Compares Organizing Principle, multi-syllabus, and modular approaches to second language course design and suggests a modular course design that offers the greatest flexibility for both the instructor and for future course planning by allowing the instructor to link various elements of this approach according to methodology and student needs.…

The role of the syllabus in second language teaching is described, distinguishing six major types of syllabi and how they might be implemented in various teaching situations. The foreign language teaching syllabus involves both the integration of subject matter (what to talk about) and linguistic matter (how to talk about it). Choices of syllabi…

Many teachers feel that the primary goal of language education is the development of communicative rather than linguistic competence. This shift in focus has affected syllabus design. However, no single syllabus appears satisfactory by itself. The grammatical syllabus is effective to instill in learners automatic production of accurate structural…

An adult continuing education course in introductory Spanish is described. In planning the course, special attention was given to making course objectives realistic for the target population; rather than undertake a traditional college-level syllabus, academic and grammar-oriented in nature, the course was designed to provide students with basic…

An examination of foreign language syllabus design reviews current literature on six syllabus types and discusses the process of choosing and integrating syllabi for classroom use. The six syllabus types are structural, notional-functional, situational, skill-based, task-based, and content-based, characterized as differing by increasing attention…

This study of the notional-functional approach to second language teaching reviews the history and theoretical background of the method, current issues, and implementation of a notional-functional syllabus. Chapter 1 discusses the history and theory of the approach and the organization and advantages of the notional-functional syllabus. Chapter 2…

Seven basic models for teaching languages for special purposes (LSP) are outlined: (1) language-levels; (2) skills; (3) rhetorical functions; (4) notions/concepts; (5) situations; (6) topics; and (7) tasks. These models are examined through analysis of the texts (textbooks, research documents, and others) used to teach LSP courses. Examples of…

Describes an experimental course in communication offered to nonnative English-speaking pharmacists at the University of Maryland and reports the results of an evaluation of the course. The course was team-taught by a pharmacist specializing in communication for pharmacists and by an English-as-a-second-language specialist. (Author/SED)