lecture02-Examining-Syllabuses

Lecture2:ExaminingSyllabusesAclarificationofterms:curriculumandsyllabusAcurriculumisconcernedwithmakinggeneralstatementsaboutlanguagelearning,learningpurpose,andexperience,andtherelationshipbetweenteachersandlearners.Asyllabusismorelocalizedandisbasedontheaccountsandrecordsofwhatactuallyhappensattheclassroomlevelasteachersandstudentsapplyacurriculumtotheirsituation.Nunan(1988:3)Asyllabusisaspecificationofwhattakesplaceintheclassroom,whichusuallycontainstheaimsandcontentsofteachingandsometimescontainssuggestionsofmethodology.Acurriculum,however,provides(1)generalstatementsabouttherationaleaboutlanguage,languagelearningandlanguageteaching,(2)detailedspecificationofaims,objectivesandtargets,learningpurpose,and(3)implementationofaprogram.TherelationshipbetweensyllabusandmaterialsInmanypartsoftheworld,languageeducationprogramsaredesignedfollowingasyllabus-drivenapproach,thatis,thesyllabusdetermineswhatkindofmaterialswillbeadoptedandinwhatwaystheywillbeexploitedfortheclassroomteaching.Incertaineducationalcontexts,thesyllabusevendetermineshowmaterialsshouldbedesignedinthefirstplace.Beforewestart…Workingroupsanddiscuss:Whichsyllabusesareyoufamiliarwith?Whataresyllabusesdesignedfor?Haveyoueverreadorusedanysyllabusforthepurposeofteachingordevelopingmaterials?Syllabus:thebridgebetweentheoryandpracticeItisoftenbelievedthatthesyllabusisthebridgebetweenlanguageteachingtheoryandlanguageteachingpractices.Thesyllabustranslatestheoryintopracticebyspecifyingwhattoteach,whattoachieveand,sometimeshowtoteach.Thesyllabusguidesmaterialsdevelopment.Thinkaboutwhy?1.TheoreticalassumptionsbehindsyllabusesViewsonthenatureoflanguageInthepastcentury,languageteachingandlearningpracticehasbeeninfluencedbythreedifferentviewsoflanguage,namely,thestructuralview,thefunctionalviewandtheinteractionalview.ThestructuralviewThestructuralviewofthelanguage:Theviewthatlanguageisasystemofstructurallyrelatedelementsfortheencodingofmeaning.Thetargetoflanguagelearningistomastertheelements(phoneme,morpheme,andsyntax.)ofthesystem.Tolearnalanguagemeanstolearnthesestructuralitemssoastobeabletounderstandandproducelanguage.Thestructuralview结构主义：该流派将语言看作是由结构上相互联系的单位组成的、用来表达一定意义的结构系统。语言学习的目标被认为是掌握该系统中各种成分，即语音、词汇和句法。听说法、全身反应法和沉默法都反映了这种语言观。ThefunctionalviewTheviewthatlanguageisavehiclefortheexpressionoffunctionalmeaning.Thistheoryemphasizesthesemanticandcommunicativedimensionratherthanmerelythegrammaticalcharacteristicsoflanguage.Thefunctionalviewnotonlyseeslanguageasalinguisticsystembutalsoameansfordoingthings.Mostofourday-to-daylanguageuseinvolvesfunctionalactivities.So,learnerslearnalanguageinordertobeabletodothingswithit.Thefunctionalview功能主义：该流派将语言看作是表达功能意义的载体。语言教学中的交际法就体现了这种语言观。该理论强调语言的语义和交际特点而不是语言的语法特征。TheinteractionalviewItseeslanguageasavehiclefortherealizationofinterpersonalrelationsandfortheperformanceofsocialtransactionsbetweenindividuals.Languageisseenasatoolforthecreationandmaintenanceofsocialrelations.Theinteractionalviewconsiderslanguagetobeacommunicativetool,whosemainuseistobuildupandmaintainsocialrelationsbetweenpeople.So,learnersnotonlyneedtoknowthegrammarandvocabularyofthelanguagebutasimportantlytheyneedtoknowtherulesforusingtheminawholerangeofcommunicativecontext.Theinteractionalview相互作用理论：该理论将语言看作是实现人际关系和进行个人之间的社会交往的工具。按照这种语言观，语言教学的内容的组织可以通过交流和互动的模式进行。Whatarethebasicunitsoflanguage?Linguistsactuallyusearatherlongandcomplicateddefinitionoflanguage,buttosummarize,itisasystemofcommunicatingbycodedsoundsusedwithinacommunityofspeakers.Thebasicunitsoflanguagearewordsandsentences.NoamChomskydemonstratedthatallhumanlanguageshaveagreatdealofstructureincommonandpositedthatadeepstructureoflanguageisinstinctive,aclaimwhichalmostallcontemporarylinguistsaccept.ThisiswhyChomskyistodaythemostfamousandimportantlivinglinguist.ViewsontheprocessoflanguagelearningSyntheticvs.analyticperspectivesoflanguagelearning;(Wilkins,NotionalSyllabuses)Behaviourismvs.cognitiveperspectivesoflanguagedevelopment;Formalvs.informalperspectivesoflanguagelearning(i.e.,learningvs.acquisition)Behavioristtheory(行为主义理论):Thekeypointofthetheoryofconditioningisthat“youcantrainananimaltodoanythingifyoufollowacertainprocedurewhichhasthreemajorstages:stimulus(刺激),response(反应),andreinforcement(强化).Basedonthetheoryofconditioning,Skinnersuggestedthatlanguageisalsoaformofbehavior.Cognitivetheory(认知理论):Thetermcognitivismisoftenusedtodescribemethodsinwhichstudentsareaskedtothinkratherthansimplyrepeat,whichseemstobelargelytheresultofNoamChomsky’sreactiontoSkinner’sbehavioristtheory.习得”与“学习”克拉申（Krashen）的理论：“习得”与“学习”相对应，用来区分两种不同的语言获得的过程和方式。成年人通过两种不同的、独立的方式获得第二语言，即“习得”（acquisition）和“学习”（learning）。“习得”与“学习”的概念及特点可以从三个方面来区别，即语言获得的方式、心理过程和知识类型。具体概念辨析“习得”（acquisition）：获得方式——非正式的语言活动。(informallearning)心理过程——下意识的语言获得。(subconsciouslearning)知识类型——隐性语言知识。（implicitknowledge）Pickingupalanguage具体概念辨析“学习”（learning）：获得方式——正式的语言活动。(formallearning)心理过程——有意识的语言获得。(consciouslearning)知识类型——显性语言知识。（explicitknowledge）Knowingaboutalanguage,notjustlanguagelearning“习得”与“学习”的关系克拉申（Krashen