Curriculum Development in Language Teaching Jack C. Richards ...

Curriculum Development in Language Teaching

Jack C. Richards
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Language
Centre, Singapore

Cambridge
UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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© Cambridge University Press 2001
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2001
Printed in the United States of America
Typeface Times Roman 10'A/12pt. [AG]
Library of Congress Catatoging-in-PubUcatiort Data
Richards, Jack C.
Curriculum development in language teaching / Jack C. Richards.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-521-80060-9
1. Language and languages - Study and teaching. 2. Curriculum planning.
L Title.
00-033711
P . 52-235-
-RSS JLOOl
PS3.295 .R53 2001 418'.0071»dc21

ISBN 0 521 800609 hardback ISBN 0 521 804914 paperback

Credits appear on page xiv.

279'116-

Contents

Series editor's preface ix Preface xi

1 The origins of language curriculum development 1
Historical background 2
Vocabulary selection 4
Grammar selection and gradation 9
Assumptions underlying early approaches to syllabus design 15
Discussion questions and activities 16
Appendix 1 Entries from A General Service List of English
Words 17 Appendix 2 Entries from Cambridge English Lexicon
18 Appendix 3 Part of an early English grammatical syllabus 20
References 22

2 From syllabus design to curriculum development 23
The quest for new methods 23
Changing needs for foreign languages in Europe 26
English for specific purposes . 28
Needs analysis in ESP 32
Communicative language teaching 36
Emergence of a curriculum approach in language teaching 39
Discussion questions and activities 43
Appendix 1 Example of scientific writing 45
Appendix 2 Words found often in academic reading materials 47
References 48

3 Needs analysis 51
The purposes of needs analysis 52 What are needs? 54

v

vi Contents

The users of needs analysis 55
The target population 57
Administering the needs analysis 58
Procedures for conducting needs analysis 59
Designing the needs analysis 63
Making use of the information obtained 64
Discussion questions and activities 67
Examples of needs analyses 68
Appendix 1 Designing a questionnaire 72
Appendix 2 Needs analysis questionnaire for Cantonese
learners 73 Appendix 3 Needs analysis questionnaire for non-
English-background students 80 References 89

4 Situation analysis 90
Societal factors 93 Project factors 95
Institutional factors 97
Teacher factors 99
Learner factors 101
Adoption factors 103
Profiting the factors identified in the situation analysis 105
Discussion questions and activities 106
Appendix 1 Situation analysis profile 108
Appendix 2 Matrix for identifying factors in curriculum
renewal process 108 References 111

5 Planning goals and learning outcomes 112
The ideology of the curriculum 113 Stating curriculum outcomes
120 Nonlanguage outcomes and process objectives 133 Discussion
questions and activities 137 Appendix 1 Behavioral objectives
139 Appendix 2 Listening and conversation skills 140 Appendix
3 ESOL standards for grades 4-8 141 References 142
Contents vii

6 Course planning and syllabus design 145
The course rationale 145
Describing the entry and exit level 146
Choosing course content 147
Determining the scope and sequence 149
Planning the course structure 151
Preparing the scope and sequence plan 167
Discussion questions and activities 168
Appendix 1 Proficiency descriptions for the domain of
speaking 170 Appendix 2 Description of performance levels;
writing 174 Appendix 3 Band descriptors for oral interaction
skills 176 Appendix 4 Grammar items and their sequence in a
first-year English course 178 Appendix 5 Threshold level
syllabus 179 Appendix 6 Skills syllabus for listening and
speaking 182 Appendix 7 Designing a course from texts 185
-Appendix 8 A unit from Passages 1 187 Appendix 9 Part of
the scope and sequence chart from
New Interchange, vol. 1 195 References 196

7 Providing for effective teaching 198
The institution 198 The teachers 209 The teaching process
214 The learning process 223 Discussion questions and activities
225 Appendix 1 Institutional mission statement 227 Appendix 2
Best practice in English language teaching 228 Appendix 3
Assessment criteria for teaching practice 231 Appendix 4 Checklist
for evaluating a teacher's lesson 232 Appendix 5 Qualities and
competencies of a good English teacher 236 . Appendix 6 Self-
evaluation of a teacher's lesson 240 Appendix 7 Student appraisal
form 244 Appendix 8 Peer appraisal form 246 References
249
viii Contents

8 The role and design of instructional materials 251
Authentic versus created materials 252
Textbooks 254
Evaluating textbooks 256
Adapting textbooks 260
Preparing materials for a program 261
Managing a materials writing project 267
Monitoring the use of materials 270
Discussion questions and activities 271
Appendix 1 Guidelines for developing reading activities 272
Appendix 2 Checklist for evaluation and selection of
course books 274 Appendix 3 Case study of materials
development project 277 References 284

9 Approaches to evaluation 286
Purposes of evaluation 288
Formative evaluation 288
Illuminative evaluation 289
Summative evaluation 291 Issues in program evaluation 294
Procedures used in conducting evaluations 299 Discussion questions
and activities 304 Appendix Examples of program evaluations
305 References 309

Author index 311

Subject index 314

Series editor's preface

The activities of language teaching have often been viewed from a very
narrow perspective. This is evident from the fascination with
teaching'methods that has characterized the history of language teaching
until relatively recently. Methods have often been regarded as the most
important factor in determining the success of a language program, and
advances in language teaching have sometimes been seen as being dependent
on the adoption of the latest method. A perspective often missing from the
method-based view of teaching is that of how methods interact with other
factors in the teaching-learning process. Who are the learners and the
teachers? What expectations do they have for the program? What learning and
teaching styles do they bring to the program? For what purposes is the
language needed? What goals does the program have, and how are these goals
expressed? In what settings will teaching take place, and what
organizational structure is in place to support and maintain good teaching?
What resources will be used, and what are their roles? What is the role of
textbooks and other materials? What measures will be used to determine the
success of the program? Choice of teaching mediod cannot therefore be made
unless a great deal is known about the context for the language program and
the interactions between the different elements involved. It is this
perspective that characterizes a curriculum-based approach to language
teaching.
This book presents an approach to the teaching-learning process that sees
successful language as being dependent upon the activities of curriculum
development, that is, the use of a variety of planning and implementation
processes involved in developing or renewing a language program. These
processes include determining learners' needs, analysis of the context for
the program and consideration of die impact of contextual factors, the
planning of learning outcomes, the organization of a course or set of
teaching materials, the selection and preparation of teaching materials,
provision for and maintenance of effective teaching, and evaluation of the
program. These elements constitute a set of interrelated elements, and
their nature and function form the focus of this book. The book seeks to
survey key issues and practices within language curriculum development in
order to provide the

IX

x Series editor's preface

basis for more effective planning and decision making in language program
development, implementation, and review. I hope that teachers and other
language teaching professionals will find that this book helps them better
understand and use the skills involved in developing effect