Proposal of syllabus

1. Syllabus Design
Proposal
By
Diego Piedrahita

2. Pbro. Camilo Torres Restrepo is a public school located in Campo Valdés, a low-income population neighborhood (strata 1-
2) which once was a place characterized for a high rate of violence and drugs commercialization-consumption. The effects
of this negative past have been impacting current generations, since diverse family types, lack of job opportunities and
unclear life projects play an important role in student population’s beliefs, trends and expectations.

3. CEFR NBP
Family
-social
issues
Learners’
background

4. My teaching
practices are
based on:
“purely cognitive theories
of learning will be rejected
unless a role is assigned to
affectivity” (Hilgard, 1963
in Arnold, 1997)
"schools are places
where students can
learn to transform
society“ (Gainer,
2010)
“One moves from
feeling, to observing,
to thinking, to
doing” (Eyler and
Giles, 1999)

5. Language – culture – learning - language learning
Social construction Meaningful experiencesCommon rulesMeans to communicate
Communicate
spontaneously in
specific contexts
Learning with others
(background)
Beliefs, attitudes,
perceptions
Oral – written –
symbols – corporal

6. English – syllabus – content – assessment - goals
Summative

7. Learning theories
Cognitive theory Linguistic theory Socio-cultural theory
(Firth and Wagner,
2007) focus on
language in context, no
on the mind of the
learner, no on the
language system
(Firth and Wagner,
2007) static and
normative, interested in
a learner whose mind
contains language
how the brain
processes and
learns new
information

9. Learner’s needs

11. Central Syllabus
Family School Community
Violence Indiscipline Drugs
Money Positive actions Accidents
Future plans Bullying Thefts
No role models Low academic performance Informal jobs
Control of emotions Hunger Social networks addiction
Topic: Analysis and solution of common problems around me
Grade: 7°
Unit: 3
Time: 13 weeks
General objective: Provide learners with thinking skills through the analysis of personal, school,
family and social issues and creative strategies to solve them.

12. Central Syllabus
Topic: Analysis and solution of common problems
Grade: 7°
Unit: 3
Time: 13 weeks
What was happening in
your house, classroom,
community in terms of
problems?
What makes you feel
sad/disappointed/proud
How must you change?
What do you have to do?
What can’t you do?
Process – collaborative work –
interview family members: a critical
analysis about common feelings
and actions at home/school

13. Brumfit (1984):
Student’s needs are determined on the basis of their performance and fluency,
rather than on predetermined syllabus.
Syllabus aspects Based on the Communicative Competence (CLT)
1. Purpose: Reflect on daily actions happening on the learners’ environment
2. Setting: Neighborhood – school - home
3. Role:
4. Communicative events:
Students talking to each other and to people around them
Everyday situations
5. Language functions: Describe problems – analyze ways to solve them – suggest . . .
6. Notions: Culture: society: history - family background -
7. Grammatical content: Past progressive – modal verbs -
Content
Input

14. Process – Input – Output
Identify the problems
(topics) around learners
Control of emotions:
Topics
Hungry – embarrassed –
disappointed – angry –
surprised – in love
Explore how this content
is present in daily life
In groups:
- what makes you feel like this?
- Interpret a situation
Propose strategies to
improve common issues
Project-based Approach

15. Content
Use the content to analyze real life
situations and people
Ability to work with others, to respect
differences and to suggest ways to
solve personal, family and social
problems
Learning content with a purpose:
Respect – reflect – improve –
propose…
Linguistic content as a bridge to
explore learners’ world

16. Jacobs and Farrell (2003): Process-oriented Approach:
Social nature of learning:
Contextualized, cooperative, individual differences as sources of learning, connecting the
school with the world, through holistic knowledge; learning as a life long process.
New paradigms that support changes
In approaches to language teaching

17. Assessment
Formative
Superior High Basic Low
I am able to analyze what
happen around me and
support my peers to find
ways to solve real issues
together, based on my
learning styles and interests.
I can analyze some problems
around me and support my
peers to create strategies to
solve these issues, based on
my abilities and interests.
I barely analyze some
problems in my personal,
social and school life,
supported with/by my peers
to find ways to solve these
issues together.
I do not show interest to
identify and solve problems
around me, with my peers’
support; additionally, I do
not foster my learning styles,
which do not allow me to
find my personal and
academic skills.

19. Evidences
1. Internal tests (Final-term exam):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1agA4NOrxhgkoDkAoNqiAxqWIf5t4cFB0PkkwXkbcJkw/edit?usp=forms_home&ths=true
2. learners’ productions about routines: what to improve?
https://es.slideshare.net/DiegoPiedra8/daily-routines-7th
3. Artículo: Mundial de Fútbol Rusia 2018, una oportunidad para potenciar el inglés a través de culturas
https://www.compartirpalabramaestra.org/actualidad/noticias/mundial-de-futbol-rusia-2018-una-oportunidad-para-
potenciar-el-ingles-traves-de-culturas