DIDACTICS II
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Newsletter
12 2nd May 2002
Universidad Tecnológica
Nacional
Instituto Nacional Superior del
Profesorado Técnico
Cátedra de Didáctica Especial del
Primer y Segundo Ciclo de la EGB y Práctica de la Enseñanza –Segundo
Año
Lecturers : Omar Villarreal & Andrea Coviella,
Practicum Supervisors : Marina Kirac, Claudia Alvarez, Marcela
Russo, Marisa Caccia, Analía Figliola, Patricia Suárez Rotger and Florencia
Raña.
Assistant Teachers: Romina Hirniak
and Maria Laura Groppo.
Instituto Superior de Formación
Docente Nro 41 - Adrogué
Lecturer: Omar
Villarreal
____________________________________________________________
"The most important function of
education at any level is to develop the personality of the individual and the
significance of his life to himself and to others. This is the basic
architecture of a life: the rest is ornamentation and decoration of the
structure"
Grayson Kirk
Dear All,
How are you doing? How about your
Practicum? I hope everything is running smoothly. But remember that if things
are not going as you might have desired, you always have the second semester to go
on with your practice lessons until you become a top quality EGB teacher. That´s
our aim __and we know that is your aim too.
In this issue I am very happy to
post to you two voluntary (and generous!) contributions by two of your
classmates. No doubt sharing summaries, impressions, experiences and answers is
a great way to save time and effort (especially when the work load is big).
Thank you Valeria and Merlina for your generosity.
I am also very proud to announce
that yesterday 1st of May we moved our Website to our new address:
www.shareeducation.com.ar
You will notice that the Website
is still pretty much the same and that only the address has been changed. This
new address will help us to offer you a better service since many “heavy”
uploads which the previous server did not accept can now be easily accessed at
the new address. We encourage you to visit it and to inform us of any
shortcomings we might have overlooked.
A big hug to you
all
Omar
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Hello
I have made a chart, comparing the different Product-oriented syllabuses
(Ficha Cat#1, Nunan, chapter 3) and another comparing the different
Process-oriented syllabuses (F. Cat.#1, Nunan, chapter
4).
It was a hard task but I find the result -the chart- a much easier way to study. I hope my classmates find it a useful tool, too.
See you on Friday
Valeria Sambucetti
Didactics II Friday morning
Product-oriented
Syllabuses
|
Syllabus |
Grammatical |
Functional-Notional |
Analytic |
|
type |
synthetic |
synthetic |
analytic |
|
main
characteristic |
focuses
only on formal grammar |
places
sts & their comm. purposes at
the centre of the curriculum |
organised
in terms of the purposes for
which people’re lrng. lg. & the kinds of lg. performance necessary to
meet them |
|
characteristics |
*
input is selected and graded according to gram. notions of simplicity and
complexity *
lang. consists of a finite set of rules which can be combined to make
meaning *
introduce 1 item at a time *
lang. tchg. Purpose: help learners to ‘crack the
code’ *
once learners have internalised the formal aspects of a given piece of
lang, they’ll automatically be able to use it in genuine communic. outside
the classroom |
*
functions: communic. purposes for which we use lang. //
notions: conceptual meanings expressed through
lang. * sets realistic learning
tasks *
teaching of real-world lang. *
emphasise receptive act. before perform. *
motivating, communic. functions *
can develop naturally *
spiral curric: reintroduces grammatical, topical and cultural
material *
allows for flexible, modular courses |
* learners are exposed to lang.
which has not been linguistically graded *
starting point for syllabus design: experiential content (rather than
linguistic) *
lang. isn’t a subject, but a vehicle for communicating about sth.
else *
content-based model
* tasks *
the lang. & content focused on are drawn from
the input, & are selected
primarily according to what the learner’ll need in order to do the task. So the ling. and the topic
knwlg. are applied to the solving of a communicat
problem |
|
disadvantages |
*
misrepresents the complex phenomenon: Language *
not only can 1 form realise more than 1 function, but 1 function can be
realised by more than 1 form = complex to design
syllab. *
sts. acquire gram. items in a particular order (inbuilt syllabus) = 2
possibilities: a)
the
tchg. syllabus reflects this order, b)
forget
about grading the syllabus structurally acq.
of gram. struct. will be determ. by how difficult those items are to
process psycholiguistically, rather than how simple or complex they are
grammatically (eg 3ºps “s”) *
assumes learners should be grouped according to stage of grammar
proficiency, and that they’ll all progress uniformly *
learners need to use certain lang. str. almost immediately (eg Wh.
quest.) *
learners need exposure to different context and over an extended period of
time, not only when the items become ‘learnable’ lang.
acq. is more a global than a linear process learner’s
syllabus and the textbook/lang. progr. may not be in
harmony |
*
the grading of functional items becomes much more complex (is apologising easier than requesting?) *
simply a change of label (instead of learning “the simple past”, learners
might now be required to “talk about the things you did last
weekend”) *
dress-rehearsal methodology (replicate in class ‘real’ communication) has
a danger: sts may not be able to transfer what they’ve learned to new
situations but will only be able to perform in the limited situations
which they’ve rehearsed |
*
content-based model is no more creative than the lang.-based
model *
although communicat. competence encompasses more than just ling. compet.,
ling. compet. is nevertheless an essential element in communicative
competence *
often the learner has extensive knowledge in the content domain and is
frustrated by what is considered a trivialisation of that
content *
little more than a random collection of tasks |
|
conclusion |
gramm.
learning should be seen as the raising to consciousness in the learner of
the ways gram. and discourse processes operate and interact in the target
lang. |
Widdowson:
“Dividing lang. into discrete units of whatever type misrepresents the
nature of lang. as communication” |
analytic
syllabus designers may incorporate grammatical items into their syllabus
as a second-order activity after the topics, situations, etc. have been
selected |
Process-oriented
Syllabuses
|
Syllabus |
Procedural |
Task-based |
Content |
The
Natural Approach |
|
characteristics |
*
organised around tasks, rather than in terms of gramm. and
vocab. *
provides a purpose for use & learning a lang. *
syllabus: specification of the tasks and activities sts’ll engage in in
class *
focus exclusively on learning processes, there’s little or no attempt to
relate these processes to outcomes |
*
tasks are a more salient unit of planning for teachers than
objectives *
Candlin: tasks
should: -
promote attention to meaning, purpose, negotiation -
encourage att. to relevant data -
draw objectives from comm. needs -
allow for flexible approaches -
allow for different solutions -
involve sts contributions, attitudes and affects -
be challenging , but not threatening -
involve lang. use in solving it -
promote train for problem-sensing and
problem-solving -
promote sharing info & expertise -
promote monitoring & feedback -
encourage reflection & critical awareness *
Doyle: Tasks’ll need to specify: -
products sts are to formulate -
operations required to generate the product -
resources available to the sts to generate the
product |
*
experiential content, which provides the point of departure for the
syllabus, is usu. derived from some fairly well-defined subject
area *
selecting subject areas gives logic & coherence *
facilitate learning not merely through lang. but with lang. *
knowledge framework (Mohan): -
specific
side : description, sequence and choice -
general
side: classification, principles and evaluation topics
can be exploited in terms of these 6 categories, and task difficulty is
determined by cognit. complexity *
activities (Mohan): ‘combinations of action and theoretical
understanding’, are realised through action
situations *
‘move from the practical to the theoretical in teaching & learning’
(Mohan) |
*
goal: communication skills *
compreh. precedes production *
production emerges (sts aren’t forced to respond) *
activities which promote subconscious acquis. rather than conscious
learning are central *
the affective filter is lowered *
Nat Appr is designed to develop basic personal communic. skills, good
basis here will lead to greater success in academic learning
skills |
|
difficulties |
*
represents a change of focus rather than a revolution in syllabus
design |
*
a variety of factors’ll interact to determine task
difficulty: -
degree
of contextual support -
cognitive
difficulty -
amount
of assistance provided -
complexity
of the lang. -
psychological
stress -
amount
& type of background knowledge required *
represents a change of focus rather than a revolution in syllabus
design |
|
*
assumes that lang. consists of a single underlying psychological
skill *
Krashen and Terrell think that social aspects of the learning environment
are irrelevant to what and how sts learn |
|
some
concepts |
3
task ‘types’: information-gap
activity; reasoning-gap activity; opinion-gap
activity |
real-world
tasks // pedagogic tasks |
|
learning
goals can be divided into: - basic personal communicat.
skills -
academic learning skills |
Hello!!
Here is a summary of Nunan
(chapter 4)based on que questions from
www.share.itgo.com
Merlina Larghi
PS: the last question is missing
(out of time to type it !)
Nunan
“Syllabus design”
Chapter 4
1)
process-oriented syllabus: focuses on
process
product oriented syllabus: focus
on product
·
Specifying functions and notions would not itself lead to the development
of communicative lang. skills, which prompted to the development of
process-oriented views.
2) The principles underlying procedural and
task-based syllabuses are very similar:
·
Concern with the classroom processes which stimulate learning. They
therefore differ from syllab in which the focus is on the linguistic items that
the students will learn or the communicative skill they will be able to display
as a result of instruction.
·
The
syllab consists of the specification of the tasks and activities that the
learners will engage in in class.
3) Prabhu’s task*
types:
-Information gap activ: involves the
transfer of given info from one person to another. Grally calling for the
decoding or encoding of info into lang.
-Reasoning gap activity: involves
deriving some new info from given info through processes of inference,
deduction, practical reasoning, or a participation of relationships or
patterns.
-Opinion gap activity: involves
identifying and articulating a personal preference, feeling or attitude in
response to a given situation
Prabhu
Ø
Teaching should be concerned with creating conditions for coping with
meaning in the classroom, to the exclusion of any deliberate regulation of the
development of grammatical competence or a mere simulation of lang.
behaviour.
Ø
If
the desire of knowledge was such that it could operate subconsciously, it was
bets for it to develop subconsciously.
Ø
A
subconscious part of the mind perceives abstracts or acquires some of the
linguistic structuring embodied in those entities, as a step in the development
of an internal system of rules.
4) *Task: a response to the
processing or understanding a lang. (process items
Moon)
task is meant the hundred and one things people do in everyday life.
(Long)
Tasks are more salient unit of
planning for teachers than objectives.
5) Real world tasks
the learner might
be called upon to perform in real life
Pedagogic
tasks those tasks the learner is required to carry out in the
classroom
6) Candlin offers the
following criteria for judging the worth of tasks
-promote attention to meaning, purpose,
negotiation
-
encourage attention to relevant data
-
draw objectives from the communicative needs of
learners
-
allow for flexible approaches to the task, offering different routs,
media, modes of participation, procedures.
-
Allow for different solutions depending on the skills and strategies
drawn on by the learners
-
Involve learner contributions, attitudes, and
affects
-
Be
challenging but not thretening
-..............
7) What a teacher’s task
needs:
Doyle –the products that students are to
formulate
-
the
operations that are required to generate the
product
-
the
resources availabale to the student to generate the
product
Shavelson & Stern -the subject matter to be
taught
-materials
-activities the teacher and
learners will carry out
-
the
goals for the task
-
abilities, needs and interests of the
student
-
social and cultural context of instruction
Long (steps in the task-based
syllab)
a.
conduct a needs analyses to obtain and inventory of target
tasks
b. classify the target
tasks into task types
c.
from the task typpes, derive pedagogical
tasks
d.
select and sequence the pedagogical task to form a task syllabus
(GRADING)
Grading and sequencing are needed
in a syllabus (otherwise is not at syllabus)
9) Content syllabuses :
experimental content is usually derived from some fairly well-defined subject
area.
By selecting subject areas (e.g.
science, social studies, medicine, computing), the syllabus is given a logic and
coherence which might be missing from the analytic syllabuses which are a little more that random collection of
tasks.
10) Mohan’s knowledge
framework:
a. Specific practical aspects
– description
(particular examples,
specific
- sequence
cases within the topic)
- choice
b. General theoretical
aspects -classification
(what are the gral
concepts,
-principles
principles and values
in the
-evaluation
topic
material?)
·
Mohan claims that any action situation contain the elements listed in the
knowledge framework
·
Task difficulty is determined by cognitive
complexity.
11) The natural approach :
1. The goal is communication
skills
2. comprehension precedes
production
3. production
emerges
4. activities which promote
subconscious acquisition rather than conscious learning are
central
5. the affective filter is
lowered
Krashen & Terrel’s typology: -most learning goals can be
divided into: basic personal communication skills and academic learning skill,
and that these can be subdivided into oral and written
modes.
Weaknesses in the approach by
K&T: the basis of this approach seems to be that assumption that lang.
consists of a single underlying psychological skill and that developing the
ability to understand 2the radio” will assist the learner to comprehend academic
lectures
-the social aspects of the
learning environment are irrelevant to the
learning.
12)Widdowson a
syllabus is the specification of a teaching programme or a pedagogic agenda
which defines a particular subject for a particular groups of learners. (such
specification arranges the content as a succession of interim
objective
·
Structural syllab: will tend to prompt activities
which serve to internalise the formal properties
of language.
The danger is that learners may not be able to use
their linguistic knowledge in actual communi.
·
Functional-notional syllab:
will promote activities which attempt to replicate in class “real”
Communication
Classroom activities become “dress
rehearsal” for life encounters.
-Both types assume certain
methodological practices.
-(Widdowson) dress rehearsal: the
danger of this methodology is that learners may not be able to transfer what
they have learned to new situations but will only be able to perform in the
limited situations they have rehearsed.
Widdowson : process considerations
belong to methodology
Vs.
Breen: process considerations
(‘means rather than ends’) can be consider the province of syllab design
13)Grading Nunan’s typology of activity types
:in which difficulty is determined by the cognitive and performance demands made
upon the learner.
Activity type categorised
according to learn responses:
Verbal Non-
verbal
No response
Processing
response
physical
Material source
non-physical
Drill Meaninfull
practice
productive
repetition
response
interactive
simulated
rehearsal
role play
problem
solving
real
discussion
·
Using the typology, it is possible to take a given a text or piece of
source material and exploit it by devising activities at different levels of
difficulty.
·
With ESP and content-base syllab, an obvious means of grading content is
with reference to concepts associated with the subject in
question.
14) Brown & Yule:
·
suggest that listening tasks can be graded with reference to speaker,
intended listener and content.
·
In
listening :The fewer the speakers,
the easier to follow
Authentic texts which
are not addressed to the listener may be boring to the learner
A monologue or a familiar topic which is addressed to the listener will
be easier to comprehend
·
In
speaking: talking in short turns is easier than in long
turns
Talking to a familiar, sympathetic individual is less demanding than
talking to an unfamiliar, uninvolved individual or
group.
Sth that one knows is easier than a new topic or experience which has
little internal organisation.
Straight descriptions will be easier that instructions, which will be
easier that storytelling.