Flashcards on Types of Language Syllabuses
Types of Language Syllabuses: A Student's Guide to ELT Design
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Language Teaching Syllabuses
24 cards
Card 1
Question: What is a grammatical syllabus and which methods used it historically?
Answer: A grammatical syllabus organizes learning around grammar structures; it was used in the Audiolingual Method and Situational Language Teaching (1960s–1
Card 2
Question: What is the core idea of a grammatical syllabus?
Answer: Language learning = mastering grammar, focusing on one grammar item at a time with repetition and drills to produce sentences containing the target fe
Card 3
Question: What are the main classroom practices and focus of grammatical syllabuses?
Answer: Use of drills and repetition, sentence-level focus, accuracy orientation and success-oriented practice.
Card 4
Question: Why is the grammatical syllabus still widely used today?
Answer: Because it’s familiar, expected, and aligns with textbook formats and exam requirements.
Card 5
Question: List main criticisms of the grammatical syllabus.
Answer: Limited view of language (grammar alone isn’t sufficient), lack of discourse focus (isolated sentences don’t reflect real communication), and limited
Card 6
Question: How does the modern view distinguish 'grammatical knowledge' from 'grammatical ability'?
Answer: Grammatical knowledge = rules and sentence focus; grammatical ability = using grammar as a communicative resource in spoken and written discourse, req
Card 7
Question: How should grammar be taught today according to the provided principles?
Answer: As one strand in an integrated syllabus, taught through meaning, context, and communication; identify needed grammar, teach text awareness, compare sp
Card 8
Question: What role does grammar play in the curriculum according to the content?
Answer: Grammar is a micro-level component integrated with skills, tasks, and texts rather than the sole organizing principle.
Card 9
Question: What is a vocabulary syllabus and how is it organized?
Answer: A vocabulary syllabus organizes content around lexical items; vocabulary is central and essential for communication.
Card 10
Question: How did early vocabulary syllabuses select targets and what informs modern selection?
Answer: Early syllabuses used word frequency; modern selection is informed by corpus linguistics.