This document outlines a training course for English teachers from municipal institutions in Colombia. The 50-hour course will focus on analyzing and implementing national English language standards into classroom syllabi. Teachers will critically examine standards, compare sample syllabi, and work in groups to create a standardized syllabus for their schools integrating the standards. Assessment tasks include participation, analyzing samples, developing a syllabus, presenting it, and a final workshop. The goal is for teachers to understand objectives for lesson planning based on theories of second language acquisition and national regulations.

1. PRIMERA ETAPA DE LA CAPACITACIÓN A DOCENTES DE INGLÉS PERTENECIENTES A
INSTITUCIONES MUNICIPALES
26 de septiembre a 1 de noviembre de 2011
UNIVERSIDAD DE NARIÑO
FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS HUMANAS
DEPARTAMENTO DE LINGÜÍSTICA E IDIOMAS
PROGRAMA OFICIAL DE ASIGNATURA
Nombre del Profesor Magda Caicedo (Asistente)
Mario Guerrero (Asistente)
Gabriel Obando (Asistente)
Ana Clara Sánchez (Asistente)
Formación Académica Magda Caicedo: Maestría en TESOL/Spanish
Mario Guerrero: Maestría Applied Linguistics to TEFL
Gabriel Obando: Maestría En TESOL/Linguistics
Ana Clara Sánchez: Maestría En TESOL/Linguistics
Course Standards Based Syllabus Design
Course type Teórico-Práctica
Schedule 3 horas diarias 3 días a la semana (50 horas en total)
Course Description
This course analyzes and implements the national standards for English to the syllabus used for
elementary and high-school courses so that teachers can develop a clearer understanding of the
objectives they should keep in mind when creating a lesson plan. Hopefully, through this academic
work, the teachers will be enabled to analyze, adapt, and design syllabi based on current SLA and
TESOL theory, which meet the requirements of national regulations and the needs of learners in
order to become competent in a foreign language.
Competences to be Developed in the Course
With the critical work and participation in the course, the participant teachers will be competent to:
1. View and approach critically the work with standards
2. Discuss and analyze standards based on the readings assigned for this purpose
3. Analyze sample area plans regarding the integration of standards of language in each area
plan based on evaluation questions that will lead them to identify the presence or absence of
the standards, indicators and descriptors.
4. Create a syllabus proposal out of an area plan for the schools they work at and including the
standards for each grade
5. Share the syllabi they create and support their choices with evidence from the readings,
class discussions and any additional information they can use to justify their syllabi
6. Revise and analyze the created syllabi in order to suggest a standard version of a syllabus
which will include the foreign language standards
7. Assess their own work and their performance as well as the performance of the course
facilitators and their colleagues
Methodology
The work will be based on discussions that will originate from the analysis of standards and samples
of syllabuses. The observation of this type of material will help them to develop a critical approach
to the way the standards need to be articulated with syllabi. Peer-assessment, workshops and blog
entries will also be used to develop the planned contents.

2. General Requirements and Assessment Criteria
The course will have a pass/fail modality. However, teachers are expected to demonstrate an active
work and commitment along the course so that the objectives proposed can be achieved. It is
compulsory to attend classes and be prepared to take part in the discussions and the different
proposed activities. In order to do so, teachers must read the materials in advance.
Assessment Tasks Porcentaje
Participation in discussions 20 %
Analysis of class plans samples 20 %
Creation of standards-based syllabi 30 %
Presentation of standards-based syllabi 20 %
Assessment workshop 10 %
Recommended Readings
1. Ministerio de Educación Nacional. Lineamientos Curriculares para Idiomas Extranjeros. 1999.
2. León Pereira, T. “¿Qué une los objetivos con los indicadores, las competencias, los estándares
y los logros?”. Magisterio, 3 (2003).
3. Consejo de Europa. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
4. Hess, N. Teaching Large Multilevel Classes. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
5. Zuñiga, G. y L.S. Bernal. Evaluación, estándares y currículo de inglés. Una propuesta de
maestras. Neiva, Universidad Surcolombiana, 2005.
6. Brown, H.D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language Pedagogy.
White Plains: Prentice Hall Regents.
7. Curriculum Theory and Practice. (2007). Retrieved July 13, 2010 from:
http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-curricu.htm Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language
teaching. Essex: Pearson Longman.
8. Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
9. Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: From method to postmethod.
New York: Routledge.
10. Nunan, D. (1988). The learner-centered curriculum. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
11. Nunan, D. (1988). Syllabus design. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
12. Richards, J.C. (2001). Postscriptum: The ideology of TESOL. In Teaching English to speakers
of other languages Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
13. Reilly, T. (1988). Approaches to Foreign Language Syllabus Design. (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service No. ED295460). Retrieved from ERIC database.
14. Ur, P. (1998). A course in language teaching: Practice and theory. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Compulsory Readings
Every class session will be based on the discussion of an assigned reading material.
Materials
MEN Standards
Samples of class plans
Articles related to the language standards implementation
Authentic English materials
Schedule Class Topic In-Class Tasks
Discussion and analysis Students participate in the discussion of the standards
of standards for foreign languages:

3. - Why standards are needed.
- Myths about L2 learning
- Effective Education for all students
Week 1 - General principals of language acquisition
Sep. 26, 27, 28 - Goals for ESL learners
- The overall organization of standards
- Using the ESL standards
Collection and analysis Students bring to class the area plan that every
of samples of area institution has and develop the evaluation based on
plans and develop an the correspondence of the area plan and the
analysis of the standards:
Week 2 integration of standards Are the goals in the area plan related to the
Oct. 3, 4, 5 of language in each standards?
area plan based on Are the standards expressed in the area plans?
evaluation questions. Are descriptors mentioned in the area plan? How are
they expressed?
Are progress indicators included in the area plans?
Creation of a model of Students work in groups to articulate the ESL
area plan with the standards of language in the area plans of every
Week 3 standards for each institution based on the following aspects:
Oct 10,11,12 grade. (group work) Establish descriptors for the clusters
Establish indicators for the standards
Decide on a syllabus type that can be used by all the
schools and that complies with theoretical bases
Area plans presentation Based on the group work developed, students will
Week 4 and justification of present their syllabus proposal and justify their
Oct 18,19,20 choices. choices. The students should provide a rationale for
the syllabus format decided about in the group.
Area plans Once the groups have done their presentations, the
Week 5 standardization based teachers will negotiate on a syllabus model for their
Oct 24,25,26 on language standards schools so that it can be standardized across the
for the foreign language schools that participated in the course.
area.
Course evaluation: the Students fill out an assessment grid in order to
Week 6 teachers will fill out a develop peer and self-assessment to check on the
Oct 31-Nov 1 self-assessment and a progress made by the teachers regarding the goals of
peer-assessment grid the course.