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TESOL Connections - September 2014

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UsingtheSyllabusasanESLOralFluencyActivity
byRichardR.Day

Enlivening Dialogue Practice

With Free App
ELL Transitions in Early Ed

When international students

enter their first courses in ESL
at the university level, they have
to make rapid adjustments to a
very unfamiliar academic
environment. One of the first
differences may be the course
syllabus. In fact, it could be the

The Syllabus as an ESL Oral

Fluency Activity
Quick Tip: Filming for Progress in
Presentations
Book Chapter: English for
Academic Purposes
Association News
Resources

first time that international

students have seen a course syllabus.
When the teacher passes out hard copies of the course syllabus, and
then goes over it with her or his students, asking for questions, and so
on, the students may not understand either the document itself or its
importance. Generally, a course syllabus sets out the learning outcomes
or objectives, the requirements, important deadlines and dates, topics
and readings, and grading and policies (plagiarism, class absences,
etc.). All students, then, need to have a solid understanding of the
course syllabus. An understanding of and appreciation for the course
syllabus will be a benefit to the international students in their academic
studies.
One way of helping students at the university level gain an appreciation
for and understanding of the role of the course syllabus is to introduce it
as an activity. This article describes how this can be done through an
oral fluency activity.

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Purposes of the Activity

The purposes of the activity are:
tohelpESLstudentsgainanappreciationforandunderstanding
ofthecoursesyllabus,
toprovideopportunitiesforESLstudentstoengagein
purposefullistening,
toallowESLstudentstoengageinmeaningfulinteractive
communication,
tointroduceESLstudentstoworkinginsmallgroups,and
tobegintodevelopalearningcommunity.

Procedure
When using this activity, here are the general steps:
TESOL Blog
1. Reflection
At the first meeting of the course, before handing out the course
syllabus, instruct the class to think about the course. After a
short period of reflection, ask the students to jot down on a piece
of paper three or more questions about the course (e.g., What
are the course requirements? Will there be a final examination?).
Explain that the focus of their questions should be on the course,
and not to worry about grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so
on.
2. Group Work
Next, place the students into small groups of three or four and
ask them to discuss their list of questions. Their task is to make
a single list of questions (no more than five) for their group. Each
group then selects one person to write their questions on the
board. Ask the student from the last group to write on the board
to erase, with the help of classmates, all of the duplicate
questions, and then go over the questions as a class to make
sure that everyone understands all of them.

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3. Read the Syllabus

Tell the class that you will read the syllabus. Instruct them to
listen for answers to the questions on the board, and point out
that perhaps not all of the questions may be answered. They
may take notes as you read. Read the syllabus, trying to speak
at a normal rate, and emphasizing important aspects. Depending
on the level of the class, you may want to read the syllabus a
second time.
You can vary this step depending on two factors: the length of
the syllabus and the listening proficiency of the students. If the
syllabus is more than 500 words (or two pages, double-spaced)
and if the students listening comprehension is intermediate or
lower, then consider presenting it as a lecture and scaffolding
with PowerPoint slides. When preparing the slides, be careful
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TESOL Connections - September 2014

not to put all of the information verbatim on the slides; you want
to avoid turning the activity into a reading exercise. Generally,
put the major headings on the slides and then go into detail and
discuss them in your lecture.
4. Answer the Questions
The students return to their original groups and compare and
discuss their answers to the questions. While they are still in
their groups, reread the syllabus, and have the students revise
their answers as a group.
5. Discuss as a Class
Go over the answers with the entire class. Discuss which
questions were answered and which were not. As appropriate,
draw a distinction between those answers which were found
directly in the syllabus and the answers by inference. In addition,
if important elements of the syllabus were not covered (e.g., due
dates of assignments), make sure to discuss them.
6. Conclude the Activity
Conclude by asking the students, in their groups, to discuss what
they learned from the activity.
This activity can easily be adapted for use in EFL academic preparation
programs in EFL students countries to prepare them for syllabi when
they enter universities abroad.

Conclusion
This activity gives ESL students an appreciation for and understanding
of the role of the course syllabus in a university setting. It also gives ESL
instructors insights into their international students awareness of the
course syllabus and their concerns about the course. Further, the
activity introduces international students to small group and whole class
discussions. Finally, the activity helps ESL instructors gain an
understanding of the listening ability of their students.

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______________________________
Richard R. Day, PhD, professor in the Department of Second Language
Studies at the University of Hawaii, is the author of numerous
publications. He is the coauthor of Extensive Reading in the Second
Language Classroom, and the coeditor of Extensive Reading Activities
for Teaching Language. His most recent publications are New Ways in
Teaching Reading (2nd edition) and Teaching Reading. He is the
coeditor of the online scholarly journal, Reading in a Foreign Language.

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Reader Comments
Susan says:
This is an excellent idea. I will share it with colleagues. I do wish it
was sent a month earlier so I could have used it this term.

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