Sulabo de inglés curso detallado

Dra. Mildred M. Pérez Pérez
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THE SYLLABUS DESIGN. Definition
It is a working document that should be used flexibly and appropriately to maximize the aims and processes of
learning (Hutchinson and Waters). The syllabus defines the constituent parts of language knowledge, and
provides basis for the division of assessment, textbooks and learning time; this makes the language learning
task appear manageable.
An ESP syllabus shows that some thought and planning has gone into the development of the course. A
syllabus will normally be expressed in terms of what is taken to be the most important aspect of language
learning and defines the kind of texts to look for, the items to focus on in exercises and finally a syllabus
provides a visible basic for testing. A properly constructed and planned syllabus is believed to assure
successful learning, since it represents a linguistically and psycholinguistically optimal introduction to the target
language.
A SYLLABUS DESIGN FOR AN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE COURSE (ESP).
PHYLOSOPHICAL AND EPISTHEMOLOGIC BASIS
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Syllabus design theory has consequently been one of the most active branches of applied linguistics in recent
years (e.g. Wilkins 1976; Shaw 1977; Yalden 1983; Krashens 1987; Nunan 1988). As a result of the more
recent movement toward communicative theories of language and language learning, Syllabus has tended to
be expressed more in communicative terms. Despite the extensive literature on syllabus design in recent years,
there is little empirical evidence to warrant commitment to any particular approach to syllabus development. In
practice, combination of approaches is often used. The syllabus reflects the philosophical assumptions of the
syllabus planners: a commitment to communicative language teaching and to a needs-based approach to
program content. At the same time the syllabus assumes that teachers have a high degree of proficiency in
English and are able to adapt and plan materials and classroom activities around the syllabus.
Approaches to Syllabus Design: (Wilkins 1979)
2.1. Synthetic Approach.
The Different parts of language are taught separately and step by step, so that acquisition is a process of
gradual accumulation of the parts until the whole structure of the language has been built up.
 Syllabus= inventory of grammatical structures and list of lexical items.
 Fixed order of presentation.
 Simplified and limited sample of language.
 Restricted vocabulary.
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 Linear syllabus design.
 Emphasis on form.
 Lack of situational relevance.
2.2. Analytic Approach.
There is no attempt at this careful linguistic control of the learning environment:
 A variety of structures (linguistic structures) is allowed from the beginning.
 Analysis of significant forms isolated from the structurally heterogeneous context.
 Organized in terms of language behavior or purposes for which people are learning the language.
 Structural diversity: heterogeneous, more varied.
 Structural considerations are secondary in the choice and organization of the material.
 The language not simplified or restricted: authentic language is used.
Types of Syllabi
3.1. Grammatical Syllabus
This type of syllabus is based on the concept of linguistic competence as “Knowledge of grammar structure”. In
this type of syllabus the emphasis is on form; vocabulary and grammar are carefully chosen and controlled, the
language is non-authentic and there is lack of situational and contextual relevance.
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3.2. Situational Syllabus
This approach assumes that language consists of a set of patterns of social use, and language learning implies
becoming proficient in using the language in social situations.
3.3. Notional Syllabus
The emphasis of this type of syllabus lies the concepts expresses the ideas or notions such as: time, locality,
direction, size, space, etc. Wilkins suggests three components for a syllabus design:
 A semantic component: the basic concepts, the WHAT of communication (NOTIONS)
 A functional or interactive component: the WHY of communication (FUNTIONS)
 A formal component: grammatical knowledge, the WHAT of communication (structures or key language
items)
3.3. Functional Notional Syllabus
The emphasis is on the purpose (WHY) of communication, represented through functions (such as: asking,
describing, narrative, expressing agreement or disagreement, describing, and else) followed by the notions or
concepts to be expressed (time, space, locality, frequency, and else). Both notional and functional / notional
syllabi represents a communicative approach to language teaching.

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3.4. Task- Based Syllabus
The task – based syllabus or procedural syllabus, is based on the task principle (Richards and Rodgers, 1986)
which states that “activities that involve the completion of real-world task promote learning”, it does not aim to
introduce language items in any order at all, but consists of doing real activities which require real language
use.
3.5. Communicative Syllabus
The communicative approach was the result of the needs to find alternative ways for foreign language teaching
and language syllabus design in Britain. It resulted from the work of a team of experts appointed by the Council
of Europe. The main characteristics of this approach are the following. It is based on the idea that language is
communication and learning a language is learning to communicate.
Language is viewed as a set of concepts (notions) to be communicated and a purpose for communication
(functions). The contents of language teaching courses are defined in terms of concepts and functions and not
on terms of formal elements of syntax and lexis. It is a student-centered approach: the concepts and functions
are based on student’s needs.
The syllabus is organized in terms of functions and notions in a cyclic or spiral way. Key language items are
introduced depending on the functions without any particular order. It takes the communicative factors of
language into account from the beginning, without losing sight of grammatical factors (some cognitive elements

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are accepted). More importance is assigned to the content of communication (the meaning of the message)
rather than the form used to express it. Meaning is emphasized.
Communicative competence is the desired goal. All four skills are emphasized from the beginning: reading and
writing start from the first day. Communication takes place as a discourse where meanings are negotiated
through interaction. The students are encouraged to communicate from the beginning; errors are corrected only
if they interfere with communication. Communicative activities are developed based on the concept of
“information gap”. Some characteristics:
 There is more flexibility than in others approaches in the use of the mother tongue. Judicious use of L1 is
accepted when necessary.
 Dialogues and activities are always contextualized.
 Authentic or simulated materials are used to familiarize students with the functions of the language in real
situations.
 Effective communication is sought and any device which helps the learner is accepted. Procedures from
other approaches, such a drilling and grammar explanations may be used if deemed necessary.
 Classrooms activities are teacher directed but student-centered. The teacher is a guide or manager: the
students interact in pairs or groups, with the teacher or with other students.
 Materials are varied, as well as classroom activities. Receptive skills materials and text follow the I +1
principle; the teacher can use oral or written language that is slightly above the language level of the student,
 Authentic language is emphasized; fluency is the primary goal.

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A course design
It is the process by which the raw data about learning need is interpreted in order to produce an integrated
series of teaching – learning experiences. The course design major aim is to drive the learners to a particular
state of knowledge. Some important aspects involved in a course design are:
a. The use of the Theoretical and Empirical Information available:
 To produce a syllabus
 To select, adapt or write materials in accordance with the Syllabus
 To develop a methodology for teaching those materials.
 To establish evaluation procedures by which progress towards the specified goals will be measured
b. The Data: After collecting the information about our students needs, we must interpret it. This interpretation
helps us to carry out the designing of our course. However, we will find another series of questions when we
come to designing our course, the data from our needs analysis can answer these questions.
c. The needs analysis: The starting point for Hutchinson and Waters is the question, what is the difference
between E.S.P and General English? From a traditional point of view the answer is in General English needs
are not specifiable. What distinguishes ESP from General English is not the “existence” of a need as such, but
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rather an “awareness” of a need. It is not so much the nature of the need which distinguishes the ESP from the
General Course but rather the awareness of the need (i.e. learners, sponsors and teachers knowing why
learners need English). This awareness influences what will be acceptable as reasonable content in the
language course. In other words, the content that characterizes the ESP courses (science, medicine, tourism,
commerce, culinary art) is a secondary consequence of that awareness (being able to readily specify why the
learners need English).
Approaches to a course design
This is the simplest kind of course design process. The language – centred course design process aims to draw
as direct as a connection as possible between the analysis of the target situation and the content of the ESP
course. This process may seem to be a very logical procedure because it starts with the learner; goes on
through different stages of analysis to a syllabus, and thence to materials used in the classroom and finally to
evaluation of mastery of the syllabus items. But if we analyse carefully this process we can find some
weaknesses:
4.1
4.1.1 Language – Centred Course
Design

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a. About the learner and their needs:
This process starts from learners and their needs; but learner is simply used as a means of identifying the
target situation; so, the learner is used as a way of locating the restricted area of the language will be taught.
Thereafter the learner plays no further part in the process; however, when considering needs analysis, the
learner should be considered at every stage of the process. In this model the learning needs of the students are
not accounted for at all.
b. About the static and inflexible procedure of this approach:
Once the initial analysis of the target situation is done, the course designer is locked into a relentless process.
No crucial element such as unexpected motivational attitude of students can take into account. In order to
respond to unsuspected or developing influences, any procedure must have flexibility, feedback channels and
error tolerance. There are conflicts and contradictions that are absolutely inherent in human behaviour which
can modify the initial analysis of the target situation.
c. About the systematisation of knowledge:
The role of systematisation in learning is not so simple; the systematisation of knowledge plays an important
and a crucial role in the learning process: we learn by fitting individual items of knowledge together to create a
meaningful predictive system. Learners have to make the system meaningful to themselves. Knowledge can be
systematically analysed and systematically presented but it is not systematically learnt. By far, we do not know
well enough about how the mind goes about creating its internal system of knowledge. The meaningful

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predictive system must be an INTERNALLY – GENERATED SYSTEM not an EXTERNALLY – IMPOSED
SYSTEM. As a result, language has a describable system, describing that system will not induce systematic
learning.
d. language centered – course: it is an analytical model used inappropriately as a predictive one
The most important point is the data interpretation, this allows us make use of all sorts of knowledge that are
not revealed in the needs analysis itself. We must consider a lot of factors which can be used to determine the
content of pedagogic syllabuses and materials. One principle of good pedagogic materials is that they should
be interesting and this factor is not acknowledged in the model but this aspect inevitably plays a part in the
creation of any course.
e. The language – centered analysis of target situation data is only at the surface level
It reveals very little about the competence that underlies the performance. To conclude, this approach fails to
recognize the fact that, learners being people, learning is not a straightforward, logical process.
This approach to ESP has been widely applied in Latin America. The specific aim of this approach is to develop
the students’ ability to read in English because, students in universities and colleges need to read important
4.1.2 Skills - Centred Course Design

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subject texts in English and those are unavailable in the students’ mother tongue. Fundamental principles of
this approach:
a. The basic theoretical hypothesis: It is that underlying any language behavior are certain skills and strategies,
which the learner uses in order to produce or comprehend discourse. This approach aims to get away from
the surface competence that underlies the performance. Therefore, learning objectives will be presented in
terms of both performance and competence.
b. The pragmatic basis: It derives from a distinction between Goal – Oriented Courses and Process – Oriented
Courses (Widdowson 1981).
If we designed a course in terms of what is desirable, for instance: to be able to read in the literature of the
student’s specialists, we have to know the period of time of the course for reaching that aim. On the other hand,
the level of our students allows us predict the experience and knowledge of their specialists. So, time of the
course and experience of the students take part in our course design because we can determine the main aims
in terms of those aspects; it is better to say, designing a course whose aims can be achieved during the course
in a short term and after the end of the course, concentrating on strategies and processes of making students
aware of their own abilities, and motivating them to improve their ESP management after finishing the course.
The skills – centered model sees the ESP course as helping learners to develop skills and strategies which can
be continued to develop after finishing the period of the course. To summarize; this approach takes the
students more into account than the language – centered approach. However, in spite of its concern for the

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learner, the skill – centered approach still takes the learner as a user of language rather than as a learner of a
language. This approach directs its attention to the processes of language use not of language learning.
As we have seen, a needs analysis reveals that the main need of ESP students is to read texts in their subject
specialists, so if we have followed a language – centered or skills - centered approach to course design, we
probably conclude that the ESP lessons would be better only with the activity of reading texts. Therefore, as
they have no need to write, speak or listen to English, all discussions would be in the native language and
writing texts would be minimal. Then, this is a logical application of the models studied above. But, if we took a
Learning – Centered Approach, we would needed to ask further questions and consider other factors because,
it may be possible that learners might understand the structure of texts more easily by writing texts themselves
and, it may be possible too that a knowledge of the sound or rhythm of a language help in reading; so, I
suppose that it depends specially on each particular student.
Stevick (1982) stresses the importance for memory of creating rich images in a way which closely parallels our
own model of learning as a network – building process. But, the most important aspect is how the students can
learn that knowledge most effectively; if the effectiveness of the process can be improved by using of other
skills, then that is what should be done. Processing the same information through a variety of skills is one way
of achieving reinforcement while still maintaining concentration and, in this way, we prevent boredom produced
by frequent repetition drills.
4.1.3 Learning - Centred Course Design

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The answers of all the following questions proposed will influence the course design, because it will vary
according to the individual situation and time span of the course. The answers will serve to show how factors
concerned with learning may affect the design of a course, sometimes in total contradiction to the initial needs
of the target situation.
English for specific purposes. ESP an important approach
English for specific purposes is an area of development of English Language Teaching (ELT), and it is part of
the recent move within the English Language Teaching sphere towards a more communicative basis for
teaching and learning. The importance of English as an important international language continues to increase
because of more people need and require to learn English, for that reason, the teaching of English for specific
purposes has expanded and become the most important part of English Language Teaching.
The demand for an ESP course comes from groups of students who wish to learn English for particular reasons
connected with their studies or their jobs. So, ESP can be seen as an approach to language teaching which is
directed by specific and apparent reasons for learning. Learners realize that a specialized course in English
help them to access to scientific and technical literature.
Language use is different from language learning, ESP must be based on an understanding of the process of
language learning. So, it is important to take into account this definition of ESP: “It is an approach to language
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teaching in which all decisions as content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning”.
According to Munby (1985), there are two main divisions of ESP situation:
 English for occupational purposes (EOP)
 and English for academic purposes (EAP)
EOP is taught in a situation in which learners need to use English as part of their work or profession, and EAP
is taught within educational institutions to students needing English in their studies. Three large categories are
usually identified:
Much of the demand for ESP has come from scientists and technologists who need to learn English for a
number of purposes connected with their specialists. EST is an important branch of ESP dealing with scientific
content; so, EST is an important aspect of ESP programmers, the term EST is too general to be of great use in
the design of ESP materials. A scientist may need to operate in English in a number of different situations such
ESP
EST
English for science
and technology
EBE
English for business
and economy
ESS
English for social
sciences

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as: conferences, read relevant, literature, exchange views at social gatherings, write a paper on his subject.
The scientist’s specialists have wide range of disciplines and it is clear that the notion of EST is too general; it
needs the learner to be taken fully into account (Strevens 1977).
Pre – experienced learners is the category of students who need English in order to gain access to knowledge
and express in English, the knowledge which they already have. These distinctions made by Strevens help
teachers to specify the level of student and the content of teaching materials.
ESP Origins
It is important to look at the emergence of ESP in the late 1960s and the theoretical and practical aspects which
have given place to its subsequent development. The combination of three important aspects seemed to point
towards the need for increased specialization in language learning:
a. The expansion of demand for English
The economic and technological power of the United States by 1945 made that English became the key, to the
international currencies of technology and commerce and so, English became the accepted international
Language of technology and commerce. A new mass of people emerges, and they knew specifically why they
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wanted to learn English and why they needed it. This had implications for ELT programmers in that the learners
and their needs were now taken as central to the problem of deciding course content. The effect of this aspect
was to exert pressure on the language teaching profession to deliver the required goods.
b. The developments in the field of linguistics
Linguistics began to pay attention to the ways in which language is actually used in real communication. This
point gave rise to the view that, there are important differences between the language we speak and the
language we write. In ELT there are important differences between the English of commerce and English of
engineering, these ideas married up with the development of English courses for specific groups of learners.
The developments of linguistics which greatly influenced E.S.P programmers were a move towards a view of
language as not only a set of grammatical structure but also a set of functions.
c. The developments in the field of educational psychology
Educational psychology studied the learners and their attitudes to learn (Rodgers, 1969). The different needs
and interests of learners have an influence on their motivation of learn and therefore on the effectiveness of
their learning. The relevance of the English course to the learner’s needs improves motivation and makes
learning better and faster.

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The development of ESP
ESP has been developed in phases; these are well explained in Hutchinson and Waters “A Learning –
Centered Approach”; the present paper will summarize the most important aspects of them:
a. Register analysis
late 1960s
and early
1970s
Main
workers
REGISTER ANALYSIS ESP
1964
Peter
Strevens
Halliday
Mc
Intosch
Focused on
Sentence Grammar Language
at the
sentence
level
1969 Jack
Ewer
La Torre
Hughes
– Davies
John
Swales
The aim of register analysis was to identify the grammatical and lexical feature common to all scientific
disciplines, Ewer and La Torre analyzed more than three million words of scientific English, taken from a variety
of sources such as textbooks, paper and journals, they selected the most frequent grammatical patterns:
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present simple tense, the passive voice and nominal compounds; structural words and vocabulary items. The
register analysis had a pedagogic motive “makes the E.S.P. course more relevant to learner’s needs”. The aim
was to produce a syllabus with a high priority on the language forms students would meet in their science
studies.
b. Rhetorical or discourse analysis
By 1970s Main
workers
Rhetorical or
discourse analysis
ESP
1974
Widdowson
(Britain)
Larry
Selinker
(EEUU)
Louis
Trimble
Mary Todd
– Trimble
John
Lackstrom
Focused on
It paid attention to
understanding how
sentences were
combined in discourse
to produce meaning.
It paid
attention
to the
level
above the
sentence
The aim was to identify the organizational patterns in text and to specify the linguistic means by which these
patterns are signaled. These patterns would then form the Syllabus of the E.S.P. course. Widdowson (1978)
distinguished between “usage”, language viewed as isolated items of grammatical structure, and “use”,
language used to express ideas through a set theoretical acts.

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c. Target situation analysis
Main workers Target situation analysis ESP
 John Munby (1985):
Needs analysis
 Chamber
Focused on
it takes the existing knowledge
and set it on a more scientific
basis
.
first, identifies
the
target situation,
then,
analyzes the
linguistic
The aim was to establish procedures for relating language analysis more closely to learner’s reasons for
learning. A target situation is the situation in which the learners will use the language they are learning.
d. Skills and strategies
early 1980s Main
workers
Skills and strategies ESP
1981 Francois
Grellet
Focused on
It considers the thinking
processes that underlie language
use.
Reading skills1982 Christine
Nuttal
1984 Charles
Alderson
Sandy
Urquhart

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The main idea behind the skill centered approach is that underlying all language process, which regardless of
the surface forms, enables us to extract meanings from discourse. This approach focuses on the underlying
interpretive strategies, which enable the learners to cope with the surface forms, for instance: guessing the
meaning of words from context, exploiting cognates, using visual layout to determine the type of text. In terms
of materials the emphasis is on reading or listening strategies.
Factors influencing ESP teaching and learning
The factors influencing the design and implementation of ESP programs are numerous and their inter-
relationship is complex. Teachers must take into consideration these points:
a. The Role of English
The role of English as a means of communication, as a subject on the school curriculum or as a medium
providing access to technology and science have considerable impact on ESP programs since the student’s
knowledge of English and their awareness of their need for the language will vary according to their exposure
and familiarity with English and its usefulness to them.
Program objectives may vary according to whether the students are studying in an institution where English is
the medium of instruction or in one where English is simply and additional subject on the curriculum.
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b. Resources and Administrative Constrains
The number and nature of facilities available influence programs, and teachers should not brush aside the
physical realities of a situation when designing courses, for example, the ease of access to materials, the
adequate provision of reprographic facilities, the availability of audio-visual aids and the amount of space
available for class teaching.
Teachers must take into account the size of classes the degree of homogeneity within classes with respect to
abilities and subject discipline, the number of hours given to English.
c. The Learners
Some characteristics such as: age, level, motivation, and attitudes to learning must be also considered. Many of
ESP learners are adults, for that reason there is likely to be more agreement on needs between teachers and
students at adult level since the purposes are more clearly defined, the older a learner is, the more likely he is
to have his own definite ideas on why his learning English.The significance of specialist knowledge and the
specialist text makes learners able to manage linguistic skills and perform the ways of thinking appropriate to
his particular discipline.
A course is designed to match a given motivation, problems may occur either if the course content and the
learner’s motivation do not match or if the level of motivation is low in the first place. On the other hand,

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attitudes to an E.S.P. course may be influenced by a student’s previous learning of English, there may be a
negative feeling if the previous learning has not been successful.
d. Linguistic aspects
Any analysis of needs have as its central point the language which it will be necessary to teach if the learner is
to achieve his purpose. The learner may need to be taught a certain vocabulary, specific forms and functions,
and how these functions interrelate to produce coherent text.
Each subject specially has its own vocabulary, often highly specialized or technical. Scientific English uses the
same structure as any other kind of English but with a different distribution. It is also important to realize that
grammar may be used in specific ways in scientific texts and that reference to a general English grammar
may not be helpful. We must look beyond the grammatical level to see what function the structure has in the
text from which is it taken. The type of English the learner is aiming will change its characteristics according to a
number of variables. Topic will considerably affect vocabulary. A further important variable, when considering
the variety of language to be taught, is the role and status of the participants.
Reading.
ESP has its basis in investigation of the purposes of the learner and the set of communicative needs arising
from those purposes. These needs will then act as a guide to the design of course materials. The kind of
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English to be taught will be based on the interest and requirements of the learner. The specific purpose most
common within the participant Universities is the reading of specialist literature in English, Given a group of
learners with this specific purpose in teach English help teachers to use this information as a guideline for the
content of a course suited to the student’s interest and needs.
Teaching reading
Interactive, integrated – skills approaches to language teaching emphasize the interrelationship of skills. In this
point, we will focus on reading as a component of general second language proficiency in the perspective of
interactive language teaching. So, reading ability will be best developed in association with: writing – listening –
speaking activities. Especially the reading – writing connection will help us to achieve the goals in teaching
reading.
EVALUATION.
Focus of Evaluation.
The primary focus of evaluation is to determine whether the goals and objectives of a language program are
being attained – that is, whether the program is effective. When a decision must be made as to whether to
adopt one of two possible program options geared to the same objectives, a secondary focus is on the relative
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effectiveness of the program. In addition, evaluation may be concerned with how a program works: that is, with
how teachers and learners and materials interact in classroom, and how teachers and learners perceive the
program’s goals, materials, and learning experiences. Evaluation differs from educational research in that even
though it shares many of the procedures of educational research ( text, assessment, observation ), information
obtained from evaluation procedures is used to improve educational practices rather than simply describe them.
Examination Questions.
Examination questions tend to have a common underlying structure. They consist of a topic, the subject which
is to be dealt with in the answer. It is this part of the question that students often pick out the instruction which is
also contained in the question and which should influence the type of answer they give. These instructions are
often in the form of imperatives, such as: define, explains, discuss, describe, compare, list, calculate, and
prove. Each, of these imperative requires a different type of answer. An explanation’ requires not only a
description of an event but the reasons why it occurred. A comparison between two process, for example, might
involve a description of process A, then process B, with a comparison of A and B following, and a conclusion.

Sulabo de inglés curso detallado

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