Defining Syllabus

Through reading and researching we can notice that as we have a lot of different definitions for curriculum, we also have a lot about what syllabus is. The simplest definition of syllabus that I found was that a syllabus is a way of organizing the course and materials. But this definition was not entirely satisfactory for me and maybe not for you either. Syllabus is also defined as a description of contents of a course and the order in which they are going to be taught. In order to understand what really a syllabus is and what are its components, let’s see what the basic elements that a language-teaching syllabus must have:

a)    Grammar points and vocabulary

b)    The kind of language needed for the different situations

c)    The communicative functions and meaning which students need to express in the target language (TL)

A syllabus is a more detailed and operational statement of teaching and learning elements. It translates the curriculum’s philosophy into series of planned steps that are going to guide us to achieve objectives at each level.

Brumfit (1984) summarized what syllabus is:

1. A syllabus is the specification of the work of a particular department in a school or college, organized in subsections defining the work of a particular group or class.
2. It is often linked to time, and will specify a starting point and ultimate goal;
3. It will specify some kind of sequence based on

a)    Sequencing intrinsic to a theory of language learning or to the structure of specified material relatable to language acquisition;

b)    Sequencing constrained by administrative needs (materials)

4. It is a document of administrative convenience and will only  be partly justified on theoretical grounds and so it is negotiable and adjustable;
5. It can only specify what is taught; it cannot organize what is learnt;
6. It is a public document and an expression of accountability.

It is said also that the syllabus replaces the concept of “method,” and the syllabus is now seen as an instrument by which the teacher, with the help of the syllabus designer, can achieve a degree of “fit” between the needs and aims of the learner and the activities which will take place in the classroom (Yalden, 1984).

Widdowson (1984) claims that a syllabus is a framework. Within this framework, activities can be carried out in order to facilitate learning. It acts as rules for determining what is going to be learnt.

McKay (19778) uses the terms syllabus in a special way; he says that a syllabus provides a specific item about what should be studied, selected and ordered.

After seeing the different points of view, I can say that a syllabus is the way you as a teacher are going to organize your course, in which you have to specify what kind of didactic materials you are going to need, the time set aside for the class and everything concerned about your course, the method that you are going to use, what are your objectives and goals to see at the end of it, and if you have achieved them.

The following is a table who specify all the different kind of syllabus we can use to achieve our goals (Brown, 1995)

TABLE 1
SYLLABUSES	WAYS OF ORGANIZING COURSES AND MATERIALS
STRUCTURAL	Grammatical and phonological structures are the organizing principles-sequenced from easy to difficult or frequent to less frequent.
SITUATIONAL	Situations(such as at the bank, at the supermarket, at a restaurant, and so forth) form the organizing principle-sequenced by the likelihood students will encounter them (structural sequence may be in background)
TOPICAL	Topics of themes (such as health, food, clothing, and so forth) form the organizing principle-sequenced by the likelihood that students will encounter them (structural sequence may be in background)
FUNCTIONAL	Functions (such as identifying, reporting, correcting, describing, and so forth) are the organizing principle-sequenced by some sense of chronology or usefulness of each function (structural and situational sequence may be in background)
NOTIONAL	Conceptual categories called notions (such as duration, quantity, location, and so forth) are the basis of organization-sequenced by some sense of chronology or usefulness of each notion (structural and situational sequences may be in background)
SKILLS	Skills (such as listening for gist, listening for main idea, listening for inferences, scanning a reading passage for specific information, and so forth) serve as the basis for organization sequenced by some sense of chronology or usefulness for each skill (structural and situational sequence may be in background)
TASK	Task or activity-based categories (such as drawing maps, following directions, following instructions, and so forth) serve as the basis for organization-sequenced by some sense of chronology or usefulness of notions (structural and situational sequences may be in background)

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Brown, J. D. (1995). The Elements of Language Curriculum. Boston; Heinle & Heinle.

Dubin, F., & Olshtain, E. (1986) Course Design. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press.

Nunan, D. (1991) Syllabus Design. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

White, R. V. (1998). The ELT Curriculum. Cambridge: Blackwell.

U R L

Canales, L., Ruiz-Escalanate, L.A. A Pedagogical Framework for Bilingual Education Teacher Preparation Programs. Available:

http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/symposia/third/canales.htm

Valdez, G. Evaluation Design and Tools. Available:

http://www.ncrel.org/tandl/eval2.htm