TESOL Curriculum

Development : An
Overview
PRESENTED BY :
SITI NOOR EZMA BINTI MALEK RIDUAN

122229

NUR FARAH BINTI MAZLAN

122216

What Is Curriculum?

Curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content

taught in a school or in a specific course or program.

It is also defined as any document or plan that exist in a

school system that defines the works that the teachers
do in school.

Commonly, there are three types of curricula that are

being used in school which is the written curriculum,
social curriculum and the hidden curriculum.

3 Types of Curricula

Written Curriculum

Also known as formal curriculum, it is often written as part of formal instruction of

the schooling experience.

The teachers lesson plans will contain this type of curriculum.

Social Curriculum

Also known as informal curriculum, it is an ongoing lesson that is learnt from the
family, peer groups, neighborhood and other socializing forces that educate all of
us throughout our lives.

It usually occurred in spontaneous and unplanned.

Hidden Curriculum

It revolves around daily or established routines and is not recognized at schools.

According to Longstreet and Shane (1993), this curriculum refers to the kinds of
learnings children derive from the very nature and organizational design of the
public school, as well as from the behaviors and attitudes of teachers and
administrators.

TESOL Curriculum Development

To overcome the language barrier that faces large

numbers of language minority students ( mainly in
US), the Federal Law requires all the education
agencies to take the necessary actions.

Many states have developed specific policies

regarding English as a second language (ESL) and
bilingual instruction.

Cont.

The Purpose & Problems To Focus

The

ESOL curriculum designed to provide learning

opportunities in the English language regardless of the

English language proficiency level that they demonstrate.
To

bring together the cognitive, emotional, environmental

influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or

making changes in learners knowledge, skills, values and
world views.

Assessing The Students Needs

It is important to understand the students needs for curriculum

development as it will help the program administrators to develop
a curriculum that is effective, responsive and accountable.

A few methods such as surveys and interviews can be carried out

to determine the level of English proficiency among the students.

Some of these questions may be very helpful in collecting the

data :
o

Highest grade completed by parents

Language(s) spoken in the home

Parents' proficiency in English

Literacy of parents in native language and in English

Socioeconomic data

Cont.

It is also important to assess the previous schooling

experience including the students school transcript
and also their previous grade in English.

To get more information on the students proficiency

in English, several tests can be carried out before
placing the students according to their level.

Choosing The Program Design

It is crucial to know whether the students need the

native language support and how much do they need it.

Therefore, the programs will usually contain these

options :
Native

language support

English

as a second language

Sheltered
Adjunct

content instruction

instruction

Language-sensitive

content instruction

Developing The Curriculum

The most important thing to be considered during this

stage is to include curricula that help students to
acquire the language, thinking, and study skills
needed for mainstream content courses.

There are several ways to develop the curriculum

which are Theme-based instruction, Specially Design
Content Course and Adapted Mainstream Content
Course.

Cont.

Theme-based Instruction

Emphasize on the language skills, but the instructional

units will feature themes such as community and
ecology.

Specially Designed Content Course

Adapted Mainstream Content Course

content materials used by ESL students will be

adapted to provide comprehensible input in other
subjects such as science, mathematics, social
studies, and language arts.

Selecting Instructional Approaches

And Activities
One

of the challenges in teaching English as a

second language is to make learning as
effortless as possible.

engage

students to experience the actual

learning process so that they can understand
what they are learning.

Activities That Can Be Uses In

Classroom
Cooperative
Whole

learning activities

language

Language

experience approach

Interdisciplinary

learning

Cooperative Learning Activities

Studies has shown that this type of activity is
effective for all types of students because it
promotes learning and fosters respect and
friendships among diverse groups of
students. In fact, the more diversity in a
team, the higher the benefits for each
student. This is because the students learn to
depend on each other in a positive way for a
variety of learning tasks.

Whole Language
Whole Language theory was created in the 80s
by a group of American educators to help
children learn how to read, but it was extended
to foreign language learning. This theory is
based on the principle that a foreign language
must be taught as a whole, without being
divided into its components, such as grammar
and vocabulary, emphasizing that students must
learn how to read and write in a natural way, the
same way they learn their native language

Cont.
In a whole language classroom, reading,
writing, listening, and speaking are
taught together.

Language Experiences Approach

Students who are learning English bring
with them an understanding of their
native language structure. Through this
approach the teachers have to show
that English may be different or the
same as the students native language.

Interdisciplinary Learning
Engaging

students and helping them to

develop knowledge, insights, problem
solving skills, self-confidence, self-efficacy,
and a passion for learning are common goals
that educators bring to the classroom, and
interdisciplinary instruction and exploration
promotes realization of these objectives.

Cont.
Laundry list
Small group learning
Role playing or simulation

Assessing Students Progress

Allow teachers to track the ongoing
progress of their students regularly and
often. While standardized tests measure
students at a particular point in the
year, ongoing assessments provide
continual snapshots of where students
are throughout the school year.

Cont.
There are two commonly used informal
methods: performance-based assessment
and portfolio assessment. Both methods
utilize typical classroom activities to
measure progress toward curricular goals
and objectives. These activities can be
monitored and recorded by teacher
observation and student self-assessment.

Performance Assessment
Based on classroom instruction and
everyday tasks. You can use
performance-based assessments to
assess ELLs' language proficiency and
academic achievement through oral
reports, presentations, demonstrations,
written assignments, and portfolios.

Portfolios Assessment
It is a practical way of assessing student work
throughout the entire year. With this method, you
can systematically collect descriptive records of the
student work over time that reflects growth toward
the achievement of the objectives.
Portfolios include information, sample work, and
evaluations that serve as indicators for student
performance. By documenting student performance
over time, portfolios are a better way to crosscheck
student progress than just one measure alone.

Providing For Staff Development

English as a second language (ESL) instruction has

become an important part of the adult education field
in the final decades of the 20th century. U.S.
Department of Education statistics (1997) indicate
that nearly as many ESL learners enrolled (1,439,237)
in adult education as did adult basic education (ABE)
learners (1,509,065). What is more, 70% of the adult
education programs across the country offer some
ESL instruction (Fitzgerald, 1995). Because of these
high numbers of adults learning English, the need for
qualified teachers is strong and projected to continue.

Cont.
need to know how to work with a
learner population that is diverse in
race, culture, native language,
economic status, motivation for learning
the language, and educational
background.

Involving Parents And Community

In getting the student to be good in ESL
the schools should have a good
relationship with the parents and the
larger community. This is because
although the parents is concerned with
their kids education but they do not
know how to contribute in helping .