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METHODS AND LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (Formulation of objectives…
METHODS AND LANGUAGE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Needs analysis
Choice of teaching approach or method, materials and learning activities is usually made within the context of language program design and development
General Parameters of a language program
Its aim is to identify the type of language skills
Acknowledges that the goals of learners vary and be determined before decisions about content and method can be made.
Formulation of objectives
used in developing, selecting or revising program objectives
objectives detail the goals of a language program
sometimes program objectives may be stated in terms of a proficiency level in particular skill area
provisional proficiency guidelines for use in planning foreign language programs
Methods typically fail to describe explicitly the objectives they are designed to attain.
The program planner can then compare the degree of fit between the method and the program goals.
Selection of teaching and learning activities
selected according to how well they address the underlying linguistic skills and processes learners will need in order to attain objectives of the program
Classroom activities and materials are hence accountable to goals and objectives
Teachers and program developers select different kinds of tasks, activities and learning experiences
Curriculum developers typically proceed with caution, since there is a great deal that is unknown about second language acquisition
Most language teaching programs operate from a basis of informed eclecticism rather than by attempting to rigidly implement a specific method
Evaluation
evaluation addresses whether the goals and objectives of a language program are being attained, that is, whether the program is effective.
Evaluation may be concerned with how teachers, learners, and materials interact in classrooms.
Chance and fashion aone often determine program adoption and adaptation.
Evaluating methods
Observational data
refer to recorded observations of methods as they are being taught.
Data can be used to evaluate whether the method as it is implemented actually conforms to its underlying philosophy or approach
Gathering observational data is much more problematic than obtaining descriptive data, but ultimately more essential
Effectiveness data
Documented studies of instances where a method has been used with reference to a specific set of objectives
reliable and valid measures of gains in proficiency made by learners relative to the objectives
The third kind of information needed is data in the extent to which particular methods have been found to be effective
Descriptive data
Descriptions and accounts, usually by teachers, of specific procedures used in teaching according to a particular method
they may take the form of amplified records of lesson plans with detailed comments on the exact steps followed.
For most of the approaches and methods we have reviewed there is a lack of detailed description
Comparative data
comparative data likewise compare outcomes but fail to take account of processes and actual classroom behaviours.
the most difficult kind of data to provide is that which offers evidence that one method is more effective than another in attaining program objectives