Approaches to a language course design
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
2 likes•743 views
The learner ultimate aim of learning a language through a language course is to achieve fluent control of the sounds, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and discourse features of the language, so that they can be used to communicate effectively (Nation & Goh, 2009). To ensure that these goals are optimally attained, a language instructor should design a well balanced course enabling the learners to be competent at the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and to be as fluent and accurate as possible in using them. Therefore, a language teacher should take into account of balancing and integrating of the four strands, language learning opportunities, in their language courses. These strands are called meaning-focused INPUT, meaning-focused OUTPUT, language-focused LEARNING, and FLUENCY development
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Similar to Approaches to a language course design
Similar to Approaches to a language course design (20)
More from Beruga' Alam Institute
More from Beruga' Alam Institute (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Approaches to a language course design
- 1. APPROACHES TO A LANGUAGE COURSE DESIGN Parts and Goals of a Listening and Speaking Course. Nation, I.S.P., & Newton (2009) Marham Jupri Hadi & Adam Vose School of Education Faculty of Social Sciences Wednesday, 9 April 2014
- 2. IN THIS CHAPTER… A Language course is set to meet the ultimate learner aims in L2 learning: to achieve fluent control of the sounds, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and discourse features of the language, so that they can be used to communicate effectively
- 3. Meaning-focused OUTPUT …..through speaking & Writing (Productive)
- 4. …CONDITIONS to meet by each strand (INPUT) 1. Most of what the learners are listening to or reading is already familiar to them. 2. The learners are interested in the input and want to understand it. 3. Only a small proportion of the language features are unknown to the learners. In terms of vocabulary, 95 percent to 98 percent of the running words should be within the learners’ previous knowledge, and so only five or preferably only one or two words per hundred should be unknown to them (Hu and Nation, 2000). 4. The learners can gain some knowledge of the unknown language items through context clues and background knowledge. 5. There are large quantities of input.
- 5. …CONDITIONS to meet by each strand (OUTPUT) 1. The learners write and talk about things that are largely familiar to them. The learners’ main goal is to convey their message to someone else. 2. Only a small proportion of the language they need to use is not familiar to them. 3. The learners can use communication strategies, dictionaries, or previous input to make up for gaps in their productive knowledge. 4. There are plenty of opportunities to produce.
- 6. …CONDITIONS to meet by each strand (LANGUAGE LEARNING) 1. The learners give deliberate attention to language features. 2. The learners should process the language features in deep and thoughtful ways. 3. There should be opportunities to give spaced, repeated attention to the same features. 4. The features which are focused on should be simple and not dependent on developmental knowledge that the learners do not have. 5. Features which are studied in the language-focused learning strand should also occur often in the other three strands of the course.
- 7. …CONDITIONS to meet by each strand (FLUENCY) 1. All of what the learners are listening to, reading, speaking or writing is largely familiar to them. That is, there are no unfamiliar language features, or largely unfamiliar content or discourse features. 2. The learners’ focus is on receiving or conveying meaning. 3. There is some pressure or encouragement to perform at a faster than usual speed. 4. There is a large amount of input or output.
- 8. ACTIVITIES IN EACH STRAND Meaning-focused input: Extensive reading, shared reading, listening to stories, watching TV or films, and being a listener in a conversation Meaning-focused output: Talking in conversations, giving a speech or lecture, writing a letter writing a note to someone, keeping a diary, telling a story, and telling someone how to do something. Language-focused learning: Pronunciation practice, using substitution tables and drills, learning vocabulary from word cards, intensive reading, translation, memorizing dialogues, and getting feedback about writing and guessing from context or dictionary. Fluency development: Speed reading, skimming and scanning, repeated reading, 4/3/2, repeated retelling, ten-minute writing, and listening to easy stories. Memorizing words, word groups, phrases and sentences.
- 9. Nation and Newton (2009)… an EFL/ ESL language instructor should design a well balanced course enabling the learners to be competent at the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and to be as fluent and accurate as possible in using them Allocate 25 % time of the course length for each strand
- 10. How would you balance or integrate the four strands? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRQIDMCjS9c
- 11. CRITICAL QUESTIONS •In the context of the video, do you think that there is enough opportunity for each of the four stands? •Do you agree or disagree that the four strands should be balanced in terms of time allotment? How do teachers provide enough time if there is an arbitrary time allocation?
- 12. CRITICAL QUESTIONS •How would you balance the four strands if you have limited time? (If you need more time for one of the four strands, what are you going to do?) •How would you balance between giving input through listening and reading? How would you balance output through speaking and writing?
- 13. CRITICAL QUESTIONS •How would you provide an interesting discourse that is familiar to all learners in the course? Was Rolf’s story interesting to the class? •Learning through output provides opportunities for gaps in learner knowledge, how does a teacher support this opportunity?
- 15. Nation, I.S.P., & Newton, J. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL Speaking and Listening. Routledge, New York. www.google.com.au/images References and images