Scribd
Upload
207 views6 pages

Syllabus and Its Styles

The document discusses different types of syllabi, including product-oriented syllabi that focus on what learners will know and process-oriented syllabi that focus on how learning outcomes will be achieved. It provides details on various syllabus types such as structural, situational, topical, functional, notional, skills-based, task-based, and content-based. Product-oriented syllabi include grammatical, situational, and notional-functional, while process-oriented syllabi include task-based, skills-based, and content-based. The document also discusses criticisms of different syllabus types and how newer approaches addressed shortcomings of previous approaches.

Uploaded by

Zainab Nawaz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
207 views6 pages

Syllabus and Its Styles

The document discusses different types of syllabi, including product-oriented syllabi that focus on what learners will know and process-oriented syllabi that focus on how learning outcomes will be achieved. It provides details on various syllabus types such as structural, situational, topical, functional, notional, skills-based, task-based, and content-based. Product-oriented syllabi include grammatical, situational, and notional-functional, while process-oriented syllabi include task-based, skills-based, and content-based. The document also discusses criticisms of different syllabus types and how newer approaches addressed shortcomings of previous approaches.

Uploaded by

Zainab Nawaz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Syllabus and its styles

Syllabus Definition
In Wilkins' (1981) words, syllabuses are
"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.
According to Breen (1984) a syllabus can also be seen as
"a plan of what is to be achieved through our teaching and our students' learning”
Pienemann (1985) sees the syllabus as
“the selection and grading of linguistic teaching objectives”
Breen (1984) define it,
“is a plan of what is to be achieved through our teaching and our students’
learning”.
A syllabus has been compared to a blueprint. It is a plan which the teacher converts into a reality
of classroom interaction. Richard and Platt (1992) state that syllabus refers to the principles of
choosing and orchestrating the textbook content. They explain that by identifying the type of
syllabus used, it is possible to understand the focus and contents of a course and whether the
course will be structural, situational, notional…. Etc Hutchinson and Waters (1987) define
syllabus as follows: "At its simplest level a syllabus can be described as a statement of what is to
be learnt. It reflects language and linguistic performance."
Purpose of Syllabus
According to Kearsley and Lynch (1996):

The single most important instrument of structure in a course is the SYLLABUS, which
outlines the goals and objectives of a course, prerequisites, the grading/evaluation
scheme, materials to be used (textbooks, software), topics to be covered, a schedule, and
a bibliography. Each of these components defines the nature of the learning experience.
Goals and objectives identify the expected outcomes and scope of the course as
determined by the instructor or course designer, restricting the domain of knowledge for
the learner. Topics to be covered specify the content that the instructor feels is important.
The schedule provides a timetable for learning, usually with milestones in the form of
due dates or tests..
So,a good syllabus should,

● Tell them how you are going to teach the material to them and why;
● Provide all the logistical information they need to engage you and the course materials
easily;
● Explain to them exactly what is required of them, when and why; and
● Lay out for them the key elements of the social contract that you and they are entering
into.

Types of Syllabus

Syllabi can be divided into two different types: Product-Oriented Syllabus and Process Oriented
Syllabus. ( Long & Robinson, 1998).

● Product oriented syllabi focus on what learners will know as a result of instruction and
they typically list a selection of graded items to be 'learnt' by the learners.
● However, the focus in Process-Oriented Syllabi is on the pedagogic processes of how
outcomes of teaching and learning can be achieved. Brown (1995) lists seven basic
syllabus types: “structural, situational, topical, functional, notional, skills-based and
task-based and these can be linked to specific teaching approaches and methods.”

Product based Vs. Process based Syllabuses


Product-oriented syllabus.
The grammatical, situational and notional-functional are the examples of product-oriented
syllabus.
1. Grammatical: According to Yalden (1987:19), this syllabus type "generally consisted
of two components: a list of linguistic structures (the 'grammar' to be taught) and a
list of words (the lexicon to be taught)".This type of syllabus is designed when the
purpose is to teach the systematic development of grammatical structures. Many teaching
methods were derived from this type of syllabus. Examples of these methods are the
Audio lingual Method, Situational Language Teaching as well Grammar-Translation (cf
Richards & Rodgers)
Criticism

This type of syllabus reflects a synthetic approach to language teaching and learning. However,
in the synthetic approach to syllabus, meaning (other than lexical meaning) didn't play a very
important role in language. This shortcoming paved the way for a new approach to syllabus
design- the analytic approach.

2. Situational: The situational syllabus is closely related to the topical syllabus. According
to Yalden (1987:35),

The situational model will comprise units indicating specific situations, such as 'At
the Post Office', 'Buying an Airline Ticket', or 'The Job Interview'. The topical or
thematic syllabus is similar, but generally employs the procedure of grouping
modules or lessons around a topic, something like barnacles clinging to the hull of a
ship.

In this approach, the use of dialogues is very common as these form the basis of communication
within a specific situation. One advantage of the situational approach is that motivation will be
heightened, since it is learn-centered rather than subject-centered.

Criticism

While the aim of the Situational Syllabus is communicative competence, the nature of its
contents will not necessarily lead to total communicative competence. This shortcoming led to
the development of the Functional-Notional syllabus.

3. Notional–Functional: A notional-functional syllabus is a practical way of organizing


language-learning syllabus, rather than an approach or method to teach and instructions
are organized in terms of notions and functions. According to Finocchiaro and Brumfit
(1983:15), the term

"function'' refers to the communicative purpose of the speaker. These functions can
be personal, interpersonal, directive, referential or imaginative. They state that
specific notions can be defined as the words following the functional expression.
Notions are thus meaning elements which may be expressed through nouns,
pronouns, verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, adjectives, or adverbs.

An important point regarding notional-functional syllabus is that the needs of the students have
to be analyzed and explored by different types of interaction and communication.

Process-Oriented Syllabus: Process-oriented syllabus focuses on the pedagogical processes


leading to the language outcomes. The task-based, skill-based and content-based types of
syllabus are included in it.

1. Task-Based Syllabus: This syllabus is designed when the purpose is to complete some
complex and meaningful tasks. According to Skehan (1998:268),

a task is an activity that should adhere to the following criteria:

I. Meaning is primary.
II. There is a goal which needs to be worked towards.
III. The activity is outcome-:evaluated.
IV. There is a real-world relationship.

The task-based syllabus can also be divided into two categories, determined by the person or
people who choose the task. In a procedural task-based syllabus, the teacher or syllabus
designers is the decision-maker. A process task-based syllabus is referred toWhen, however,
the students choose the tasks as well as the way in which they approach these tasks.

Criticism

The drawback of task -based syllabus seems to be the same as that of the situational syllabi,
namely that "processing language to extract meaning does not guarantee automatic sensitivity to
form"

2. Skill-Based Syllabus: The purpose of this syllabus is to teach some specific


skills that are considered necessary or useful in using a language. Skill-based syllabus
focuses on skills and gradual development of skills gives learners confidence. This
syllabus must be designed and implemented keeping in mind the learners’ cognitive
levels. Skill-based syllabus groups linguistic competencies (pronunciation, grammar,
vocabulary and discourse) together into generalized types of behavior.

3. Content-Based Syllabus: This syllabus is designed when the purpose is to teach


some content or information in a language that students are also learning. The students are
simultaneously the language students and the students of whatever content is being taught. In this
type of syllabus, the language is enhanced through different contents and/or in the context of
various types of information. Although the subject matter is of primary and vital importance,
language learning occurs concurrently with content learning.

You might also like