Types of syllabuses

BIT 3073 ELT and the School Curriculum

Types of syllabuses

Task based syllabus

Process syllabus

Introduction
Development of task based and process syllabuses is actually a change of focus rather than a revolution in syllabus design

Introduction
Prior to these syllabuses, outcomes of instruction were emphasized In task based and process syllabuses, pedagogic processes, which are most likely to lead to these outcomes, are stressed instead

Task Based Syllabus

Task Based Syllabus

Emphasizes on means rather than product

Language task has become an important concept (Nunan, 1993)

Task Based Syllabus

Participation in communication and communicating for learning are equally important in TBS (Breen, 1987)

Task Based Syllabus

Does not focus on linguistic items students will learn Does not focus on the communicative skills that students are able to do as a result of instruction
Does specify the tasks and activities that learners will engage in the class

Definition of task
An activity or action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language. ... Tasks may or may not involve the production of language. A task usually requires the teacher to specify what will be regarded as successful completion of the task.
(Richards, Platt and Weber, 1985:289)

Definition of task
... a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form. The task should also have a sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right.
(Nunan, 1993:59)

Definition of task
... an activity in which: i) meaning is primary; ii) there is some sort of relationship to the real world; iii) task completion has some priority; and iv) the assessment of task performance is in terms of task outcome.
(Skehan, 1996:38)

Definition of task
An activity which required learners to arrive at an outcome, from given information through some process of thought, and which allowed teachers to control and regulate the process.
(Prabhu, 1987:24)

Task Based Syllabus

The term task has therefore become very broad, and can imply almost any activity in any L2 classroom

Types of tasks
Real-world tasks
tasks that the learner might be required to do in real life
e.g., a role-play in which students practise a job interview

Types of tasks
Pedagogic tasks
tasks that are specially designed to be carried out in the classroom the interactional processes needed by such tasks provide useful input to language development e.g., a task in which two learners have to try to find the number of differences between two similar pictures

Task Based Syllabus

One example of TBS is the Bangalore Project
N. S. Prabhu the main designer

The Bangalore Project: Task types

1. Information-gap activity: transfer given information from one person to another (or from one form to another, or from one place to another) generally needing information to be decoded or encoded from or into language

The Bangalore Project: Task types

1. Information-gap activity: each student has some information that the other needs to complete the task

The Bangalore Project: Task types

1. Information-gap activity: examples:
Spot the difference Complete the chart

The Bangalore Project: Task types

2. Reasoning-gap activity: get some new information from given information through processes of inference, deduction, practical reasoning, or a perception of relationships or patterns

The Bangalore Project: Task types

3. Opinion-gap activity: identify and articulate a personal preference, feeling, or attitude in response to a given situation

The Bangalore Project: Possible shortcoming

No guidance is given on the selection of problems and tasks, or how these might relate to the real-world language needs of the learners

Task Based Syllabus

Task selection
Selection and grading of tasks is an important issue
Task difficulty is the main criterion

Task Based Syllabus: Task difficulty

It is generally assumed that difficulty is the main factor in determining the sequencing of items in a syllabus

Task Based Syllabus: Task difficulty

The problem for the TBS designer is that a variety of factors will interact to determine task difficulty
Some of these factors are dependent on learner characteristics, e.g., what is difficult for Learner A may not necessarily be difficult for Learner B

Task selection: Some criteria

Relevance to the learner Time available Vocabulary used
Assistance given

Task selection: Some criteria

Complexity
number of steps involved complexity of instruction cognitive demands quantity of information grammatical complexity of the text

Task Based Syllabus: Problems

Excessive focus on meaning during task completion may cause learners to neglect accuracy
(Skehan, 1996)

Task Based Syllabus: Problems

Two important questions need to be addressed: 1.Does task-work result in actual acquisition/learning and, if so, does it have an equal effect on receptive and productive skills? 2.What is the role and nature of instruction in TBSs?
(Sheen, 1994:146)

Process Syllabus

Process Syllabus
Puts the learner at the centre of the learning process, derive partly from a holistic approach An extension of Task Based Syllabus

Process Syllabus
Focuses on the learner's affective, cognitive, and linguistic needs, his/her conscious or subconscious strategies, and his/her own perception of the objectives, aims, and other aspects of the learning situation

Process Syllabus
An important characteristic is that it is an infrastructure rather than a learning plan, with the syllabus designer no longer preselecting learning content, but providing a framework for teacher and learners to create their own on-going syllabus in the classroom
(Breen, 1987:166)

Process Syllabus
This accommodates differing abilities, learning needs, and perceptions in the learners, without specifying particular content, methodology, lexis, structure, or grammar

Process Syllabus
The teaching-learning process provides significant lesson content
Content is planned by consulting the learners

Process Syllabus
Some reasons for using Process Syllabus in language learning (Breen, 1987):
1. provides a means of relating content matter and methodology 2. it requires reinterpretation of itself during the learning process, and is therefore flexible, allowing for emerging changes in needs 3. classroom decision-making is of utmost priority 4. decision-making is seen as an authentic communicative activity in itself

Process Syllabus: Some shortcomings

Difficulty in grading and sequencing tasks (Candlin, 1987)
Language form is not addressed

Process Syllabus: Some shortcomings

Unclear how process syllabus fits in with theory or research in SLA
Pedagogic tasks in process syllabus are not based on any prior needs identification (Long and Crookes, 1993)

References
Breen, M.P. (1987). Contemporary paradigms in syllabus design, part II. Language Teaching, 20/3, 158-174. Candlin, C.N. (1987). Towards task-based learning. In C.N. Candlin & D. Murphy (Eds.). Lancaster Practical Papers in English Language Education. Vol. 7. Language Learning Tasks. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 5-22. Long, M.H. & Crookes, G. (1993). Units of analysis in syllabus design: the case for the task. In G. Crookes & S.M. Gass (Eds.). Tasks in a Pedagogical Context. Cleveland, UK: Multilingual Matters. 9-44. Nunan, D. (1993). Task-based syllabus design: selecting, grading and sequencing tasks. In In G. Crookes & S.M. Gass (Eds.). Tasks in a Pedagogical Context. Cleveland, UK: Multilingual Matters. 55-66. Prabhu, N.S. (1987). Second Language Pedagogy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Richards, J., Platt, J. & Weber, H. (1985). Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics. London: Longman. Sheen, R. (1994). A critical analysis of the advocacy of the task-based syllabus. TESOL Quarterly, 28/1, 127-151. Skehan, P. (1996). A framework for the implementation of task based instruction. Applied Linguistics, 17, 38-62.