Practice Activities – FP015 CCD

Full name: Samson Alexander Nkhalamba

Group: 2017/02
Date: 29/04/2018

Practice Activities

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 Practice Activities – FP015 CCD

Task 1.
Define the following words so the differences between them are clear:
a) Curriculum and syllabus

In education, curriculum and syllabus are two concepts which seem to be similar but in
fact they are different. A curriculum is a much broader concept while a syllabus is a
narrow concept. A curriculum is a prescription of subjects that are studied in a school or
college. On the other hand a syllabus is a description of the program of a course of
study. So, a curriculum holds the whole philosophy or belief of the plan of education
while a syllabus is just part of that curriculum or realisation of such beliefs step-by-step
“A curriculum pertains to the entire period of study in a college or school. For example,
the curriculum of a certain course of study, say B. Sc chemistry, include all the
subjects, including the allied subjects to be studied as part of the entire course of
study. Hence, it can be said that syllabus is a subject of curriculum. In other words, it
can be said that syllabus is contained in the curriculum [...]”.
(https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-syllabus-and-vs-
curriculum/)

b) Approach and method.

An approach is a way of designing principles to solve a problem. In education these

principles are designed to solve language learning and language nature, which are
related through some assumptions. These principles could be applied and give different
ways to deal with the education problems through its objectives, teachers and learners’
roles, and activities to be applied. That’s the approach could give rise to different
methods. When these principles are explicit, then they can be considered as an
approach. On the other hand, a method is a way in which these principles are applied
in the classroom, taking into consideration, the objectives, teachers and learners’ roles,
and guidelines for activities in the classroom. Therefore, a method is an execution of an
approach in the classroom context.

“When an instructional design is quite explicit at the level of theory of language and
learning, but can be applied in many different ways at the level of objectives, teacher
and learner roles and activities, it is usually referred to as an approach. […] When an
instructional design includes a specific level of application in terms of objectives,
teacher and learner roles and classroom activities, it is referred to as a method. With a
method, there are prescribed objectives, roles for teacher and learners and guidelines
for activities, and, consequently, little flexibility for teachers in how the method is used”.

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Richards, J. C. (https://www.professorjackrichards.com/difference-between-an-
approach-and-a-method/)

Task 2
Unit 2 argues that mots curriculums are either knowledge-centered or person-
centered. Find the book you learn English with, or a book you like using in your
class and argue whether it is a knowledge-centered curriculum or person-
centered curriculum. Illustrate your argument with captures from the book. Do
not forget to include the full reference, as well.

My school use books which are used in all Mozambican public schools. The book I use
in grade 11 is entitled “Inglês”, with the aim of building communicative competences.
This book is person- centered curriculum as the units and activities in the book are
designed. Furthermore, the book follows the task based learning approach and is
topical or theme based.

Unit 1, “school subjects and future careers, lesson 1”, starts with a reading activity:
Read the text below and answer the questions that follow and the follows with a
speaking activity: work with your partner: Ask and answer about the Mozambican
fashion week. You may find relevant to use the words from the box below. A small
portion of grammar explaining of “verb patterns” is illustrated just after this activity and
the unit finishes with a writing activity: Write a sentence about your future career using
each of the following verbs. Be sure to use the pattern “verb + to + verb”.

From the unit 1, lesson 1, it can be seen that all activities are centered on the students
in a task based manner and this continues with all the lessons in the unit.
According to Barret-Lennard, G. T. (1998), “Student-Centered Learning is a personally
significant kind of learning that integrates new elements, knowledge, or insights to the
current repertoire of the learner’s own resources such that he or she moves to an
advanced constellation of meaning and resourcefulness”

Task 3
Are some verb tenses more teachable than other items? List five different verb
tense in English in order of “teachability” according to your criteria. Give them a
score from 1 (very easy to teach) to 5 (very difficult to teach) and justify the
score. You might want to consider the students’ L1, previous experiences, or
activities you have tried (either as a teacher or as a student) that worked well.

The verb tense I have selected to classify its teachability are: Present simple, future
simple, present perfect, past continuous, and the future perfect continuous. The
Portuguese and English grammar is almost equal.

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Within the verbs, present simple is easy to teach as the form of conjugation exist in
Portuguese language speakers, the regular form can be easily demonstrated or shown
visually. The future simple is also quite easy to teach as the form also exist in
Portuguese, it is easy for the Portuguese students to remember the form because it is
a regular form, “ will + the main verb in present” as it is in Portuguese. Moreover the
teacher could compare the present and future so that students understand. The past
continuous is fairly easily to teach. It compound as it is in Portuguese. As many
students know the present continuous, so it is easy for them to turn the verb to be to
the past through demonstration of the transformation of the verb to be to the past and
add the –ing form of the verb. The present perfect quite difficult to teach, through they
can be taught through explanation that it exist between the past and the present but
they can’t de shown visually and the irregular form makes it even more difficult to
teach. The present perfect continuous is very difficult to teach. Even the explanation its
self is very difficult to make it clear. The integration of being +past participle make it
very difficult for students to understand.

Task 4
4. The following is an advert for a two-week immersion course that combines
English and sports: http://www.ipcexeter.co.uk/courses/school-language-
projects/the-projects/englishsports/
Considering a course like this, explain what peculiarities would the syllabus
design need to consider in terms of setting goals, choosing/designing materials,
teaching methodology and evaluation.

In setting goals, choosing materials, the methodology and evaluation used with the
students in the program, there is a need to consider the following factors to design the
syllabus: Are all the students of a similar level? Will they be in the same class? How old
are the students? What are their other interests? How long will they stay?, therefore,
before starting the course a questionnaire could be formed to measure the students’
proficiency level, their interests and the language they know in connection with the
physical activities- that’s to elicit the information about the students’ needs.

Furthermore, in this kind of a course, the language to be taught should be related to

activities they will be engaged in and the language they will find in their host families
and other young people. There will be a need for the emphasis of communication
within the physical activities and in the classroom contexts.

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Reference

Barrett-Lennard, G.T. (1998). Carl Rogers’ Helping system, journey and substance.
SAGE Publications. London.

Busque, M., Matsinhe, F. (2013), Inglês. Plural editor, Moçambique

Difference between Syllabus and Curriculum. Retrieved from:

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-syllabus-and-vs-
curriculum/

Richards, J. C., Difference between an approach and a method. Retrieved from:

https://www.professorjackrichards.com/difference-between-an-approach-and-a-
method/