This presentation delves into the evolution of syllabus design in language education. It outlines the processes for identifying learner needs, developing aims and objectives, choosing appropriate syllabi, structuring courses, selecting teaching methods, and evaluating outcomes. It also discusses the historical context of language teaching methods, from the Grammar Translation Method to the Communicative Approach, and highlights the importance of content specification in syllabus design, including what to teach and test.

1. The Origins of Language Curriculum Development
Presented by: Husam M. BinSasi
Course: Syllabus Design
Course Tutor: Prof. Omar Albukbak

2. CONTENTS
• Historical Background (Beginning to Emergence)
• Aspects of Selection (Vocabulary and Grammar)
• Assumptions and Conclusion

3. Historical Background - Let’s Recap!
Curriculum Development
• Processes used to determine learner
needs.
• Developing aims and objectives to
address needs.
• Determine appropriate syllabus.
• Course structure
• Teaching methods
• Material.
• Evaluation (resulting from the processes)
Syllabus Design
• Developing a syllabus,
which is:
⁻ Content specification
⁻ Course instruction
⁻ What to teach?
⁻ What to test?

4. Historical Background – The Beginnings
Q1- How did Syllabus Design emerge in the first place?
It emerged as a factor in language teaching.

5. Historical Background – The Beginnings
Q2- If teaching methods answer the questions of HOW, i.e. methods
are the specification for the processes of language teaching
instruction, then which questions does Syllabus Design answer?
The questions of WHAT needs to be taught, that is the content of instruction

6. Historical Background – The Beginnings
Grammar Translation Method (1800 – 1900)
Direct Method (1890 – 1930)
Structural Method (1930 – 1960)
Reading Method (1920 – 1950)
Audiolingual Method (1950 – 1970)
Situational Method (1950 – 1970)
Communicative Approach (1970 – present)
Major Language Teaching Methods:

7. Historical Background – Teaching Methods Timeline
Direct
Method
(DM)
(1890-1930)
Not only it prescribes how language should be taught
But also prescribes:
• Vocabulary and grammar to be taught.
• The order in which they should be taught.

8. Historical Background – Teaching Methods Timeline
HOWEVER!
The focus of linguists continued to be teaching and the
methodological principles

9. Historical Background – Teaching Methods Timeline
Direct
Method
(DM)
(1890-1930)
Applied linguists paid attention to the
content and syllabus design of SM
Started to determine vocabulary and
grammatical content of a course.
Structural
Method
(SM)
(1930-1960)

10. Historical Background – Emergence of Syllabus Design
This led to procedures we know as … ?
Selection and Gradation

11. Historical Background – Emergence of Syllabus Design
Q. In any language program, what are some of the problems we face and need to solve?
• Limited amount of time for teaching.
• What should be selected from the corpus of language to incorporate in
textbooks/materials.

12. Historical Background – Emergence of Syllabus Design
Q. What are the aspects of selection?
• Vocabulary Selection
• Grammar Selection
We’ve established that selection is vital to all methods, and it is problematic.

13. Aspects of Selection – Vocabulary Selection
Q. What is the biggest issue that comes to your mind, when we think of vocabulary
selection?
Since educated adult native speakers have a recognition vocabulary of 17,000
word, the biggest issue is …..
What should we select?

14. Aspects of Selection – Vocabulary Selection
Early Criteria for Vocabulary Selection:
• Frequency: counting large collections of texts to determine the frequency with which
words occurred.
• Range: The frequency of occurrence of words in a corpus corresponds to learners'
relative importance.

15. Aspects of Selection – Vocabulary Selection
Additional Criteria for Vocabulary Selection:
• Teachability: counting large collections of texts to determine the frequency with
which words occurred.
• Similarity: e.g. Coffee | ‫قهوة‬
• Availability: Non-frequent inviting words, e.g. classroom > desk, pen … etc.
• Coverage: Words that include meanings of other words, e.g. seat.
• Defining Power: words useful to define other words.
• Communicative Need: greetings, places, accommodation, food.

16. Aspects of Selection – Vocabulary Selection
Modal Items: Express degrees of certainty/necessity (e.g., can, must, seem, probably).
Delexical Verbs: High-frequency verbs with minimal lexical content (e.g., do, make, take).
Stance Words: Indicate speaker’s attitude (e.g., actually, really, unfortunately).
Discourse Markers: Organize and monitor conversation flow (e.g., you know, I mean).
Basic Nouns: Refer to common concepts and entities (e.g., person, problem, weekdays).
General Deictics: Relate speech to time/space (e.g., here, now, then).
Basic Adjectives: Evaluate situations and entities (e.g., lovely, terrible).
Basic Adverbs: Indicate time, frequency, habituality (e.g., today, always).
Basic Verbs: Describe everyday actions/events (e.g., give, leave, say).
According to O'Keeffe, McCarthy, and Carter (2007) a basic or core spoken English
vocabulary for SL learners would contain several different categories of words:

17. Aspects of Selection – Grammar Selection
The issues of grammar selection were similar to vocabulary selection.
However,
In the case of grammar, selection is closely linked to the issue of gradation. A grammatical
syllabus specifies both:
Set of grammatical
structures to be taught.
The order in which they
should be taught

18. Aspects of Selection – Grammar Selection
Q. Creating vocabulary frequency list is based on empirical analysis of corpus data. How
does the frequency of grammatical items occurrence is decided?
Based on intuitive criteria of simplicity and learnability.

19. Aspects of Selection – Grammar Selection
The criteria for Grammar Selection included:
• Simplicity and Centrality.
• Frequency.
• Learnability.

20. Aspects of Selection – Final Note on Selection
• Grammar Syllabuses are the core of language course programs.
• Vocabulary content is secondary in importance and rarely provides basic structure of a
course.

21. Gradation
In addition to the process of selection, linguists discussed some criteria for gradation:
• Intrinsic Difficulty.
• Communicative Need.
• Frequency.
• Linguistics Distance.

22. Gradation
In addition to these factors, when designing a course, one is also faced with a choice
between two approaches to the sequencing of items in the course
• Linear Gradation: involves introducing course items sequentially, with each new item
practiced intensively before moving on to the next.
• Cyclical or Spiral Gradation: reintroduces items throughout the course for repeated
exposure and reinforcement.

23. Assumptions and Conclusions
• A language is identified with its vocabulary and grammar.
• Learners are the same everywhere.
• Learners’ needs are identified exclusively in terms of language needs.
• The process of learning a language is largely determined by the textbook.
• The context of teaching is English as a foreign language.

24. References
₋ O’Keeffe, A., M. McCarthy, and R. Carter. 2007. From corpus to classroom.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
₋ Richards, J. C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Cambridge
University Press.
₋ Richards, J. C. (2017). Curriculum development in language teaching (2nd ed.).
Cambridge University Press.

25. THANK YOU