Curriculum and Materials

MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA
Departamento de Ciencias de la Educación

Sección Lenguas Contemporáneas
Curriculum and Materials

Guía didáctica
5 créditos
Titulación Ciclo
Ciencias de la Educación, Mención: Inglés VII
Autora:
Mgstr. Alba Bitalina Vargas Saritama
La Universidad Católica de Loja

Asesoría virtual:
www.utpl.edu.ec
CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS
Guía didáctica
Alba Bitalina Vargas Saritama
UNIVERSIDAD TÉCNICA PARTICULAR DE LOJA
CC Ecuador 3.0 By NC ND
Diagramación, diseño e impresión:
EDILOJA Cía. Ltda.
Telefax: 593-7-2611418
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Primera Edición
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ISBN físico-978-9942-08-323-4
ISBN digital-978-9942-04-519-5
Esta versión impresa y digital, han sido acreditadas bajo la licencia Creative Commons Ecuador 3.0 de reconocimiento -no comercial- sin obras
derivadas; la cual permite copiar, distribuir y comunicar públicamente la obra, mientras se reconozca la autoría original, no se utilice con fines
comerciales, ni se realicen obras derivadas. http://www.creativecommons.org/licences/by-nc-nd/3.0/ec/
Abril 2018
2. Index
2. Index.............................................................................................................................................................. 3
3. Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 5
4. Bibliography............................................................................................................................................. 6
4.1. Basic............................................................................................................................................. 6
4.2. Complementary....................................................................................................................... 6
5. General Guidelines to Study.......................................................................................................... 8
6. Teaching-learning process to attain competences....................................................... 11
FIRST TERM
6.1. Generic Competences............................................................................................................. 11

6.2. Planning for the student’s work.......................................................................................... 11
6.3. Evaluation System of the Subject (first and second term)......................................... 15
6.4. Specific guidelines for the achievement of the competences................................... 16
UNIT 1. LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DESIGN....................................................................................... 16

1.1. Parts of the curriculum design process............................................................................. 17
1.2. Environment Analysis............................................................................................................. 20
Self-evaluation 1.................................................................................................................................. 23
UNIT 2. NEEDS ANALYSIS..................................................................................................................... 25

2.1. Focuses of Needs Analysis..................................................................................................... 25
2.2. Evaluating needs analysis..................................................................................................... 26
2.3. Issues in Needs analysis......................................................................................................... 27
Self-evaluation 2.................................................................................................................................. 28
UNIT 3. PRINCIPLES.............................................................................................................................. 29
3.1. Methods and Principles......................................................................................................... 29
3.2. The twenty principles............................................................................................................. 29
3.3. The use of principles............................................................................................................... 30
Self-evaluation 3.................................................................................................................................. 32
UNIT 4. GOALS, CONTENT AND SEQUENCING.................................................................................. 33

4.1. Guidelines for deciding or checking the content and sequencing of a course..... 33
4.2. Goals and content.................................................................................................................... 34
4.3. The units of progression in the course.............................................................................. 35
4.4. Skills, sub-skills and strategies............................................................................................ 35
4.5. Sequencing the content in a course................................................................................... 36
Self-evaluation 4.................................................................................................................................. 37
UNIT 5. FORMAT AND PRESENTATION OF UNITS AND LESSONS.................................................. 39
5.1. Guidelines for Deciding on a Format of a lesson........................................................... 39
5.2. Following a set Format.......................................................................................................... 39
5.3. Blocks and Threads.................................................................................................................. 40
5.4. Techniques and Activities...................................................................................................... 42
5.5. Tasks and Presentation.......................................................................................................... 42
Self-evaluation 5.................................................................................................................................. 43
UNIT 6. CURRICULUM MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT............................................................... 45

6.1. Types of Monitoring and Assessment................................................................................ 45
6.2. Good Assessment: Reliability, Validity and Practicability........................................... 46
Self-evaluation 6.................................................................................................................................. 48
SECOND TERM
6.5. Generic Competences............................................................................................................. 49

6.6. Planning for the student’s work.......................................................................................... 49
6.7. Specific guidelines for the achievement of the competences................................... 51
UNIT 7. EVALUATION............................................................................................................................. 51
7.1. Evaluation, steps, purpose and audience........................................................................ 51
7.2. Type and Focus of the Evaluation....................................................................................... 53
7.3. Gaining Support for the Evaluation................................................................................... 54
7.4. Formative Evaluation as a Part of a Course...................................................................... 55
7.5. How to use the Results of an Evaluation.......................................................................... 56
Self-evaluation 7.................................................................................................................................. 57
UNIT 8. APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGN............................................................................. 58

8.1. Models of Curriculum Design............................................................................................... 58
8.2. Doing Curriculum Design...................................................................................................... 59
8.3. The Process of Curriculum Design....................................................................................... 59
8.4. Deciding on an Approach...................................................................................................... 59
Self-evaluation 8.................................................................................................................................. 61
UNIT 9. SYLLABUSES AND COURSE MATERIALS.............................................................................. 62

9.1. Negotiated Syllabuses............................................................................................................ 63
9.2. Disadvantages and Advantages of a Negotiated Syllabus......................................... 64
9.3. The adoption and adaptation of course books............................................................... 65
9.4. The Teacher and the Course Material................................................................................. 66
9.5. Evaluating a Course Book...................................................................................................... 66
Self-evaluation 9.................................................................................................................................. 68
UNIT 10. CHANGES IN THE EXISTING CURRICULUM....................................................................... 69

10.1. Steps in introducing changes in the curriculum............................................................ 69
10.2. Need and size of the change................................................................................................ 70
10.3. Teacher´s beliefs...................................................................................................................... 70
10.4. Change strategies.................................................................................................................... 71
Self-evaluation 10............................................................................................................................... 73
UNIT 11. PLANNING AN IN-SERVICE COURSE.................................................................................. 74

11.1. Features of an Effective Workshop..................................................................................... 74
11.2. Procedures and Activities for Reaching the Goals......................................................... 75
11.3. Making Material....................................................................................................................... 75
11.4. Planning Lessons and Units of Work.................................................................................. 76
11.5. Sequencing the components of a workshop.................................................................. 76
11.6. Teaching and Curriculum Design in daily lessons.......................................................... 76
Self-evaluation 11............................................................................................................................... 78
7. Answer Key ............................................................................................................................................... 79
Guía didáctica: Curriculum and Materials
3. Introduction
Curriculum and Materials is a core subject of the English Major of the Open and Distance System of the
Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). It is a part of language pedagogy. It is worth 5 credits and
it is designed to be taught in the seventh semester of the English major.
This course provides a systematic introduction to: the concept of curriculum, the role of curriculum in the
teaching learning process, issues involved in developing, designing, managing and evaluating language
programs. In addition, it familiarizes students with dynamic and engaging language teaching materials.
Curriculum design not only promotes effective classroom learning, but also teacher’s development.
Indeed, curriculum design is an element that significantly contributes to the improvement of higher
education. Thus, this course attempts to prepare EFL teachers in this field. The course is organized as
follows: six units for the first term and five units for the second term.
In the first term, you will start with unit one which presents an overview of language curriculum design
and the situational factors which strongly affect the design of a course. Then, in unit two, you will discover
how to determine what needs to be learned and what the learners want to learn in a language course.
Unit three provides key information to decide how learning can be encouraged in the curriculum design
process. In unit four, you will focus on the content and sequencing of the items to be taught in a course.
This information will be complemented with an extensive explanation provided in unit 5 regarding to
the way how to choose the teaching and learning techniques and how to design lesson plans. This term
will end with the study of unit six, in which you will learn to decide what to test and how to test it when
designing a course.
In the second term you will study six units. Unit seven and eight are focused on a careful analysis of all
the aspects involved in curriculum design as well as of the different approaches. In unit nine there is
a clear description of how to make decisions, negotiate syllabuses (making adaptations) and how to
choose and systematically adapt a course book.
Unit ten analyses the importance of the innovation and changes in language teaching courses. There
is additional information about the planning of in-service courses (professionals who are working at an
educational institution for training purposes). There are clear examples that illustrate decisions taken
while planning a language course, and the model of curriculum design which was already studied in
unit eleven. The unit ends with a general analysis of the reasons why the curriculum design should be
seen as a process with a variety of starting points and with continual opportunity to return to parts of
the curriculum design model to revise, reconsider and re-evaluate.
Dear students, remember that you will be aided, during the learning by the tutor who will interact with
you via the use of technological tools and resources available at the university, like EVA, videoconference,
telephone, and e-mail.

7
4. Bibliography
4.1. Basic
Nation,I.S.P. & Macalister, J. (2010). Language Curriculum Design. NY: Roughtledge.
This textbook has been selected because it comprehensively describes contents related to curriculum,
to the steps involved in the curriculum design process, and to the elaboration and justification of these
steps. It also provides opportunities for practicing and applying the steps. Additionally, it integrates
knowledge from many of the areas in the field of Applied Linguistics, such as language acquisition
research, teaching methodology, assessment, language description and materials production.
While studying the material in the textbook, you will come across useful information that will help you
to develop and design your own curriculum. In addition, the textbook can be useful for all educational
professionals interested in learning how to develop and design their own curriculum to be taught by
them or by others. It presents curriculum as a “how-to-do-it” activity with examples from the writers’
experience and from published research.
Vargas, A. (2012). Guía Didáctica de Curriculum and Materials. Loja, Ecuador: UTPL.
This didactic guide has been designed to provide you guidance in your learning process. The guide is
organized in units; it contains clear explanations and information to study the textbook, and to complete
the activities proposed to develop the competences and to guarantee the autonomous learning.
4.2. Complementary
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2011). [online] Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.

com/
This online dictionary is very useful for language learners because you will better understand key terms
related to curriculum and look for meaning of new vocabulary.
Richards, J. C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching.Cambridge University Press, New

York, NY.
This text provides a systematic introduction to the issues pertaining to planning, developing, and
managing effective language programs. It provides a systematic introduction to the issues involved in
developing, managing, and evaluating effective second and foreign language programs and teaching
materials. Additionally, it examines key stage in the curriculum design including situation analysis, needs
analysis, goal setting, syllabus design, materials development and adaptation, teaching and teacher
support, and evaluation.
Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador (2014). National Curriculum Guidelines. Quito:Ecuador.
It is a document which provides English curriculum guidelines shaped by the CEFR and their underlying
philosophy considering the Communicative Language Teaching approach. The syllabus is organized in
8 MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

terms of the different language functions in order to prepare learners to express, understand and to
communicate effectively in English.
Mackenzie, A., S. (2002).TEFL curriculum reform in Thailand. Retrieved from:
http://jalt.org/pansig/2002/HTML/Mackenzie1.htm
This website contains a deep analysis of the curriculum in Thailand and the curriculum reform in the early
nineties. This information will help you to identify the aspects when implementing current curriculum
reforms.
TESOL (2003).TESOL/NCATE Program Standards. Retrieved from: http://www.ncate.
org/ProgramStandards/TESOL/TesolStd.pdf
This website describes the standards for the accreditation of initial programs such as language, culture,
instruction, assessment and the core, which is academic professionalism. Each one of the domains is
further divided into Standards. There are a total of 13 standards. The standards themselves are divided
into performance indicators. These indicators will help you identify evidence of candidate performance.

9
5. General Guidelines to Study
Dear students, in distance learning, students are autonomous learners. This means that you are
responsible for conducting your own learning at your own pace. This looks like something difficult
to achieve, but if you are a well-organized and responsible it will be easy for you to succeed in this
curriculum and materials course.
During this course you will use the basic textbook and the didactic guide (cited in the reference section).
The didactic guide has been designed to guide you throughout the learning process. The basic textbook
to be used is “Language Curriculum Design” by I.S:P. Nation and John Macalister. This textbook has
fourteen units.
The textbook is accompanied by the Curriculum and Materials didactic guide which has been designed
specifically for this subject as a useful resource since it guides you to better understand the scientific
contents of the course, and helps you to develop competences in the curriculum design process, as well
as in the selection and designing of materials and resources for teaching English.
In addition to using the textbook and the didactic guide, it is important to consider the following study
guidelines:
ØØ Organize your time for each subject you have taken this semester. You are required to spend
at least 10 hours per week studying.
ØØ Use dictionaries to better understand the contents. Online dictionaries are an excellent tool.
ØØ Use summaries, charts, concept maps, graphic organizers and other techniques. In this way,
you will be able to remember the most relevant information presented in each unit and
chapter of the book.
ØØ Underline or highlight the most important information in each one of the units and chapters
of the guide and book.
ØØ Read and research about topics related to curriculum design. You should search on websites
suggested in the reference section and find out more information on-line.
ØØ Participate actively in the online learning environment (EVA). Interact with your teacher and
classmates.
ØØ In the EVA you will find different technological resources like the virtual library, blogs, mail,
chats, videoconferences, the social network, as well as Open Educational Resources (REA’s in
Spanish) which are excellent learning resources. To get access to EVA you only need to use
your username and password.
ØØ Participate in the chats, videoconferences and forums established in the academic calendar.
ØØ Complete the distance assignments (one per semester). These assignments are provided as
a learning strategy that prepares you for the on-site exams.
ØØ Complete the self-evaluations included at the end of each unit.

ØØ Revise the evaluation system in order to have a clear picture of the way how learning will
be assessed.
ØØ Contact your teacher if you have any doubts or questions. You can do this by e-mail, or
telephone. If you prefer using the telephone, please remember that there is a schedule that
has been established by the teacher in charge of the subject; so before calling please check
the tutorial schedule.
ØØ Read the planning for the student’s work matrix because it contains all the specific
competences and the learning indicators to be reached with the study of each of the units.
Moreover, it presents activities that are to be developed in each unit and set times.

11
6. Teaching-learning process to attain competences
FIRST TERM
6.1. Generic Competences

Social responsibility and commitment
6.2. Planning for the student’s work
Specific Contents
Guiding
competences of the Specific competencesof the subject Learning activities Learning indicators
Units/ topics schedule
english program
Formulate, design, To create English language courses and Unit 1. Language • To read, investigate and highlight the most • Defines curriculum Week 1
and execute research syllabus considering differentiated Curriculum important information in chapter 1 of your basic
• Identifies and uses 6 hours for
and innovation learning experiences based on textbook and unit 1 of your didactic guide and
1.1. Parts of the the parts of the self-study
projects in the assessment of students’ English other sources.
curriculum design curriculum design
educational and proficiency, learning styles, and prior 4 hours for
process • To complete graphic organizers and suggested process to
linguistic field. interaction
formal educational experiences and activities related to unit 1 of your didactic guide overview the
1.2. Environment
Identify and pose knowledge. and the ones established in your basic textbook planning of a
Analysis
alternatives to solve course
To apply Resources and Technology 1.2.1. onstraints • To write an essay in which analyze the role and
problems related to
Effectively in English and Content design of various English Language Curriculums • Analyzes the role
professional and 1.2.2. Steps in
Instruction. and design of
social practice. environment • To complete self-evaluation 1
different English
To select, adapt, and use culturally analysis • To participate in the EVA language
responsive, age-appropriate, and
Self-evaluation 1 curriculums
linguistically accessible materials for • To complete the distance evaluations
teaching English to children and
adolescents
13
Specific Contents
Guiding
14
english program
Unit 2. Needs Analysis • To read and highlight the most important • Lists special needs Week 2
2.1. Focuses of Needs information in unit 2 and in the textbook. for a group of
6 hours for
English language
Analysis • To complete the recommended activities related self-study
learners that is
2.2. Evaluating needs to unit 2 of your didactic guide and the ones
being targeted 4 hours for
analysis provided in your basic textbook.
interaction
• Designs
2.3. Issues in Needs • To construct a Needs analysis for an English
questionnaires for
analysis language program
needs analysis
Self-evaluation 2 • To review examples of Needs Analysis.
• Designs a Needs
• To complete self-evaluation 2 analysis for an
English language
• To participate in the EVA program or course
• To complete the distance evaluations
Unit 3. Principles • To read unit 3 of your basic textbook and your • Explains the Week 3
3.1. Methods and didactic guide and in your basic textbook principle and
6 hours for
indicates their
Principles • To describe principles based on a pedagogical self-study
application in
3.2. The twenty perspective, focusing on curriculum design and and
curriculum design.
principles teacher training.
4 hours for
• Chooses the most
3.3. The use of principles • To complete the recommended activities provide interaction
important
in unit 3 of your didactic guide and the ones
Self-evaluation 3 teaching and
given in your basic textbook
learning principles
• To complete self-evaluation 3 and decides how
to incorporate
• To participate in the EVA them in the course.

Specific Contents
Guiding
english program
Unit 4. Goals, Content • To read unit 4 of your basic textbook and your • Creates the goals Week 4
and Sequencing didactic guide. of the course.
6 hours for
4.1. Guidelines for • To write goals and contents for a specific • Identifies and self-study
deciding or checking language course you teach or want to teach. applies the units of
4 hours for
the content and progression in
• To create planning goals and outcomes for their interaction
sequencing of a order to grade the
own language teaching curriculum
course progress of a

• To check the content of the course you designed course.
4.2. Goals and content
against lists of other items to ensure coverage.
4.3. The units of • Chooses and
• To complete the recommended activities sequences the
progression in the
provided in the unit 4 of your didactic guide and content of the
course course.
the ones given in your basic textbook
4.4. Skills, sub-skills and
Strategies • To complete self-evaluation 4
4.5. Sequencing the • To participate in the EVA

content in a Course • To complete the distance evaluations
Self-evaluation 4
Unit 5. Format and • To read unit 5 of your basic textbook and your • Plans and creates Week 5
Presentation didactic guide. the format of the
6 hours for
lessons for a
5.1. Guidelines for • To examine the format used in an English course self-study
course based on
Deciding on a and determine how strictly the format is
any of the four 4 hours for
Format of a lesson followed.
strands: meaning- interaction
5.2. Following a format • Compare the format of three published course focused input,
5.3. Blocks and Threads books, then list the reasons why it was chosen. meaning-focused
output, language-
5.4. Techniques and • Using the information you have gathered in the focused learning,
Activities previous units design a lesson you teach or want and fluency
to teach. development
5.5. Tasks and
Presentation • To complete the recommended activities related • Selects the main
Self-evaluation 5 to unit 5 of your didactic guide and the ones teaching
established techniques and
• To complete self-evaluation 5 activities for
designing lesson
• To participate in the EVA plans.
• To complete the distance evaluations • Checks the format
15
against principles
of a test.
Specific Contents
Guiding
16
english program
Unit 6. Curriculum • To read unit 6 of your basic textbook and your
Monitoring and didactic guide.
Assessment • To summarize the different types of monitoring
6.1. Types of Monitoring and assessment by using a graphic organizer.
and Assessment
• To write an essay about the three criteria used for
6.2. Good Assessment: examining assessment measures: reliability,
Reliability, Validity validity and practicality.
and Practicability
• To write examples of the different types of
Self-evaluation 6 monitoring and assessment that can occur as
part of a course.
• To complete the recommended activities related
to unit 6 of your didactic guide and the ones

established in your basic textbook
• To complete self-evaluation 6
• To participate in the EVA
Getting ready for the • To review units from 1 to 6 of your basic book Week 7 and
on-site evaluation and your didactic guide 8

6.3. Evaluation System of the Subject (first and second term)
Formas de evaluación 2. Heteroevaluación

Evaluación a Evaluación
1. Autoevaluación *
distancia ** presencial
3. Coevaluación
Interacción en el
Parte de ensayo
Prueba objetiva
Parte objetiva
EVA***
Competencia: criterio
Comportamiento ético X X X X X X
Cumplimiento, puntualidad,
Actitudes
X X X X X
responsabilidad
Esfuerzo e interés en los trabajos X X X X X X
Respeto a las personas y a las normas
X X
de comunicación
Creatividad e iniciativa X X X
Habilidades
Contribución en el trabajo
X X
colaborativo y de equipo
Presentación, orden y ortografía X X X X
Emite juicios de valor
X X X
argumentadamente
Dominio del contenido X X X X X X
Conocimientos
Investigación (cita fuentes de

X
consulta)
Aporta con criterios y soluciones X X X
Análisis y profundidad en el
X X
desarrollo de temas
PORCENTAJE 10% 20% 30% 70%
puntos en cada
presenciales y en el
Estrategia de
aprendizaje
Actividades
en el EVA: 3
bimestre
Actividades
EVA
Puntaje 2 4 6 14
TOTAL 20 puntos
Para aprobar el componente se requiere obtener un puntaje mínimo de 28/40 puntos, que equivale al 70%.
* Son estrategias de aprendizaje, no tienen calificación; pero debe responderlas con el fin de autocomprobar su
proceso de aprendizaje.
** Recuerde: que la evaluación a distancia del primero y segundo bimestre consta de dos partes: una objetiva y otra de
ensayo, debe desarrollarla y enviarla a través del EVA según las fechas establecidas.
*** Estrategias de aprendizaje opcionales y de tipo colaborativa: foro, chat y video colaboración con una valoración de
un punto cada una.
Señor estudiante:
Tenga presente que la finalidad de la valoración cualitativa es
principalmente formativa.

17
6.4. Specific guidelines for the achievement of the competences
Welcome to the study of Curriculum and materials course. Let´s get ready. It is time to look for a quite but
comfortable place equipped with all material you need to read, research, and learn about the different
aspects involved in the curriculum design process and in the designing of teaching. This useful and
interesting course will provide you with the knowledge about the processes involved in developing,
implementing, and evaluating language programs and any course of language instruction.
Now, we start with the contents of the first term. It includes the six units. Let´s start with the first one
which provides an overview of the language curriculum design.
UNIT 1. LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DESIGN
http://ourladyofholycrossschool.com/images/ladyholy26.jpg
Dear students, now that you know what competences will be achieved this semester, it is time to start
studying the contents provided in the first unit.
I would like to invite you to brainstorm ideas about the following questions in order to :
What does curriculum mean?

Why is it important for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners
to study curriculum and materials?
Which are the aspects to be considered in language curriculum
design?
Good job! . You have a wide range of ideas!. Now let’s confirm or deny your assumptions on these topics,
and study them in depth.
Let’s first start defining the term curriculum for better understanding of the topics related to this field.
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, the word curriculum comes from the Latin curricle,
meaning “course, racing, chariot,” and from currere, which means “to run.”
Oliva (2005, p.7) provides a wider definition of curriculum in which he considers that it includes “a number
of plans, in written form and of varying scope, that delineate the desired learning experiences”. In other
words, curriculum refers to a unit, a course, a sequence of courses, the school’s entire program of studies.

The following two authors provide a more precise definition of curriculum in the field of education.
Thus, Richards (2001) argues that curriculum is a set of processes which involve the planning what is to
be taught or learned, implementing it and evaluating it. Meanwhile, Hall & Hewings (2001) consider that
curriculum implies all the issues related to the planning, implementation and evaluation of a series of
language learning events, which are conceived as a coherent whole with a specified purpose.
Now that you have a better idea of what curriculum implies, let’s study the parts of the curriculum design
process. For this, you will need to work with the textbook and this guide.
1.1. Parts of the curriculum design process
It is a fact that curriculum is very often understood as something very complicated and not always
necessary for language teaching. In many cases it is just replaced by the content, of the textbook available
for the course, which is why potential teachers need to understand what it implies.
The contents to be studied in this topic are presented in the first chapter of your textbook. Read
attentively the information. Remember that the use of study strategies facilitates you to find out and
summarize the most relevant information.
The curriculum design process that is studied in this unit is based on the following model (Figure 1).You
can observe that it consists of three outside circles and a subdivided inner circle. The outer circles involve
practical and theoretical considerations that will have a major effect in guiding the actual process of
course production. Meanwhile, the first inner circle deals with the format of the lessons or units of the
course, including the techniques and types of activities that will be used to help learning, as well as
the monitoring and assessing of a course, whereas the last inner circle contains the goals. Thus, the
curriculum design process is connected and ends with an overall evaluation.
Figure 1

19
Source: Nation,I.S.P. & Macalister, J. (2010). Language Curriculum Design.NY:Roughtledge.
After analyzing this figure, let´s study each one of the parts of the curriculum design process. Let´s start
Considering the Environment.
Environment factors
In order to grasp better this process of “course design”, it is important to consider a wide range of factors
such as: the students’ present knowledge and lack of knowledge, the resources available including time,
the skill of the teachers, the curriculum designer’s strengths and limitations, and principles of teaching
and learning that influence during a course design.
IMPORTANT:
Environment analysis involves the study of the potential impact of
societal factors, project factors, institutional factors, teacher factors,
learner factors, adoption factors on the curriculum project.
Suggested activity
Read the textbook and research other sources in order to write examples of factors that must be
considered in the curriculum design process.
Time
Clase size
Factors
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well!. if you
However, have
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by phone or
send him/her a mail.
phone or send him/her a mail.
As you could realize after reading this topic, the importance of environment analysis is that it enables the
As you could realize after reading this topic, the importance of environment analysis is that
course to be suitable, practical and realistic. Now, we are going to study how to discover particular needs
it enables the course to be suitable, practical and realistic. Now, we are going to study how to
when particular
discover planning needs
Englishwhen
programs/courses.
planning English programs/courses.
When designing or renewing English programs you have to do needs analysis in order to collect real
When designing or renewing English programs you have to do needs analysis in order to
information to properly address a general or a specialized English program/course. However, the course
collect real information to properly address a general or a specialized English program/course.
However, the course designer should also recognize that language programs are developed in
diverse and particular contexts or situations. These contexts or situations are the key factors that
20
can potentially
facilitate change or hinder successful implementation of an English course.
Therefore, the purpose of this needs analysis is to find out what English language skills
designer should also recognize that language programs are developed in diverse and particular contexts
or situations. These contexts or situations are the key factors that can potentially facilitate change or
hinder successful implementation of an English course.
Therefore, the purpose of this needs analysis is to find out what English language skills students require
and what exactly this type of learners use English for. In this sense, you can design a program that s them.
In addition, this needs analysis is aimed to identify what students are able to do and what they need to
be able to do when using English in the context they actually need, to determine their formal knowledge
of English and to ascertain what cognitive and academic skills students need to acquire.
Time to read the textbook! Once you have read the topic about needs, continue reading about Principles.
Remember that the curriculum should be designed on the basis of principles because they assure success
in the programs and courses, since they apply to the curriculum at an organizational as well as classroom
level or at any other level of setting where teaching takes place.
Other aspect you have to clearly consider in the curriculum design process is to determine the Goals,
Content and Sequencing. Because, as you can realize In the curriculum design process, it is essential to
decide why a course is being taught and what the learners need to get from a course or program. Goals
are a way of putting into words the main purposes and intended out-comes of a course or program you
design.
As far as you study this topic, you can realize that setting clear and achievable goals helps you to stay
on track while designing and teaching the course. In fact, goals are the benchmarks of a course because
they state what students are able to do when they leave the course or program.
In order to have a better idea about how to set goals for language courses, I invite you to analyse the
examples provided in the book. Now, What is your opinion about those examples?. What is the relation
between goals and assessment?
As you could observe in the examples, goals provide the basis for the focus of a course and guide
assessment. Therefore, having a clear statement of goals is fundamental for determining the content of
the course. The content of language courses consists of the language items, ideas, skills and strategies
that meet the goals of the course.
After determining the goals and content of the course, you must pay special attention to the material
which will be presented to learners in a form that will help learning. This presentation will involve the
use of suitable teaching techniques and procedures put together in lessons planned on the bases of
students’ needs and environment analysis.
Finally, a very important step in the curriculum design process is to assess how well the aims of the
course are actually achieved.

21
1.2. Environment Analysis
Before focusing on this topic, let’s think about the following two questions:
What is environment analysis?

Is Environment analysis also called situation analysis?
Confirm your answers or ideas about this topic by reading the section environment analysis in your
textbook and the information provided below.
As mentioned earlier, environment analysis is a part of the process of designing an English course in
which the factors that have a strong effect on decisions about the goals, contents, methodology, and
assessment of the course, are identified in order to guarantee the usefulness of an English course.
These factors can arise from:
As a curriculum designer, you must consider all the factors that affect the curriculum design in order to
guarantee a well-design course; however, the importance of a factor depends on: a) whether the course
will still be useful if the factor is not taken into account, and b) how large and pervasive the effect of the
factor on the course will be.
Now! Read the example of an environment analysis on a course for young Japanese learners that is in
your textbook. This example guides you to identify the environment constrains.
1.2.1. Environment Constraints
Constraints are the direct opposite of facilitators. These constrains can be general and particular. General
constrains are directly derived from learners, teacher, and the situation itself, from which a variety of
particular constrains are derived at the same time. Both types of constrains have significant effects on
curriculum design, thus deserve special attention from the part of the curriculum designer.
The table 2.1 in your textbook summarizes a list of environment constraints and shows how they affect
the design of the course. Among these constrains are: learner’s age, leaner´s level of knowledge, learner’s
preferences, teacher’s training, Teacher´s linguistic competence, time, and resources among others.

Sometimes it is necessary to consider wider aspects of the situation when carrying out an environment
analysis. There may, for example, be institutional or government policies to consider regarding the
learning and using of the target language; thus the course needs to be designed considering all these
conditions. You will find more details about constrains in your textbook.
Suggested activity
After learning the theory it is important to put it into practice what you have learned: think about a
course you want to design and make a list of constrains for an English course you want to design. It is
also advisable to research other sources in order to expand your leaning.
Remember that you are not alone in this learning process. If there is any doubt do not hesitate to contact
your teacher by phone or mail. Check the EVA too, there you will find further explanation about this topic
and other resources that will facilitate your learning.
As it was stated above, environment analysis is one of the basic parts of curriculum design because, at its
most basic level, it ensures the usability of the course and the achievement of the intended goals. Now
that you can easily conduct an environment analysis for designing an English course, let´s see the steps
that you have to follow.
1.2.2. Steps in environment analysis
Good environment analysis draws on both analysis of the environment and application of previous
research and theory, plus a systematic application of steps that permit you to identify the factors that
facilitate or constrain the curriculum development.

23
ccording to Nation & Macalister (2010), the first thing a course designer has to do when conducting
environment analysis is to brainstorm and then systematically consider the range of environment factors
that will affect the course. Then, the designer has to choose the most important factors (no more than
five) and rank them, putting the most important first. After that, the information about each factor
is gathered from the environment, previous research or theory. Then, all the possible effects that the
selected factors may have on the course design. Finally, it is time to go through step 1, 2, 3 and 4 again.
Now it is time to know if you have satisfactorily learned what you have studied in this u n i t .
Thus, I encourage you to take the following self-evaluation.

Self-evaluation 1
Choose the alternative that completes the statements below.
1. _______________focuses on determining what knowledge, skills, and values students learn in

schools, what experience should be provided to bring intended learning outcomes, and how
teaching and learning in schools or educational systems can be planned, measured, and evaluated.
a. Syllabus
b. Curriculum development
c. Environment analysis
2. _____________________ is the process by which a curriculum designer identifies the factors

of the situation in which the course will be used and determining how the course should take
account of them.
a. Syllabus
b. Factor
c. Environment analysis
3. Needs analysis can play a major role in determining the_____________.
a. content of courses, particularly for language items.

b. steps of the environment analysis
c. number of students for the course
4. A _________________ is a plan for what is to be learned in a particular course or course of study.
a. course designer
b. syllabus
c. needs analysis
5. The three major parts of the curriculum design model are: ______________________.
a. Needs analysis, Environment analysis and principles

b. Learner, Teachers, Situation
c. Time. Constrains and environment analysis
6. Select the effect that Limited class time and contact time with English could have on the curriculum
design of a course.
a. the activities should be fun so that the learners look forward to doing them for their own
sake
b. The activities should be meaning-focused, and language –focused activities which should
mainly involve correction.
c. Learners should be given extra contact with English

25
7. Which of the following are examples of environment constrains: ___________________.
a. Target language studied, group and individual attitudes, and needs analysis
b. Content and sequencing, format and presentation, and monitoring and assessment
c. Time available, cultural background, effects of the first language on the studied language,
and special purposes.
8. In curriculum development, the purposes of evaluating a course are:
a. To continue or discontinue a course or to improve it.

b. To assess learners’ knowledge and provide feedback to weak learners
c. To gather information about the curriculum design model
9. Environment analysis is also called ________________.
a. Language curriculum design

b. Situation analysis
c. General factor
10. Hutchinson and Waters (1987) divides learner’s needs as:__________.
a. Necessities, lacks, and wants

b. Constrains, facilities and needs
c. General, specific and individual

UNIT 2. NEEDS ANALYSIS
Richards (2001) considers that any educational program should be based on an analysis of learner’s
needs. Need analysis is a cyclical process that involves the identification and evaluation of learners’
needs. It has a vital role in the process of designing or conducting any language course.
In fact, the only way to assure the relevance and usefulness of a course is by the collection of information
about the real learners’ needs; since needs analysis provides a profile of the needs of a group of learners
in order for the teacher or course designer to be able to make decisions about the goals and contents of
a language curriculum and its courses.
Thus, the objective of this unit is to examine the range of information that can be gathered in needs
analysis and provide you both theoretical and practical knowledge to conduct need analysis in order to
be able to create or renew effective language courses.
2.1. Focuses of Needs Analysis
Needs analysis was introduced into language teaching through English for Specific Purposes in the
1980s (Richards 2001). There is no single approach to needs analysis. Needs analysis is therefore a reliable
indicator of what is required to enhance learning.
In curriculum design field, the term needs cannot be understand a straight-forward term. Brindley
(1984, p. 28) considers that, the term needs is used to refer to wants, desires, demands, expectations,
motivations, lacks, constrains, and requirements.
A needs analysis may be conducted for a variety of different purposes and users. For example Ecuadorian
curriculum officers in the ministry of education may conduct need analysis to evaluate the adequacy of
existing syllabus, curriculum, and materials for teaching English in high schools or universities; writers
who prepare textbooks, educational academic commission members who want to improve, or renew
curriculum at schools, high schools and universities.
Whatever the purpose of needs analysis could be, you have to remember that you need to have a clear
purpose based on the target population about whom information will be collected (language learners
or potential language learners), and other subcategories of respondents like students currently being
involved in a course, students previously enrolled in a course or even students who have never studied
a foreign language because they could provide valuable information to take better curriculum design
decisions.
Among the procedures that can be used to obtain information for needs analysis are:

27
Considering the importance of need analysis it is advisable to use a triangular approach (use two or
more sources) because if only one procedure or source is used the results may be incomplete.
As a future English teacher you will be involved in a situation in which you will need to conduct needs do
not worry because you will be prepared for that, all what you have to rremember is that the outcomes
of need analysis will be related to:
What is necessary for the learners?

What do the learners lack?
What do the learners wish to learn?
The following chart illustrates the key aspects of a needs analysis. Look at it.
Figure 3
If you have difficulty understanding how to approach needs analysis, don’t worry! Information in your
textbook about The various focuses of needs analysis will help you to clarify your this topic.
Remember that in order to facilitate your learning, it is useful to highlight the most important ideas or
make graphic organizer to summarize relevant information.
Was this information useful? I am sure it was. Now that you have a clear idea about approaches to needs
analysis, you are able to complete task 1in your textbook.
After having learned approaches to need analysis, we can turn to some issues in needs analysis.
2.2. Evaluating needs analysis

Take a look at the Planning for the student’s work and evaluate how you are progressing in your learning.
Remember that the success in language learning depends on the way you organize your study time.
I invite you to reflect on the validity and reliability of the findings gotten through needs analysis. Do you
think it is necessary to evaluate needs analysis?. Personally, I think that
Language courses must be designed on the basis of good needs analysis conducted from a variety of
perspectives. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to evaluate it before starting to design a course. Do
you agree?. I think so!
Put simply, needs analysis is a kind of assessment, thus you can be evaluated by considering its reliability,
validity and practicality.
Please look for further information in your textbook. After reading about needs analysis, complete the
following questions: When are the finding gotten in needs analysis reliable?, What does valid needs
analysis involve?, How can you conduct practical needs analysis?
This exercise was really useful, wasn’t it?. In order not to forget about what you have learned in this unit,
I recommend that you do this activity that will prepare you to understand better the next topic.
Suggested activity
The study (article) in the following website illustrates the benefits of conducting needs analysis for
designing an English course: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/lwati/article/viewFile/36850/37587
2.3. Issues in Needs analysis
There are various issues in needs analysis that have been the focus of continuing debate among language
curriculum development researchers. Nation and Macalister (2010) states three issues:
ØØ Common core and specialized language

ØØ Narrow focus-wide focus
ØØ Critical needs analysis
It is time to read more information in the textbook in order to understand the issues in needs analysis.
Needs analysis makes sure that a course will be relevant and satisfying to the learners. To neglect them
is to run the risk of producing a course that does not meet the needs of its users. The process of needs
analysis can be summarized as follows:

29
Figure 4
Well done! You have finished unit two. It is time to answer the self-test. You are free to review the contents
of the unit again and contact the teacher if you have doubts.

Self-evaluation 2
Decide if the following statements are True or False. Then write T or F in the parenthesis.
1. ( ) Needs analysis is a process aimed at discovering the parts of the curriculum design
process.
2. ( ) According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987) needs analysis is divided into target needs
and learning needs.
3. ( ) The findings of needs analysis must be balanced against constrains found in environment
analysis.
4. ( ) A useful question for gathering information about language in needs analysis is How will
the learner use the language?
5. ( ) An English teacher who designs an English course for immigrants and a course for medical
students choose the same contents to be taught.
6. ( ) A needs analysis is valid when it shows relevant and important information to be used as
the basis for language course design.
7. ( ) Self-report, observation and proficiency tests are types of need analysis.
8. ( ) Learners’ scores on standardized proficiency tests like the TOEFL test or the IELTS are
useful sources of information in needs analysis.
9. ( ) Information in needs analysis could be obtained from a variety of sources like: samples of
writing, tests, questionnaires, surveys, reports by teachers, opinions of experts.
10. ( ) Data about the learners’ general proficiency can be gathered by interviewing teachers
and authorities.

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UNIT 3. PRINCIPLES
The purpose of this unit is to show that a sensible basis to guide teaching and to help to design the rests
of courses on principles. These principles must be based on research and theory, and must be general
and flexible to suit the wide range of conditions in which language can be taught.
As mentioned earlier, language curriculum design is a serious process which requires to be managed
with a lot of responsibility for this reason, now it is time to determine how learning can be encouraged.
Let’s start studying methods and principles first!
3.1. Methods and Principles
The process of language teaching development began in the twentieth century with the recognition of
language teaching as a profession. And central to this process was the emergence of the term methods
of language. In fact, the introduction of the method concept in teaching has powerfully influenced the
teaching of English throughout the history. Moreover, much of the impetus for the tremendous changes
in approaches to language was proposed by applied linguists based on the teaching methods.
Generally speaking, curriculum is seen as a set of courses, course work, and content offered at any
educational institution. It also encloses the methods, assessment and material used in instructional
courses. How much do you know about this! Let´s see:
Is curriculum design based on any principle? If so which are they?

Do language teachers follow a specific method or approach in their
language teaching?
Were you able to respond these questions? Were they easy to answer? I hope you did a good job.
If not, do not worry! You can confirm the answers for the questions by reading the information in your
textbook.
As you could realize a “method” approach to curriculum design needs not to be adhere to a method (i.e.
total physical response or functional approach) because they only suggest small changes in format and
presentation with no changes in the selection of what is to be taught or in how it might be monitored
or assessed; but not considers all the aspects implied in curriculum design. Thus, it is necessary to base
a curriculum design on suitable research and theory. One of the best ways to assure certain desirable
qualities of course is by resting them on principles.
3.2. The twenty principles
The focus on the course design can be based on a pedagogical perspective, a leaning perspective, or a
more philosophical stance on principles considering the nature of language, the nature of learning, and
the role of the culture.
The principled described here are based on a pedagogical perspective and are unique to language
teaching. Let’s take a look at the twenty principles proposed by Nation & Macalister (2010). These

principles have been divided into three groups: a) content and sequencing, b) format and presentation,
and c) monitoring and assessment.
I invite you to check your textbook in order to find out which are those principles. While reading, I
recommend underlining the most important information to understand the following chart.
Figure 5
I am sure this activity helped you significantly to identify and understand that the aim of the principles
which is to make sure that the learners are gaining something useful from the course. Remember to
check the announcements on the EVA or contact your teacher if you need more help.
Suggested activity
It is worth looking at other researchers’ lists of principles to see how they differ from the ones proposed
in the chart above. You can research the lists proposed by Ellis (2005), Brown (1993) or any other author.
Check the online library and the resources
available on the EVA
3.3. The use of principles
So far we have looked at the principles and we have attempted to explain them and to identify their
importance and application in curriculum design. We have also stated that this list of perspective is not
only the one we can rely on in order to design a course. Look for more information about the use of
principles in the basic textbook.

33
The list of principles however has such a wide range of uses as follows:
ØØ to guide the design of language teaching courses and lessons.
ØØ to evaluate existing courses and lessons.
ØØ to help teachers integrate and contextualize information gained from keeping up with
developments in their field. For example, when reading articles from journals such as
TESOL Quarterly, Language Learning, Applied Linguistics or RELC Journal, teachers can try
to decide what principle is being addressed by the article and how the article helps in the
application of a principle.
ØØ to provide a basis for teachers to use reflecting on their practice and professional
development. It may provide a basis for action research within their classrooms. It can help
them answer the questions as “Is this a good technique?”, “Should I use group work?”, and
“Do my learners’ need to speak a lot in class?”.
ØØ to act as one of many possible reference points in teacher training courses.
These are some of the most common uses of these principles. What other uses do you think these
principles can have?.
To sum up, I would like to highlight that the advantage of using a principle-based approach, on the one
hand enhances the development in theory and research which can be easily accommodated by altering,
expanding, removing or adding principles without having to discard other principles. On the other side
it can be useful to consider certain desirable qualities of a well-designed curriculum that would lead us
to prefer one curriculum to another one.

IMPORTANT: In curriculum design you have to:
- select the most important teaching and learning principles

- decide how you will incorporate them in the course
Congratulations! You have finished with unit three. Now, it is time to see how much you have learned.

Self-evaluation 3
Choose the word or words that complete the following statements
1. ( ) The aim of ______________ is to guide the design of courses which suit the wide range
of conditions in which language is taught.
course
2. ( ) The principle that stresses the importance of the learner’ attitudes to what they are
studying, this belongs to _______________.
format and presentation
3. ( ) One of the possible causes why a course does not provide enough quantity-based activity
may be because ____________ is not aware or convinced of the value of such activity.
receptive skills
4. ( ) A ___________ should take account of individual differences and learning styles.
Language-focused learning
5. ( ) ________________ from language use can come from the sender herself, from the people
who receive the message, and from an observer of the communication process
fluency
6. ( ) The more ______________ learners spend on language learning the more they learn
principles
7. ( ) In order to achieve better results in a language course, it must contain appropriate
amounts of ________________.
feedback
8. ( ) One of the principles of language teaching state that there should be substantial
quantities of interesting comprehensible ____________ in the two receptive skills.
the teacher
9. ( ) ____________ is a part of the skill goal of language learning.
time
10. ( ) Principles can be used to evaluate existing ______________.
courses or lessons

35
UNIT 4. GOALS, CONTENT AND SEQUENCING
The information studied about principles, need analysis and environment analysis provides essential
input in understanding and setting course goals and deciding what goes into a course which is the
subject of this unit.
Therefore, I suggest reviewing the chart that contains the student´s work plan. This will guide your self-
study. I also suggest you to organize your time in order to study little by little all the contents proposed
for this semester. Be sure you study every chapter of the book by following the didactic guide because
there, you will find strategies, examples and explanation about the different topics that we are studying.
4.1. Guidelines for deciding or checking the content and sequencing of a course
The process of deciding or checking the content and sequencing of a course involves making responsible
choices due to the field of language learning is vast, and because of the various ways to cover it.
Thus, for a given course you need to carefully analyze and take decisions on what you want students to
learn in the course, what to emphasized, what to omit ; and how to organize the contents in a way that
best facilitates the relationship among the different elements of the course.
Nation & Macalister (2010) state that a course designer must consider the environment in which the
course is taught plus needs of the learners, and the teaching and learning principles that are to be used.
See the chart below for more details.
Figure 6
In regard to this topic, Graves (2000, p.38) states that conceptualizing content involves answering the
following questions among others:
–– What do I want my students to learn in this course, know who they are , know their needs,
and purpose of the course?
–– What are my options or what can they learn?
–– What are the resources and constrains of my course that can help me to narrow my options?

–– What are the relationships among the options I have selected?
–– How can I organize these options into a working plan or syllabus?
–– What is the driving force or organizing principle that will pull my syllabus together?
What do you think about this? Have you had the opportunity to decide or check the contents of a course?
I think that you have. If not, do not worry! The information provided in the chapter about Goals, Content
and Sequencing in the basic textbook and in this didactic guide will provide you with the knowledge you
need to develop the competence on this field.
Remember that, the guidelines provided here for deciding or checking the content and sequencing of a
Course will facilitate the understanding of how to set specific goals and content for a course.
4.2. Goals and content
Teaching involves making choices. There are many things that can be taught but they all cannot be
appropriate. Careful choices must be done by the teacher, and the only way to make good decisions is to
set clear and achievable goals. Goals and content are closely related. Stating your goals helps you bring
into focus your visions and priorities for the course you attempt to design.
For example the contents of a course can be chosen based on goals, and they can be focused on different
aspects like language, social context, learning or learners as illustrated in the following mind map:
Figure 7
As you can find out in your basic textbook, the goals and contents of a course can also be based on one
or more of the following areas: language, Ideas, Skills or Text (Discourse). For gaining better outcomes in
a course, it is worth to set smaller goals for the various strands or skill subdivisions of a course. It is also
advisable to break goals down into smaller well-specified performance objectives. Objectives help to set
learnable and teachable units. They are like the building blocks of the syllabus.

37
Now, I invite you to look at the following example of goals and objectives of an English for specific
Purposes (ESP) course designed for medical doctors:
COURSE: ESP Medical Reading
GOAL: Develop reading skills and strategies using a wide range of materials like books and scientific
reports
OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to:
ØØ Skim and scan relevant information from a text.

ØØ Infer meaning from context.
ØØ Distinguish medical terminology while reading.
The way these smaller goals are detailed will depend partly on the unit of progression of the course.
4.3. The units of progression in the course
The progression of a course can be graded in terms of the coverage of the range of items set by the
course designer (language, Ideas, Skills, or any other focus) which are called by Nation & Macalister
(2010) units of progression.
The units of progression in a course are the items that are used to grade the progress of the course.
One way to provide a systematic and well-researched basis for a course is to make use of frequency lists
depending on the focus of the course (language, skills). For example in a course focused on language
the units of progression can be words in vocabulary, grammatical constructions in grammar, or functions
in language use.
The information mentioned above provides you with clues in order to understand better this topic which
is in your textbook.
How did it go? As you could see the purpose of units of progression in a course are:
ØØ to set targets and paths to those targets.

ØØ to check the adequacy of selection and order.
ØØ to monitor and report on learners’ progress and achievement.
Ok!. You are ready to plan your own course! Let us turn to the next topic.
4.4. Skills, sub-skills and strategies
Teaching a language means helping learners to develop skills and sub-skills, that is why there are a lot of
English courses which are planned on the bases of the skills and sub-skills that are likely to be developed
through the course.
Do you know how a skill-based course is defined? If your answer is yes, answer this other question: Which
are the sub-skills focused on a reading course? If your answer is no, look for information in the textbook
to answer these two questions, as well as examples.

There are three major ways of defining sub-skills: a) the range of activities covered by a skill; b) the
skill as a process; and c) levels of cognitive activity. However, a good language course not only develops
the learners’ control of the language but also puts the learners in contact with ideas that help the learning
process of language which are useful to the learners.
Suggested Activity
Now, I invite you to investigate more about the ideas content of a course and task-based syllabuses,
there is plenty of information available on books and on the internet.
The choice of units of progression in a course is very important for curriculum design and making
decisions regarding the selection and sequencing of these units must be guided by well-justified principles
and grounded on theory and research.
4.5. Sequencing the content in a course
Let´s start this topic by explaining the term sequencing. In this context, sequencing involves the order
in which you will teach the units and the order within each unit. As far as we have learned in the topics
before, the content of a course will be sequenced and ordered depending if it is topic or theme-based,
process or skill-based. Furthermore, it is important to notice that the contents of the course are usually
organized into units and lessons which are built from the simple to the complex.
Regardless of what the focus (principle) of organization of the content is, the content of the unit is derived
from the way you conceptualized the content and the way how you articulate goals and objectives
which at the same time are based on the need analysis you conduct before designing a course.
In the textbook, you will find specific details and examples about approaches to sequencing contents
and how to order them in a hierarchical way. In the basic textbook the authors propose two major
approaches: a) a linear approach and b) a modular approach.
Regarding the same topic, Graves (2000) considers that there are three complementary ways to organize
the modules, units, or strands in a course: a) a cycle in which the elements occur in a predictable sequence
and, once the sequence is completed it starts all over again.; b) a matrix where the elements are selected
from certain categories of content; and, c) a combination of cycle and matrix in which the contents of
a unit might follow a predictable sequence of learning activities and end with activities drawn from a
matrix.
Congratulations! You have study how to make a list of the items to teach in the order in which they will
be taught which was the aim of this part of the curriculum design and of this unit. Now, get ready to
complete the following self-evaluation.

39
Self-evaluation 4
Read the statements below and select the best option.
1. The selection of content for a course is based on ______________________.
a. case studies and particular needs

b. books and didactic resources
c. topics, themes or situations
2. A good language course _______________________________
a. puts the learners in contact with ideas and develops the learners’ control of the language
b. adds credibility to the educational institution because of the number of students
c. is designed on the bases of teacher´s abilities to teach to all kind of learners
3. A skill can be divided by using _________________________________.
a. contents of the book

b. the most frequent words and phrases
c. levels of cognitive activity.
4. __________________must be planned considering the environment in which the course will be

used, the needs of the learners, and principles of teaching and learning.
a. Content and sequencing

b. Principles
c. Task-based syllabus
5. Units of progression can be used to _____________ learners’ progress and Achievement in the
course.
a. identify and list

b. monitor and report
c. divide and order
6. One of the advantages of a _________is that it provides easily monitored recycling of material.
a. matrix model
b. spiral model
c. linear model
7. A ______________________may focus on skills such as finding the main idea, reading for detail,
note taking, skimming, reading faster, and reading for inferences.
a. reading course
b. speaking course

c. survival course
8. __________________defines a task as “ an activity which requires learners to use language, with

emphasis on meaning to attain an objective”
a. Crookes (1992)
b. Nation and Wang (1999)
c. Bygate et al.(2001)
9. The unit of progression in a course is usually _________________________________.
a. what the curriculum designer sees as being important for learning

b. the statements of goals and objectives
c. the criterion-referenced testing of learner´s previous knowledge
10. _______________ breaks a course into independent non-linear units.
a. Linear approach
b. Spiral approach
c. Modular approach

Good job!
Let´s see if all the answer are correct
by checking the answer key!

End of unit four!!!!!

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UNIT 5. FORMAT AND PRESENTATION OF UNITS AND LESSONS
I am looking forward to working together in this unit. I would like to invite you to look at the title of the
unit and try to infer what “format” and “presentation” mean.
In curriculum design , format and presentation

mean:______________
_______________________________________
Ok! How did it you do in the task. I am sure you did a great job! Now, read the next topic to extend your
ideas and knowledge about this topic. First of all let me tell you that the aim of this unit is to learn how
to choose the teaching and learning techniques and design the lesson plans.
As far as you have noticed, organizing language courses involve different overlapping processes like
determining the focus or principles that drive the courses; identifying the modules, units or threads of
the courses; sequencing contents; determining the specific contents to build and organize each module
unit or thread in order to give shape and structure to the courses.
This means that curriculum designers are required to pay special attention on both format and
presentation. In fact, it is in this part of the curriculum design process where the data gathered from needs
and environment analysis is used to make good decisions to assure desired outcomes of the course.
5.1. Guidelines for Deciding on a Format of a lesson
One of the challenges of developing a course is to make decision on format and at the same time to try
to impulse all the parts that build up a course to fit together in an ordered and sequential way in order
to facilitate students learning.
The advantages of having a set format for lessons are enormous as you will discover by reading in your
textbook. Here you will also find a list of guidelines that will help you to decide on the format of a course
and the four strands (meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning and
fluency development) , which the author of this book proposes in order for the curriculum designer to
propose a balanced range of opportunities for learning and learners.
IMPORTANT!
Dear students: For further ideas you can also see the examples
provided by Kathleen Graves’ book, Designing Language Courses: A
guide for teachers.
5.2. Following a set Format
Let’s continue studying. The next aspect a curriculum designer needs to consider when designing the
format of a lesson is the environment factors such as time, teacher´s skills and role, and the size of the
class. Furthermore, it is fundamental to keep in mind that deciding on the format of a lesson involves
practical and principled considerations.

The starting point in course design is the rationale. This means that you should provide a brief and and
well-focus description of the reason and nature of the course. Once you have decided Who is the course
for?, what is the course about? And what kind of teaching and learning will take place in the course?, you have
to review the goals and objectives in order to make decision about a syllabus framework of the syllabus.
Read and analyze the example of lesson format proposed in your textbook. Research other sources to
clarify your ideas related to this topic. There is a lot of information on the internet. Check the EVA, there
will be some interesting online resources provided there.
Remember that there is an online

library and resources that you can
freely access in the EVA.
Are you ready to set your own language course?. I think so. Go ahead!
Suggested Activity:
Outline the format of a lesson for a language course you want to design.
Strategy: Read the contents of the guide and textbook in order to refresh your knowledge about
the considerations to do this task.
Congratulations!. You did a good job!.
Now, let’s continue with blocks and threads.
5.3. Blocks and Threads
A language course needs to be mapped in terms of blocks and threads. It is necessary to ensure that the
lesson encompasses the objective and contents of the unit, module or thread and syllabus of the course
as illustrated in the flow chart.
Figure 8
There are various ways of planning a lesson here are two common ways: blocks and threads. Let´s see!
How much do you know about this topic by answering these questions:

43
How are blocks and threads useful in lesson planning?

What does a typical block include?
How are threads used in planning a lesson?
Some of you have experience using blocks and threads for planning lessons, others have read or heard
about it. However, some of you may not have read or heard about them because you have not had the
opportunity to be immersed in any teaching experiences. No problem! This is a topic that has been
scheduled in the students’ work chronogram at the beginning of the didactic guide to help you to
organize time and self-study.
Below is an example of what a lesson plan may include:
Unit: Learn to skim and scan English material for information
Topic: Skimming and scanning information on medical studies about the flue
1. TEFL language objectives:
a. Content Focus:
b. Language Focus:
2. List of the methods and strategies to be used in the lesson:
3. Teacher’s input and guided students practice activities
4. Independent activities used
5. Assessment
6. Closing review and follow up
IMPORTANT
1. Decide on the main teaching techniques and activities
2. Plan the format of the lessons
3. Check the format against principles
4. Write the lessons
Let´s look at the example given in the book. Then read and underline the most important information
about the different ways of planning a lesson. You can also make a summary chart, mind map or use any
other technique that help you to consolidate learning.
In sum, the use of threads and blocks reduces the need for detailed planning and organization. Threads
can be part of blocks. Blocks approach the lesson as a vertical unit meanwhile threads permit to link or
relate lessons in a horizontal way through the linked sequence of activities.

5.4. Techniques and Activities
Techniques and activities can be drawn in the moment you design the lessons of a course. Nation and
Macalister (2010) consider that that these can be divided into four major types, each having its own cycle
of activities, preferred learning goals, and principles of learning.
Dear students! After analyzing the chart below, look for specific information about techniques and
activities in your basic textbook. There you will find practical and real examples of teaching techniques
and activities for listening, speaking, reading, and writing classified according to the type of task.
See the example below:
Units Contents Week Activities

• Content Focus
Scanning for numbers
• Scanning process
Scanning for specialized
• Scanning tips
terms
• Skimming process
Scanning for definitions of
• Skimming tips key terms
Unit 1 • Language Focus Scanning for facts
2&3
Learn to skim and scan • Verbs and tense Skimming for the general
English material for agreement (10 hours) idea in a medical essay
information
• Adjectives Selecting the main idea of
an article
• Adverbs
Group discussion on main
• Articles
ideas
• Pronouns
Using compound
• Vocabulary adjectives
development
5.5. Tasks and Presentation
Now that you have analyzed the importance of designing techniques and activities, we can move on to
the last topic of this unit.
I invite you to do the following activity.
Suggested activity:
Do the tasks proposed at the end of the chapter of the book.
Strategy: Go through the contents of the unit and book again.
Select a course book you like to do the task
So far, we have looked at goals, content and sequencing, and format and presentation. In the next unit,
we will discover how teachers can see where learners are in their learning process and whether they are
making effective progress. But before that , please complete the following self-evaluation.
45
Self-evaluation 5
Choose the principle that matches the statement then complete the space:
Fluency Four strands Motivation Integrative motivation
Deliberate learning Time on task Depth of processing Comprehensible input
Output Learning style
1. Learners should process the items to be learned as deeply and as thoughtfully as possible.
_____________________
2. There should be opportunity for learners to work with the learning material in ways that most suit
their individual learning style.
_____________________
3. The course should include language focused learning on the sound system, spelling, vocabulary,
grammar and discourse areas.
_____________________
4. A course should be presented so that the learners have the most favorable attitudes to the
language, to users of the language, to the teacher’s skill in teaching the language, and to their
chance of success in learning the language
_____________________
5. A course should include a roughly even balance of meaning-focused input, language-focused

learning, meaning focused output and fluency activities.
_____________________
6. A language course should provide activities aimed at increasing the fluency with which learners
can use the language they already know, both receptively and productively.
_____________________
7. There should be substantial quantities of interesting comprehensible receptive activity in both

listening and reading.
_____________________
8. The learners should be pushed to produce the language in both speaking and writing over a range
of discourse types.
_____________________

9. As much time as possible should be spent using and focusing on the second language.
_____________________
10. As much as possible, the learners should be interested and excited about learning the language
and they should come to value this learning.
____________________

Congratulations!
Now, please check the answer key
at the end of the guide.


47
UNIT 6. CURRICULUM MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
Generally speaking, once the curriculum is implemented it must be carefully assessed, monitored and
evaluated. Monitoring and assessing also applies to language courses. Undoubtedly, monitoring and
assessing permit the teacher, curriculum or course designer to collect information about learners’ current
knowledge and progress, and it can also be a means of encouraging involvement and participation.
Think about a real situation in which a course has been monitored and assessed and answer the following
questions: What were the ways in which you evaluate the effectiveness of the last course you taught?
Which type of monitoring and assessment did you apply?. If you have not taught a course, choose
a course in which you were a learner. And think How and when was the effectiveness of the course
evaluated?
The purpose of monitoring and assessing a course is to help you make decisions on both an ongoing
and final basis about the course. Now, that you understand the purpose and importance of monitoring
and assessing, let’s study the different types.
6.1. Types of Monitoring and Assessment
Let us look at the major types of monitoring and assessment that can occur as part of a course. The graph
below contains six types of monitoring and assessment. The choice of one over the other will depend
on one’s purpose.
Figure 8
Now! It is time to sit down in a quiet, well-lit and comfortable place to study. There are explanations
about each one of the monitoring and assessment types in your textbook. Then, define each type and
illustrate with an example.

Types of monitoring and

Definition and use Examples
assessment
Placement assessment
Observation of learning
Short-term achievement
assessment
Diagnostic assessment
Achievement assessment
Proficiency assessment
I hope you have successfully completed this chart. This information is useful for learning, first, how and
when to apply each one of the ways of measuring and evaluating a course or curriculum considering
different needs.
REMEMBER TO:
Check the didactic resource provided in the EVA
Dedicate some time every week to study and complete the distance
evaluations.
We should now take a look at the criteria for addressing assessment needs.
6.2. Good Assessment: Reliability, Validity and Practicability
Assessing is by nature, a complex undertaking part of the curriculum process and involves not only
students but teachers and educational authorities. All assessment needs to be checked to see if it is
doing its job properly and if it is not causing unnecessary extra work.
Dear students, as you are going to be future English teachers, you will probably responsible for designing
effective English courses ( in our Ecuadorian schools and high schools) based on the conception of
assessment as a process not as an end. Assessment, as you have already seen, is a process and not simply
something that is done at the end of a course to test students’ knowledge. Consequently, you have
to be careful and verify that the procedures including the tools for needs analysis, course evaluation
procedures, and tests and other measures for assessment meet the criteria of reliability, validity and
practicality.
Part of taking charge of your own learning involves research and reading. For that reason, I would like to
invite you to research more in-deph about reliability, validity and practicability.
You have to keep in mind in order to gain a good assessment. How did it go?. I am sure that you did it very
good. Now write an essay in which you summarize the three criteria considered for good assessment.

49
The best way of understanding and consolidating learning is by practicing. Tasks 1 and 2 at the end of
the chapter of your book are an excellent opportunity for you to practice.
Suggested Activity
Do some research on the washback effect of external test on teaching? List these effects and
consider how they would apply to teaching within a course.
Strategy: First do some background reading on what washback means. You can read Prodromou (1995)
and Alderson and Wall (1993)
Dear students, we have come to the end of the unit and it is a good opportunity to do the self- evaluation.

Self-evaluation 6
Decide if the following statements are True or False. Then write T or F in the parenthesis.
1. ( ) TOEFL is an example of achievement test
2. ( ) Diagnostic assessment can be measured through Learner self-assessment.
3. ( ) Monitoring and assessment can provide information about the learners’ present
knowledge and progress, and at the same time be a means of encouraging learners’
involvement.
4. ( ) Content validity refers to the representativeness of a language skill, structure or content
area, which is intended to measure, in a test.
5. ( ) Curriculum design should include the planning of a well-thought-out programme of

assessment of various kinds.
6. ( ) The purpose of a course is to help you make decisions on both an ongoing and final basis
about the course.
7. ( ) A reliable measure of writing skill cab be obtained by asking learners to write one
composition.
8. ( ) The validity of a test is determined by analyzing the results of one test compared with the
scores obtained in other similar test.
9. ( ) One way of increasing validity in tests is by providing answers for the constructs intended
to measure.
10. ( ) Tests are reliable when they provide consistent candidates’ performance and scoring.
SECOND TERM

Good Job!
Now, I invite you to check your answers
at the end of this didactic guide.


51
SECOND TERM
6.5. Generic Competences
Social responsibility and commitment

6.6. Planning for the student’s work
Specific Contents
Specific
competences of
competencesof the Learning activities Learning indicators Guiding schedule
the english
subject Units/ topics
program
Formulate, design, To create English Unit 7. Evaluation • To read unit 7 of your basic book and your didactic • Distinguishes the Week 9 and 10
and execute language courses and 7.1. Evaluation, steps, purpose and guide purposes and type
12 hours for self-
research and syllabus considering of evaluation to
audience • To design and evaluation checklist to evaluate this study
innovation projects differentiated learning assess language
7.2. Type and Focus of the course.
in the educational experiences based on courses 8 hours for
and linguistic field. assessment of students’ Evaluation • To plan an evaluation for a course you teach or you interaction
• Distinguishes and
English proficiency, 7.3. Gaining Support for the would like to teach.
Identify and pose applies the tools
learning styles, and Evaluation
alternatives to solve • To complete the recommended activities related to for gathering
prior
problems related to 7.4. Formative Evaluation as a Part unit 7 of your didactic guide and the ones information for
professional and formal educational of a Course established in your basic book evaluating
social practice. experiences and language courses
knowledge. 7.5. How to use the Results of an • To complete self-evaluation 7
Evaluation • Differentiates the
To apply Resources and Self-evaluation 7 • To participate in the EVA purpose of
Technology Effectively • To complete the distance evaluation formative and
in English and Content summative
Instruction. evaluation
To select, adapt, and • Uses the results of
use culturally the evaluation to
responsive, age- check if a course is
appropriate, and successful and
linguistically accessible where it needs to
materials for teaching be improved
English to children and
53
adolescents
Specific Contents
Specific
competences of
54
competencesof the Learning activities Learning indicators Guiding schedule
the english
subject Units/ topics
program
Unit 8. Approaches to Curriculum • To read unit 8 of your basic textbook and your • Determines the Week 11
Design didactic guide strengths and
6 hours for self-
weaknesses of the
8.1. Models of Curriculum Design • To complete the recommended activities related to study
different models
8.2. Doing Curriculum Design unit 8 of your didactic guide and the ones
of curriculum 4 hours for
established in your basic textbook
8.3. The Process of Curriculum design interaction
Design • To complete self-evaluation 8
• Draws a flow
8.4. Deciding on an Approach • To participate in the EVA diagram of the
Self-evaluation 8 curriculum design
• To complete the distance evaluations process
• Use a model of
Curriculum Design
to design a
curriculum for a
course or program
Unit 9. Syllabuses and course • To read unit 9 of your basic textbook and your • Designs a syllabus Week 12
materials didactic guide for a language
course
9.1. Negotiated Syllabuses • List the steps a teacher must follow for negotiating
6 hours for self-
9.2. Negotiated assessment a syllabus • Select a syllabus
study
framework for a
9.3. Disadvantages and • To evaluate a course textbook
course 4 hours for
Advantages of a Negotiated • To complete the recommended activities related to interaction
Syllabus • Negotiates
unit 9 of your didactic guide and the ones
instructional
9.4. The adoption and adaptation established in your basic textbook
blocks, activities,
of course books • To complete self-evaluation 9 tasks and
9.5. The Teacher and the Course materials of a
• To participate in the EVA course
Material
9.6. Evaluating a Course Book • To complete the distance evaluations • Evaluates the
Self-evaluation 9 effectiveness of
the negotiated
decisions.
• Evaluates , selects
and adopts course
books
• Designs and use

• supplementary
material.
6.7. Specific guidelines for the achievement of the competences
Dear all,
Welcome back to the study of Curriculum and materials course! So far, you have done a very good job.
Now, it is time to study the material in the second term. You have to study the six last chapters of the
textbook.
Keep up the good work!
Please read critically the information provided in the textbook. In this way, you will be able to master
the contents of this unit 7. It is also advisable to read the additional explanations provided in this guide.
Dear students:
Remember to review the student’s working plan
and the EVA every week.
UNIT 7. EVALUATION
The practice of reflective analysis, a requirement of planning and teaching a language course, has been
a recurring theme throughout the previous units.
7.1. Evaluation, steps, purpose and audience
Generally speaking evaluation is defined as a disciplined inquiry to determine the worth of things.
McNeil (1977, p. 134) states that “curriculum evaluation is an attempt to throw light on two questions:
Do planned learning opportunities, programmes, courses and activities as developed and organised
actually produce desired results? How can the curriculum offerings best be improved?”
When talking about curriculum, the term evaluation refers to the process of collecting data on a
programme to determine its value or worth with the aim of looking both at the results of the course, and
the planning and running of the course.
Steps
The steps in the evaluation process aim at clarifying why the evaluation is being done and determining
if it is possible to do it.

55
Figure 9
Purpose
The evaluation must determine the intended goal of the curriculum, which can be any one of the
following particular purposes:
–– to determine if the curriculum is achieving its intentions,

–– to understand learners’ and teachers’ experiences of the curriculum,
–– to look at feasibility, cost and management, identify unexpected issues, or
–– to suggest solutions to problems encountered.
–– to provide insights about materials of instruction
–– to know if teachers are well-trained
–– to discover if the environment meets educational needs
Within this last context evaluations are more narrowly focused and may answer questions such as ones
that follow:
Is the course preparing the learners

properly for their use of English at
the end of the course (e.g. to pass
Is the course cost the TOEFL test or to work as a tour
effective? guide)?
Is the teaching on the

course of a suitably
Are the learners high standard?
satisfied with the EVALUATION
course?
Besides considering the steps for and purpose of curriculum evaluation, it is important to consider
the target audience. Elley (1989) states that, when planning an evaluation, it is necessary to
56
identify the different audiences and the kind of information that it is necessary to gather.ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA
MODALIDAD
Besides considering the steps for and purpose of curriculum evaluation, it is important to consider the
target audience. Elley (1989) states that, when planning an evaluation, it is necessary to identify the
different audiences and the kind of information that it is necessary to gather.
I have provided you with some important points needed to understand some aspects of the curriculum
evaluation process. Now I invite you to read some specific details in your textbook and guide. If you have
any doubts or concerns, you can wirte or call your teacher. Be sure you check the tutorial schedule in the
EVA before you call him or her.
When you finish this task, get ready to review the different evaluation types and purposes.
7.2. Type and Focus of the Evaluation
As mentioned before, curriculum evaluation is a continuous process aimed at collecting information

about all the elements and outcomes of the curriculum.
The purpose of evaluation leads to different types of evaluations such as formative and summative. Look
at the table below in order to find the difference between these two types of evaluations. What other
differences can you add to the list given?. I also encourage you to search information about other types
of evaluation.
Source: Nation,I.S.P. & Macalister, J. (2010, p.126). Language Curriculum Design.NY: Roughtledge
Do you understand when and how to use each of the abovementioned types of evaluation? Your answer
must be yes. Now, let´s define them.
Suggested Activity:
Write a definition for formative and summative evaluation in your own words:
FORMATIVE: _________________________________
SUMMATIVE: _______________________________
Read specific details about these two types of evaluation in your textbook. Then look for the example
of Evaluation of English Language Teaching Education Curriculum by Student Teachers at http://www.
universite-toplum.org/pdf/pdf_UT_383.pdf.

57
FORMATIVE: _________________________________
SUMMATIVE: _______________________________
SUMMATIVE: _______________________________

Read specific details about these two types of evaluation in your textbook. Then look for
Read specific details about these two types of evaluation in your textbook. Then look for
the example of Evaluation of English Language Teaching Education Curriculum by Student
the example
Dear students:of At
Evaluation
this pointof
weEnglish Language
have examined theTeaching
definition,Education
types and Curriculum
focus of theby Student process.
evaluation
Teachers at http://www.universite-toplum.org/pdf/pdf_UT_383.pdf.
Now, let’s
Teachers http://www.universite-toplum.org/pdf/pdf_UT_383.pdf.
at learn how to gain support for evaluation.
Dear students: At this point we have examined the definition, types and focus of the evaluation
Dear students: At thislet’s
process. Now, point wehow
learn haveto examined thefordefinition,
gain support evaluation.types and focus of the evaluation
process. Now, let’s
7.3. Gaining learn how
Support fortothe
gainEvaluation
support for evaluation.
7.3 Gaining Support for the Evaluation
7.3 Gaining Support for the Evaluation
How can you gather
How information
can you gather
which will
information which
lead to will
an effective
lead to an effective
evaluation?
evaluation?
?
?
As far as we can see, a properly conducted evaluation can be an empowering and motivating
AsAsfar
farasas we
we can
can see,
see, aaproperly
properlyconducted
conducted evaluation
evaluation cancan be
beananempowering
empowering andand motivating
motivating activity,
activity, but how can we gather valid and reliable information to achieve the intended purpose of an
but how can we gather valid and reliable information to achieve the intended
activity, but how can we gather valid and reliable information to achieve the intended purposepurpose of an
of evaluation.
an
evaluation. Do you know how to gather data for supporting evaluation?, I think that you are
Do you know
evaluation. Do youhowknow
to gather
how data for supporting
to gather evaluation?,
data for supporting I think thatI you
evaluation?, thinkare somewhat
that you are familiar
somewhat familiar with observations, interviews, proficiency tests, and surveys. These are some
somewhat familiar with
with observations, observations,
interviews, interviews,
proficiency tests, proficiency
and surveys.tests,
These and
aresurveys. These are
some examples some
of data gathering
examples of data gathering tools for evaluating teaching and learning.
examples of data gathering tools for evaluating
tools for evaluating teaching and learning. teaching and learning.
Besides outsiders views of a course or curriculum, evaluation may involve, the following aspects:
Besidesoutsiders
Besides outsidersviews
viewsofof
aa courseororcurriculum,
course curriculum, evaluation
evaluation may
may involve,
involve, thethe following
following aspects:
aspects:
Figure 10
Figure 10
Let us now look at some of the most common data-gathering tools and techniques used
Let usinnowLetlook
us now look of
at some at some of the
the most most common
common data-gathering
data-gathering toolstechniques
tools and and techniques used
used in curriculum
curriculum evaluation which are explained in the textbook. Among the tools and techniques you
inevaluation
curriculum which
evaluation
are which arein
explained explained
the in the Among
textbook. textbook.
theAmong
tools the techniques
and tools and techniques
you will you are the
study
will study are the following:
will study are the following:
following: - interviews,
- interviews,
–– interviews,
–– observations, 52
52
–– self-report scales
–– checklists
–– survey,
–– content analysis,
–– portfolios

Suggested Activity
After you finish reading about this topic in your textbook, check your understanding by filling the blank
with the letter that corresponds to the definition on the left:
a. interviews b. portfolios c. checklists d. self-report scales
1. Collection of students’ work done during the term. ____
2. They have items which can be responded to with a Yes/No or scaled response; they could also
have a space for comments on each item. ____
3. They involve pre-determined questions and types of answers. ____
4. They are usually conducted on a one-to-one basis. ____
5. Curriculum evaluation requires careful selection of data-gathering tools, as well as a systematic

process which includes:
Figure 11
So far you have analyzed the role and importance of curriculum evaluation from outside the course. Now
we will look into the formative evaluation as part of a course in order to see how evaluation is built into
a course.
7.4. Formative Evaluation as a Part of a Course
As explained before, the formative evaluation (formative assessment) is a method used for judging the
worth of a course while it is being taught. Effectively, the principal purpose of formative evaluation is to
identify the deficiencies (in a course in progress), so that the proper learning interventions can be taken
by designers, learners and instructors to meet the intended objectives and goals.

59
F ormative
Assessment is part of the
instructional process.
Please read attentively about the role of formative evaluation in your textbook because as future teachers
you will have to plan formative evaluation for the courses you will teach. Thus you need to know what,
when, why and how to evaluate a course.
7.5. How to use the Results of an Evaluation
Please read the last topic of this section in order to discover for yourselves that the ultimate purpose of
the evaluation is not just to gather information. Once the evaluation has been done, the results need
to be presented in oral or written reports in order for learners, authorities and teachers to utilize the
information which has been gathered. The results of the evaluation must be presented and used in a way
which reflects ethical standards, particularly those of confidentiality and consideration for the feelings
of others.
Suggested Activity:
–– Do the recommended tasks provided at the end of the chapter in your textbook.
–– Read the online article about TEFL curriculum reform in Thailand and identify the most
relevant facts that were considered in order to change the curriculum in Thailandia.
–– Analyze the following case study at Brumfit (1984b) and Beretta and Davies (1985) for an
evaluation of Prabhu’s procedural syllabus. Were all the important aspects covered?, In what
ways was the evaluation “unfair”?
Assessment is a huge topic that encompasses everything from course tests to everyday classroom tests.
Here is an example of how to assess students’ knowledge. Before completing the self-test, please review
the contents studied in this unit.

Self-evaluation 7
Fill in the blanks with the most suitable term.
Formative evaluation Report Achievement test
Evaluation Observation checklists Curriculum evaluation
Tools Portfolios Summative evaluation
Course evaluation
1. A _______________looks for strengths and weaknesses,
2. _________________ is presented in a report.
3. _____________ is defined as a disciplined inquiry to determine the worth of things.
4. ________________ refers to the assessment of the value of the entire curriculum process by
gathering evidence to judge the degree of achievement of aims, and also to enable decisions to
be made on future progress.
5. _________________ provides teachers with information for continuous feedback to students, and
guides their daily instructional decisions and adaptations.
6. _____________________ are lists of specific criteria that about specific aspects of a learning
experience that occur in the class. They are usually completed while students are engaged in
activities or processes.
7. A _______________ provides students, teachers, parents and administrators with a broad picture
of each student’s growth over time, including abilities, knowledge, skills, processes and attitudes.
8. Examples of evaluation___________ used for gathering data include surveys, tests, and self-report
scales.
9. An _____________ is an exam that is designed to determine the degree of knowledge and

proficiency an individual has in a specific area.
10. A _______________ of an evaluation indicates the quality of the course and presents the what the
standard for the measure of quality is.

Congratulations!
You have done an excellent job.
Now you are ready to move on
to unit 8.


61
UNIT 8. APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGN
In this unit we are going to look at the theory of curriculum design and the practical issues of putting
curriculum design into practice.
8.1. Models of Curriculum Design
Experts in the field of curriculum design have proposed different models of curriculum design. I
encourage you to find out what those models are. You can find more information in the supplementary
bibliography and in your basic textbook.
Please check this interesting web site:

http://www.lkl.ac.uk/ltu/files/publications/Laurillard-An_
Approach_to_Curriculum_Design-WIP.pdf
Kathleen Graves (2000, p.3) proposes the following framework of course development process.
Figure 12
Look at Graves´s model and compare with other models. Then compare it with other models to see
where they overlap and where they don’t. After that, decide how adequate the model is..
As you can see there are numerous other models of curriculum design and it is interesting to compare
them to see where their strengths and weaknesses lie. Look at the examples of models provided in your
textbook. Then make a comparative table to determine the similarities and differences among them.
This activity will, I am sure, help you in choosing the best option when designing your own courses.
8.2. Doing Curriculum Design
Once you have a clear picture of what model of curriculum design to choose, you have to be able to
decide on a starting point for curriculum design, and a way of covering the steps. There are two main
factors to consider when applying a model of curriculum design:

ØØ The starting point for the curriculum design process, and

ØØ How to move through the process of curriculum design
At this point you are able to embark in course design. One of the most common questions that may arise
is where to start. Do not worry! The textbook you are using in this course provides you with guidelines
and examples that will help you to do an excellent job. You may begin designing a course either with no
existing resources or some existing resources.
In fact, the design of a completely new course may start from nothing except the knowledge of
the curriculum designer. The curriculum designer thus needs to consider how the process of curriculum
design will be followed. This is the focus of the next topic.
8.3. The Process of Curriculum Design
The process of curriculum design will vary depending on the curriculum design mode that is selected. In
most approaches, the main parts of the curriculum design process are described at the beginning of the
unit . However, they may be covered at various times in various degrees of thoroughness and in different
order, and by different people.
Let´s discover by yourself the processes to follow in each type of approach in the examples provided
in your textbook. There you will also find further explanation about each approach. Apply the reading
techniques for summarizing the most relevant information.
8.4. Deciding on an Approach
There is no one approach or best approach to design a course; everything depends on the particular
need. Before selecting an approach you have to assess the advantages and disadvantages.
Remember that choosing which path to take will also depend on the starting point, the time available
for course preparation, the availability of needs analysis information, the availability of a usable course
book, and the skill of the curriculum designer. In any case, special attention must be put on the curriculum
design process to be sure that parts of the process are not missed out and that the correct steps are
followed.
Dear students! You have worked hard an done an excellent job!. Let´s apply what you have learned in the
following exercise.
Exercise 1: Think of a piece of curriculum design you wish to do. For example you may wish to
design a survival language course for non-native speakers of English who want to use English when they
travel. Then, do the following activities:
1. Decide which one of the approaches listed in this chapter will be most suitable.
2. List the features that make this the most appropriate approach for your circumstances.
3. Briefly say why the other approaches are unsuitable.

63
Exercise 2: Read the ECUADORIAN NATIONAL CURRICULUM GUIDELINES available at http://

educacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/09/01-National-Curriculum-Guidelines-EFL-
Agosto-2014.pdf. Then make a char in which you summarize the curriculum oveall objectives per year
which has been set for teaching English in Ecuadorian high schools.
Now, I would like you to complete the following self-evaluation as a way of checking your knowledge of
the material in unit 8. If you have any doubts about the contents, you should study the contents again.
Remember to check EVA and the student´s planning work schedule. This will help you to optimize your
time better and assure learning success.
We have now finished studying unit 8. Let’s go to the next unit. In the following unit we will look at
how curriculum design applies to activities like choosing a course book, involving learners in curriculum
design and teacher education.

Self-evaluation 8
Find three types of curriculum design models, six terms related to curriculum design in the following
word search puzzle, and find message hidden in the puzzle.
CURRICULUM DESIGN
EVALUATION FOCUSED OPPORTUNISTIC
GOAL GRAVES
LAYERS OF NECESSITY MURDOCH
PRINCIPLES WATERFALL MODEL
Approaches to Curriculum Design
Hidden message ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Excellent job!
Now check the answers at the
end of this guide.


65
UNIT 9. SYLLABUSES AND COURSE MATERIALS
Dear students! It is time to pick up your textbook and guide to begin studying the contents of this unit
(chapter 10 and 11 in your textbook). The explanations
UNIT 9 Syllabuses provided
and course should be read critically to facilitate
materials
understanding.
Dear students! It is time to pick up your textbook and guide to begin studying the contents of this
Remember that planning and developing a language course means considering the aims and objectives
unit (chapter 10 and 11 in your textbook). The explanations provided should be read critically to
that have been
facilitate established for a specific language program. Developing a course rationale, describing
understanding.
entry and exit levels, choosing course content, sequencing course content, planning the syllabus and
Remember that planning and developing a language course means considering the aims
instructional
and objectivesblocks,
thatand preparing
have the course
been established formaterials
a specificshould also program.
language be considered.
Developing a course
rationale, describing entry and exit levels, choosing course content, sequencing course content,
planning the syllabus and instructional blocks, and preparing the course materials should also be
considered.
Let´s start by analysing and defining what a syllabus is. Generally speaking, a syllabus is simply an outline
http://writing.pppst.com/banner_syllabus.gif
and time line of a particular course. Richards (2001, p.152), provides a clear definition: he states that “a
syllabus describes the
Let´s start bymajor elements
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language
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Figure
Figure 12 12
Evaluation Course objectives
Course expectations
SYLLABUS
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9.1 Negotiated Syllabuses
Negotiated
Syllabus?
How? What?

Homework deadlines
Assignments
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et´s study the9.1. Negotiated

importance Syllabuses
of involving the teacher and learners in making decisions about the
esign of the syllabus.
.1 Negotiated Syllabuses
Negotiated
Syllabus?
How? What?
According to Breen (1987) negotiated syllabuses are also called process syllabuses. This model is totally
different from other syllabuses in that it gives high priority to the recognition of learner needs, to the
59
need to continually adjust courses, and so allows students full participation in the selection of content,
mode of working, route of working, system of assessment, and so on.
Involving full learner participation would, for all practical purposes, be extremely valuable. However, a
careful analysis needs to be done in order to determine when it is appropriate to apply this model. You
are going to study in your textbook, with the guidance of your tutor through the Virtual Environment
(EVA), the clear strong reasons for having a negotiated syllabus. You can also find useful articles in the
UTPL online library.
A negotiated syllabus permits students

to participate in setting objectives, to create
content, and to become more aware of their
goals, course objectives and content.

include: initial questionnaires to trainees, learning contracts, and weekly
Tools for a negotiated syllabus
planning of sessions.
Do you know what parts of the curriculum design process are most open to negotiation? You may have
the right answer. If not, it is ttime to take your textbook to study the topic of a negotiated syllabus. Look
for the list of situations where a negotiated syllabus can be used, the aspects that could be negotiated,
and the requirements for a Negotiated Syllabus as well.
How did it go?. I think that it was an interesting reading. As you might have noticed, there is some debate
over what aspects of the syllabus that can be negotiated. Now, please analyse the following example
provided by Nation, I.S.P. & Macalister, J. (2010, p.126).

67
Suggested Activity:
Analyze the article “The Effect of the Implementation of a Negotiated Syllabus on the Reading
Achievement of Iranian Intermediate-level EFL Learners” in this site:
http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf/Documents/English%20Language%20Teaching%20Conference%20
-%20Iran%202008/Abdolvahhab%20Khademi%20Shamami.pdf
Let´s study now the advantages and disadvantages of negotiates syllabus.
9.2. Disadvantages and Advantages of a Negotiated Syllabus
Even though there are a lot of advantages when adopting a negotiated syllabus model, there are also
disadvantages that teachers need to know before implementing this model in their courses.
Let’s start looking at the two major disadvantages. The first major disadvantage is that students may
lack knowledge or experience with such a syllabus and their decisions may not be the best ones, and the
second major disadvantage is that a fully negotiated syllabus requires considerable skill and time on the
part of the teacher in order to access and to produce resources to fulfil the requirements of the course.
On the other hand, adopting a negotiated syllabus is advantageous because it responds to the “wants” of
the learners; it develops learners’ awareness of the goals of language-learning activities and how these
goals can be achieved; and it recognises that learning is an interactive-negotiated-reflective process.
I invite you to discover by yourself the details of following topics in your textbook:

–– Advantages and disadvantages of adopting a negotiated syllabus
–– How to negotiate the participation, procedure and goals,
–– How to begin to run the course, and
–– How to go through the steps again.
Remember:
There is a student’s study plan that you have to revise every week to evaluate your
progress in leaning, in completing the assignments and in preparing yourself for
the term test.
Did you enjoy the reading exercise?. It was interesting. We have looked at how learners can be involved
in curriculum design. In the next three topics we will look at a particular kind of evaluation, aspects
related to how to evaluate a course book.
9.3. The adoption and adaptation of course books
Dear students: I suggest that you begin studying this topic by reading the information provided in your
textbook. This will help you understand the issue better. Remember that curriculum design is concerned
with the creation of language courses and course materials. It is also concerned with the selection of
texts and other materials for courses, and with adapting and adding to existing courses.
The figure below illustrates the interrelation that exists among the teacher, the learners and the course
book. The goal of this section is to help teachers clarify the roles that they, the course book and the
learners play in the curriculum design process, and aims to provide teachers with a rational approach to
follow when deciding to adopt or adapt a course book.
Figure 13
Language courses are planned based on standards, principles and on a selection of syllabus types. This
is the foundation for the selection, creation or adoption of a textbook. Nowadays, there is a great array
of textbooks available in the market. Teachers must critically evaluate them in order to select the best
option, however.

69
9.4. The Teacher and the Course Material
As part of course design, teachers are required to get involved in materials development. Within this
context, materials development means creating, organizing, or adopting/adapting materials and
activities so that students can achieve the objectives of a course.
Once a book has been selected, teachers may follow the course book very closely, making only small
essential changes and additions according to the specific needs of the group of learners. However, in
other cases substantial changes may be required. According to Nation & Macalister (2010), there are
several reasons for doing this and these could be classified as responding to the environment, taking
account of needs, or putting principles into practice.
Read the information provided in your textbook and highlight the most relevant information about:
–– Adding or omitting content,
–– Changing the sequencing of the content,
–– Changing the format or presentation
–– Adding or omitting monitoring or assessment.
An important aspect of materials development is making choices. Those choices deal not only with the
basic textbook, but with the selection and use of appropriate and pertinent supplementary materials.
Undoubtedly, the introduction of a variety of supplementary materials in an EFL class is extremely
necessary to maintain students’ interest, and to address their individual learning styles. Furthermore,
the pedagogical use of technological tools in the English classrooms stimulates interest in learning a
language.
The following section focuses primarily on the need and importance of evaluating a course book.
9.5. Evaluating a Course Book
It is worth spending some timework to evaluate a course book. A systematic approach to course book
evaluation can be based on the parts of the curriculum design process. Do you have any idea about how
to evaluate a course book? Great, so now check your textbook to confirm your ideas.
Here are some questions that can help you to understand what to consider when evaluating a course
book:

Does the content of the course book suit

the proficiency level of the learners and
reflect sensible selection and sequencing
principles?
Does the course book Do the goals of the course

apply sensible principles of book match the goals of the
teaching and learning? course?
Is the course book interesting Does the course book include

and does it use effective tests and ways of monitoring
techniques? progress?
Does the course book suit

the environment in which it Does the course book meet
will be used? the needs of the learners?
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for information
information ( in your textbook) about the specific steps used to conduct a course book evaluation,
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the features to be considered, and all the other related aspects of a course book evaluation. You
and all
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you have applied up here.
have applied up here.
Self-evaluation 9
Match the concepts with the corresponding term. Each term can be used only once.
a. Course planning f. Negotiated Assessment

b. Course evaluation g. Negotiated syllabus
c. Resources Materials h. Textbook
d. Syllabus design i. Negotiation procedure
e. Step j. Course planning participation
1 __________________ A type of syllabus which involves the teacher and the learners
working together to make decisions at many of the points in
the curriculum design process
2 __________________ The way in which negotiation will be carried out in the

curriculum.
64

71
Self-evaluation 9
Match the concepts with the corresponding term. Each term can be used only once.
a. Course planning f. Negotiated Assessment

b. Course evaluation g. Negotiated syllabus
c. Resources Materials h. Textbook
d. Syllabus design i. Negotiation procedure
e. Step j. Course planning participation
1 __________________ A type of syllabus which involves the teacher and the learners
working together to make decisions at many of the points in the
curriculum design process
2 __________________ The way in which negotiation will be carried out in the curriculum.
3 __________________ The results of tests and assigned tasks, but also participation in
class, homework, and class projects.
4 __________________ One of a series of systematic actions, processes, or measures

taken to achieve a goal.
5 __________________ Decisions taken in relation to the people who will be involved in

a curriculum negotiation.
6 __________________ Refers to planning for a determined period of time. It includes

deciding the kinds of activity that will be worked on and how the
results of the activity will be assessed.
7 __________________ The range of decisions used in program evaluation which

includes an assessment of student participation types of
activities, material used in the activities, and learning outcomes.
8 __________________ Materials and resources to be used for teaching a course.
9 __________________ A book used in schools or colleges for the formal study of a

subject.
10 __________________ It implies a specification of the content of a course of instruction

and summarizes what will be taught and evaluated in a course

Congratulations!

Let’s check the answers!

UNIT 10. CHANGES IN THE EXISTING CURRICULUM
There is no doubt that the curriculum needs to evolve and change so as to meet the changing demands
of today’s life and work. There are many kinds of change that can occur in an educational system. Here
is a list of some changes that could have a direct effect on what happens in the classroom. Look at them
and add others that you think might be included in the list:
Figure 14
Human aspects of educational innovation are complex even if the initiative itself is simple. In fact,
Changes in existing curriculum require not only teachers to question their traditional subject practices
and classroom routines, but also creativity and compromise from administrators, and the learners
themselves.
We will now look at each of these steps in more detail.
10.1. Steps in introducing changes in the curriculum
It is time to take your textbook and discover the steps you have to follow when introducing changes.
Attention to these steps will increase the likelihood of a change being successfully introduced.
Ok! After having done the reading, list the five steps in introducing changes:
Steps
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
5. ______________________________

73
10.2. Need and size of the change
The process of language teaching development began in the twentieth century with the recognition of
language teaching as a profession. Central to this process was the emergence of the phrase “methods
of language”. In fact, the introduction of the method concept in teaching has powerfully influenced
the teaching of English throughout history. And much of the impetus for the tremendous changes
in approaches to language began with applied linguists whose recommendations derived from their
familiarity of the then current teaching methods.
Later, the language researches were also motivated to begin examining and describing curriculum
development in language teaching, and their findings, once applied, improved the English teaching
curriculum in different countries around the world.
Thus, for example, in Ecuador, the rapid changes caused by contemporary transitions in globalization,
especially transnational developments in information and communication technology, made English
language learning extremely important to the extent that Ecuadorian educational authorities have
resolved to make English learning compulsory in all high schools and promoted revolutionary changes
in the English language curriculum in order for students to succeed in learning this language.
The size of the change is obviously a matter for planning, adjustment and negotiation, as I am sure you
noticed when you read the topic Need and size of the change in your textbook. Please compare those
steps with the ones used in the example that you will find in this site: http://engres.ied.edu. hk/lang_
arts/tasks/CurriculumRenew/CR09-ModelA/ModelA09(S.C.S).pdf
Congratulations! You are doing an excellent job. We have already noted that for change to be realistic it
needs to be looked at from several viewpoints, including that of the people involved in the change. Now
let’s move to the next topic.
No curriculum can be perfect. It is impossible

to design a curriculum once forever.
10.3. Teacher´s beliefs
As it was mentioned before there is a core group of people involved in curriculum change, renewal or
innovation; from which, the teachers are the main group responsible in the implementation of those
changes. Consequently, it is fundamental to overview the role of teacher´s beliefs in curriculum change.
Let´s see what experts in the field say about this topic in your textbook. You can also research other
sources in order to expand your knowledge and get ready to apply what you learn in your professional
life. The following questions may guide your studies:
How do teacher´s beliefs influence what teachers actually do in their

classes?
What factors are considered in curriculum change?
How can curriculum change be done by teachers?

10.4. Change strategies
So far we have looked at the requirements for change, now let’s concentrate on the approaches and
strategies to be used in the implementation of changes in the curriculum.
The author of the textbook presents specific information about the approaches, factors and
strategies that you need to know in order to introduce curriculum changes.
I encourage you to apply good reading strategies and note taking to summarize the main ideas of this
topic. Do not forget to check EVA since you will find useful notes and permanent guidance provided by
the teacher there. Although distance learning is autonomous, remember that you are not alone. You can
contact your teacher by phone or by e-mail if you need extra help.
10.5 Innovation, Management and Long-Term Support
Making changes in any area of the educational setting initially requires the identification and evaluation
of the current situation. This assessment provides the basis for teachers, curriculum experts, teacher
trainers, authors, designers, inspectors and other experts to decide if the curriculum needs change,
innovation or complete renewal.
A more practical example of curriculum innovation is the innovation of the Ecuadorian language
teaching learning curriculum which began in 1992 with the Renewal curriculum project named CRADLE,
a bilateral technical agreement of cooperation signed between the Ecuadorian and British government
on March 2nd in 1989.
This project was aimed at improving English language teaching in public high schools and was carried
out by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education. The two major objectives of this project were the following:
To innovate and strengthen the teaching-learning process so that students could develop their
communicative competence by developing the four linguistic skills of listening, reading and writing,
and to provide support and infrastructure for the new curriculum to effectively develop.
In addition, the Ecuadorian government made English language teaching compulsory in all the high
schools in the entire country. The syllabus was carefully revised and redesigned according to the students’
needs and based on real topics and national problems; new materials were designed; the number of
class hours per week was increased to five; English teachers training courses were planned and carried
out throughout the whole country; and a team of national coordinators was developed, including a
coordinator for each province, to carry out the proposal.
Let´s conclude this unit by reading again all the contents of the unit of the guide and the
textbook to understand better the process of innovation, management and Long-Term Support of a
curriculum.
Congratulations! You have finished studying unit 9. So now get ready to put into practice what you have
learned.

75
Suggested Activity:
You are planning to introduce some changes in the way English is taught in your school. These changes
might be getting rid of the old textbook and using a new one, beginning the development of a negotiated
syllabus, changing the way English is tested to include much more oral work, introducing regular in-
service training for teachers, or moving to a communicative approach to language teaching.
1. Choose one of these changes (or think of another one) and briefly note the situation – what
country, how many teachers, what support outside the school . . .
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. List the two most important conditions which favour the change.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
In the next chapter we will look at one way in which change can occur, through in-service courses. But,
let’s first complete the following self-evaluation.

Self-evaluation 10
Read the following statements and decide if they are True (T) or False (F).
1. ( ) There was an English curriculum renewal project in all the Ecuadorian public high schools
in 1992.
2. ( ) According to Stoller (1994) when introducing curriculum changes, the instructors and the materials
need to be completely changed.
3. ( ) The essential factor in curriculum change process is the class size.
4. ( ) In order for a curriculum change to be effective, the size of the change must be planned, adjusted
and negotiated.
5. ( ) Changes may arise from considerations like:
a. the resources to support the change,
b. the people involved in the change, and
c. the people who will receive the ultimate benefit of the change.
6. ( ) In a rational–empirical approach changes are achieved through authority.
7. ( ) Teachers who are not well-informed are not willing to take responsibility for the innovation.
8. ( ) The two major changes that can be included in curriculum are:
a. change that occurs in the curriculum, and b. the change that needs to occur in the minds
of the various people affected by the curriculum.
9. ( ) The terms teacher beliefs and teacher behavior are the same.
10. ( ) Contextual factors can either facilitate or constrain teaching practice based on teacher beliefs.

Well-‐done!
Now, check your answers in the
answer key that you will find in
at the end of this didactic guide.


77
UNIT 11. PLANNING AN IN-SERVICE COURSE
Hello everyone!
It is quite obvious that both curriculum development and implementation depend on teachers. Thus,
teachers’ preparation plays a very important role in the whole process of curriculum design.
So far, you have learned about how to introduce changes in an existing curriculum. Now, let´s talk about
in-service courses. The definition below will help you to understand what an in-Service Course refers to.
Bolam (1982,p.3) defines in-service education include “those education and training activities engaged in
by primary and secondary-school teachers and principals, following their initial professional certification,
and intended mainly or exclusively to improve their professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes in order
that they can educate children more effectively”
Let’s start explaining that in-service courses involve teacher development after initial teacher training and
after the teachers have had some teaching experience. These in-service courses may include long-term
courses leading to Diplomas, Masters Degrees or Doctoral degrees or short-term courses like workshops
which are the matter of study in this unit.

What does planning a
short in-service
course involve?
Let´s find the answer to this question in your textbook.
11.1. Features of an Effective Workshop
Dear students!
This section contains presents the importance and characteristics that an workshop must have
in order to achieved the intended goals.
Great teachers produce high-achieving students. Thus, it is vitally important those teachers be
well-prepared when they begin teaching and that they continue to improve their knowledge and skills
throughout their careers. Everything advances in an accelerated way and all professionals needs to be
prepared in order to face the presents and future scientific and technological challenges.
In service teachers´ professional development is a responsibility of government, educational

institutions and the teachers themselves, because quality professional development benefits teachers,
students and whole communities.
Good quality professional development gives teachers at all experience levels the tools they
need to approach classroom challenges with confidence and access to a professional community that
can support their endeavors.

This professional development can be carried out for example by enrolling in programs,
seminars, or workshops. In fact, when talking about teachers ‘training or professional development the
most common way of gaining this goal is through workshops.
Teachers vary greatly in terms of preparation, experience, and expertise; they also vary greatly in terms
of their professional development needs. Schools, therefore, are responsible of enhancing professional
development, not only to retain their teaching force but to improve the quality of education at all levels.
Let´s learn how to design and them by reading in your textbook. Look for the characteristic
that an effective workshop must have. Then make a list of the different characteristics, provide examples
for each one of them.
Let’s study in detail how to plan an in-service course. This way, you will be prepared to design workshop
in order to promote professional development in your schools.
11.2. Procedures and Activities for Reaching the Goals
Planning in-service courses involve very similar decisions to planning a language course. In other words,
an effective workshop has clear goals, and involves new content, and its presentation encourages the
involvement of the participants.
In your textbook you will look at each of the five types of workshop goals – understanding and
remembering new ideas, problem solving, producing material or exercises, planning, and experiencing
and evaluating exercises. There you will also find information of the procedures and examples of specific
activities provided by different authors.
11.3. Making Material
Let’s analyze these questions:

How do teachers What is authentic
select material? material?
Now, let´s confirm or compare your guesses. Let´s start saying that it is fundamental to incorporate
material into classroom tasks to facilitate language learning. Materials can be authentic or not. They
can be designed, adapted or adopted by the teacher. These materials can be, for example, a textbook, a
workbook, pictures, cds, videos, handouts, white board among others.
When making material, instructors should always keep their own learners in mind. This will ensure that
the material is appropriate and consistent. Teachers can use material which is available in the market or
they can design their own material. In any case, the instructors must take into account the objective of
the class, the topic, the students´ age and level and of course the quality.

79
Now, let´s read about this topic in your textbook. You will also find additional information in
the REAs which are available in the EVA. The online library has a lot of books and articles that can help
you a lot in your learning process.
11.4. Planning Lessons and Units of Work
Workshops can focus on planning. This involves fitting activities together, so that principles of selection
and sequencing are effectively applied. This goal for a workshop is particularly useful when participants
have been introduced to a new activity and now have to decide how it can be used in their own teaching.
11.5. Sequencing the components of a workshop
Now, we are going to learn how to sequence the components of a workshop. Workshops should involve
several changes in the focus of attention in order to keep participants involved and interested. The
kinds and order of the component goals in a workshop should also relate to the way knowledge and
understanding can develop.
Look for the answer to the following questions in your textbook; you can also research other sources.
Check the EVA and ask for help to your teacher if you need.
Answer:
- Are the contents of a workshop organized in the same way as a language course?
- How can you assure the selection of the contents is appropriate?
Well done! Let´s move on to the last topic of this curriculum and materials course.
11.6. Teaching and Curriculum Design in daily lessons
The whole curriculum design process can be applied to something as small as an activity in a
lesson. Instructors must apply curriculum design in every lesson. All what you have learned throughout
this course provides you ground to create appropriate lessons directly connected to each one of the
parts of the curriculum design.
Teachers need to make decisions relating to curriculum design in every lesson. The must be sure that
they are addressing the following questions:
• Is this item worth spending time on?

• How will I present this material?
• Is the material appropriate?
• Do I need to introduce supplementary material?
• What should I test?

Now, it is time to take the book and look for details about the application of curriculum planning in daily
lesson.
Suggested Activity:
Without looking back at this chapter, systematically go through the curriculum design model recalling
or creating curriculum design questions that teachers might have to answer when teaching a lesson.

81
Self-evaluation 11
Complete the following graphic organizers. Use the words:
a. Review data
b. Implement teaching and evaluation strategies
c. Conduct needs assessment
d. Design goals
e. Revise
f. Develop rationale
g. Select teaching/learning strategies
h. Select evaluation strategies
i. Design Specific objectives
j. Develop management plan
1________________
2.____________
_
10.
___________
3. ___________
4. ___________
6. _____________
5_____________
8. ___________
10____________
9.__________
Well-done!
Now, check your answers in the
answer key that you will find in at
the end of this didactic guide.

7. Answer Key
FIRST TERM
Self-evaluation 1
Pregunta Respuesta
1. b
2. c
3. a
4. b
5. a
6. c
7. c
8. a
9. b
10. a

83
Self-evaluation 2
Pregunta Respuesta
1. F
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. F
6. T
7. F
8. T
9. T
10. F

Self-evaluation 3
Pregunta Respuesta
1. principles
2.
format and
presentation
3. the teacher
4. course
5. feedback
6. time
7.
language-focused
learning
8. receptive skills
9. fluency
10. Courses or lessons

85
Self-evaluation 4
Pregunta Respuesta
1. c
2. a
3. c
4. a
5. b
6. b
7. a
8. c
9. a
10. c

Self-evaluation 5
Pregunta Respuesta
1. Depth of processing
2. Learning style
3. Deliberate learning
4. Integrative motivation
5. Four strands
6. Fluency
7. Comprehensible input
8. Output
9. Time on task
10. Motivation

87
Self-evaluation 6
Pregunta Respuesta
1. F
2. T
3. T
4. T
5. T
6. F
7. F
8. T
9. F
10. T

Self-evaluation 7
Pregunta Respuesta
1. Course evaluation
2. Summative evaluation
3. Evaluation
4. Curriculum evaluation
5. Formative evaluation
6. Observation checklists
7. Portfolios
8. Tools
9. Achievement test
10. report

89
Self-evaluation 8
Approaches to Curriculum Design Solution
T H G E D E S I S M G N O F A C M O M L
P L O E T E L Y E D U N E W C O U U R E
S S A E M A Y S L E T R A R T F L R O D
M E L N O T N H P S I N D G E X U C E O
P T V T H E O K I I N O W O L E C D G M
E O F A T H I E C G C U R R C I I C U L
L U M D R E T S N N I G N E R H R + + L
+ + + + + G A + I + + + + + + + R + + A
C I T S I N U T R O P P O D E S U C O F
+ + + + + + L + P + + + + + + + C + + R
+ + + + + + A + + + + + + + + + + + + E
+ + + + + + V + + + + + + + + + + + + T
+ + + + + + E + + + + + + + + + + + + A
+ Y T I S S E C E N F O S R E Y A L + W
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Word (Over, Down, Direction)

CURRICULUM (17,10,N)
DESIGN (10,2,S)
EVALUATION (7,13,N)
FOCUSEDOPPORTUNISTIC (20,9,W)
GOAL (3,1,S)
GRAVES (6,8,NW)
LAYERSOFNECESSITY (18,14,W)
MURDOCH (10,1,SE)
PRINCIPLES (9,10,N)
WATERFALLMODEL (20,14,N)
Hidden message:
The design of a completely new course

may start from nothing except the
knowledge of the curriculum designer.

Self-evaluation 9
Pregunta Respuesta
1. Negotiated syllabus
2. Negotiation procedure.
3. Negotiated Assessment.
4. Step
5.
Course planning
participation.
6. Course planning
7. Course evaluation
8. Resources
9. Textbook
10. Syllabus design

91
Self-evaluation 10
Pregunta Respuesta
1. T
2. D
3. D
4. T
5. T
6. D
7. T
8. T
9. F
10. T

Self-evaluation 11
Pregunta Respuesta
1.
Conduct needs
assessment
2. Develop rationale
3. Design goals
4.
Design specific
objectives
5.
Select Teaching /
learning methods
6.
Select evaluation
strategies
7.
Develop management
plan
Implement teaching
8. and evaluation
strategies
9. Review data
10. Review

93

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Departamento de Ciencias de la Educación

 Ciencias de la Educación, Mención: Inglés VII

La Universidad Católica de Loja

UNIVERSIDAD TÉCNICA PARTICULAR DE LOJA

6. Teaching-learning process to attain competences....................................................... 11

6.1. Generic Competences............................................................................................................. 11

UNIT 1. LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DESIGN....................................................................................... 16

UNIT 2. NEEDS ANALYSIS..................................................................................................................... 25

UNIT 4. GOALS, CONTENT AND SEQUENCING.................................................................................. 33

UNIT 6. CURRICULUM MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT............................................................... 45

6.5. Generic Competences............................................................................................................. 49

UNIT 8. APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGN............................................................................. 58

UNIT 9. SYLLABUSES AND COURSE MATERIALS.............................................................................. 62

UNIT 10. CHANGES IN THE EXISTING CURRICULUM....................................................................... 69

UNIT 11. PLANNING AN IN-SERVICE COURSE.................................................................................. 74

La Universidad Católica de Loja

Nation,I.S.P. & Macalister, J. (2010). Language Curriculum Design. NY: Roughtledge.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2011). [online] Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.

Richards, J. C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching.Cambridge University Press, New

Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador (2014). National Curriculum Guidelines. Quito:Ecuador.

8 MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

Mackenzie, A., S. (2002).TEFL curriculum reform in Thailand. Retrieved from:

TESOL (2003).TESOL/NCATE Program Standards. Retrieved from: http://www.ncate.

La Universidad Católica de Loja

5. General Guidelines to Study

ØØ Complete the self-evaluations included at the end of each unit.

10 MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

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6.1. Generic Competences

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6.2. Planning for the student’s work

• To complete the distance evaluations

MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

La Universidad Católica de Loja

4.5. Sequencing the • To participate in the EVA

to unit 6 of your didactic guide and the ones

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6.3. Evaluation System of the Subject (first and second term)

Formas de evaluación 2. Heteroevaluación

Investigación (cita fuentes de

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6.4. Specific guidelines for the achievement of the competences

UNIT 1. LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DESIGN

What does curriculum mean?

18 MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

1.1. Parts of the curriculum design process

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Source: Nation,I.S.P. & Macalister, J. (2010). Language Curriculum Design.NY:Roughtledge.

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1.2. Environment Analysis

What is environment analysis?

These factors can arise from:

1.2.1. Environment Constraints

22 MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

1.2.2. Steps in environment analysis

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24 MODALIDAD ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

Choose the alternative that completes the statements below.

1. _______________focuses on determining what knowledge, skills, and values students learn in

2. _____________________ is the process by which a curriculum designer identifies the factors

3. Needs analysis can play a major role in determining the_____________.

a. content of courses, particularly for language items.

Ciencias de la Educación, Mención: Inglés VII