Ho Chi Minh City University of Education

COURSE DESCRIPTION
AND
INDIVIDUAL WORKS

DATA ANALYSIS
GROUP 2
 GROUP MEMBERS
Name Student’s ID
Lê Châu Quỳnh Thư 4601701131
Trần Bảo Ngọc 4601701094
Lê Nguyễn Minh Ngọc 4601701092
Y-Huit 4601701043
Ngọ Thị Bích Ngọc 4601701096
Trần Phương Uyên 4401701160
Trần Bảo Ngọc 4601701095
Nguyễn Thị Xuân Mai 4601701073
Nguyễn Quỳnh Bảo Trân 4601701143
COURSE DESCRIPTION_______________________________1
1. A brief definition of curriculum:_____________________________________1
2. The context of the course__________________________________________1
3. The aim and objectives of the course________________________________2
4. Approach to course development___________________________________2
5. The process of designing the course_________________________________3
6. Course Organization (based on Course Planning)_______________________4
7. Teaching and learning methods_____________________________________7
8. Materials and other resources______________________________________7
9. Assessment activities in the course__________________________________7
10. Plans for course evaluation________________________________________8
10.1. The focus of evaluation:_______________________________________8
10.2. Approaches:_________________________________________________8
10.3. Product-focused evaluation:____________________________________8
11. Any difficulties in developing the course_____________________________13

APPENDIX________________________________________14
APPENDIX (1): QUESTIONNAIRE NEEDS ANALYSIS_________________________14
APPENDIX (2): TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRES_______________________________24

INDIVIDUAL WORK_________________________________29
Nguyễn Thị Xuân Mai (46.01.701.073)___________________________________29
Lê Nguyễn Minh Ngọc (46.01.701.092)__________________________________33
Ngọ Thị Bích Ngọc (46.01.701.096)_____________________________________38
Trần Bảo Ngọc (46.01.701.094)________________________________________41
Trần Bảo Ngọc (46.01.701.095)________________________________________45
Lê Châu Quỳnh Thư (46.01.701.131)____________________________________48
Nguyễn Quỳnh Bảo Trân (46.01.701.143)________________________________51
Trần Phương Uyên (44.01.701.160)_____________________________________54
Y-Huit (46.01.701.043)_______________________________________________56
 COURSE DESCRIPTION
1. A brief definition of curriculum:
A curriculum is a standards-based sequence of scheduled experiences in which
students practice and acquire subject and applied learning capacity. Curriculum is the
fundamental guidance for all educators about what is needed for education - learning
because every student has access to meaningful academic experiences. The curriculum
is regarded as the heart and soul of the educational program. Curriculum is a
framework that establishes standards for student learning. It acts as a road map for
instructors, establishing criteria for student success and obligation to educate.
Whatever the school is attempting to educate is the curriculum, which may include
social behaviors as well as information and cognitive abilities. The curriculum
provides a framework for all educational activities. It is the educational program's
integral part. Unless the curriculum is well prepared, it is impossible to make the most
of the students' important years in school.
2. The context of the course
In this task, we play the role of a curriculum designer of a 14-week course for 30
students at Que Minh primary school. The targeted students are learners at grade 5
whose first or dominant language is not English, and they are studying to achieve
level 1 in Vietnam's 6-level language proficiency framework. Based on the needs
analysis, we find out that the learners lack opportunities to practice listening and
speaking skills in and outside the class. Therefore, they are afraid of communication
with the teacher and their friends.
About the teacher, although facing a multitude of teaching challenges, she can resolve
them easily. The key teaching method is to offer a positive and motivated
environment which focuses on learner- centered rather than teacher- centered.
The focus of this course is on communicative competence. The main purpose is to
help students feel comfortable and confident when talking and listening to various
familiar simple topics such as family, friends, school, etc. Therefore, the language
focus of our curriculum is relevant vocabulary, grammar points and pronunciation in
the field of those topics and listening and speaking are two prominent skills.
3. The aims and objectives of the course
At grade 5, our group would like to mention the Themes of the course are about : Me
and my friends , Me and my school, me and my family, me and the world with the
main skills are Speaking and Listening skill. Let's walk through the aims and
objectives of the course:
• Speaking:
AIM: Enables students to communicate simply in English on mentioned topics
OBJECTIVE:
Students will be able to:
- Conversation:
+ Understand and use familiar structures.
+ Create simple conversations based on the basic information.
- Pronunciation (stress, intonation, sounds)
- Grammar: 5 basic tenses
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- Vocabulary
+ Use basic words that meet specific communication.
+ Can pick out new words and repeat.
+ Be able to memorize 400 words belonging to CEFR level A1.
• Listening:
AIM: Enables students to hear and understand simple daily conversations.
OBJECTIVE:
Students will be able to:
+ Hear and recognize the word stress.
+ Identify the main ideas of very simple short stories.
+ Distinguish more important ideas from less important ones.
+ Listen and respond to simple questions about familiar topics.
+ Listen and understand short dialogues, monologues, simple structure, and 45 –
60 words related to the topics.
4. Approach to course development
We design our curriculum based on a skill-based approach and we focus mainly on
Listening and Speaking skills.
We want to meet the demands of the general English from the Educational ministry,
based on some of main purposes, particularly, Listening and Speaking skills.
Firstly, have simple communication in English through four skills: listening, speaking,
reading, and writing…It emphasizes two listening and speaking skills.
Secondly, have basic knowledge of English including phonetics, vocabulary, and
vocabulary, grammar; through English there are understandings to know the country,
people, and culture of a language-speaking country and the rest of the world.
Thirdly, have a positive attitude toward learning English; know how to be proud, love
and respectful.to value the culture and language of the people.
Next, forming effective English learning methods, creating a foundation for learning
foreign languages in the future.
Finally, develop positive attitudes towards English language learning; have pride in
and appreciation of their own culture and language.
5. The process of designing the course
Step 1: Need analysis (questionnaire, teacher’s feedback)
It seems obvious that when planning a language course, the aim is to help students to
use English inside and outside the classroom. For most, but not all, learners, language
learning is not an objective but a means to an end. The goal is to expand skills in
English that will facilitate social survival, work, travel, education, and more.
Therefore, gathering information on the kinds of tasks and purposes the learner will
use English for is a crucial phase in curriculum development. We have conducted a
variety of procedures in a needs analysis survey. We focus on two main types of
questionnaires as the examples below.
The first is the Likert scale:

Strongly Strongly
Neutral Disagree Agree
disagree agree

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1. When the lesson begins, I
must wait quite a long time for
students to quieten down.
2. Students in this class take
care to create a pleasant
learning atmosphere.
3. I lose quite a lot of time
because students interrupt the
lesson.
4. There is a lot of noise in this
classroom.

The second is the Yes/No question

Yes No
1. Do your students need to change the way they study reading skills?
2. Do your students need to change the way they study listening
skills?
3. Do your students need to change the way they study speaking
skills?
4. Do your students need to improve and enhance their vocabulary?

In the questionnaire, we focus on the learning skills as well as the extra-curriculum of

the students. After making a list of questionnaires, we had a guide teacher to notice
some errors and fix the questionnaire more suitable to answer.
Step 2: Need analysis report
After having a needs analysis survey, we had the clue to determine the requirements
for learners and arrange the needs, which is a crucial part to develop the curriculum.
We have some useful information, such as: the context of the course, the goals of the
teachers and learners, teaching methods, examine preferred activities and make
recommendations for possible improvement. Furthermore, we have the report for
language skills and components. According to the results of our need analysis, we see
that Formative Assessment is commonly used by the teacher and her students to
recognize and respond to their learning in order to enhance it during the learning
process.
Step 3: Context and the curriculum:
When designing a curriculum, it is important to have a context for delivering it. In our
project, we use the need analysis and also ask questions to Ms. Hien, the teacher of a
class we make a curriculum for. The context includes two factors, which are the
students and the teacher. In terms of the students, we find out their levels, learning

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 styles, motivations and their goals after finishing a curriculum. About the teacher, we
state her view and belief of teaching. The impact of the context has an influence on
our project. It helps us decide the aim and objectives of the curriculum and regulate
our approach. Moreover, we can choose adequate contents and materials for our
curriculum.
Step 4: Course Aims and Objectives:
The fouth step of creating a course description is about:
Course learning objectives correspond with and contribute to program results for
student in grade 5 at Que Minh elememtary school. They describe the processes
through which the results will be evaluated and achieved through which learning
activities.
The aims of a course should reflect the teacher's intentions. They must:
Firstly,convey the course's aim and what the institution hopes to achieve by offering
it;
Secondly,indicate the intended audience for the course, or the work experience
orfuture study for which it may be planned;
Thirdly,indicate whether the course is broad-based or taught as a series of specialized
options, and explain what this is about. This is the type of statement that could be
included in a statement to promote the course.

Appendix (1): Questionnaire needs analysis

Step 5: Course Planning:
After completing Course aims and objectives, we prepare for assessment and
evaluation planning. We decide to use both formative assessment and summative
assessment to check on the progress and product of students. We want to assess how
our students apply what they are taught in class, and what they can achieve after
finishing the semester. We also use this information to improve the quality of
instruction and determine future curricular directions.
6. Course Organization (based on Course Planning)
The next step for the preparation phase is Organize the course. After having the
direction for the course, we develop objectives, skills with macro type, micro type and
align along with schedule them to possible teaching as well as learning activity ideas.
Macro Type Micro Type
Listening Speaking Grammar Pronunciation Vocabulary
Week 1,2 ● Complete the ● Ask and “What’s your Word stress: address, lane,
Unit 1: What's blanks answer about address?” ‘city tower, like,
your address? ● Recognize the a place/ => It’s … ‘village quiet,
suitable someone’s ‘mountains crowded,
adjectives information “What’s the … ‘tower pretty.
like?”
=> It’s …
Week 3,4 ● Understand ● Ask and “What do you word stress brush teeth, do

4
Unit 2: I the pictures answer do…?” ‘always morning
always get up ● Match with questions => I always/ ‘usually exercise,
early. How suitable about one's usually/ often/ ‘often always,
about you? activities and daily routine sometimes… ‘sometimes usually, often,
characters of and sometimes,
their activities frequency. “How often do once, twice,
you…?” partner,
=> I … every project
day/ once/
twice a week/
month

Week 5,6 ● Identify ● Ask and “Did you...? “ 'party enjoy, join,
Unit 3: Where information answer => Yes, I did/ 'Sunday funfair,chat,
did you go on about friends’ questions No I didn’t. en'joyed cartoon, past
holiday? trips on about where in'vite simple of
holiday. the other “What did you irregular
● Listen and speaker went do at the verbs: had,
match the on holiday. party?” sang, ate, did,
correct => We…….. went
pictures.
● Listen and
repeat new
words.
Week 7 ● Predict, ● Ask and
Review 1 identify, and answer about
(Unit 1,2,3) recognize the the main
specific ideas from
information each unit
characters and 1,2,3 with the
their available
activities. structures.

Week 8,9  Listen and ● Ask and “What did you Two-syllable enjoy, join,
Unit 4: Did repeat the answer do there?” word stress: funfair,
you go to the dialogue questions => I/We…. ‘party hide-and-seek,
party?  Listen to the about what ‘Sunday chat, cartoon,
audio and tick someone did “Did you…?” en’joyed past simple of
Yes/No for => Yes, I did./ in’vite irregular
question No, I didn’t. verbs: did,
patterns: and ate, had, went,
“Were “How was it?” sang
you…?” => It was…

5
  Listen and
circle the “Where were
correct you…?”
answer about => I was…
what someone
did “Were you
at…?”
=> No, I
wasn’t./ Yes, I
was.
Week 10,11 ● Completing ● Pronouncing “Where will word stress will, think,
Unit 5: Where the blank with sounds, you be…?” ‘seaside may, explore,
will you be this correct words, => I think I’ll ‘islands cave, boat,
weekend? phrases, phrases in be … ‘countryside build
recognizing simple sandcastle, on,
the specific sentences. “What will you in, at, by
information ● Asking and do…?”
characters and answering => I think
their questions I’ll…
activities. about where I don’t know. I
someone is, may…
what
someone will
do.
Week 12,13 ● Listen to the ● Practice “How many Sentence revision of
Unit 6: How audio and dialogues. lessons do you stress: days of the
many lessons choose/ tick ● Ask and have today?” “How many week,
do you have the correct answer => I have… ‘lessons do you once/twice a
today? answers. details for ‘have to’day? “ week, three/
● Listen and questions “How often do I ‘have ‘four. four times a
repeat new about school you have…?” week
conversations lessons. => I have it +
frequency
expressions.
Week 14 ● Predict, ● Ask and
Review 2 identify, answer about
(Unit 4,5,6) recognize the the main
specific ideas from
information each unit
characters and 4,5,6 with the
their available
activities. structures.

6
 7. Teaching and learning methods
When teaching speaking skills, teachers can use the Audio lingual method. In the
textbook we have chosen, language is taught through dialogues with useful vocabulary
and common structures of communication. Teachers can use oral drills when students
mimic the teacher or a tape listening carefully to all features of the spoken target
language. It helps students memorize the dialogue, make their own dialogue based on
the given one and practice pronunciation like of native speaker. Moreover,
Communicative language teaching is also used in our course. Students are expected
to interact with other people through pair work, group work, role play or information
gap activities.
When teaching listening skills, Direct method and communicative language
teaching can be applied. The students not only need to see something to create an
association, but they also need to hear something. They need to hear how the language
is used, how it is pronounced, and how to incorporate it into their oral communication.
Therefore, teachers can apply Direct method. Most students still have the low
background knowledge and low intrinsic motivation, so that they are confused in
listening activities and don’t focus and concentrate on the lesson. Thus,
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is chosen to help teachers and students
have more interactions so the learning process may become more meaningful.Teacher
also facilitates students when they do listening activities by giving feedback to
students while listening activities are done.
Teachers can integrate a grammar or vocabulary lesson with the skills. During class
hours, the teacher can reduce his/ her control by assigning speaking or writing tasks to
the learners. Teachers employ various techniques in presenting one language item to
make sure that learners of different styles can actively gain from the lessons. Tasks for
practicing skills also vary through lessons to engage students in the class.
8. Materials and other resources
In the 21st century, teaching materials will have many changes and improvements.
Besides using traditional materials and resources such as the availability of textbooks,
classroom resources, and school resources, we must make use of the availability of
technology: using the internet, models of teaching and learning, PowerPoint,
educational links from the internet, and some educational games and YouTube
channels.
- Availability of the textbooks:
- Availability of technology
- Classroom resources.
- School resources such as DVDS, whiteboards, photocopy machines, library,..
- Access to and use of the Internet.
- Modes of teaching and learning.
- Educational link from the internet, some educational games
- YouTube channels
9. Assessment activities in the course
● Formative assessment:
− Observation, presentation, informal questions

7
− The teacher can walk around while students are working and observe their
participation in given tasks (small talks, listening exercises) to see the level of
student engagement with the content and offer help if necessary. When students
have finished the task, the teacher can ask some students to present their reports to
the whole class. After that, the teacher will ask these students some questions
about their opinions concerning the given topic.
− Students will be evaluated many times in each lesson.
● Summative assessment:
Review 1 and 2: Students take review 1 (covering unit 1,2,3) and review 2 (covering
unit 4,5, 6). The reviews focus on listening and speaking skills.
10. Plans for course evaluation
10.1. The focus of evaluation:
− The curriculum: to determine whether the curriculum design, the syllabus and
program content, and materials of instruction are appropriate.
− The teachers: to find out how effectively they taught and what they thought of the
program.
− The students: to understand what they took away from the program, how they felt
about it, and how they engaged.
− Monitoring of pupil progress: to identify any problems that students encountered
during the program.
10.2. Approaches:
Both quantitative and qualitative approach are considered suitable ones for our
curriculum. As we can see:
Quantitative measurement is the measurement of data that can be put into numbers.
With the focus mentioned above, quantitative is an appropriate alternative that can
support us collect the information, and simultaneously, make it be counted and
presented as frequency, rank, or percentage. Furthermore, the quantitative method
allows us to collect information from a large number of learners on certain topics,
which can then be statistically evaluated to reveal patterns and tendencies. Therefore,
quantitative measurement is a significant approach for doing the statistical evaluation,
analyzing data discrepancies, and determining the success of our program.
Qualitative measurement is generally the measurement of information that depends
on subjective judgment or observation. Qualitative approaches support us to collect
information in natural settings for language use and on authentic tasks rather than in
test situations. Although the information gathered is more difficult to evaluate since it
is open-ended and interpreted, we utilize it to gain a deeper understanding of learning
and teaching experiences, which are essential in many stages of our program
evaluation.
10.3. Product-focused evaluation:
In our curriculum, after considering the focus and approach, questionnaires and
evaluations are our evaluation procedures.
Questionnaires of procedures support teachers in eliciting teachers’ overviews on a
wide range of issues (including some aspects of the curriculum as well as the student's
and teachers' comments about the class). Simultaneously, questionnaires are simple to
8
use and may be used to collect data from a large number of people. Therefore,
questionnaires are one of the essential procedures that are appropriate for the focus of
this curriculum thanks to its wide cover and easy approach.
Student evaluation is a simple procedure for involving numerous learners in
providing feedback on a number of topics (the teacher’s approach, the materials used,
and their relevance to the students’ needs). Likewise, by using this strategy, students
with the greatest exposure to the teacher’s performance that are most affected by the
quality of the curriculum can voice their opinion based on their perceptions and
experiences. As a result, student evaluation, together with the teacher’s questionnaires
mentioned above is the key to fairly assessing the teaching and learning process of this
curriculum.

For teachers:
Procedures applied: Questionnaires
Timeline: The QUESTIONNAIRES occurs at the end of the semester.
TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRES

What does the teacher think about the curriculum design? Rate and tick ✔ the
following on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least and 5 being the most.
1 2 3 4 5
The course was carefully planned and well
structured.
Each class session was well prepared.
Class presentations were clear and organized.
Audiovisual aids were appropriately used.
The workload in this course was just right.
The assignments were appropriate and
interesting.
The learning activities encouraged student
participation.
Other (please specify)

How does the teacher think about the materials? Please tick ✔ the appropriate
response:
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
disagree agree

9
The objectives and
requirements for the course
were clearly stated.
Tests and assignments were
based on material covered in
class.
The lab and/or classroom are
well-equipped.
The textbooks and learning
materials were relevant and
useful.
Other (please specify)

How effective does the teacher conduct in teaching? Please tick ✔ the appropriate
response:
Very Very
Poor Fair Good Excellent
poor good
The teacher's
effectiveness in teaching
the subject matter was:
Clarity of teacher's voice
was:
Explanations by the
teacher was:
Teacher's use of
examples and
illustrations was:
Quality of questions or
problems raised by the
teacher was:
Teacher's enthusiasm
was:
Encouragement giving
students to express
themselves was:

10
 Answers to student
questions were:
Availability of extra help
when needed was:
Other (please specify)

What does the teacher think about students’ progress? Rate and tick ✔ the
following on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least and 5 being the most.
1 2 3 4 5
Students’ ability
Students can communicate in simple conversations.
Students can pronounce sounds and stress the
vocabulary correctly.
Students can use grammar and vocabulary in
communication.
Students can understand simple dialogues.
Students can understand the in-class conversations.
Other (please specify)
Students’ performance
Students often go to school on time.
Students show their respect to classmates, parents,
and teachers
Students complete their homework before school
Students are willing to spend a lot of time doing
challenging exercises
Students are extremely competitive
with each other because of scores, etc...
Students often forget school stationery and
homework
Students follow rules in class and obey the teacher's

11
 introduction
Other (please specify)

Answers the question in detail:

1. What are some of the issues that students face during the course?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Is there anything in the course that you think should be changed?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
For students:
Procedures applied: Questionnaires and Student evaluation
Timeline: The QUESTIONNAIRE occurs in the middle of the semester and the
STUDENT EVALUATION occurs at the end of the semester.
STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRES

Please tick ✔ in the box.

Students’ ability Teacher’s performance

Listening
1. You understand your teacher when 1. Your teacher regularly provides
she/he speaks English. listening exercises.

◻Yes ◻No ◻Yes ◻No

2. You have difficulties when taking the 2. Your teacher shows you how to listen
listening test. effectively.

◻Yes ◻No ◻Yes ◻No

3. It is too difficult for you to understand 3. Your teacher corrects your listening
the dialogues. tests/ exercises.

◻Yes ◻No ◻Yes ◻No

4. There is so much homework. 4. Your teacher creates different situations

◻Yes ◻No
to practice listening.

5. You are interested in listening lessons. ◻Yes ◻No

◻Yes ◻No
5. Your teacher explains the answers after
exams.

◻Yes ◻No

Speaking

12
1. You feel confident when you speak. 1. Your teacher speaks English during

◻Yes ◻No
speaking class.

2. You often use new vocabulary in your ◻Yes ◻No

daily life. 2. Your teacher encourages you to ask

◻Yes ◻No
questions in class.

3. You have difficulties when taking the ◻Yes ◻No

speaking test. 3. Your teacher encourages you to speak

◻Yes ◻No
up in class.

◻Yes ◻No
4. Your teacher regularly gives you
speaking assignments.

◻Yes ◻No
5. Your teacher corrects your grammar
mistakes when you speak.

◻Yes ◻No
6. Your teacher corrects your
pronunciation when you speak.

◻Yes ◻No
7. Your teacher gives you extra materials
and references.

◻Yes ◻No

STUDENT EVALUATION
1. What did you like about this course (teacher, English books, activities, etc)?
Why?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
2. What did you not like about it? Why?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Are there any activities you think we should have spent more/ less time on? Why?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
4. In which area(s) (listening, speaking, writing, reading, vocabulary, grammar) do
you feel that you are good?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………

13
5. In which area(s) (listening, speaking, writing, reading, vocabulary, grammar) do
you feel that you are not good?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Other comments/ suggestions?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………

11. Any difficulties in developing the course

In terms of stage 1 which is a needs analysis, this is the first time we make a survey
and do an analysis report for the first time for the curriculum design. We find some
difficulties in making a questionnaire list at first. It should have a sample for us to
consult because if our group has done it, we can not know exactly whether we are out
of the topic or not. Next, when writing a needs analysis report, we find it
complicated to gather the information as there are a lot of things we must consider.
Besides, there are some challenges in determining the report form and other elements
included. However, we managed to finish the report on time. Then, for making
course aims and objectives, we have to finish the task in a short amount of time,
therefore it is difficult to make the report on time. However, we managed to finish the
report on time. The last step is course planning. This section is new for us and
requires lots of information, therefore we find it difficult to analyze this section.

14
 APPENDIX
APPENDIX (1): QUESTIONNAIRE NEEDS ANALYSIS

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following students' behaviors?

Strongly Strongly
Neutral Disagree Agree
disagree Agree
1. When the lesson begins, I have
to wait quite a long time for 0 1 2 3 4
students to quieten down.
2. Students in this class take care
to create a pleasant learning 0 1 2 3 4
atmosphere.

3. I lose quite a lot of time

because of students interrupting 0 1 2 3 4
the lesson.

4. There is a lot of noise in this

classroom. 0 1 2 3 4

In your teaching, to what extent can you do the following?

Neutra Not To some Quite
A lot
l at all extent a bit
1. Get students to believe they
0 1 2 3 4
can do well in schoolwork.

2. Help my students to value

0 1 2 3 4
learning.

3. Motivate students who show

0 1 2 3 4
low interest in schoolwork.

4. Help students think critically 0 1 2 3 4

5. Control disruptive behavior in

0 1 2 3 4
the classroom.

6. Control disruptive behavior in

0 1 2 3 4
the classroom.

15
How good are your students at the following language skills?
Very bad Bad Normal Good Very good
Reading 1 2 3 4 5
Writing 1 2 3 4 5
Listening 1 2 3 4 5
Speaking 1 2 3 4 5

How good are your students' particular language skills of reading?

Very
Very bad Bad Normal Good
good
1. Understand the
1 2 3 4 5
overview of a reading text
2. Identify subjects
mentioned (thesis 1 2 3 4 5
statement)
3. Identify key words/
1 2 3 4 5
phrases

4. Answer the questions

1 2 3 4 5
required

5. Other (please specify) 1 2 3 4 5

How good are your students' particular language skills of writing?

Very bad Bad Normal Good Very good

1. Understand the topic

1 2 3 4 5
required

2. Usegrammar while
1 2 3 4 5
writing
3. Usevocabulary while
1 2 3 4 5
writing
4. Perform all the
1 2 3 4 5
sentences logically

5. Other (please specify) 1 2 3 4 5

16
How good are your students' particular language skills of listening?

Very bad Bad Normal Good Very good

1. Understand the
1 2 3 4 5
overview of a listning
2. Identify subjects
mentioned (the main 1 2 3 4 5
topic)
3. Identify key words/
1 2 3 4 5
phrases
4. Answer the questions
1 2 3 4 5
required

5. Other (please specify) 1 2 3 4 5

How good are your students' particular language skills of speaking?

Very bad Bad Normal Good Very good

1. Understand the topic

1 2 3 4 5
required

2. Apply learned grammar

1 2 3 4 5
in students’ presentation
3. Usevocabulary while
1 2 3 4 5
speaking
4. Use appropriate
1 2 3 4 5
intonation while speaking
5. Interact with the
1 2 3 4 5
audience
6. Use moderate voice and
1 2 3 4 5
speed
7. Use appropriate body
language in the 1 2 3 4 5
presentation

17
Please circle the appropriate response:
High Moderate Low
1. In your course of teaching, the
proportion of students who have
problems when working in groups 5 4 3 2 1
(understanding their friend’s ideas)

2. In your course of teaching, the

proportion of students lacking self-
confidence when speaking in a group, 5 4 3 2 1
class, or publicity.

3. In your course of teaching, the

proportion of students having ADHD
(attention deficit and hyperactivity 5 4 3 2 1
disorder)

4. In yourcourse of teaching, the

proportion of students having
5 4 3 2 1
self- motivation problems.

5. The number of students who can

attend online classes. 5 4 3 2 1

6. The number of students who have

good learninghabits like posing many
5 4 3 2 1
questions to a teacher.

7. The number of students who have

good learning habits like attending a
5 4 3 2
teacher's introduction. 1

8. The number of students who have

good learning habits like cooperating
5 4 3 2
with each other. 1

9. The number of students who have

good learning habits like problem-
5 4 3 2
solving. 1

10. The number of students who

have good learning habits like critical
5 4 3 2
thinking. 1

18
The number of students who present high performance during class is:
High Moderate Low
1. Speaking 5 4 3 2 1
2. Listening 5 4 3 2 1
3. Reading 5 4 3 2 1
4. Writing 5 4 3 2 1

The potential that primary students present most:

High Moderate Low
1. Intellectual 5 4 3 2 1
2. Creative 5 4 3 2 1
3. Socio-emotional 5 4 3 2 1
4. Physical 5 4 3 2 1

Always Often Sometimes Never N/A

Your students have repeated
the same mistake (in
exercises, tests...) many times 1 2 3 4 5
in one semester although you
correct them and give them
feedback.

High Moderate Low

1. What language skills do
you think are the most
necessary for elementary 5 4 3 2 1
students to participate in
school and community
activities in English?

2. What skills do your

students tend to become 5 4 3 2 1
interested in most?

3. The percentage of your

students who have problems 5 4 3 2 1
with each skill?

19
 High Moderate Low
1. Students often go to school
5 4 3 2 1
on time.
2. Students show their respect
to classmates, parents, and 5 4 3 2 1
teachers
3. Students complete their
homework before school. 5 4 3 2 1
4. Students willing to spend a
lot of time doing challenging 5 4 3 2 1
exercises
5. Students are extremely
competitive with each other 5 4 3 2 1
because of scores, etc...
6. Students often forget school
stationery and homework. 5 4 3 2 1
7. Students follow rules in class
and obey the teacher's 5 4 3 2 1
introduction

If Yes, what percentage is required?

Expected (Please tick  in the column you
choose)
25 50 75 100
1. Do your students need to change the Yes / No
way they study reading skills?
2. Do your students need to change the Yes / No
way they study listening skills?
3. Do your students need to change the Yes / No
way they study speaking skills?
4. Do your students need to improve Yes / No
and enhance their vocabulary?
5. Do your students need to improve Yes / No
and enhance their grammar?
6. Do your students need to improve Yes / No
and enhance their pronunciation?

20
7. In your course of teaching, the Yes / No
proportion of students who have
problems when working in groups
(understanding their friend’s ideas)
8. In your course of teaching, the Yes / No
proportion of students lacking self-
confidence when speaking in a group,
class, or publicity.
9. Do the students make grammar and Yes / No
vocabulary mistakes?
10.Can they quickly change from Yes / No
talking about one topic to the next at
speaking practice time?
11.Do they pronounce words Yes / No
appropriately?
12.Do they use the right inflection for Yes / No
several types of sentences?
13.Are they able to talk about their Yes / No
background information (age, grade,
family, etc.)?
14.Can they answer your questions as Yes / No
you expected?
15.Do you agree that students Yes / No
nowadays know that language
acquisition is cognitive ability?
16.Do you agree that students' Yes / No
language acquisition develops
cognitive development?
17.Do you agree that the cognitive Yes / No
process is important in language

21
learning?
18.Areyour student concerned about Yes / No
“What cognitive skills are in English?”
19.Do you help your students improve Yes / No
their academic English at school and
even at home by media sources?
20.Do you give your students detailed Yes / No
feedback on their test about testing
English academic skills?
21.Do you agree that culture affects Yes / No
the personality of students?
22.Do students preserve their culture Yes / No
by joining many extracurricular
activities at school?
23.Are your students concerned about Yes / No
some social issues recently?
24.Are your students concerned about Yes / No
some political issues recently?
25.Have you ever tried to implement Yes / No
social justice in the classroom?
26.Can you apply justice in your Yes / No
classroom from a teacher's point of
view?

PLEASE TICK  IN THE BOX.

1. What language skills do you think your students need to improve most in
the next semester in primary school?
Listening 
Writing 
Speaking 
Reading 
2. What language skills do you think your students need to improve most in
secondary school?

22
Listening 
Writing 
Speaking 
Reading 

PLEASE TICK IN THE BOX

If Yes, what Percentage is required?
Expected (Please tick  in the column you
choose)
25 50 75 100
Do parents aware of the importance Yes / No
of the educational objectives of the
English subject in formal school
nowadays?
Do parents know about the school's Yes / No
direction to achieve those objectives
at school this semester?
Do parents agree with the Yes / No
educational objectives and the
school's direction to achieve them at
school this semester?

23
Which of the following activities do you and your student do? and how often do you
and your student do that? Please, tick at the box you choose.

Expected Frequency of activities

to do
Yes No Always Usually Often Sometimes Never
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Do you always speak
English when tutoring your
students at school?
Do your students often use
English to answer your
questions?
Do your students often
practice English at home
with family after studying at
school?
Do you think giving grades
on assignments is a good
strategy for getting students
to work productively?
Do your students complete
assignments exactly as the
teacher planned?
Do your students easily
understand your
requirements in class?
Do your students know the
meaning or the topic of the
lessons through given
pictures and videos?

24
 INDIVIDUAL WORK
Nguyễn Thị Xuân Mai (46.01.701.073)

a. Write a 500–800-word essay to reflect on your experience in this class:

Language teaching activities have been viewed from various perspectives. Through
the curriculum development course, we have learned a wide range of knowledge about
this field and the theories of the curriculum. This course provided me with lots of
valuable knowledge and strengthened my skills.
The first part is the introduction to Curriculum Development. Curriculum
development is the process of creating curriculum materials by teachers for the
students to learn curriculum planning. In this part, the teacher lets us read the
materials and then explain the information later. In the second part, we learned about
the origin of Curriculum Development. In this part, Curriculum Development is
introduced beginning in the 1960s. Besides, the approaches to the syllabus design that
emerged in the first part of the 20th century are focused on in this part. The third
chapter is about the current approaches to Curriculum Development. In all the classes
above, we were divided into groups. Each group will discuss a small part of the
lessons to answer the questions from the guiding teacher. Then the teacher will show
us the correct response to the problems and add some necessary details that we should
bear in mind.

The fourth part of the course is Need Analysis. After reading the guidelines of need
analysis carefully, we would work in a group to make a list of questionnaires for our
guided teacher. The aim of making a list of questionnaires is to better understand
students’ needs so that we can start designing the syllabus for them. During this part,
we have a chance to work in a real-life context with the assistance of the guiding
teacher. This opportunity helps us understand more about teachers’ and students’
needs and what we can and should do to improve the curriculum.

When finishing with the Need Analysis guideline, we will examine Chapter 5:
Context and the curriculum. During this class, we will analyze the case study to better
understand the knowledge in group work. After that, we had the chance to present our
group work with the correction from the teachers. At this stage, we have learned the
necessary knowledge that would help us enhance our Need Analysis report. In the
report, we would include some elements, for example, the context of the course
(school, teacher, learner); the goals of the teacher and the learners; teaching methods,
preferred activities; materials; language skills and components, assessment. The guide
teachers will help us correct our mistakes and remind us to focus on important parts.

Chapter 6 of the course is Curriculum aims and objectives. In this lesson, the guiding
teacher informs us about these aspects: Goal setting in backward design, Aims and
objectives, Learning outcomes, Competencies, Standards, and Process outcomes.
After learning this lesson, we can start writing Aims and objectives reports to better

25
understand the purpose of planning a curriculum. The teacher would let us work in a
group for about 2 weeks for this project and send us feedback later.

Now we are moving to Course planning and Chapter 7. In this chapter, we also had to
finish our group work project according to the teacher’s schedule. This lesson helped
us to choose the suitable types of the syllabus so that we can start working on the
Course planning project. About our group, we decided to choose the skill-based
approach that focuses on speaking and listening skills. The guiding teacher gave us a
week to finish our project and we had an in-person meeting to talk about our project:
the good points and some errors that need correction.

In the next lesson, we learned about the Functional syllabus. In this class, we would
watch the presentation from a teacher and list some points with which we are
impressed. This course strengthens our critical thinking as well as our ability to focus
on valuable information.

The following part concentrates on the issue: Curriculum as a process. After learning
the theories, the teacher let us examine the case study to understand what we had
learned.

The final theory in this course we must learn is Curriculum evaluation. The guiding
teacher explains some complicated information as well as shows us examples of these
theories. We must include this theory in our group project.
The last activity of the course was Showcase. During the showcase, we should present
our project (which consists of all the theories that we have learned so far). The
showcase would include these elements: The rationale for designing the curriculum,
the Context of the curriculum, the Aims and objectives of the curriculum, the
Approach for the curriculum, The organization of the course, Learning and teaching
methods, Materials, Course planning assessment, Plans for curriculum evaluation,
Difficulties. After the presentation is done, the guiding teacher will give us feedback
to improve and correct our mistakes.

During the course, we developed group-working skills as well as revealed individual

thoughts. Every opinion should be appreciated whether it is correct or not. Besides, we
could practice our time management skills when dealing with a load of work so that
we can finish the project on time. On top of that, our reading skills have developed
gradually, and our knowledge becomes solid at the end of the course. Besides, all the
knowledge we had learned so far could be applied well in a real-life context with the
support of guide teachers.

b. Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some contextual

factors.
i. Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any factors that
affect the design of your curriculum?
A factor that affects the design of my curriculum is the assessment activities in the
course. During the course, if the teacher just lets the student listen to the tape and
26
repeats it all the time, the lesson will become boring and prevent the autonomous state
of the students. Therefore, the teacher should provide the student with more activities
that let them interact with their classmates to make the lessons more interesting. For
example, the teacher can apply formative assessment activities in the course: The
teacher can observe while the class is working and contribute to their participation in
given tasks (small talks, listening exercises) to see the students’ engagement with the
content and provide help to them if necessary. When students have finished the task,
the teacher can ask students to present their reports to the whole class. After that, the
teacher can ask these students some questions about their opinions concerning the
given topic. Students will be evaluated many times in each lesson.

ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just suggested,
and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the design of your
curriculum?

Most important/influential 1. Learner factors such as proficiency

contextual factors level and educational background.
2. Human resources, including teachers
and administrative/support staff.
3. The educational environment (i.e.,
fits in with other courses going on).
4. Teachers’ experience and preferred
Least important/influential teaching style.
contextual factors 5. Availability of materials.

iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you think
those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and demonstrate with
examples how each factor affects and is reflected in your curriculum.
The reason I ranked “Learner factors such as proficiency level and educational
background” the most important is because the teacher must consider learners’ level
of proficiency so that they can provide the best option that is suitable for the student
learning process. Learner factors also play the most important part because each
student must have responsibility for their study, under the supervision of the teacher.
Depending on the need analysis report that had been carefully examined through the
group work, I produced the Aims and Objectives of the curriculum. This way, I will
know the level of the students so that I can design a curriculum that they receive the
most value. The second important is “Human resources, including teachers and
administrative/support staff”’. It is undeniable that human resources are an important
part when building a curriculum. If a student wants to have a good learning process,
they should have the teacher’s guidance. With the guidance of the teachers, the
students can boost their best potential and achieve a higher level. This element appears
clearly in the context of the curriculum where teachers help students with their
learning or in the teaching methods of the teacher. “The educational environment (i.e.,
fit with other courses going on)’ is also important but less than the student factor and
teacher factor. In this situation, the more comfortable the educational environment is,
the better the student studies. However, it is not so important because the teacher will

27
have to find ways to make students find studying understandable under no
circumstances. Besides, the curriculum is designed close to the guidance of the
government, therefore, it is suitable for the students. The fourth is “Teachers’
experience and preferred teaching style.” Teachers’ experience and teaching style are
important. Therefore, this part is contributed to the approach to the curriculum and
teaching methods. This may require the teacher lots of practice, but if the teacher
carefully prepares the lessons, then the difficulties will be lessened. The least
important is “Availability of materials” because the materials (I list some kinds of
materials above) are optional. The curriculum is enough to help the student with their
studying. However, with more types of materials, the lessons will be more interesting,
and the students will become more enthusiastic during the classes.

28
 Lê Nguyễn Minh Ngọc (46.01.701.092)

a. Write a 500–800-word essay to reflect on your experience in this class:

The curriculum development course will be advantageous to me as a
sophomore at the Ho Chi Minh City of Pedagogy university student especially
in my future profession as an English teacher.
Because of the range of useful knowledge I obtained, my enrollment in this
course was a worthwhile experience. It logically presented the theories of
educational program development during the course, which made great
conditions for me to keep the information. They are displayed in different
forms and activities such as educator introduction, the invited guess, personal
reflection, and group work. Especially, the teacher has introduced to us all the
factors which influence curriculum development such as the socio-economic
status, philosophy of teaching, learners’ expectation, and teachers’ competence.
In each week, the teacher posted the materials in each week channel: Week 1:
Introduction, Week 2: The origin of CD, Week 3: Current approach to CD,
etc…, for students to read in advance before joining the Zoom meeting lecture.
As a result, my group had adequate time to make a decision on the principles
we had studied in order to develop our own course before beginning our work.
The learning environment was also inspiring and flexible, which motivated my
enthusiasm for learning and encouraged my participation. These privileges
gave me a strong incentive to offer it my all during the term.
In addition, through the engagement of group members and the assistance of
professors in TFV_Ms. Le Thi Thu Hien a teacher at Quang Nam Province, we
were able to seize the opportunity to work in a real-world situation, putting our
knowledge into practice. In particular, in the first and second projects, our
group have a valuable chance to learn new knowledge on how to make a
questionnaire “Need Analysis”. Mr. Khanh provided me with the theories and
made me figure out the knowledge in the amphitheater. Then, our group
worked with Ms.Hien for our duty post. She helped our group a lot with
enthusiasm and offered suggestions from her feedback. Our group designed
the curriculum for grades 3,4,5 with the new material from the general English
from the Education Ministry for the class that Ms.Hien is an English teacher.
Our group learned about the cooperation and thought of how to create a survey
for the first time, at first, it was so difficult, but the teacher helped us through
Gmail and Zalo app for clarification.
Definitely, the head coach and also working with the teacher from TFV help
me know and understand how to create the curriculum for this course and later.
With a lot of help from the lecturer and the teacher, our group and also me have
a quite deep understanding of this course for 15 weeks.

29
In addition, group work expedites my learning in this class because in our
group we are straight-forward to help each other develop ideas while
discussing At first, after I studied theories with the head teacher, then I
discussed them with my group, it was confusing for me how can I deploy my
ideas, my group work and did not sure my group work was out of the topic or
not, there is no sample for me to consult. We debate and feedback each other,
we also create a classroom in MS. Team, we can post any materials and start
meeting easily. One important thing, the head coach fully supported us by
sending emails to him for helping and counseling.
Last but not least, I have learned a lot of soft skills through this course. Firstly,
I have learned how to read books that are more effective with the main
teacher’s guidance, especially reading teaching methods books unlike skill
books: reading and writing, speaking and listening. Secondly, I have learned
how to work as a team productively. We have to discuss and opponent ideas
with each other, then we discuss to come up with the best solutions for
effective teamwork. Thirdly, I have learned presentation methods that I must
not look at slides or read all information but I must present from my
understanding in my own words.
Finally, as I prepare to become a teacher in the near future, this training will be
remembered for me. I plan to use a few strategies, approaches, and experiences
from the course in my teaching in order to provide my students with
memorable experiences. Actually, I would really like to express my heartfelt
gratitude to my head teachers_Mr.Khanh, “Please email me if you have any
questions.” He always told to our class like this giving his support with
enthusiasm when I need, the teachers from TFV, the invited guests, and friends
who have always assistant to me with enthusiasm.
b. Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some
contextual factors.
i. Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any
factors that affect the design of your curriculum?
Demand for curriculum/ programmes
Financial support for the curriculum/ programmes
ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just
suggested, and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the
design of your curriculum?
Most 1. Demand for courses and programmes
important/influential
contextual factors 2. Learner factors such as proficiency level and
educational background

3. Time

30
 4. Financial support for the programmes/ curriculum

5. Examinations

Least
iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you
think those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and
demonstrate with example how each factor affects and is reflected in your
curriculum?

1. Demand for curriculum/programs:

Firstly, the student should always be at the center of any curriculum design and
planning process. The school, college, or university will typically set admission
standards to ensure that learners are not treated unequally from the beginning.
As a result, rules and procedures should be put in place to ensure that the
learner's requirements are met in terms of their knowledge, skills and
challenges, age, gender, cultural background, and how these aspects may
impact learning.

To illustrate, our group worked with Ms.Hien_TFV, and designed the

curriculum for students in grades 3,4,5 (age group 9,10,11) at Que Minh
primary school (a remote area in Quang Nam Province). In order to meet the
demands of the general English from the Ministry of Education and Training in
Viet Nam; especially, Listening and Speaking skills at primary school. In
addition, challenges in the educational environment cannot be avoided,
particularly difficulties related to students' learning environments. It is obvious
from this Need Analysis questionnaires board that some language learning
students struggle with a lack of many vital abilities as well as a lack of self-
motivation and self-confidence, despite the fact that their instructor has
encouraged and attempted to promote their learning language. The most visible
manifestation of this problem is that students are afraid to use English on a
daily basis and are extremely hesitant to show it to their teachers or even their
friends. Furthermore, their English still has some limitations, ranging from
grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary to other English abilities, particularly
speaking and listening. It is unavoidable most students do not have enough or
any opportunities to practice, which leads to them being unable to listen and
speak fluently and comprehensively. And we may accept that students from the
ages of 9,10,11 are still children that the instructor may have guided from one
step to the next for them to finish their assignments.

2. Learner factors such as proficiency level and educational background

Education in the 21st century plays a major role; especially, learner-centered
play an extremely important role in curriculum design, so the curriculum
31
design must match the level of the learner's style and knowledge in particular.
Most importantly, it is to meet the needs of each age group at each level grade,
at different levels and regions to be able to design the most appropriate
curriculum. Therefore, designing the curriculum will take a considerable
amount of time at first to gather data and also to make questionnaires, but the
next step will help teachers understand more about their students.

For instance, third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade in Que Minh elementary
school do not have enough opportunity to practice listening and speaking skills
and lack the confidence when they practice at school so they have encountered
difficulties in developing listening and speaking skills. So the teacher has an
incredibly important role to design the program so that you can have more
time, and more opportunities for listening and speaking skills to help students
become more confident and develop step by step. And the most important is
that Que Minh Elementary School is in a remote area of Quang Nam, so
teachers need to motivate students through educational games or teaching
information technology to help them become more interested in listening and
speaking.

3. Time
Thirdly, for elementary school seniors in third grade, fourth grade, and fifth
grade, one period in class is only about 35 minutes, so the teacher needs to
design the program in a time-sensitive way so that they can learn the lesson
most effectively. More than anything else, teachers spend too much of the
initial time designing programs that are appropriate to the age of the student's
level of knowledge. Definitely, it can take a lot of time at first, but in the future,
it can help teachers get more effective access to the student and be in the
classroom.
In particular, to develop listening and speaking skills on that day for 35
minutes. It can combine listening and speaking skills so that students can
develop both of them and complement each other. Students can use some of the
vocabulary, pronunciation, etc… in listening and practice speaking.
Consequently, the teacher's guidance is step by step so that they can improve
their skills for 35 mins. Likewise, reading and writing skills can help them
develop within 35 minutes of the next session.

4. Financial support for the curriculum/programs:

Next, financial factors are important when it comes to program development.
In addition to coming up with the idea of designing the program and bringing it
into the curriculum. As a result, finance is an incredibly important role.
Financial will determine whether that program can be put into practice and in
teaching or not, or possibly in our country or not with the maintenance from the
financial support (private and governmental), philanthropy (donations and
endowments), and community collaborations.

32
For example, the most important is that Que Minh Elementary School is in a
remote area of Quang Nam. Hence, financial maintenance from the Department
of Education and Training in Quang Nam, from the Ministry of Education and
Training, and also from the general public, large companies can provide
educational funds, and educational materials for students and teachers to help
them have a better learning environment. In addition, the support needed for
teachers to design a suitable program from collecting student data from their
students' needs in school.
When considering finance for curriculum development, the three primary
funding sources are financial support (private and governmental), philanthropy
(donations and endowments), and community collaborations. Each of these
sources is examined in combination with recommendations from the research
for funding acquisition.)

5. Examinations
Last but not least, curriculum evaluation involves student assessment, which
can be ongoing (formative) or completed at the end of the course (summative).
Along with gathering information from students on their opinions and ideas
about the course.
To take it into consideration in teaching speaking and listening for students in
grade 5
Formative assessment methods include observation, presentation, and informal
inquiries. While students are working, the instructor can walk about and
examine their participation in given tasks (small discussions, listening
exercises) to assess the level of student engagement with the topic and offer
additional assistance. When students complete the assignment, the teacher may
request that certain students submit their reports to the entire class. Following
that, the teacher will ask these students some questions about their thoughts on
the specified topic.
Students will be evaluated many times throughout each class.
Summative assessment: Reviews 1 and 2: Students complete review 1 (covering
unit 1,2,3) and review 2 (covering units 4,5, and 6). The reviews concentrate on
listening and speaking abilities.

33
 Ngọ Thị Bích Ngọc (46.01.701.096)

a. Write a 500-800 word essay to reflection on your experience in this class:

Curriculum development is a subject that has taught me a lot about how to
create, revise, implement, and evaluate language programs. Curriculum
development will assist me much in preparation for my future profession as a
sophomore at the university with a degree in English teaching.
This course is somewhat new and difficult for a sophomore like me to
comprehend, but after completing it, I gained many valuable experiences that
will aid in my future skill development. Despite the fact that CD theories are
diverse and challenging, my instructor, Mr Bui Nguyen Khanh, introduced and
presented them in such a way that I was able to understand and accept all of
them. The material was displayed in a variety of ways throughout the course.
For example, some weeks the teacher presented theories to the class, other
weeks we did group work or welcomed guesses, and other weeks we did solo
reflection. Each course topic was explained in detail by the teacher. Mr Khanh
would upload the resources for each subject through the MS Teams channel
once a week. We had to read the materials before attending class due to limited
time. We did this via joining a Zoom meeting. These methods of introducing
curricular development allow me to thoroughly study all of the material while
also allowing me to effortlessly focus on the lecture in class. I am more
enthusiastic and flexible in learning this topic as a result of the substantial order
of theories.

More specific, we have a chance to work in real context with the assisstance of
More specifically, we will get the opportunity to work in a real context with the
help of TVF professors - Ms Le Thi Thu Hien. She works as a teacher in the
province of Quang Nam. When it comes to the projects that we have the
opportunity to work on with Ms Hien, the first project that our group completed
was to create a "Need Analysis" questionnaire. Mr Khanh first provided us with
project details, then he gave us Ms Hien's contact information, and the
remainder of the project is our group's work with her. Our group created a
curriculum for grades 3,4,5 using new content from the Education Ministry's
general English curriculum for Ms.English Hien's class. Our group had various
challenges during the project, but with Ms Hien's enthusiastic encouragement,
we were able to complete it successfully. To be honest, TFV's mentoring and
collaboration with teachers aided me in developing the curriculum. Following
that, I was able to develop and build the curriculum.

Furthermore, the group work activities in this session aided my learning. All of
the members in our group were eager to assist one another. We had some
difficulties at first, but with the help of other members, we were able to debate
and provide comments on the group work quickly. Furthermore, we always

34
arrange an online meeting to go through the project in detail. Fortunately, our
group can function effectively owing to Mr Khanh's email help.
Additionally, after completing the course, I found that I had significantly
improved my skills in areas such as teamwork, communication, and... My
ability to collaborate improves as a result of group work activities. I learnt how
to work efficiently in groups and improved my ability to share my opinions
with others. Furthermore, when I am required to present in front of the class
without reading the scripts or materials, I may improve my communication
abilities.

To summarize, this course provides me with the opportunity to improve my

future preparedness for my profession. I'd want to express my gratitude to my
instructor, Mr Khanh, TFV teacher Hien, and all of my classmates who have
always been supportive of me in class.

b.Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some

contextual factors.
i.Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any factors
that affect the design of your curriculum?

Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, I think some factors that affect
the design of my curriculum are: human resources, physical resources, learner
factors, teachers’ experience and preferred teaching style, social, cultural and
political factors and related stakeholders, the educational environment and
social trends and values.

ii.Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just
suggested, and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the
design of your curriculum?

Most five important contextual factors that affect the design of my curriculum.

Most 1. Human resources

important/influential
contextual factors 2. Physical resources

3. Learner factors

Least 4. Teachers’ experience and preferred teaching style

important/influential
5. Social, cultural and political factors and related
contextual factors
stakeholders

iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you
think those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and
demonstrate with examples how each factor affects and is reflected in your
curriculum.
35
These five contextual factors that I ranked above are the five most important
ones that affect my curriculum. Firstly, human resources are the most
influential contextual factor. Teachers and administrative staff, as part of
human resources and a critical part of the infrastructure, are critical to the
curriculum development process, and it is critical that this process be managed
by faculty for successful implementation because they share a major
responsibility in teaching students, and their learning is so dependent on the
quality of the curriculum. Because of their engagement, viewpoints, and
contributions to curriculum creation, all members of the faculty should be taken
into consideration. These employees are crucial because they help the school
and program run well on a daily basis. Physical resources must also be
considered as a second factor, as classroom space, technological aids, and
library resources must be sufficient to adapt the curriculum to the demands of
the pupils. The third is learner factors such as proficiency level and educational
background. Learners are essential since there would be no need for a nursing
school and, consequently, no curriculum if they did not exist. Learners bring to
learning certain assumptions and beliefs about language teaching and learning
based on their cultural and educational background and their previous language
learning experiences. The fourth is the teachers’ experience and preferred
teaching style. Teachers are key factors in the successful implementation of
curriculum changes. Teachers bring their own assumptions, beliefs, and values
to the classroom, and they are likely to evaluate new approaches to teaching
based on their own understanding of what constitutes good teaching. Many
such innovations have failed to gain traction, either due to teacher resistance or
because the new curriculum does not align with teachers' current beliefs and
teaching context. The last is social, cultural, and political factors and related
stakeholders. Its major contribution to the curriculum has been the making of
decisions about the content of the curriculum, and its main focus has been the
understanding of the direction of social change and the socialization of the
individual. The needs of society play an important role in the development of
the curriculum. For instance, there should be emphasis on a technical-based
curriculum for the development of an industrialized society. Politics has a
certain impact on all aspects of life, and the instability of politics leads to
instability in everyday life. It usually defines goals and content; political
considerations need to be admitted during curriculum development; and
political decisions may change the requirements for curriculum development.

36
 Trần Bảo Ngọc (46.01.701.094)

a. Write a 500-800 word essay to reflection on your experience in this class:

As I write down this reflective essay, I and my teammates have just finished
the Development Curriculum subject and we are in the process of completing
the Final Portfolio. Obviously, this is accounting for why this reflective essay
emerges. Truth be told, for the first time, I was really confused and have no
idea how to start cause I have never done or thought about it before. However,
on the positive side, I assert this reflective essay will be a golden opportunity to
run through all the knowledge I have studied and also to tell about my
individual experiences while studying this subject.

For the initial stage of this subject, I approached the theories of curriculum
development through materials provided by Mr. Khanh, my lecturer as well as
my instructor. The notion of curriculum development was quite far away from
my mind at that time, and we, of course, started from the primitive ones such as
the origin of language curriculum development to understand clearly its
purposes for this subject and then approach appropriate knowledge to be able to
develop the curriculum design afterward. Honestly, to me, the theories of
curriculum development are rather abstract and it really took me time to
understand. Fortunately, these theories came to our class, not only in literal
words mentioned in the coursebook but also performed through some tasks,
inquiries, or activities asking us to discuss and complete on the spot. From that,
most of us had the chance to fill up the flaws while studying theories of
curriculum development.

However, if we only approach theoretically the development curriculum, I

think most students will have considerable difficulty in visualizing all the
stages, not to mention that perhaps students will not be able to anticipate
problems and issues that can arise in contextual situations. Therefore, coaching
and working with teachers in Teaching for Vietnam is an ideal opportunity for
us to implement the theories into practice as well as understand intensively
every part of the theory that we have learned to absorb more easily. And I
confirm that I and my teammates have received practical lessons more than we
expected. Under the arrangement of our lecturer, Ms. Le Thi Thu Hien, an
English teacher for grade 5, became our team's collaborator. During working
together, I feel clearly her enthusiasm and dedication in helping us clarify
every confusing stage, specifically when processing the Needs Analysis, she
helped us to fix some mistakes in our assignment and gave us some advice
when making questionnaires (such as how to make evaluative questions, how
to avoid from making statements that make participants choose "Yes" all the
time in Yes/No, etc.); in tandem with this, she also took part in completing the
Needs Analysis through becoming participant to evaluate her class by our

37
questionnaires, which contributed to the building the basis for us to overview
her class. Furthermore, in the process of completing other assignments, she
always provided us with essential information every time we need (the context
of the school she is working, class size, the materials provided for students in
grade 5, etc.). Thanks to her support, I and my teammate succeed in putting the
knowledge gained into practice as well as grasping most of the essential stages
in the course learning.

Of the imperative factor that makes contributions to supporting a step in the

right direction and carrying out activities smoothly is teamwork, I have to say
that. Indeed, designing the curriculum is group activities albeit its conducting
in-built contexts or real-life situations. And thanks to the collaboration of
members, the curriculum is approached from many other sides, the ideas
proposed are no longer uninspired but much more innovative. And what I most
appreciate in teamwork is compensation for each other. The shortcoming of
one person can be offset by the other; simultaneously, knowledge exchange is
occurred frequently, especially when preparing for assignments and
presentations (we usually had two meetings, one for discussing and delivering
duty, and the other for checking, exchanging, and summarizing). Certainly, all
the pros mentioned above are wonderful things that support my learning in this
class.

Under teamwork requirements, and lecturer guidance, through a series of

interconnected activities, though I and my teammates sometimes did not
manage to the result that our lecturer desired, it is undeniable that our efforts
bore fruit when we had many chances to develop essential skills for ourselves
through the subject. Individually, I am indeed making an impressive stride in
flourishing my current problem-solving and critical thinking skills. I used to be
a learner that always needed a "sample" to solve every task required. However,
in this class, before we can see the "sample" from others, we have to complete
our ones. That's why the development of problem-solving and critical thinking
skills emerged. Specifically, in the final report, my duty is to make a plan in
detail for the curriculum evaluation. I have no idea how much percent it is
correct in comparison to the criterion of my lecturer, but I make sure that is the
best final product and I certainly applied successfully both skills mentioned
above. I along with my teammates analyzed, considered, proposed so many
appropriate outlines for evaluation sections, and finally concluded on the best
one for the plan. Simultaneously, the flexibility in the process of conducting
was really made use of to the fullest to make the best final product. Especially,
"procedures" is one of the stages that we modified so many times. However,
after exchange and reconsideration, questionnaires and student evaluation are
the best alternatives we proposed. It is plain to see that by examining all sides
of an issue, reflecting on past experiences, and listening to what other group
members say, I have to admit I arrived at a breakthrough that moved me and
my teammate toward new and exciting ways. And honestly, I am not sure
whether my teammates achieved the same skills as me but I really appreciate

38
this class for supporting me to study how to solve problems, think outside the
box and develop my critical thinking.

In a nutshell, I have had a great experience through this course. It is my

confirmation that the amount of knowledge and skills I have gained is really
practical, which I think will help me in curriculum development afterward. And
the last one is my gratitude to my lecturer and my teammates for all they have
done, which I will never forget. I truly appreciate all the time we spent together
working on many occasions. Thank you very much for the course. I enjoyed
every minute of being in class.

b. Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some

contextual factors.
i. Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any
factors that affect the design of your curriculum?

Other factors that affect the design of our curriculum:

- Demand for curriculum
- Status of teacher
- Preferences for specific kinds of content

ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just
suggested, and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the
design of your curriculum?

Most important/
influential 1. Social trends and values
context factors
2. Learner factor

3. Availability of materials

Least
important/ 4. Educational environment
influential
contextual
factors
5. Physical resources

iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you
think those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and
demonstrate with examples how each factor affects and is reflected in your
curriculum.

39
Chosen on the basis of the most influential ones, from my standpoint, the five
listed above are the top five most critical factors, specifically performed in the
design of the curriculum of our group. The choice of the first order is Social
trends and values. It is plain to see that social requirement contributes to
determining and building suitable aims and objectives for curriculum design.
This aspect is presented in our curriculum rather clearly (enables students to
communicate simply in English on mentioned topics), which performs the first
step of educating the new generations for meeting social needs. The second is
the learner factor. This factor partly decides to which knowledge the
curriculum will make reference and how to construct it appropriately for the
educational background as well as student competencies. In our curriculum,
after knowing students' current status (study to achieve Level 1 in Vietnam's 6-
level language proficiency framework, lack of chances to practice listening and
speaking skills, etc.), we are carrying out designing a curriculum that has full of
appropriate aims and objectives and focuses on the skill-based approach to help
students develop their abilities. In addition to both factors above, the
availability of materials is also top 3 the most influential contextual factors. It
supports teachers in developing and creating activities based on availability.
Furthermore, I think it may influence somewhat the teaching methods that
teachers aim for. We have listed a multitude of availability of materials that
teachers can make use of in teaching in the curriculum. The educational
environment and the physical resources, the last two that I choose to rank on
my list, play less important roles in organizing classroom activities for the
curriculum. Even so, without consideration of physical resources and
educational environment in curriculum design, the problem arising (lack of
infrastructure, time or space, loss of control, cultural conflicts, etc) may occur
in some activities required, which perhaps affect severely to the class situation.
That justifies why our curriculum talks clearly about the number of students in
a classroom, lists full of materials, etc, and mentions the appropriate aspects to
teach for the educational environment. And all the analyses above explain why
I chose those 5 contextual factors are the most influential ones in our
curriculum design.

40
 Trần Bảo Ngọc (46.01.701.095)

a. Write a 500–800-word essay to reflect on your experience in this class:

Before I started the “Curriculum Development” course, I did assume
that developing a curriculum is simply based on the textbook format in a boring
and passive way. However, as the course began, I realized that there was so
much that I did not understand in the field of curriculum designing, particularly
how it connects to practice. The process of studying and comprehending this
course has provided me with an invaluable chance to not only learn about but
also contribute to the construction of an educational program. Over the course
of a semester, my curiosity led me to many intriguing themes regarding
challenges that require consideration while developing a curriculum.

First, despite the fact that it was just an online course, the theories of
curriculum development were successfully addressed in class. From weeks 1 to
15, the course content was divided into several instructional topics, each with a
defined title and measurable student learning objectives at the outset of each
teaching unit. This allowed me to devote less time to figuring out how to
navigate the course and more time to immersing myself in the learning process.
Furthermore, the teaching and learning environment was excellent. There were
several beneficial tasks developed during the course that allowed us to apply
new information. For example, after introducing new ideas, the lecturer asked
us some relevant questions that focused on the deeper meaning instead of the
minor details and then gave us opportunities to collaborate and learn from each
other. In brief, it is meaningful that you build consistent pages for us to become
acquainted with the new knowledge and provide us with relevant assistance
and support as we progress through the courses.

Second, I had several assignments that allowed me to put the ideas I had
studied into practice. Before working on assignments, Mr. Khanh arranged a
meeting for us to work with Ms. Le Thi Thu Hien from Teach For Vietnam
(TFV), a non-profit education organization that organizes an English teaching
program using modern methods and incorporating STEM in the classroom for
Quang Nam students. She shared many practical experiences with us, such as
how she works with kids there, their English level, and how she designed the
curriculum based on that, which is quite necessary for our assignments. For
instance, with the Need Analysis project, we conducted a survey to completely
understand the style of educational needs analysis that should be applied
among primary students, including knowledge, skills, and abilities, based on
the information supplied by Ms. Hien. We conducted various processes in a
demand analysis survey and came up with the final product. It can be said that
we could not have completed this survey successfully without the support and
feedback from her.

41
 Finally, looking back on this course, I perceived a significant
improvement in my personal development skills, particularly adaptability, and
problem-solving skills. In each session, there are usually 10 to 20 minutes of
group discussions, but there appeared to be a lot of confusion about what we
needed to discuss. Thus, I learned to stay calm and swiftly modified the new
information, based on the conceptual framework of knowledge in the textbook,
to find the right direction for our tasks. In addition, I've discovered the value of
working as part of a group. While taking this class, I noticed that the group
assignments of the course tend to become increasingly complex, requiring us to
spend a lot of time. And, of course, the key to success is actively listening to
everyone's ideas and effectively collaborating with them. As we discussed and
assigned, each group member could utilize their own unique perspectives that
assist us decide on our final answer. Therefore, at team meetings, I always paid
my attention to what other members said, not just to know how to reply, but
also to show them that I respected their point of view, and openly shared my
own ideas with them.

In conclusion, all my experiences in discussions and activities both individually

and in groups in this course have helped me to perfect the skills that I consider
to be extremely important for my personal development as well as for my
future career field, education. Uniting these activities gives me the necessary
instruments to be able to do research and create the right course for my
audience. Although there were some difficulties in the course, I’ve gained the
value of perseverance, careful listening, and collaboration throughout the
semester. These values, in my opinion, are the most significant since they will
benefit me not only in my education area but also in my daily life.

b.Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some

contextual factors.
i.Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any
factors that affect the design of your curriculum?
Another factor that affects the design of my curriculum is the school’s location.
ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just
suggested, and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the
design of your curriculum?

Most 6. The school’s location.

important/influential 7. Learner factors such as
contextual factors proficiency level and
educational background.
Least 8. Teachers’ experience and
important/influential preferred teaching style.
contextual factors 9. Examination.
10. Availability of materials.

42
iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you
think those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and
demonstrate with example how each factor affects and is reflected in your
curriculum?
The most impactful contextual factors on the design of my curriculum
is none other than the school’s location, in my opinion. All components of the
curriculum comply with local and national educational requirements, especially
those of Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, where the school is located. Our
program is completely based on the standards of the Ministry of Education and
the Department of Education there from the formulation of aims and objectives
to instructional material selection and assessment design. Taking the second
spot on the list is the learners' factor. When planning the course content, the
selection of teaching techniques, classroom structure, and learning resources is
totally oriented toward the current English language proficiency of 5th graders
and what they are expected to achieve. According to the needs analysis project
we did before, we found that the students' listening and speaking skills were not
good enough, so we chose these two skills as the main content of our course.
Continuing in this list of the most important factors is teachers’ experience and
preferred teaching style. Teachers who directly select what to teach from the
defined curriculum should be conversant with it to properly execute and
convert its goals into reality. Therefore, we rely on both traditional and more
dynamic teaching styles, such as the communicative language teaching method,
to increase student engagement and, ultimately, enhance students’ outcomes.
Ranked fourth place, examinations also have a vital role in the development of
our curriculum. Teaching and learning process tends to focus on test results too
much and ignore the practicality of the subject, which may impact on the aims
and objectives of our curriculum. So, we created listening and speaking test
questions that require students more than just procedural skills but also
flexibility, creativity, and imagination. For the fifth place of the list, the
availability of materials, such as textbooks, enables teachers and students to
successfully implement the curriculum. Lessons in our course are provided
utilizing advanced teaching and learning formats such as PowerPoint
presentations to make them more engaging, as well as educational internet
connections such as YouTube channels to keep learners' attention.

43
 Lê Châu Quỳnh Thư (46.01.701.131)

a. Write a 500–800-word essay to reflect on your experience in this class:

Every factor of this Curriculum Development course contributed to my overall
literacy experience. To begin with, we read from our textbook frequently. This
book demonstrated proper theories, case studies, techniques for planning and
designing a curriculum, etc. Mr. Khanh divided the book into chapters for each
week and we were required to do the reading before class in order to save time
for teamwork. In addition, we would have group discussions that everyone
would participate in as a means of checking the class’s comprehension. To be
honest, I did not prepare the reading for most of the course length, and it puts
me to shame. I was constantly bewildered by a plethora of theories whenever
the teacher asked us to work in a group and discuss questions in the book. As a
result, I sometimes wasted our group work time a lot, and obviously, the
discussions were not as effective as we expected. Subsequent to each group
discussion, Mr. Khanh, thankfully, would demystify the theories and show us
examples to clarify the definitions.
By taking this class, I have been able to meet teachers in Teach for Vietnam.
They are incredibly dedicated, passionate and innovative. My group got a great
opportunity to work with Ms. Hien. She is a fifth-grade teacher at Que Minh
Primary School and is our group mentor as well. By providing comments,
context, and materials, she aided us in conducting an analysis Our group
appreciated her a lot. On the occasion of having problems, we sent emails to
her, and she always responded in detail with what we should do or just with a
short message indicating she was busy and would get back to us soon. Based
on her feedback, we finally finished the analysis of the students’ needs, which
is the first step of designing a curriculum. Therefore, we could investigate and
write the curriculum aims and objectives. Another person in Teach for Vietnam
with whom we have been implicitly working is Ms. Hanh. She provided the
class with various techniques, theories, factors influencing the curriculum, etc.
as a means of planning and designing a curriculum. As a result, we were able to
implement what we had learned into planning and designing a curriculum for
Ms. Hien. Last but not least, Mr. Khanh, my lecturer, is the driving force
guiding us to construct the curriculum. Our curriculum is based not only on the
needs analysis but also on his instructions. Mr. Khanh always is always willing
to answer our inquiries. Alongside that, he is willing to run a meeting and
provide feedback to each group, ensuring that every group has their final
analysis reports and portfolio.
Throughout the semester, I have completed assignments that have improved
my skills and broadened my sense of being a curriculum designer. Most of the
assignments I have done with my teammates have helped me gain collaboration
and communication skills. Setting goals and objectives, building trust among
team members, cooperative activities, and a deadline are all part of the
collaboration process that I mastered. Our team was able to come up ưith a
44
suggestive guideline for who would be responsible for specific parts and
offered suggestions on when these parts should be posted for compilation and
editing. As a team, we have managed to complete our research on the topic
assigned and contributed in accordance with the assignment's guidelines. We
had reached an understanding on team expectations by the end of the
assignment and discovered that communication is the key to success; we can
continue to improve our efforts by checking in more frequently and
acknowledging when assignments are due, as well as letting others know if any
issues have arisen. We also found that in order to ensure unanimous team
approval, all team members must provide final comments on the assignments
before the leader posts them to the assignment folder. Overall, this course has
not only expanded my skills but also given me confidence in my ability to
handle projects involving curriculum planning and designing.
b.Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some
contextual factors.
i. Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any
factors that affect the design of your curriculum
Other factors that affect the design of curriculum:
 Finance
 Child Psychology
 Educational Philosophy
 Historical Development
ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just
suggested, and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the
design of your curriculum?

Most important / 1. Learner factors

influential contextual
factors 2. Teachers’ experience and preferred teaching
style
3. Social trends and values
Least important / 4. Physical resources
influential contextual
factors 5. Availability of materials

iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you
think those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and
demonstrate with example how each factor affects and is reflected in your
curriculum?
From my perspective, the five most important contextual factors are the ones
that I ranked above. First and foremost, learner factors are the most important
factors influencing the design of a curriculum. Learners hold the key to what is
actually transmitted and adopted from the curriculum. They also have an
impact on how teachers choose their teaching styles and learning experiences.
45
For instance, prior to designing a curriculum, our group had to conduct a needs
analysis as a means of identifying the learning needs and the English level of
the students; therefore, we could produce the aims and objectives for the
curriculum. The second important factor is the teachers’ experience and
preferred teaching style. With their knowledge, experiences and competencies,
teachers are central to any curriculum development effort. Due to the fact that
they are most knowledgeable about teaching practice and are in charge of
introducing the curriculum in the classroom, it is evident that better teachers
facilitate better learning. The third one is social trends and values. The
curriculum and society have a mutual connection. As a result, the curriculum
must reflect and sustain society's culture and ideals in order to be relevant.
Simultaneously, society should absorb or take in the changes wrought by
formal institutions such as schools. Physical resources must also be considered
as the next important influential factor. The curriculum must be adjusted to the
needs of the students in view of the lack of classroom space, technological
assistance, and library resources. The least important one is the availability of
materials. Curriculum will be more fascinating and students will be more
engaged throughout class if there are more varieties of materials available.

46
 Nguyễn Quỳnh Bảo Trân (46.01.701.143)

a. Write a 500-800 word essay to reflection on your experience in this

class:
After attending in the Curriculum Development class has helped me to broaden
my knowledge about designing a course that is suitable to the objectives along
with their purpose and the process of teaching and studying, which is a crucial
skill for me to become a good teacher in the future.
The Curriculum Development class was meaningful and we had a great time.
As far as I am concerned that the experience of developing a course enables
teachers to make sense of the theories and expertise of others because it gives
them opportunities to clarify their understanding of theory and make it
concrete. Their practice in turn changes their understanding of the theories.
Moreover, teachers rely on theory in research about the educational curriculum,
curriculum theory directs and guides the planning, development,
implementation, management, and assessment of courses. In this class, the
theories of educational program development were coherently presented with a
variety of activities and techniques such as instructor overviews, personal
reflection, group discussions and through a great presentation of an invited
guess that gave us some useful takeaways and experiences in a real context.
Although we had an online class, which was hard for us to interact with the
lecturer and other students but our teacher had played a great role in organizing
the process. Each week with each topic as well as the materials had been posted
to the channel of the class, it was clear for students to read and get the
information in advance before the lesson. Firstly, the theory and the definition
of Designing the curriculum plus its factors and the steps had been introduced
understandably by the lecture. After that, we will have time to discuss through
some case studies and group work to put our knowledge into practice.
Furthermore, the teacher gave us the project in which we were allowed to work
in a group was an opportunity for us to communicate and assist each other
during the course with a higher result. For example, with the ‘Need Analysis’,
our group had an effective way to discover useful skills about how to make a
survey to professors in TFV-Ms. Le Thi Thu Hien, then made the report due to
her rate and response. Although it was difficult at first, but she had given us
some advices to make better questionnaires that are suitable for the teacher’s
experience together with students’ needs, goals and levels. Later on, we moved
to the next step is considering the aims and objectives of our curriculum. After
receiving our work, the head coach had also spent his time having a private
meeting to feedback on the project with each group and we had known our
mistakes as precious experiences in planning the course. One thing to note is
that the mentor was really supportive, we can easily email him for assistance
and guidance.
47
Additionally, not just knowledge is all I can receive but I also had develop
some soft skills during the class such as critical thinking and problem-solving. I
can categorize, analyze and summarize my ideas to make a decision. Moreover,
the teacher had shown me how to read a book more effectively by scanning
quickly the main ideas to get information related to the questions, which is a
critical skill and saves a lot of time for me. Next, I have to mention the
teamwork skill in this class, we had great work with the project to collaborate,
discuss opponent ideas plus study with each other and summarize the solution
for the assignment.
Last but not least, I would like to mention my favourite idea that I have got in
this course is “Design Curriculum is like building the house, we need to follow
the structure but we can decorate the house to be more beautiful”. This
indicates that I have to follow the policies and the frames for planning the
curriculum, however, I can add my enthusiasm along with my expectation to be
reflected differently although I still adopt the same approach.
In conclusion, this was an unforgettable training course for me on my way to
preparing to become a teacher. In order to provide my students with these
experiences, I intend to apply the techniques and approaches from the course to
my teaching. Honestly, I would like to show my gratitude to my lecturer, Mr.
Khanh, the TFV professors, and friends who have always been eager to help
me finish this course.
b. Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some
contextual factors.
i. Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any
factors that affect the design of your curriculum?
Further from the aforementioned context elements, it is my view that there are
two more factors that can influence the design of my curriculum. First is the
outcome goals of the course, which depend on the learners’ aims and o through
each lesson. These aims can be divided into main aims - the teacher wants
learners to be able to do or achieve after each lesson and the course. Besides,
the subsidiary aims - the things learners will do during the class because these
lead to the main aim, and personal aims – are the aspects of the lecture’s
teaching to improve or develop. The next point is assessment activities, which
influence the implementation of the curriculum tremendously. Although
Examinations have been mentioned but there are some differences between
assessments and examinations, an examination is a finished result that
measures and evaluates specific objectives or particular characteristics, while
an assessment is a procedure of evaluation rather than a product. When
planning assessments, we need to think first about our reasons for assessing
learners, then we can decide when and how to assess them, and choose the
suitable methods we are going to use. This action by the teacher obviously can
affect the achievement of the broad goals and objectives of the curriculum.
ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just
suggested, and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the
design of your curriculum?

48
 Most 1. Human resources.
important/influential
contextual factors 2. Learners’ goals and objectives.

3. Teachers’ experience and preferred teaching style.

Least 4. Assessment.
important/influential
contextual factors 5. Physical resources.

iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you
think those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and
demonstrate with example how each factor affects and is reflected in your
curriculum?
According to my ranking, these are the five most important contextual aspects
that influence my curriculum. To begin with, the most crucial contextual aspect
is human resources. In educational institutions, human resources play an
important part in all activities, which is a key aspect in the education process in
general, functions in human resource management must be carried out
optimally in order to meet the needs relating to individual goals, contribute to
curriculum creation. Apart from that, with good human resource management
procedures, it is expected that the shortcomings and problems can be
overcome, as a result, the school and program will work smoothly on a daily
basis, and the quality of the curriculum can be improve as well as develop. The
second rate is learners’ goals and objectives, which is taken into consideration
because they define learning outcomes and focus teaching. They help the
lecture to clarify, organize and prioritize the process of learning. They help the
teacher and learners evaluate progress and inspire them to take responsibility
for their learning, without a clear learning target, students are left guessing
what they are expected to learn and what their teacher will accept as evidence
of success. To illustrate, our group work with the course planning project
depended on the ‘Need Analysis’, especially we have to design the lesson that
suitable to the students’ needs along with their aims and objectives through a
questionnaires board. The third is Teachers’ experience and preferred teaching
style to make informed and intelligent decisions about practice to achieve
various outcomes with and for students in their classes. After determining the
goal of the learners and the course, teacher now plays a key factors in the
successful implementation of curriculum by collaboratively and effectively
working with curriculum development teams and specialists to organize and
compose martial, textbooks, and content, in order to align syllabus with
students' needs in the classroom. Knowing the teaching style can help teachers
to improve their teaching methods by allowing they to design the course to
promote student engagement and, as a result, improve student outcomes. The
fourth is assessment, which is an essential element of learning since it
evaluates the educational objectives are being reached. Grades, placement,

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advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and other decisions are all
influenced by assessment. That is the reason why there are some revision and
tests for student after learning three or four lessons in the course planning. The
last factor at my top five is physical resources, which helps the learners to
improve competences through extra-curricular activities, and encourages
school instructors to carry out their responsibilities retention by providing a
comfortable educational environment and adequate allowances.

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 Trần Phương Uyên (44.01.701.160)

a.Write a 500-800 word essay to reflection on your experience in this class:

The method of teaching the theory focuses on the learners. Most of the time,
learners need to study the material on their own or work in groups, which
promotes and develops self-study, critical thinking and communication
abilities. Before each lesson, learners will be provided with reading materials to
do some research. During the lesson, the teacher will ask question and discuss
more about the topic. Learners can work in groups, answer those questions and
receive detailed and accurate feedback. From my point of view, through this
course, I also practice reading skills and filtering main ideas. The materials are
often long, sometimes 30 or 40 pages, but the lecturer's questions only focus on
the main ideas so that I have to skim and scan to find its location. When it
comes to group work, I think it does help a lot in the learning process of this
subject, especially when doing assignments. We can avoid being stuck in ideas
or wasting many times. Every time an assignment is assigned, my team will
agree on a specific time for an online meeting. Me and other members will give
opinions on that task then our ideas will be analyzed and commented on. After
that, the team leader will divide the work according to each person's capacity
and give a deadline Then we will meet one more time to evaluate each other's
work. Therefore, the amount of work that needs to be done is reduced. It
prevents me from delaying since I understand that I have the responsibility for
the grades and academic results of others, so I cannot make mistakes or be late
for appointments. Also, teamwork helps me to have a group of friends that
makes me feel secure that I won't miss the important announcements regarding
the class. Practicing with real context helps me effectively apply the theoretical
parts learned in curriculum design. A teacher from TFV and a coaching play an
important role in that process. This is the first time I've done the curriculum
design process, so I'm still confused, misunderstood or made a lot of mistakes.
Teachers are always willing to answer and contribute to my team's project.
When implementing the questionnaires, she enthusiastically gave suggestions
and corrected mistakes for the group. The teacher also helped us reorient our
lesson. His detailed and timely responses and suggestions helped us to correct
our work in time before we went further in the wrong direction. Finally, I have
a chance to improve some significant skills for my future studying which are
communication, collaboration and time- management skills. As I have stated,
in this course, learners mainly worked in group. We had to exchange the ideas,
identify the problems and look for the ways to solve them. Sometimes, we
misunderstood and I had to find way to explain my opinion in an appropriate
way. About time management skill, beside studying in this course, I also have
other subjects and a part time job. I need to arrange my time properly to
accomplish all my mission.

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b.Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some
contextual factors.
i.Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any factors
that affect the design of your curriculum?

Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, I think parental involvement

influences my design. I also consider the need of the parents and their financial
ability to choose the suitable resources. School supplies, textbooks and
workbooks should not be beyond their budget. Moreover, a course which
involves parents in school-related activities helps them gain an insight look on
their children’s learning. Therefore, leading to improvements in how parents
can further assist their children’s academic aptitude.

ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just
suggested, and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the
design of your curriculum?

Most important/influential 1. Learner factors such as

contextual factors proficiency level and
educational background
2. Teachers’ experience and
preferred teaching style
3. Social trends and values(i.e.,
how Vietnamese think a good
education should look like...)
4. Physical resources, including
Least important/influential infrastructure, class time, class
contextual factors size, materials, technology,
space availability
5. Examinations

iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you
think those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and
demonstrate with example how each factor affects and is reflected in your
curriculum?
Personally, learner is the most important factor if a designer wants a curriculum
is widely used in the long term and achieves the aim and objective. For
example, we designed curriculum for students at 5th grade whose listening and
speaking skills are not good so we add vivid materials close to real life from
websites, movies and YouTube to help students improve their skills. The next
important factor is the teacher. We have to design a curriculum that matches
the style, experience and teaching belief of teaching. Thus, teachers can freely
impart knowledge to help students achieve their goals. The third ranking factor
is social trends and values. I think this is important because it concerns how
parents and society assess a student's ability and the effect the curriculum has

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on their child upon completion of it. Physical resources influence on our
project because to deliver the lesson content, it is necessary to have the right
materials, environment and school facilities. Finally, there are examinations.
We needed to design the test to assess the student's ability to find out whether
they gain the original aim and objectives or not, and perform the necessary
evaluation if necessary to make our project more effective.

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 Y-Huit (46.01.701.043)

a. Write a 500-800 word essay to reflection on your experience in this class:

The curriculum development course is an important course and plays an important
role for me to prepare for my future profession as an English teacher.
The theories of curriculum development in the class were introduced in a logical way.
The theories were streamlined, besides, the materials were posted weekly by the
teacher. Before the class, the teacher posted materials so that we can read and prepare
in advance. In the class, we had the lecture by the teacher and also had discussions.
This gave us the best approach to the lesson and flexibility for us in preparing for the
next class. In the class, after being given lecture and tutorial, we were encouraged to
work in group then gave the presentation. We also blissfully got sharing sessions on
topics related to the design of curriculum or education programmes by invited guests.
The professional learning environment was inspiring and flexible, which inspired our
participation.
During the course, we were privileged that we were working in a real context. Thanks
to Ms. Le Thi Thanh Hien – a teacher at Que Minh Primary school in Quang Nam
province- for her support with the tasks and designing of the curriculum, which
enabled us to implement the theories into practice. Besides, thanks to our instructor –
Mr. Khanh, who had always accompanied us throughout the course. He always
facilitated us to perform the tasks better, he guided us and was always ready to clear
up our queries with the tasks. With a lot of help from the instructor and the teachers,
we have a quite deep understanding of this course.
In terms of working in a group, I am very grateful to the members of my team. To
prepare for the group works, we had meetings in MS Teams, and the members fully
joined. We debated and had feedback each other. All members had ideas to contribute
and tried to look for materials and references. Through teamwork, we have learned
how to work professionally, this helped us to work in a group and improve skills such
as dividing tasks, giving and receiving feedback, being responsible for the assigned
works... Besides, working in the group also helped us facilitate our learning in the
class.
In addition, I have learned a lot of soft skills through this course. I have learned
teamwork skill, collaboration skills. Through teamwork, I have improved my
communication skill. An important skill that I have improved through this course is
reading skill, we were required to search for information in the materials and
references, which required us to read scientifically and know how to filter ideas. I
also have learned how to work as a team productively. We had to discuss with each
other, then we discussed to come up with the best solutions for effective teamwork.
As a teacher in the future, I am aware that I have to collect valuable knowledge from
this course to prepare well for my profession. Actually, this experience is very
worthwhile for me, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my instructor -

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Mr. Khanh, the teachers from TFV, and the guests, who gave me valuable knowledge
and experience on the path I am taking.
b.Designing a curriculum requires you to take into consideration some contextual
factors.
i.Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, do you think of any factors that
affect the design of your curriculum?
Besides the contextual factors mentioned above, I think one more factor that affect the
design of my curriculum is Students' attitude towards learning. We must know how
students' attitudes towards the subject so that consider the appropriate teaching
methods.
ii. Can you select from the list above, as well as the one(s) you have just suggested,
and rank the most five important contextual factors that affect the design of your
curriculum?
Most 1. Learner factors such as proficiency level and educational

important/influentia background

l contextual factors 2. Teachers’ experience and preferred teaching style

3. Physical resources, including infrastructure, class time,

class size, materials, technology, space availability

Least 4. Examinations
important/influentia
5. Availability of materials
l contextual factors

iii. In about 200-300 words, can you explain your rankings? Why do you think
those are the most five important contextual factors? Explain and demonstrate with
examples how each factor affects and is reflected in your curriculum.
In my opinion, the ranking “Learner factors such as proficiency level and educational
background” is the most important factor. The study and analysis of the educational
background and proficiency of the learner are essential before teaching as well as
designing a curriculum. If there is sufficient information about the learner's input, the
teacher will have the appropriate strategy in designing the curriculum or will have a
plan to teach the subject appropriately. Through group work, we examined the need
analysis so that we clarify the aims and objectives of the curriculum. The second
important factor is the teachers’ experience and preferred teaching style. Students'
learning is greatly affected by teachers. It requires teachers to help students with their
learning or in the teaching methods of the teacher. The third important factor is
“physical resources, including infrastructure, class time, class size, materials,
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technology, space availability”. It is undeniable that these factors are an important part
when building a curriculum – an essential factor for an effective class. When designed
the curriculum, we considered physical resources, including infrastructure, class time,
class size, materials, technology, and space availability. This helped us to have an
overview and an appropriate way of designing the curriculum. The next important
factor is examination. Through examinations, teachers grasp the studying of students
so that bring out the methods for improvement. The last important factor is the
availability of materials. Materials are combined from many sources to attract and
encourage students during the learning process.

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