language course you have been involved in already in one way or another. You could have either taught in this context or could have been a student in that particular context. All assignments will be related to this particular context you have in mind. You will reflect on various aspects of this context, providing a critical analysis of the situation based on the specified aspects. You will suggest some curricular changes in this program, giving reasons for the changes and laying out a plan for implementation.

Version B
Identify a hypothetical instructional context. Think of other parts of the context and make decisions about the type of curriculum you would design for this hypothetical context.

Below are the stages of the project with clearly stated deadlines for each stage. After they are returned to you, it is believed that you will respond to the feedback given (by me and/or your peers) in the form of revising each stage so that you can hand in the final version of your project as a well thought out, presentable piece of work.

Step 1 Situational Analysis

Version A
Describe the teaching/learning situation you have been involved in and would like to focus on in this project. Identify the characteristics of a) the learners (their age, number, linguistic level, language needs, etc.), b) the educational setting including information about the teachers (qualifications, skills, numbers) and the program (brief history of the program and associated institutions), and c) the lessons (number of lessons per week, length of individual lessons). In other words, create a setting, give a sight to your project. See aspects further in Brown (1995) Ch 1. (due 7 June)

Version B
Describe the instructional situation you would like to focus on in this project. Identify the characteristics of a) the learners (their age, number, linguistic level, language needs, etc.), b) the educational setting including information about the teachers (qualifications, skills, numbers) and the program (brief history of the program and associated institutions), and c) the lessons (number of lessons per week, length of individual lessons). In other words, create a setting, give a sight to your project. See aspects further in Brown (1995) Ch 1. (due 7 June)

Step 2 Rationale for a Syllabus

Version A
Describe briefly the rationale behind the syllabus you have been using/you were taught. Examine this syllabus with a critical eye and, by means of outlining a rationale, argue for making suggestions for change. If you choose to follow a more eclectic syllabus type, referring to Prahbu 1990, indicate the most valuable features that attracted you in making this decision in each approach that you would incorporate in your own syllabus. In other words, provide an overall curriculum description for the situation described in Step 1, by a) describing the organization of the curriculum and b) discussing the approach(es) to be followed including your rationale for the steps taken. (due 13 June)

Version B
Outline the rationale for the type of syllabus most appropriate to the setting. If you choose to follow a more eclectic syllabus type, referring to Prahbu 1990, indicate the most valuable features that attracted you in making this decision in each approach that you would incorporate in your own syllabus. In other words, provide an overall curriculum description for the situation described in Step 1, by a) describing the organization of the curriculum and b) discussing the approach(es) to be followed including your rationale for the steps taken. (due 13 June)

Step 3 Needs analysis

Version A/B
Hypothesize, to the extent possible, learners needs and hidden agendas (Nunan 1989). Based on the description given in Brown Ch2, decide on the philosophy you would like to adopt. Then, according to your philosophy, identify the type of information you would like to gather. Giving reasons, decide on the most favorable procedures available to your needs analysis. Finally, create two needs assessment tools that you could use for your class. (due 17 June)

Step 4 Defining goals and objectives

Version A/B
Considering the information collected so far and the guidelines laid out in Brown Ch3, identify curriculum goals and instructional objectives for the program/course. Clearly state the overall goals and objectives of the program/course. (due 19 June)

Step 5 Placement Test

Version A/B
List five issues you would consider when designing a placement test for your instructional setting. Provide a rationale for the selections. (due 21 June)