The main features of the course and its subject

Theory & presentation

Pre-Course Questionnaire
Survey 1. Outcomes

Homework 1

Read the review of major language syllabus types (pp. 17–42):

• Grammatical
• Notional-functional
• Lexical
• Task-based
• Content-based

1 What are their advantages and disadvantages?
2 Which of them have you encountered in your practice (as a learner or teacher)?
3 Which of them would be the most useful for courses you are teaching or planning to launch?
4 Do you know any other language syllabus types?

Discussion

After the classroom discussion, share your ideas on this collaborative whiteboard (open it with your laptop or computer).

Case studies

How language syllabi are connected with current methods of language teaching. Different kinds of syllabuses are used in ELT. Some of them have been influential for the development of theory about course design, but now are included in multi-strand syllabuses.

Survey 2

Match syllabuses 1–5 with appropriate syllabus types

Theory & presentation

Homework 2

Read the article and answer the questions:
1 What do the input, process, and output mean in terms of curriculum design?
2 According to the author, what are three possible models of curriculum design?
3 What are their main characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages?
4 What syllabus types can they match?
5 Which model(s) is (are) the most common in your culture? How can you explain it?
6 Which model might be the most effective nowadays? Why?

Homework 3

Read the case study and answer the questions:
1 In this account of course development, what stages of course design can you identify? Which model (forward, central, or backward) did the author use?
2 Who determined what the students' needs were? How were those needs defined?
3 The author describes two approaches to course design. In each approach, how were the students involved in determining needs?
4 What methods were used to design the course? What were the basic elements of the course: structures, functions, competencies, or something else?
5 Was the course successful? Why?

Group projects

Add your names to the table

Choosing an appropriate model of instructional design

Theory & presentation

+ 4C/ID: Full guide
+ 4C/ID: In Russian

CDE Model: Matching task

Survey 3

Homework 4

Read the introduction to Case Studies in Language Curriculum Design by P. Nation & J. Macalister (pp. 1–7) and answer the questions:
1 What stages does the authors' model of course design include?
2 What are the main aims of each stage?
3 How does the model reflect the principles of backward instructional design?

An overview of the most important stages of language course design

Homework 5

Read the case study and answer the questions
1 What is (are) the overall goal(s) of the author's course? Why did she decide to design the course?
2 One of the author's main challenges was how to formulate and organize the specific objectives of her course. Why was it so challenging?
3 What helped the author solve the problem with the course objectives? What did she need to do to find the solution?
4 What are possible advantages and disadvantages of her "matrix of objectives" (pp. 71–73)?
5 Imagine that you are explaining the goal(s) of the course you are designing to someone who knows little or nothing about teaching. How would you explain it (them)?

How to formulate SMART learning goals and objectives

Survey 5

Theory & presentation

Task 1: Outcomes review

Task 2: SMART Outcomes: Practice

Task 3: Goals & Outcomes

Homework 6

Read the case study again and do the following:
1 List all the methods the author used to understand the learners' needs.
2 Define which type of needs analysis the author prefers:
- contrived (based on his assumptions about the target audience);
- derived (based on data received from the learners).
3 List the identified learners' characteristics that had an impact on the course content and format.
4 List all aspects of the course that were introduced or modified due to the characteristics outlined in 3.

What you need to know before planning a course

Needs Analysis: Worksheet

Needs Analysis: Groupwork

Theory & presentation 1

Presentation 2

PROJECT: Groupwork

1 Decide which instruments and techniques of contrived & derived needs analysis you could use to collect information about your peers.
2 Make hypotheses about the target audience and conduct research. You can choose the form of research available to you: conduct an interview, a survey, or collect data from secondary sources (other studies, social networks, mass culture).
3 Present learner characteristics based on the conducted analysis, emphasizing aspects that have direct implication for your course.
4 Based on the research, create a persona model of your potential student / empathy mapping / LJM.
5 Based on the persona model (empathy mapping, etc.), review the overall goal of your course and formulate a set of learning outcomes.

Learning context: Cases

Outcomes: Case

Questions opponents could ask:
For needs analysis:
"How did you ensure the accuracy of your needs analysis?"
For audience description:
"Do you think this audience is too broad or too narrow? How would you adjust the focus?"
For course outcomes:
"How will you measure whether these outcomes are achieved?"
General Challenges:
"How would your course design change if ... ?"
"What potential challenges do you foresee in ... ?"
"How does your approach compare to existing courses, for example ...?"

Feedback Template
Key strengths:
What stood out as particularly effective, clear, or unique?

• Needs analysis
• Audience description
• Course outcomes

Suggestions for improvement:
How could the group refine or enhance their work in terms of ...

• Needs analysis
• Audience description
• Course outcomes

Connections to my own work / project:

• What ideas or insights can you apply to your own project / work?

Overall impression:

• Summarize your overall impression of the group's presentation and project
• Write down any questions you have about their work.

Reminder: Be specific, constructive, and respectful when providing feedback.

Identifying the theoretical foundations of your course

Theory & presentation

Homework 7

1 Read the chapter about the essential principles of language course design.
—Which of them seem the most useful? Why?
—Which principles will you choose to base your own courses on?
—Which of them do you rely on in your teaching practice?

2 Complete the survey based on the text about principles (after reading it).

Homework 8
Match the twenty principles of course design (see above) with the nine rules of 'ultralearning' devised by Scott Young. Some rules can be coupled with more than one principle.

How to plan a logical syllabus aligned with the learning outcomes

Theory & presentation: Intro

Language Syllabuses: Examples

Syllabuses 1—4 for HW assignments

Homework 9

Study syllabuses 1—2 and answer the questions:
1 How might the overall goal of each course be formulated?
2 On what basis did the teachers organize their courses: What was the organizing principle or focus for each unit? On what basis are units sequenced?
3 What do you like about the way each teacher organized the course? Why? What don't you like? Why not? 4 Why are they so different?

Homework 10

Study syllabuses 3—4 and answer the questions:
1 How might the overall goal of each course be formulated?
2 On what basis did each teacher organize the course:
What was the organizing principle or focus for each unit?
Within a unit, what are the language learning components? (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, four skills, communicative skills, cultural skills, etc.)
Within a unit, how are the language learning components organized?
3 What do you like about the way the teacher organized her course? Why? What don't you like? Why not?

Sequencing. Presentation 2

Seminar

Groupwork / pairwork

Decide the order in which you would teach the items on the list in a way that makes sense:
A defining: writing about sleep problems
B comparing and contrasting: writing about a car purchase
C writing a memo: personal writing habits
D persuasive writing: writing about subcultures within societies
E classifying: writing about migrating to your community
F collecting and reporting data: consumer habits
G description and narrative: writing about personal success

Homework 11

Decide the order in which you would teach the structures on the list in a way that makes sense:
A be going to
B present continuous tense
C subject pronouns
D yes/no questions
E special questions (with when, where, etc.)
F present tense of be
G subject questions
H there is/are
I present simple tense
J past tense of be
K count / non-count nouns
L modal verbs (can/'t, must/n't, should/n't)
M prepositions of place

What to do to implement your syllabus

Theory & presentation

Homework 12

Study the presentation above and answer the questions:
1 What is the format of instruction? Why is it important for course design?
2 Which 3 groups of factors should we consider while choosing an appropriate format?
3 For each format of instruction, write down more ideas and recommendations based on your learner/teacher experience to add to the grey slides in the presentation.
4 Which 7 aspects may the instructor consider while choosing an educational platform?
5 What is the difference between LMS / LCMS / Course marketplaces?

Formats: Seminar

Presentation 2024

Spreadsheet

LMS: Doc


Group project

Decide which format(s) will be applicable to your course (designed for your peers) based on:

• the needs and context analysis you have conducted;
• logistical and pedagogical factors you want to take into account (see the presentation).

State the chosen format in the table. In class, give 3–5 reasons (or more) that explain your choice.

How to assess your students and prepare assessment tools

Assessment: Seminar

Homework 14

Read pp. 490–510 from Brown's book on ELT* and answer the following questions:

1 What are the main principles of assessment? Why are they important?
2 How can we apply these principles in practice? Give examples.
3 What characteristics help design authentic tasks?
4 Why is washback important for the process of course design?
5 What types of tests exist? What are their main functions?
6 Which types of tests might be useful for the courses that you are developing (in groups)? Why?
7 How can the principles of assessment (e.g., practicality or authenticity) mitigate the negative aspects of high stakes standardized tests?
8 What tasks does performance-based assessment include? What problems might be associated with them?
9 Do you know any assessment tasks that would address different types of intelligence: interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, contextual, emotional?
10 What is classroom-based assessment? What are its advantages and downsides?

*Brown, H. D., Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. 5th Ed. Pearson Education.

How to make your syllabus a motivational and supportive tool

Motivational syllabus: Checklist
1 Focused on the student, not content
2 Language is not complex
3 Has a clear structure / organization
4 The design is engaging
5 Visuals are used appropriately
6 Clear design, not cluttered

Homework 15

Use the checklist above to analyze the case-study syllabus. Summarize its main advantages and disadvantages.

Seminar

Study another presentation of the same course.
Which presentation do you prefer?

Theory & presentation

Groupwork

Use the checklist to evaluate each of the syllabuses below:
Case 1 Visual Literacy
Case 2 Northern Literature
Case 3 History
Case 4 Senior Marketing
Case 5 Advanced Composition

Final projects

Why it is vital to evaluate your courses before, during, and after their implementation

Theory & presentation

Homework 16
1 Who evaluates the course?
2 What can be evaluated?
3 Why evaluate the course?
4 How can you evaluate it? (What are some ways to evaluate it?)
5 When can you evaluate it?
6 What is done with the results of evaluation

Different models of evaluation

The first topic of Semester 2

Theory & presentation

Materials are relevant to students if they lead to the defined learning outcomes.
Materials must include substantial quantities of interesting comprehensible receptive activity in both listening and reading.
Materials push learners to produce the language in both speaking and writing over a range of discourse types.
Materials should be variable and utilize different senses and modes.

Relevance: Unit outcomes

By March 12
A 1-page proposal outlining the course, need, method, and rationale based on this template:
"We are developing a worksheet for [COURSE NAME]
to address [SPECIFIC NEED/PAIN POINT]
by [HOW THE WORKSHEET HELPS].
This aligns with [ELT METHODS] to ensure [BENEFIT FOR LEARNERS]."

By March 19
1 Course syllabus.
2 The chosen unit’s objectives:

• Identify subskills / systems covered (e.g., grammar: formal vs. informal register; writing: coherence).
• Define specific learning outcomes for the unit/worksheet (e.g., "By the end, learners can write a formal email using appropriate tone and vocabulary").

Unit outcomes: Requirements
Terminal unit outcomes are clearly formulated, and each of them include:
- The behaviour the learner will exhibit (e.g., to hold a conversation to obtain needed information)
- The conditions under which the behaviour must occur (e.g., on topics that are pertinent to everyday life)
- The criteria that must be met for acceptable performance (optional)
Unit outcomes are aligned with:
– the overall aim of the unit
– course learning outcomes
– unit activities

How to organize materials

Learning events

How to organize materials for reading

CDE: Reading

Reading slides

How to organize materials for listening

CDE: Listening

Listening slides

How to organize materials for vocabulary teaching

CDE: Vocabulary

Vocabulary slides

How to organize materials for teaching functional language

CDE: Vocabulary

Vocabulary slides

How to organize materials for vocabulary teaching

Authenticity: Tasks

Authenticity: Slides

Authenticity: Project

Authenticity: Resource Book

MD: Impact