DIPLOMA IN TEFL

(ALLAMA

IQBAL

OPEN

UNIVERSITY,

ISLAMABAD)

SEMESTER: AUTUMN 2014

COURSE: EFL IN THE

CLASSROOM - I
COURSE CODE: 5661
ASSIGNMENT NO. 2
Research Project
Define the term syllabus and differentiate between a
syllabus and a curriculum. What are the different kinds of
syllabi? Highlight the role of a structural syllabus and a
functional syllabus in teaching and learning languages.
Design a functional syllabus for teaching components of
English

language

relevant

at

primary

level.

Make

comprehensive outline based on 9 units and practice the

first unit in the classroom. State your findings and give
recommendations accordingly.

PREPARED BY: MUHAMMAD

MUSSAWAR
ROLL NO: AY 546487
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WORTHY

TUTOR:

MR.

SIBTAIN

ASLAM
1. Definition of Syllabus
Stern, in his book General English Syllabus Design, defines syllabus as:
(A syllabus is ) a statement of the subject matter, topics, or areas
to be covered by the course leading to a particular examination.

2. Difference
Curriculum

Between

Syllabus

and

Brumfit makes a useful distinction between a syllabus and curriculum in

these words:
I would wish to restrict the term syllabus to what is the
responsibility
of a language teacher, with curriculum implying the total provision
within a school.
Brumfit sees the curriculum as having much wider implications than a
syllabus.

Syllabus

A syllabus is restricted to what is the teachers responsibility in the

classroom.

Curriculum

A curriculum implies the total provision for a subject within the school. The
English curriculum in a school will reflect the basic rationale behind the
teaching of English, and will take account of general resources and
constraints. A syllabus for a particular class or year is a list of things the
teacher has to deal with in accordance with that curriculum.

3. Different Kinds of Syllabi

i.

Structural Syllabus

ii.

Functional Syllabus

iii.

Notional Syllabus

iv.

Situational Syllabus

v.

Fixed Syllabus

vi.

Negotiable Syllabus

A structural syllabus lists in sequence the grammatical items to be taught.

A functional syllabus lists in sequence the purposes for which language is
used.
A notional syllabus is based on more abstract categories, such as time,
duration, quantity, location, etc.
A situational syllabus is built around social settings, such as at the airport, in
the supermarket, at school, etc.
A fixed syllabus is one that has been arranged in all details before the course
begins.
A negotiable syllabus is one that is made up by teachers and students as
they go along.

vii. Free Syllabus

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A free syllabus is the lack of a syllabus. All learning and teaching takes place
on an ad hoc basis.

4. Role of Structural and Functional Syllabus in

Teaching and Learning a Language
A functional syllabus is based on learning to recognize and express
the communicative functions of language and the concepts and ideas it
expresses. In other words, this kind of syllabus is based more on the
purposes for which language is used and on the meanings the speaker
wanted to express than on the forms used to express them.
A functional syllabus demands a communicative approach. Communicative
approach to language learning is based on the view that language is an
active phenomenon. People who communicate are using language to do
something; they have a purpose. A functional syllabus attempts to be
communicative since it is based on the presentation and practice of
language functions, rather than on a set of grammatical structures to be
learnt.
A functional syllabus makes greater demands on both teacher and students.
Such a syllabus does not seem to have the same well-ordered progression as
a structural syllabus; there is less distinct pathway for all concerned. Since
the same language function can be realized or expressed in several different
ways, it is inevitable that a variety of structures will be used. These
structures may vary from idiomatic phrases to complex sentences with more
than one clause.
For example, the following idiomatic phrase was used by a parent to warn
his child against repeating a certain action (e.g. kicking his younger brother)
which had already been severely criticized:
Just once more, my boy, .!
This idiomatic phrase can be changed into a two-clause sentence which
could be used to realize this same function of warning.
If you do that just once more, Ill punish you.
A structural syllabus is one where the principle objective is for the learners to
acquire the grammatical structures and vocabulary of the language they are
learning. The learner moves from simpler to more complex structures and
may grasp the grammatical system more easily. If learners are also doing
grammatical analysis, it may fit in well with what they are
discovering about the language.

5. Design/Outline of a Functional Syllabus

UNITS

2
3

SKILLS

ACTIVITIES

READING
WRITING

SPEAKING

Scanning
Punctuation
Listening for specific
information
Responding to Wh questions

READING
WRITING
LISTENING
SPEAKING

Reading in chunks
Spelling
Guessing unfamiliar words
Greeting & social question

READING
WRITING
LISTENING

Skimming
Forming Words
Listening for main ideas

LISTENING

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SPEAKING

Asking Wh-questions

READING
WRITING
LISTENING
SPEAKING

Sequencing
Cause and effect
Listening & note taking
Inviting, accepting, declining

READING
WRITING
LISTENING
SPEAKING

Previewing
Paragraph writing
Prediction
Tag questions & responding

READING
WRITING
LISTENING
SPEAKING

Anticipation
Self or group correction
Listening for implied meaning
Agreeing and disagreeing

READING
WRITING
LISTENING

Predictions
Kinds of sentences
Listening for the main ideas
Expressing
preferences/intentions

SPEAKING

READING
WRITING
LISTENING
SPEAKING

READING
WRITING
LISTENING
SPEAKING

Classification
Classifying information
Listening & note taking
Seeking agreement or
confirmation
Thematization
Direct/Indirect Speech
Listening for the main ideas
Complaining

6. Practice of Unit 1
Participants and Methodology

According to the outline given in heading no.6, the first unit was practiced in
a classroom of Intermediate level students. The students had a little
background knowledge of some grammatical terms and structures of English
language. It was their first time to be involved in an EFL classroom.

Objectives

This syllabus of Unit 1 proposes to give more emphasis to reading and

writing. After teaching this unit by the teacher, the students will be able to:
a. Use language to describe places accurately
b. Make effective use of the colon and semi-colon in punctuation
c. Scan a text in order to locate a particular item of information
d. Listen in order to obtain specific information
e. Respond appropriately to Wh-questions

i.

Reading

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a land of many splendors. The scenery

changes from coastal beaches, lagoons and mangrove swamps in the south
to sandy deserts, desolate plateaus, fertile plains, dissected upland in the
middle, and high mountain ranges with beautiful valleys, snow-covered
peaks and eternal glaciers in the north.
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Stretching in the north from east to west are a series of high mountain
ranges, the Himalayas, the Karakorum and the Hindu Kush. The Himalayas
lie in the north-east while the Karakorum lies in the north. The Hindu Kush
mountains are in the north-west stretching into Afghanistan.
(Adapted from Pakistan, a Profile, published by the Family Planning
Association of Pakistan, Lahore)
Exercise 1: Read the passage and make a list of the geographical
features mentioned in it.
Exercise 2: Read the first paragraph of the passage and complete
this diagram.

Exercise 3: Complete the following brief summary as illustrated:

a) Valleys are in the north.
b) Glaciers ..
c) Beaches ..
d) Swamps..
Exercise 4: Read the second paragraph of the passage and complete
this diagram:

Exercise 5: Read the whole passage again and try to place the
geographical features into their correct places on the map provided.

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B. Writing (W1)
B. (1) Guided Writing
Exercise 5: Read the brief information on Peshawar, and then
provide similar details for the other cities.
Peshawar is in NWFP. It is in the north-west of Pakistan
Hyderabad; Sialkot; Quetta; Karachi
Exercise 6: Read the following paragraph about Karachi.
Karachi is in Sind. It is a modern city. Its population is 7,000,000. The
minimum temperature in winter is 8.3 c and the maximum in summer is 38.7
c.
Now write a similar description of Peshawar using the following
information:
*Location *Ancient city
*Population 300,000
*Area: 77sq.km *Minimum temperature: 3.9 c
*Maximum
temperature: 41.1 c
[Note that area is new information]
B. (2) Scanning and Writing (W 2)
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You want to collect information about Ziarat, a tourist resort, in

order to write a brief report about it. You are particularly interested
in answers to the following questions:
1. What does the name of Ziarat mean?
2. When was the Quaid-e-Azams residency built?
3. What is the height of Prospect Point?
4. How far is Prospect Point from Ziarat?
5. What is important about the Juniper forest?
Exercise 7: Now read the following text quickly in order to find
answer to the questions:
No visit to Quetta is complete without a trip to Ziarat, situated 133 km (76
miles 3 hours by car) from Quetta at an altitude of 2,449 meters (8,200
feet) above sea level. Ziarat is a holiday resort amidst one of the largest and
oldest juniper forests in the world. It is said that some of the juniper trees
are as old as 5,000 years.
The name Ziarat means a shrine. A local saint, Kharwairi Baba is believed to
have rested in the valley and blessed it. After his death, he was buried here.
People visit the saints shrine, which is 10 km by jeep from Ziarat.
The Quaid-e-Azams Residency
The Quaid-e-Azams residency with its lush green lawns, chinar trees and
flower gardens commands a striking view of the whole valley. It is of
historical importance as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of
Pakistan, stayed here during his last illness. It houses the relics of the Father
of the Nation. The Residency was built in 1882 by the British. Later it was
used by the Agent to the Governor General as his summer headquarters and
now it is known as the Residency.
Prospect Point
The view from Prospect Point is rewarding. It lies at a height of 2,713 meters
(8,900 feet) above sea-level and is some 6 km from Ziarat. The road is
jeepable, but an invigorating walk is recommended.
Exercise 8: Write a report about Ziarat using the information you
had when you answered the questions.
B (3) Punctuation: The Colon and the Semi Colon
In this section, we shall first look at two uses of the colon (:) in modern
writing.
(a) It is used to show that what follows is some sort of explanation,
amplification or illustration of a point that has just been made. The two
units of language that are separated by the colon are closely
connected:
Stretching in the north from east to west are a series of
high mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Karakorum and
the Hindu Kush
(b)The colon is also used after such as, namely, the following, etc. Note
these examples:
In Quetta, there are three hospitals, namely: Civil Hospital,
Jinnah Road;
Christian Hospital, Mission Road;
Lady Defferin Hospital, McCoughery Road.
Exercise 9: Punctuate the following passage, putting in capital
letters where necessary.
The inhabitants of quetta can be divided into three groups Baluchis Pathans
and Brahuis. Nomadic tribesmen pass through quetta during spring and
autumn.
The semi colon (;) coordinates or joins two independent but related clauses.
We use a semi colon instead of a full stop in order to show that the two parts

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of the two parts of the sentence are very closely connected. Here is an
example:
The grapes in Quetta are delicious; they are cheap as well.
It is also very commonly used in lists in order to show subgroups:
On the tourist map of Quetta, you can see: the main bus terminal, the local
bus terminal, the Afghan Consulate, the Iranian Consulate, Grindlays Bank,
Habib Bank, National Bank, the Railway Station, the Bolan Hotel and the
Faresh Hotel.
Exercise 10: Punctuate the following paragraphs:
a) Some mountains in the north west are very high others are not that
high its a good decision to go to Swat by road dont miss it.
b) Though not very adventurous, it is always comfortable to go to Nepal
by air. But there is only one flight a week so before going to the airport
make sure you have with you your passport ticket travelers cheques
foreign currency also see that you have your medical clearance
certificate with you.
C
Listening (L1)
Exercise 11: Practice this dialogue between two students and then
complete Sameers information chart.
John:
Hello, Im John; whats your name?
Sameer:
Hello. Its Sameer.
John:
How do you spell it?
Sameer:
S-A-M-E-E-R
John:
Where do you come from, Sameer?
Sameer:
Iraq
John:
Where in Iraq?
Sameer:
The capital, Baghdad.
John:
Whats it like?
Sameer:
Its a very big city now; its very crowded.
John:
Is it in the south of the country?
Sameer:
No, its in the east.
John:
Well, Id love to go there.
Students Name
Country of Origin
City
Location of City
Other Information
D: Speaking (S1)
Exercise 12: Now imagine that its your first day in England. John, an
English student, meets you and wants to know about your
background. Listen to his questions and answer like Sameer did.
John: Hello, Im John; whats your name?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: Where are you from?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: Where in Pakistan?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: Thats in the Punjab, isnt it?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John: Whats it like?
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Methodology
The methodology is determined by the content itself. To give a very obvious
example, the two dialogues that are given above suggest pair work. Some of
the reading activities suit group work very well.
Exercise 1 and 2
a) Since these two tasks are closely related, they would be done together.
As a pre-reading activity, the teacher should introduce the topic briefly
by saying that it deals with the different geographical features of a
particular country. Then working in groups, the students can:
1. Make a list of general geographical features (about 10)
2. Indicate those that are found in Pakistan. (Since most, if not all of
them, are found in Pakistan, this will immediately illustrate the wide
variety of the countrys geographical features.)
a) Students work individually on exercises 1 and 2 while the teacher
circulates and gives special attention to the less able.
b) Having completed their tasks, students in pairs compare their answers
and make any necessary changes.
c) Through class discussion, the teacher decides on acceptable answers
and writes them on the board. Where necessary, students correct their
own work.
Exercise 7 and 8
a) Both these tasks are related to the reading text on Ziarat, and can
again be done together.
b) The teacher initiates a brief class discussion about holiday resorts and
hill stations.
c) The teacher gives the class 5 questions on the text and tells them that
they are to work in pairs to find the answers as quickly as possible.
d) The reading text is given out and students start their scanning
exercise.
e) The teacher notes the first 5 pairs to finish, but does not accept their
answers until most pairs have completed the task.
f) The first 5 pairs to finish read out one answer each to be discussed
with the rest of the class.
g) Answers are corrected where necessary, and students again work in
pairs to complete their reports.
h) A limited number of reports are read out to the class and commented
on.
Exercise 11 and 12
a) The teacher initiates a brief class discussion on the problems of going
overseas to study
b) The teacher tells the class they are going to listen a conversation
between John and Sameer and will later be asked to supply some
details.
c) Students just listen to the dialogue for global understanding first.
d) The teacher distributes the Information Chart on Sameer and tells the
class that they will work individually. (When listening carefully for
specific information, individual response is best since it cuts down on
the noise.)
e) After completing the task, students exchange charts with their partners
and correct them as necessary following a brief class discussion.
f) Students listen to the partial dialogue (Ex. 13) line by line and write
their own responses to the questions.
g) When this has been done, students work in pairs to practice the
dialogue each taking the part of John in turn.
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Findings
This kind of functional syllabus and communicative approach of teaching was
a novel experience for them. The findings can be submitted as under:
a) The students took much interest in the learning process.
b) The group work was more appreciated by the students than the pair
and individual work.
c) The students were not fluent in the speaking activities and their
accuracy was also pathetic. But their interest led them to participate
actively.
d) The writing activities were more difficult for the students than the
other three skills.
e) Grammatical mistakes were found in abundance but the conceptual
points were learnt.
f) Students appreciated the functional syllabus and its communicative
approach.
Recommendations
After practicing the unit with communicative approach based on functional
syllabus, I got a pretty good feedback from the students. They seemed to
have learned effectively what they had been trying to comprehend in their
language classrooms. Their active role in the classroom gave them a new
spirit to shake off their fears of English language in all areas of speaking,
reading and writing. So it is highly recommended that the communicative
approach of a functional syllabus must be introduced in the curriculum. Each
lesson should be pre-planned focusing on all the language skills by
integrating them.

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