Preface
CHAPTER 1 LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DESIGN: AN OVERVIEW
Parts of the curriculum design process
Considering the environment
Discovering needs
Following principles
Goals
Content and sequencing
Finding a format and presenting material
Monitoring and assessing
Evaluating a course
Tasks
1 Examining a published course
2 Using the parts of the model to overview the planning of a course
Case studies
CHAPTER 2 ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS
An example of environment analysis
Environment constraints
Understanding the constraints
The constraint of time
Steps in environment analysis
Tasks
1 The range of constraints
2 Examining your teaching environment
Case studies
CHAPTER 3 NEEDS ANALYSIS
The various focuses of needs analysis
Discovering needs
Needs analysis tools
Evaluating needs analysis
Issues in needs analysis
Tasks
1 Needs analysis for a writing course
2 Evaluating a needs analysis scheme
3 Discovering needs
Case studies
CHAPTER 4 PRINCIPLES
Methods and principles
The twenty principles
Selection
Gradation
Presentation
Using the list of principles
Case studies
Tasks
1 Applying principles
2 Teachability hypothesis
Case studies
CHAPTER 5 GOALS, CONTENT AND SEQUENCING
Guidelines for deciding or checking the content and sequencing of a course
Goals and content
The units of progression in a course
What will the progression be used for?
Vocabulary
Grammar
Functions
Discourse
Skills, subskills and strategies
Ideas
Task based syllabuses
Sequencing the content in courses
Linear approaches to sequencing
A modular approach to sequencing
Tasks
1 Verb form coverage in beginners' course books
2 The ideas content of a course
3 Describing the goals of a course
Case studies
CHAPTER 6 FORMAT AND PRESENTATION
Format and other parts of the curriculum design process
Guidelines for deciding on a format
Following a set format
Blocks and threads
Techniques and activities
Tasks
1 Examining the format of a lesson
2 Examining teaching techniques
Case studies
CHAPTER 7 MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
Guidelines for monitoring and assessment
Types of monitoring and assessment
Placement assessment
Observation of learning
Short term achievement assessment
Diagnostic assessment
Achievement assessment
Proficiency assessment
Good assessment: reliability, validity and practicality
Tasks
1 Planning the assessment in a course
2 Evaluating a test
Case studies
CHAPTER 8 EVALUATION
What is an evaluation?
Steps in an evaluation
Purpose and audience of evaluation
The type and focus of the evaluation
Gaining support for the evaluation
Gathering the information
Formative evaluation as a part of a course
The results of an evaluation
Tasks
1 Focus of evaluation
2 An evaluation checklist
3 An evaluation plan
Case studies
CHAPTER 9 APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGN
Models of curriculum design
Doing curriculum design
Starting points
The process of curriculum design
Deciding on an approach
Summary of the steps
Tasks
1 Your curriculum design process
2 Choosing an appropriate approach
Case studies
CHAPTER 10 NEGOTIATED SYLLABUSES
Negotiated syllabuses
An example of a negotiated syllabus
Requirements for a negotiated syllabus
Syllabuses with some elements negotiated
Disadvantages and advantages of a negotiated syllabus
Tasks
1 Problems in implementing a negotiated syllabus
2 Partly negotiated syllabuses
3 Developing a negotiated approach to syllabus design
Case studies
CHAPTER 11 ADOPTING AND ADAPTING AN EXISTING COURSE BOOK
The course book, the learners and the teacher
Dividing the parts of the process
Strong reliance on the course book with minimal adaptation
Adapting a course book
Using source books instead of course books
Using computers and the internet
Evaluating a course book
Essential features: reducing the list of possible books
Choosing and weighting the features
Evaluating the evaluation forms
Presenting the results
Tasks
1 Designing a course book evaluation form
2 Evaluating a course book
3 Course book evaluation schedules
4 Using a course book
Case studies
CHAPTER 12 INTRODUCING CHANGE
Steps in introducing change
Seeing the need for change
Deciding on the size of the change
Realistic change
Using a variety of change strategies
Innovation, management and long term support
Tasks
1 Change that failed
2 Change in a school's program
Case studies
CHAPTER 13 PLANNING AN IN-SERVICE COURSE
Features of an effective workshop
Procedures and activities for reaching the goals
Understanding and remembering ideas
Experiencing and evaluating
Making material
Planning lessons and units of work
Problem solving
Sequencing the components of a workshop
Evaluating workshops
Tasks
1 Principles for in-service courses
2 Designing an in-service course
Case studies
CHAPTER 14 TEACHING AND CURRICULUM DESIGN
Environment analysis
Needs analysis
Principles
Goals
Content and sequencing
Format and presentation
Monitoring and assessment
Evaluation
Curriculum design and learner autonomy
APPENDICES
1 A verb form frequency count
REFERENCES
INDEX
