University of the Immaculate Conception

Post Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy in Education major in Applied Linguistics

PhDL 505: Approaches in Language Curriculum Design

Goals, Content and Sequencing

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:
a. familiarize and discuss the guidelines for deciding or checking the content and sequencing
of a course;
b. discuss the objectives, types and purpose of unit of progression; and
c. explain the major division of content sequencing.
INTRODUCTION
Goals, Content and Sequencing

Curriculum
is a vital part of
the teaching-
learning process.
It serves as the
basis for the
content and flow
of the course.
Curriculum refers
to the knowledge
and skills
expected to be acquired by students. This includes the learning standards or learning
objectives required to be met by students; the lessons taught by teachers; the
assignments and projects given to students; the books, learning materials,
recordings, demonstrations and readings used in the course; and the examinations,
evaluations and other measures used to evaluate student learning. The program also
contains the rules to be followed by students and the extracurricular activities they
enjoy.

Developing the curriculum is a process that requires developers to study and

analyze the environment and needs of the teaching-learning process. Further, it
requires curriculum developer to develop effective and efficient strategies in
determining goals, selecting content, and sequencing both goals and content.
Time allotment/ duration: 1.30 hours
Core-Related values and Biblical Reflection:

Excellence: Competence
Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and
not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (ESV)
 LEARNING CONTENT
Topic Content:

Goals, Content and Sequencing

The purpose of goals, content and sequencing of the curriculum design process is to draw up a
list of subjects to be taught in the order in which they will be taught (Nation and Macalister, 2010). In
this phase of the curriculum design process, curriculum developers need to take into account the
environment, the needs and the teaching principles.

Guidelines for Deciding or Checking the Content and Sequencing of a Course

Environment

Environment refers to the learners, teacher and the situation involved in the teaching-learning
process.

1. Learners
It must provide appropriate ideas that would help in the learning process.
It must be fit to the age and proficiency of the learners.
It must be suitable to the expectations and interests of the learners.

2. Teacher
Ensure that the content can be modelled and comprehended by the
teachers.

3. Situation
The number of lessons in the course must be suitable to the length of
allotted learning time.
The ideas of the course must be practical and useful outside of the
classroom.

Needs

Needs refer the things that the students need to do in a target situation and the things that
they need to do in order to learn. It also involves identifying the lack, wants and necessities of
students.

1.Lacks
The content must suit the proficiency level of the learners.
2.Wants
The content must take into account what the learners want.
3.Necessities
The content must be what the learners need.

Goals

Goals of a language curriculum should focus on language, ideas, skills or discourse. Also, the
activities should aid the language, ideas, skills or discourse that it will focus on.

Goals and Content

According to Nation and Macalister (2010), if poor content is chosen, then excellent teaching
and learning will still result in poor return for learning effort. Hence, choosing the content of the
curriculum is a vital yet challenging part in language curriculum design.

With this, language curricula developers must prepare or analyze curriculum content in the
following areas:

1. Language
Vocabulary
Grammar
Lessons on specific topics
2. Ideas
Imaginary happenings
Academic subjects
Learning survival needs
Interesting facts
Culture
3. Skills
what students can do
what the students can't do
4. Text/Discourse
List of words
High frequency words

Units of Progression in the Course

Units of Progression are instruments that are used to assess the progress of learners.
Its goals are to assess the progress of the grade and to monitor students’ progress. Units
of Progression can be divided into two categories, namely: (1) progress in a definite series
and (2) progress in a field of knowledge. In addition, Units of Progression can be used to
set goals and routes to those targets. It can also be used to verify, in a course, the
adequacy of selection and ordering. Thirdly, Units of Progression are useful for tracking
and reporting on the progress and achievement of learners in the course.

Sequencing the Content of the Course

Course lessons can fit together in a variety of ways. The two main divisions are whether the
material in one lesson has a linear development or a modular arrangement (Nation and Macalister,
2010).

1. Linear Development
It starts from simpler to more complex.
a. Spiral Curriculum
The contents are arranged from simple to more complex.
It is progressive
It lets that students that were left behind can catch up in the next
learning session
b. Matrix Model
“The change when meeting an old material again is one of
 diversity rather than complexity (Nation & Macalister, 2010).”
c. Revision Units
It should be done not with repeating the items but including
activities that can help to enrich the knowledge students already
have
d. Field Approach
It involves:
 decisions of what items need to be covered,
 providing different opportunities to reach those items, and
 checking the most relevant items are studied enough.

2. Modular Development
It breaks a course into independent non-linear units (Nation and
Macalister, 2010).
The modules could be skill-based with different modules for each skill,
and sub-skills of these larger skills (Nation and Macalister, 2010).

Task-based Syllabus

Task-based syllabus is based on task-based learning. The language

learnt comes out of the linguistic demands of the activity. Generally, it is
structured around a series of these tasks.

Guide Questing in Crafting a Task-based Syllabus

The following questions must be answered in order to craft an effective and efficient task-
based syllabus:

1. Does the activity engage learners’ interest?

2. Is success judged in terms of outcome of tasks?

Teaching-Learning Activities
TLA 1: Group Sharing of Ideas: Developers’ Good Noise

Expected Output: Give opinions on the following issues on goal, content and sequencing in the
curriculum design process:
1. Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education curriculum
2. K12 Curriculum implementation
3. Effect of Spiral Curriculum in the language proficiency of students

Instruction: Three students will be chosen to give their insight about a topic. Sharing of insight should
not be more than 3 minutes.

TLA 2: Summarizing the Topic:

Expected Output: Summary of the lesson

Instruction: Two to three students will be asked to summarize the topics discussed in not more than
1 minute.

ASSESSMENTS
AT1. Google Form Online Quiz

Expected Output: Online Quiz

Instruction: Student visits the Google form “https://forms.gle/P56JMwAaWsyWGxaD6” created in

order to take the quiz.

ASSIGNMENTS
Individual Activity

Expected Output: Reflection Paper

Instruction: Write a reflection paper in CERA (Content, Experience, Reflection and Application)
format about the line “If poor content is chosen, then excellent teaching and learning result in poor
return for learning effort” by Nation and Macalister (2010).

Follow the following guidelines:

 Font Style: Tahoma
 Font Size: 12
 Paper Size: A4
 PDF format

RUBRICS FOR GRADING

TLA1: Developers’ Good Noise Rubric

CRITERIA 10 PTS 7 PTS 4 PTs GRADE

Content The insight given is The insight given is The insight given is
meaningful and is meaningful, but somehow meaningful,
connected to the topic. some idea is not but some idea does
related to the topic. not relate to the topic.
Organizatio All of the insight given is Most insight given is Some insight given is
n of Ideas very clear, very concise clear, concise, and somehow clear,
and easy to understand. easy to understand. concise, and
understandable.
Delivery Voice is audible and Voice is somehow Voice is hardly heard,
clear in sharing his/her audible and but pronunciation is
idea. Also, the student somehow clear in clear. Also, the student
shared his/her insight in sharing his/her idea. shared his/her insight
not more than 3 Also, the student in not more than 1
minutes. shared his/her minute.
insight in not more
than 2 minutes.
TOTAL SCORE

TLA2: Summarizing the Discussion

CRITERIA 5 PTS 3 PTS 1 PT GRADE

Content The student provided all The student provided The student did not
the important some important provide enough
information from the information from the important information
discussion. discussion. from the discussion.
Organizatio All of the ideas are Some ideas are The student did not
n of Ideas orderly presented, and orderly presented. put the ideas into a
was easy to understand. However, it was a logical order.
 little difficult to
understand.
Delivery Voice is audible and Voice is somehow Voice is hardly heard,
clear in sharing his/her audible and but pronunciation is
idea. somehow clear in clear.
sharing his/her idea.
TOTAL SCORE

Assignment: (retrieved from http://earlycollegeconference.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/12/Portfolio-Rubric-for-Reflection.PRINT_.pdf)

CRITERIA 5 PTS 3 PTS 1 PT GRADE

Reflective The reflection The reflection The reflection
Thinking explains the student’s explains the attempts to
own thinking and student’s own explain the
learning processes, thinking and student’s own
as well as learning processes. thinking of the
implications of future topic.
learning.
Analysis The reflection is an The reflection is an The reflection
in-depth analysis of analysis of the attempts to
the learning learning experience analyze the
experience, the value and the value of the learning
of the derived derived learning to experience.
learning to self or self or others.
others, and the
enhancement of the
student’s
appreciation for the
discipline
Making The reflection The reflection The reflection
Connection articulates multiple articulates attempts to
connections between connections articulate
this learning between this connections
experience and learning experience between this
content from other and content from learning
courses, past other courses, past experience and
learning, life learning past learning
experiences and experiences and experiences.
future goals. future goals.
REFERENCES

Nation, I., & Macalister, J. (2010). Language Curriculum Design. New York: Routledge.

Overbaugh, R. C., & Schultz, L. (s.f.). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved on August 8, of 2014, from Old
Dominion University: http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm
TeachBytes. Bloom´s Taxonomy & Pinterest. Bloom´s Taxonomy & Pinterest.
http://introductiontocurriculum-catafonseca.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-entry-5-goals-content-
sequencing.html

Submitted by:

FE T. CANOY