The Origins of

Language Curriculum Developme

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THE ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE CURRICULUM

DEVELOPMENT

1/ INTRODUCTION - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

2/ VOCABULARY SELECTION

3/ GRAMMAR SELECTION AND GRADATION

4/ ASSUMPTIONS

CONTENTS :

LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

• Is an aspect of a broader field of educational activity known as curriculum development or curriculum studies.

• Curriculum development focuses on determining what knowledge, skills, and values students learn in schools or educational systems can be planned, measured and evaluated.

LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

• It refers to the field of applied linguistics that addresses these issues. It describes the interrelated set of processes that focuses on designing, revising, implementing and evaluating language program.

1. Historical Background

1. Historical Background

SYLLABUS DESIGN

- An aspect of curriculum development- A specification of content of course instructions and lists of what to be taught and tested- Began much earlier than curriculum development

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

- A set of processes:Determine the needs of the learnersDevelop the aims and objectives to address those needsDetermine an appropriate syllabus design Carry out an evaluation of the program- Began in 1960s

A syllabus is a specification of the content of a course of instruction and lists what will be taught and tested.Thus, the syllabus for a speaking course might specify what kinds of oral skills that will be taught and practiced during the course, the functions, topics, or other aspects of conversations that will be taught, and the order in which they will appear in the course.

Syllabus design is the process of developing a syllabus.Curriculum Development is more comprehensive process than syllabus design. It includes the processes that are used to determine the needs of a group of learners, to develop aims or objectives for a program to address those needs, to determine the appropriate syllabus, course structure, teaching methods, and materials, to carry out an evaluation of the language program that result from these processes.

Teaching methods in 19th – 20th century

Grammar Translation Method (1800 - 1900)

Direct Method (1890 - 1930)Structural Method (1930 - 1960) Reading Method (1920 - 1950)Audio-lingual Method (1950 - 1970)Situational Method (1950 - 1970)Communicative Approach (1970 - present)

Teaching methods in 19th – 20th century

Grammar Translation Method (1800 - 1900)The grammar-translation method is a method of teaching foreign languages derived from the classical (sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin. In grammar-translation classes, students learn grammatical rules and then apply those rules by translating sentences between the target language and their native language. Advanced students may be required to translate whole texts word-for-word. The method has two main goals: to enable students to read and translate literature written in the target language, and to further students’ general intellectual development

Teaching methods in 19th – 20th century

Direct Method (1890 - 1930)The direct method of teaching was developed as a response to the Grammar-Translation method. It sought to immerse the learner in the same way as when a first language is learnt. All teaching is done in the target language, grammar is taught inductively, there is a focus on speaking and listening, and only useful ‘everyday' language is taught. The weakness in the Direct Method is its assumption that a second language can be learnt in exactly the same way as a first, when in fact the conditions under which a second language is learnt are very different.

Teaching methods in 19th – 20th century

Direct Method (1890 - 1930)ExampleThe teacher explains new vocabulary using realia, visual aids or demonstrations.

In the classroomAspects of the Direct Method are still evident in many ELT classrooms, such as the emphasis on listening and speaking, the use of the target language for all class instructions, and the use of visuals and realia to illustrate meaning.

Teaching methods in 19th – 20th centuryAudio-lingual Method (1950 - 1970)

The audio-lingual method was developed in the USA around World War II when governments realized that they needed more people who could conduct conversations fluently in a variety of languages, work as interpreters, code-room assistants, and translators. However, since foreign language instruction in that country was heavily focused on reading instruction, no textbooks, other materials or courses existed at the time, so new methods and materials had to be devised. For example, the U.S. Army Specialized Training Program created intensive programs based on the techniques Leonard Bloomfield and other linguists devised for Native American languages, where students interacted intensively with native speakers and a linguist in guided conversations designed to decode its basic grammar and learn the vocabulary. This "informant method" had great success with its small class sizes and motivated learners

Situational Method (1950 - 1970)The oral approach or situational method was developed from the 1930s to the 1960s by British applied linguists such as Harold Palmer and A.S. Hornsby.

It was discovered that languages have a core basic vocabulary of about 2,000 words that occurred frequently in written texts, and it was assumed that mastery of these would greatly aid reading comprehension. Parallel to this was the notion of "grammar control", emphasizing the sentence patterns most-commonly found in spoken conversation.

Communicative Approach (1970 - present)

Communicative language teaching(CLT), also known as the Communicative Approach, emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. Despite a number of criticisms[15] it continues to be popular, particularly in Europe, where constructivist views on language learning and education in general dominate academic discourse. Although the 'Communicative Language Teaching' is not so much a method on its own as it is an approach.

Principles of Structural Method (Palmer, 1922) Initial preparationHabit-formingAccuracyGradationProportionConcretenessInterestOrder of progressionMultiple line of approach

Principles of Structural Method (Palmer, 1922) Initial preparation- orienting the students towards language learning.

Habit- forming- establishing correct habits.

Accuracy- avoiding inaccurate languageGradation- each stage prepares the student for the next

. Proportion- each aspect of language given emphasis.

Principles of Structural Method (Palmer, 1922)

Concreteness- movement from the abstract to concrete.

Interest- arousing student’s interest at all times.

Order of progression- hearing before speaking, and both before writing.

Multiple line approach- many different ways used to teach the language.

Structural Method (Palmer, 1922) The content and syllabus underlying.Determining the vocabulary and grammatical

content of a language course—selection and gradation.

Is it possible to teach the whole of the language? Two aspects of SelectionVocabulary selectionGrammar selection

2. VocabularySelection

2. VocabularySelection

Vocabulary selection :

Why do you need vocabulary selection?

How do you make vocabulary selection?

A. Why do you need vocabulary selection ?

Native speakers

-So MANY-Limited

time

What words should be taught in a second language?

(Richards, 2001, pp. 5)

17,000 words

B. How to make selection vocabulary

Vocabulary Selection

Choose randomly Unreliable result

Ex1: Teaching Cantonese (Li and Richards 1995)

Words occurring in one book 1,141 words 63.4% Words occurring in two books 313 words 17.4% Words occurring in three books 155 words 8.6% Words occurring in four books 114 words 6.3% Words occurring in five books 77 words 4.3%

Football

players generally begin as amateurs and the best players progress to become professional players. Normally they start at the first youth team (any local team) and from there.

David became

the World's number 1 female squash player in January 2006 at the age of 23 to become the first Malaysian and the first Asian woman to be ranked World number 1 in the sport.

Count the

same words in 2 texts

Football

players generally begin as amateurs and the best players progress to become professional players. Normally they start at the first youth team (any local team) and from there.

David became

the World's number 1 female squash player in January 2006 at the age of 23 to become the first Malaysian and the first Asian woman to be ranked World number 1 in the sport.

Choose words in the

highest frequen

cy

In a …… match, the player is ……… by the ……….. if his hand touches the ball in the ………. area .

17 words

80%

20% 4 words

In a soccer match, the player is penalized by the referee if his hand touches the ball in the penalty area .

Vocabulary Selection

MEANING

21 words

SPORTS SCIENCE

MAGAZINE

POETRY

AND SO

ON….

WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT LANGUAGE SAMPLES

FIND OUT COMMON VOCABULARY

The highest Frequen

cy

Wide range of different language samples

The most useful

vocabulary

The needs

of learne

rs

Vocabulary Selection

Other Criteria for Determining Word Lists (Besides Frequency)

Teachability Similarity Availability Coverage Defining Power

(Richards, 2001, pp. 8)

IN AN INTRODUCTORY

LANGUAGE COURSE

1.Teachability

water

dog

To run

To eat

tomato

2. Similarity

Sô – pha sofa

tem

stampBăng Cát sét

Cassette

3. Availabitity Black board

teacher

homework

CLASSROOM

studentschalk

chefwaiter menucustome

rcashier

bill

RESTAURANT

4. Coverage

EMOTION : (happy , sad, angry, boring…)

TASTE : ( sweet, bitter, salt, sour, …)

5. Defining Power

A piece of furniture for one person to sit on, with a back, a seat and four legs ……… .

A long comfortable seat with a back and arms, for two or more people to sit on …………

A long seat for two or more people, usually made of wood ………..

5. Defining Power

A piece of furniture for one person to sit on, with a back, a seat and four legs chair

A long comfortable seat with a back and arms, for two or more people to sit on sofa

A long seat for two or more people, usually made of wood bench

5. Defining Power

A piece of furniture for one person to sit on, with a back, a seat and four legs a chair

A long comfortable seat with a back and arms, for two or more people to sit on sofa

A long seat for two or more people, usually made of wood bench

Other Criteria for Determining Word Lists (Besides Frequency)

Teachability Similarity Availability Coverage Defining Power

(Richards, 2001, pp. 8)

IN AN INTRODUCTORY

LANGUAGE COURSE

Vocabulary selection DEPENDS ON :

The highest frequency Wide range of different topics

Other criteria in an introductory course

The needs of target learners

3. Grammar Selection

and Gradation

3. Grammar Selection

and Gradation

ASKING PERMISSION ?ASKING PERMISSION ?Please let me use …Do you mind if I use…Is it all right to use …Do you mind me using…Would you mind me using…Would you permit me to use…Would you be so kind as to allow me to use …Would it be possible for me to use…Would you be so kind as to allow me to use..

Grammar Selection & Gradation Grammar Selection & Gradation

HOW WE CAN DETERMINE What kinds of sentences structures would be useful to teach?

Teaching methodItems of purposes and

MaterialsAvailable time of teaching

Simplicity & CentralityFrequencyLearnability

Suggested principles for developing grammatical syllabus

Suggested principles for developing grammatical syllabus

Simplicity & Centrality: basic simple and central structure of language.

S + V—She runs.S + V + Complement—He is a teacher.S + V + Adverb—The boy plays outsideS + V + Object + Adverb—I put the book

in the bag.

Suggested principles for developing grammatical syllabus

Frequency: frequency of occurrence in conversational language( not of grammatical items in texts) (McCarthy & Carter, 1995)

Subject and verb ellipsis—Let’s goTails—And you? Reporting verbs—I was telling…

Suggested principles for developing grammatical

syllabusLearnability: order in which

grammatical items are occupied in second language.

Ex5: Interview of ESL (Dulay & Burt, 1973 & 1974)1. Nouns

2. Verbs3. Adjectives4. Verb be5. Possessive pronouns6. Personal pronouns7. Adverse of time8. Requests9. Simple present10. Futures

11. Wh-Qs12. Present continuous13. Directions14. Possessive adjective15. Comparatives16. Offers17. Simple future18. Simple past19. Infinitives/gerunds20. First conditional

IN CASE OF GRAMMAR

SELECTION GRADATION

The approaches to gradation

Linguistic Intrinsic difficulty

Communicative need

Frequency

The approaches to gradation

Linguistic :structures similar to those in native language should be taught first . I love you I am a doctor I want to buy a dress

Intrinsic difficulty: simple structures taught before complex one. He taught me a lesson The lesson (which) he taught me is very valuable I love that girl The girl who I love is the most beautiful one in my

class

The approaches to gradation

Communicative need: despite difficulty, some structures are needed early on in acquisition.

• I went on holiday in Da Lat last summer.• Thank you! I had breakfast.• He failed the exam.

Frequency: occurrence in the target language but if something easy to demonstrate and practice in a classroom context.

• What are you doing?• I am writing.• He is reading.• They are talking to each other.

Gradation approaches

Sequencing of gradation

Linear gradation: introduce one at a time and practiced intensively before moving on

Cyclical /Spiral gradation: Repetition, old to new, items reintroduce throughout course

4. Assumptions underlying early approaches to

Syllabus Design

4. Assumptions underlying early approaches to

Syllabus Design

Assumption underlying early approaches to Syllabus Design

The basic units of language are Vocabulary and Grammar.

Learners everywhere have the same needs.

Language learners’ needs are unique. Process of learning a language is largely

determined by the textbook. The context of teaching is English as a

foreign language

1. The basic units of language are Vocabulary and Grammar

Teaching of English largely through its vocabulary and grammar.

These were seen as the main building blocks of language development.

The focus was on “general” English.

Core vocabulary + grammatical

syllabus

The basic for almost all language

course

2. Learners have the same needs

3. Learner’s needs are identified exclusively in terms

of language needs

Teaching English is to teach English

Not to teach to solve their problem thru

English

4. The process of learning a language is largely determined

by the textbook.Selection

Gradation

Control the content of the

textbook

5. The context of teaching is English as a foreign language.

Students study English as a formal subject but they have no immediate need to use it outside of the classroom

Classroom and textbook provided the primary input to the language learning process.

Goal of syllabus developer was to simplify and rationalize the input as far as possible thru process of selection and gradation.

References Richards, J. C. (2002). The Origins of

Language Curriculum Development. In Richards, J.D. (2002) Curriculum development in language teaching . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (pp. 1-22).

Google Images (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/imghp?hl

Discussion Questions

List 5 words that you believe to be absolutely necessary for an ELL to learn. Why have you chosen these five words?

If you could chose 5 more words what would they be? Why did you leave these words off your first list?