Project 5661

DIPLOMA IN TEFL (ALLAMA

IQBAL

OPEN

UNIVERSITY,

ISLAMABAD)

SEMESTER: AUTUMN 2014

COURSE: EFL IN THE CLASSROOM - I COURSE CODE: 5661 ASSIGNMENT NO. 2 Research Project Define the term syllabus and differentiate between a syllabus and a curriculum. What are the different kinds of syllabi? Highlight the role of a structural syllabus and a functional syllabus in teaching and learning languages. Design a functional syllabus for teaching components of English

language

relevant

at

primary

level.

Make

a

comprehensive outline based on 9 units and practice the first unit in the classroom. State your findings and give recommendations accordingly.

PREPARED BY: MUHAMMAD MUSSAWAR ROLL NO: AY 546487 Page | 1

WORTHY

TUTOR:

MR.

SIBTAIN

ASLAM 1. Definition of Syllabus Stern, in his book General English Syllabus Design, defines syllabus as: “(A syllabus is )… a statement of the subject matter, topics, or areas to be covered by the course leading to a particular examination.”

2. Difference Curriculum

Between

a

Syllabus

and

a

Brumfit makes a useful distinction between a syllabus and curriculum in these words: “I would wish to restrict the term syllabus to what is the responsibility of a language teacher, with curriculum implying the total provision within a school.” Brumfit sees the curriculum as having much wider implications than a syllabus.

Syllabus

A syllabus is restricted to what is the teacher’s responsibility in the classroom.

Curriculum

A curriculum implies the total provision for a subject within the school. The English curriculum in a school will reflect the basic rationale behind the teaching of English, and will take account of general resources and constraints. A syllabus for a particular class or year is a list of things the teacher has to deal with in accordance with that curriculum.

3. Different Kinds of Syllabi i.

Structural Syllabus

ii.

Functional Syllabus

iii.

Notional Syllabus

iv.

Situational Syllabus

v.

Fixed Syllabus

vi.

Negotiable Syllabus

A structural syllabus lists in sequence the grammatical items to be taught. A functional syllabus lists in sequence the purposes for which language is used. A notional syllabus is based on more abstract categories, such as time, duration, quantity, location, etc. A situational syllabus is built around social settings, such as at the airport, in the supermarket, at school, etc. A fixed syllabus is one that has been arranged in all details before the course begins. A negotiable syllabus is one that is made up by teachers and students as they go along.

vii. Free Syllabus Page | 2

A free syllabus is the lack of a syllabus. All learning and teaching takes place on an ad hoc basis.

4. Role of Structural and Functional Syllabus in Teaching and Learning a Language A functional syllabus is based on learning to recognize and express the communicative functions of language and the concepts and ideas it expresses. In other words, this kind of syllabus is based more on the purposes for which language is used and on the meanings the speaker wanted to express than on the forms used to express them. A functional syllabus demands a communicative approach. Communicative approach to language learning is based on the view that language is an active phenomenon. People who communicate are using language to do something; they have a purpose. A functional syllabus attempts to be communicative since it is based on the presentation and practice of language functions, rather than on a set of grammatical structures to be learnt. A functional syllabus makes greater demands on both teacher and students. Such a syllabus does not seem to have the same well-ordered progression as a structural syllabus; there is less distinct pathway for all concerned. Since the same language function can be realized or expressed in several different ways, it is inevitable that a variety of structures will be used. These structures may vary from idiomatic phrases to complex sentences with more than one clause. For example, the following idiomatic phrase was used by a parent to warn his child against repeating a certain action (e.g. kicking his younger brother) which had already been severely criticized: “Just once more, my boy, ….!” This idiomatic phrase can be changed into a two-clause sentence which could be used to realize this same function of warning. “If you do that just once more, I’ll punish you.” A structural syllabus is one where the principle objective is for the learners to acquire the grammatical structures and vocabulary of the language they are learning. The learner moves from simpler to more complex structures and may grasp the grammatical system more easily. If learners are also doing grammatical analysis, it may fit in well with what they are discovering about the language.

5. Design/Outline of a Functional Syllabus UNITS

1

2 3

SKILLS

ACTIVITIES

READING WRITING

SPEAKING

Scanning Punctuation Listening for specific information Responding to Wh questions

READING WRITING LISTENING SPEAKING

Reading in chunks Spelling Guessing unfamiliar words Greeting & social question

READING WRITING LISTENING

Skimming Forming Words Listening for main ideas

LISTENING

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SPEAKING

Asking Wh-questions

4

READING WRITING LISTENING SPEAKING

Sequencing Cause and effect Listening & note taking Inviting, accepting, declining

5

READING WRITING LISTENING SPEAKING

Previewing Paragraph writing Prediction Tag questions & responding

6

READING WRITING LISTENING SPEAKING

Anticipation Self or group correction Listening for implied meaning Agreeing and disagreeing

READING WRITING LISTENING

Predictions Kinds of sentences Listening for the main ideas Expressing preferences/intentions

7

SPEAKING

8

READING WRITING LISTENING SPEAKING

9

READING WRITING LISTENING SPEAKING

Classification Classifying information Listening & note taking Seeking agreement or confirmation Thematization Direct/Indirect Speech Listening for the main ideas Complaining

6. Practice of Unit – 1 Participants and Methodology

According to the outline given in heading no.6, the first unit was practiced in a classroom of Intermediate level students. The students had a little background knowledge of some grammatical terms and structures of English language. It was their first time to be involved in an EFL classroom.

Objectives

This syllabus of Unit – 1 proposes to give more emphasis to reading and writing. After teaching this unit by the teacher, the students will be able to: a. Use language to describe places accurately b. Make effective use of the colon and semi-colon in punctuation c. Scan a text in order to locate a particular item of information d. Listen in order to obtain specific information e. Respond appropriately to Wh-questions

i.

Reading

“The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a land of many splendors. The scenery changes from coastal beaches, lagoons and mangrove swamps in the south to sandy deserts, desolate plateaus, fertile plains, dissected upland in the middle, and high mountain ranges with beautiful valleys, snow-covered peaks and eternal glaciers in the north. Page | 4

Stretching in the north from east to west are a series of high mountain ranges, the Himalayas, the Karakorum and the Hindu Kush. The Himalayas lie in the north-east while the Karakorum lies in the north. The Hindu Kush mountains are in the north-west stretching into Afghanistan.” (Adapted from Pakistan, a Profile, published by the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, Lahore) Exercise 1: Read the passage and make a list of the geographical features mentioned in it. Exercise 2: Read the first paragraph of the passage and complete this diagram.

Exercise 3: Complete the following brief summary as illustrated: a) Valleys are in the north. b) Glaciers ……………….. c) Beaches ……………….. d) Swamps……………….. Exercise 4: Read the second paragraph of the passage and complete this diagram:

Exercise 5: Read the whole passage again and try to place the geographical features into their correct places on the map provided.

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B. Writing (W1) B. (1) Guided Writing Exercise 5: Read the brief information on Peshawar, and then provide similar details for the other cities. Peshawar is in NWFP. It is in the north-west of Pakistan… Hyderabad; Sialkot; Quetta; Karachi Exercise 6: Read the following paragraph about Karachi. Karachi is in Sind. It is a modern city. Its population is 7,000,000. The minimum temperature in winter is 8.3 c and the maximum in summer is 38.7 c. Now write a similar description of Peshawar using the following information: *Location *Ancient city *Population 300,000 *Area: 77sq.km *Minimum temperature: 3.9 c *Maximum temperature: 41.1 c [Note that area is new information] B. (2) Scanning and Writing (W 2) Page | 6

You want to collect information about Ziarat, a tourist resort, in order to write a brief report about it. You are particularly interested in answers to the following questions: 1. What does the name of Ziarat mean? 2. When was the Quaid-e-Azam’s residency built? 3. What is the height of Prospect Point? 4. How far is Prospect Point from Ziarat? 5. What is important about the Juniper forest? Exercise 7: Now read the following text quickly in order to find answer to the questions: No visit to Quetta is complete without a trip to Ziarat, situated 133 km (76 miles – 3 hours by car) from Quetta at an altitude of 2,449 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level. Ziarat is a holiday resort amidst one of the largest and oldest juniper forests in the world. It is said that some of the juniper trees are as old as 5,000 years. The name Ziarat means a shrine. A local saint, Kharwairi Baba is believed to have rested in the valley and blessed it. After his death, he was buried here. People visit the saint’s shrine, which is 10 km by jeep from Ziarat. The Quaid-e-Azam’s Residency The Quaid-e-Azam’s residency with its lush green lawns, chinar trees and flower gardens commands a striking view of the whole valley. It is of historical importance as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, stayed here during his last illness. It houses the relics of the Father of the Nation. The Residency was built in 1882 by the British. Later it was used by the Agent to the Governor General as his summer headquarters and now it is known as the ‘Residency’. Prospect Point The view from Prospect Point is rewarding. It lies at a height of 2,713 meters (8,900 feet) above sea-level and is some 6 km from Ziarat. The road is jeepable, but an invigorating walk is recommended. Exercise 8: Write a report about Ziarat using the information you had when you answered the questions. B (3) Punctuation: The Colon and the Semi Colon In this section, we shall first look at two uses of the colon (:) in modern writing. (a) It is used to show that what follows is some sort of explanation, amplification or illustration of a point that has just been made. The two units of language that are separated by the colon are closely connected: Stretching in the north from east to west are a series of high mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Karakorum and the Hindu Kush (b)The colon is also used after such as, namely, the following, etc. Note these examples: In Quetta, there are three hospitals, namely: Civil Hospital, Jinnah Road; Christian Hospital, Mission Road; Lady Defferin Hospital, McCoughery Road. Exercise 9: Punctuate the following passage, putting in capital letters where necessary. The inhabitants of quetta can be divided into three groups Baluchis Pathans and Brahuis. Nomadic tribesmen pass through quetta during spring and autumn. The semi colon (;) coordinates or joins two independent but related clauses. We use a semi colon instead of a full stop in order to show that the two parts

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of the two parts of the sentence are very closely connected. Here is an example: The grapes in Quetta are delicious; they are cheap as well. It is also very commonly used in lists in order to show subgroups: On the tourist map of Quetta, you can see: the main bus terminal, the local bus terminal, the Afghan Consulate, the Iranian Consulate, Grindlay’s Bank, Habib Bank, National Bank, the Railway Station, the Bolan Hotel and the Faresh Hotel. Exercise 10: Punctuate the following paragraphs: a) Some mountains in the north west are very high others are not that high it’s a good decision to go to Swat by road don’t miss it. b) Though not very adventurous, it is always comfortable to go to Nepal by air. But there is only one flight a week so before going to the airport make sure you have with you your passport ticket travelers’ cheques foreign currency also see that you have your medical clearance certificate with you. C Listening (L1) Exercise 11: Practice this dialogue between two students and then complete Sameer’s information chart. John: Hello, I’m John; what’s your name? Sameer: Hello. It’s Sameer. John: How do you spell it? Sameer: S-A-M-E-E-R John: Where do you come from, Sameer? Sameer: Iraq John: Where in Iraq? Sameer: The capital, Baghdad. John: What’s it like? Sameer: It’s a very big city now; it’s very crowded. John: Is it in the south of the country? Sameer: No, it’s in the east. John: Well, I’d love to go there. Student’s Name Country of Origin City Location of City Other Information D: Speaking (S1) Exercise 12: Now imagine that it’s your first day in England. John, an English student, meets you and wants to know about your background. Listen to his questions and answer like Sameer did. John: Hello, I’m John; what’s your name? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: Where are you from? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: Where in Pakistan? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: That’s in the Punjab, isn’t it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: What’s it like? Page | 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Methodology The methodology is determined by the content itself. To give a very obvious example, the two dialogues that are given above suggest pair work. Some of the reading activities suit group work very well. Exercise 1 and 2 a) Since these two tasks are closely related, they would be done together. As a pre-reading activity, the teacher should introduce the topic briefly by saying that it deals with the different geographical features of a particular country. Then working in groups, the students can: 1. Make a list of general geographical features (about 10) 2. Indicate those that are found in Pakistan. (Since most, if not all of them, are found in Pakistan, this will immediately illustrate the wide variety of the country’s geographical features.) a) Students work individually on exercises 1 and 2 while the teacher circulates and gives special attention to the less able. b) Having completed their tasks, students in pairs compare their answers and make any necessary changes. c) Through class discussion, the teacher decides on acceptable answers and writes them on the board. Where necessary, students correct their own work. Exercise 7 and 8 a) Both these tasks are related to the reading text on Ziarat, and can again be done together. b) The teacher initiates a brief class discussion about holiday resorts and hill stations. c) The teacher gives the class 5 questions on the text and tells them that they are to work in pairs to find the answers as quickly as possible. d) The reading text is given out and students start their scanning exercise. e) The teacher notes the first 5 pairs to finish, but does not accept their answers until most pairs have completed the task. f) The first 5 pairs to finish read out one answer each to be discussed with the rest of the class. g) Answers are corrected where necessary, and students again work in pairs to complete their reports. h) A limited number of reports are read out to the class and commented on. Exercise 11 and 12 a) The teacher initiates a brief class discussion on the problems of going overseas to study b) The teacher tells the class they are going to listen a conversation between John and Sameer and will later be asked to supply some details. c) Students just listen to the dialogue for global understanding first. d) The teacher distributes the Information Chart on Sameer and tells the class that they will work individually. (When listening carefully for specific information, individual response is best since it cuts down on the noise.) e) After completing the task, students exchange charts with their partners and correct them as necessary following a brief class discussion. f) Students listen to the partial dialogue (Ex. 13) line by line and write their own responses to the questions. g) When this has been done, students work in pairs to practice the dialogue each taking the part of John in turn. Page | 9

Findings This kind of functional syllabus and communicative approach of teaching was a novel experience for them. The findings can be submitted as under: a) The students took much interest in the learning process. b) The group work was more appreciated by the students than the pair and individual work. c) The students were not fluent in the speaking activities and their accuracy was also pathetic. But their interest led them to participate actively. d) The writing activities were more difficult for the students than the other three skills. e) Grammatical mistakes were found in abundance but the conceptual points were learnt. f) Students appreciated the functional syllabus and its communicative approach. Recommendations After practicing the unit with communicative approach based on functional syllabus, I got a pretty good feedback from the students. They seemed to have learned effectively what they had been trying to comprehend in their language classrooms. Their active role in the classroom gave them a new spirit to shake off their fears of English language in all areas of speaking, reading and writing. So it is highly recommended that the communicative approach of a functional syllabus must be introduced in the curriculum. Each lesson should be pre-planned focusing on all the language skills by integrating them.

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