The Second Language Curriculum

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An authoritative collection of papers which argues for issues of language curriculum development to be made explicit. Issues of language curriculum development underlie all stages in the planning and implementation of language teaching programmes. This authoritative collection of papers argues for these isses to be made explicit. The stages which the book deals with are: curriculum planning, specification of ends and means, programme implementation, and classroom implementation. Evaluation is also of crucial relevance at each stage. The 'curriculum' is taken to mean all the factors which contribute to the teaching and learning situation, and the emphasis of the book is on the interdependence of these factors. The contributors are leading practitioners and researchers with experience in various parts of the world. They identify the problems faced and the directions to be followed in relating current theory with practice in curriculum development. This collection will be of key interest to teachers, teacher-trainers, course directors and designers, and all others concerned with designing and implementing language programmes.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Part I Curriculum Overview
• 1 A decision-making framework for the coherent language curriculum
• 2 Syllabus design, curriculum development and polity determination
• 3 DES-IMPL-EVALU-IGN: an evaluator's checklist
• Part II Ends/Means Specification
• 4 Needs assessment in language programming: from theory to practice
• 5 The role of needs analysis in adult ESL programme design
• 6 Service English programme design and opportunity cost
• Part III Programme Implementation
• 7 Faculty development for language programs
• 8 The evolution of a teacher training programme
• 9 Appropriate design: the internal organisation of course units
• 10 Beyond language learning: perspectives on materials design
• Part IV Classroom Implementation
• 11 Hidden agendas: the role of the learner in programme implementation
• 12 The evaluation cycle for language learning tasks
• 13 Seeing the wood AND the trees: some thoughts on language teaching analysis
• Part V Evaluation
• 14 Language program evaluation: a synthesis of existing possibilities
• 15 The development and use of criterion-referenced tests of language ability in language program evaluation
• 16 Mastery decisions in program evaluation
• 17 Tailoring the evaluation to fit the context
• Bibliography
• Index