BOOK REVIEW
Title : Language Curriculum Design
Author : I.S.P. Nation & John
Macalister
Publisher : New York: Routledge. 2010
Page : 241 pages
Rahmad Risan
State
University of Makassar
Curriculum, or course, design is largely a “how-to-do-it”
activity and so alarge part of this book involves description of the steps
involved in thecurriculum design process and the elaboration and justification
of these steps.The book also provides opportunities for practising and applying
the steps.
Although curriculum design is a “how-to-do-it” activity,
the descriptionof the steps needs to be done at a general level in order that
they can beapplied in a wide range of particular circumstances. Such a
description willonly come to life if there are plenty of examples of actual
applications of thesteps. In this book this is done in the following ways in
each chapter.
1.
Examples from the
writers’ experience and from published research aredescribed.
2.
Tasks are provided
which encourage the users of the book to relate thesteps to their own
experience.
3.
Case studies are
described and further reading is suggested that will putthe users of this book
in touch with others’ experience.
Curriculum design involves the integration of knowledge
from many of theareas in the field of Applied Linguistics, such as language
acquisition research,teaching methodology, assessment, language description and
materials production.In many ways, the study of curriculum design is central to
the studyof Applied Linguistics. Combining sound research/theory with
state-of-theartpractice, Language Curriculum Design is widely applicable
for ESL/EFLlanguage education courses around the world.
This book
consists of 14 chapters. Generally, Chapter 1 provides
an overview of Chapters 2 to 8 which are the majorsteps in the curriculum
design process. Chapter 9 describes several ways inwhich these steps can be
covered. Chapters 10 to 14 take up important issuesin curriculum design, namely
involving learners in curriculum design, choosingand modifying course books,
innovation theory, retraining teachers andhelping teachers and learners make
use of a course.In this first chapter of this
book (Language
Curriculum Design: An Overview), the authors briefly present an overview of the major parts of the curriculum design process that will be looked at in more
detail inthe following chapters of the book, with each of the early chapters
focusingon a different part of the model in the
curriculum design process. As I have stated in the early writing that this book
provides examples, tasks, and case studies in each chapter, and I must say that
it is very useful for engaging the readers’ understanding and interest of this
book. Explanations from the authors in each subchapter, which is the steps in
curriculum design, are very clear since it followed by related theory, strong
argument, and valuable experience. The authors also sharpen what they have
explained into a brief clear conclusion. As we can see in page 11, there is a
summary of the steps: examine
the environment, assess needs, decide on principles, set goals, and choose and sequence content, design the lesson format, include assessment procedures, andevaluate the course.The purpose of
this chapter has been to briefly describe the major partsof the curriculum
design model. In the following chapters, each of theparts will be looked at in
more detail. In addition, topics including evaluatingcourse books, innovation,
and designing in-service courses will be covered.Curriculum design is in
essence a practical activity. Because of this thetasks which follow each
chapter provide an important part of learning aboutcurriculum design.
Chapters 2 (Environment Analysis) of this book examine one of the parts of the
curriculumdesign process that is environment analysis indetail, drawing on relevant theory and research.
It is possibleto design courses without drawing on relevant research, theory
andexperience. In all but a few fortunate cases this results in common faults
incurriculum design being made yet again. Nation and
Macalister here present enlightenment about environment analysis through
definitions from experts, examples, the constraints and dealing with the
constraints itself, and the steps. What I can notice in this chapter is the
authors deals the problems (constraints) by making the reader understand it. In
page 16, it is clearly presented in table, where the reader can grab the point.
The focus of chapter 3 (Need Analysis)
is to discover what needs to be learned and the learners want to learn. Needs analysis is directed mainly
at the goals and content of a course. Itexamines what the learners know already
and what they need to know.Needs analysis makes sure that the course will
contain relevant and usefulthings to learn. The authors
emphasize the urgency of need analysis in curriculum design by explain some
aspects, they are the various focuses of needs analysis, discovering needs,
needs analysis tools, evaluating needs analysis, and issues in needs analysis. Needs analysis makes sure the
course will be relevant and satisfying to the learners,
thereby it meets the learners’ needs.
Environmentanalysis looks at the way the course needs to fit the situation
inwhich it occurs. Looking at principles makes sure that the course fits
withwhat we know about teaching and learning. That is the subject of the
nextchapter.
Chapter 4 of this book describes
a list of 20 principles that can be used toguide curriculum design. It is not
an exhaustive list and is based to somedegree on the personal prejudices of the
writers.The purpose of this chapter is to show that a sensible basis to
guideteaching and to help in the design of courses rests on following
principles.These principles must be based on research and theory, and must be
generalenough to allow variety and flexibility in their application to suit the
widerange of conditions in which language is taught.The previous discussion of
the twenty principles has attempted to explainthe principles and to indicate
their application in curriculum design. The listof principles however has a much
wider range of uses.This chapter has suggested twenty principles of teaching
and learning thatcan provide a basis for curriculum design and evaluation, and
teacher development.The selection and ranking of these principles reflect a
personal viewof language teaching.The authors have tried to balance this by
seeking suggestionsfrom colleagues and by comparing the list with points made
in articles inprofessional journals and with overviews of curriculum design and
languageteaching and learning. One of the values in using a principle-based
approachto language teaching is that developments in theory and research can
beeasily accommodated by altering, expanding, removing or adding a
principlewithout having to discard all the other principles. In this way our knowledgeof
language teaching can grow without being subject to the blanket acceptanceor
rejection that is typical of methods. The information gathered byconsidering
principles, by doing needs analysis, and by doing environmentanalysis provides
essential input for setting course goals and deciding whatgoes into a course,
which is the subject of the following chapter.
Chapter 5 deals with Goals, Content,
and Sequencing. The authors give long clarification about them clearly and
of course they complete it with examples. The unit of progression in a course is usually what
the curriculum designersees as being important for learning. This means that it
has an effect on thekinds of activities used which is a part of the format and
presentation part ofcurriculum design. We look at format and presentation in
the followingchapter.
In this chapter 6(Format and Presentation) we cansee the format and presentation part
of thecurriculum design process. For those unfamiliar with the curriculum
designprocess, the format and presentation part is what they think of as
curriculumdesign – designing lessons in sets of lessons. Some “methods” of
languageteaching like Total Physical Response (TPR) or the oral-aural
approachwere largely innovations solely or largely in the format and presentation
area,with little or no contribution to content and sequencing or monitoring
andassessment.So far, we can look the outer circles of the curriculum design modelwhich provide valuable
information to guide the application of the processesin the large inner circle.
The readers can also look the goals, content andsequencing, and in this chapter,
format and presentation. In the next chapterwe will complete our coverage of
the large inner circle by looking at howteachers can see where learners are in their
learning and whether they aremaking progress – monitoring and assessment.
Chapter 7 is about Monitoring and
Assessment. Assessment is a major source of
information for the evaluation of a courseand thus its gradual improvement.
Assessment also contributes significantlyto the teacher’s and learners’ sense
of achievement in a course and thus isimportant for motivation. It is often
neglected in curriculum design andcourses are less effective as a result.
Curriculum design should include theplanning of a well-thought-out programme of
assessment of various kinds.We now go on to look at evaluation in the next
chapter.
Chapter 8 talks about Evaluation.
The authors conclude that the steps in evaluation process are: Evaluation is an essential part
of good curriculum design. It ensures thatweaknesses in curriculum design are
found and repaired. It allows for theadjustment of a course to a changing
environment and changing needs. Ifevaluation is well planned, it can help
teachers develop professionally andcome to feel that the course is truly their
own.We have now covered all the eight parts of the curriculum design model.In
the next chapter we look at the various ways in which the whole processof
curriculum design might be carried out.
In chapter 9 Approaches to Curriculum
Design, the authors want the readers be able to decide on a
starting point forcurriculum design, and a way of covering the steps.This chapter has looked at the
meeting of the theory of curriculum designand the practical issues of putting
curriculum design into practice. Theapproaches described here represent
different ways of taking account ofconstraints upon curriculum design,
particularly those of time, skill and the
need for flexibility in using
courses. With all of the compromises necessary, itis important to make sure
that the various parts of the curriculum designprocess are given proper
consideration at some point in the curriculumdesign activity. The main purpose
of this book is to describe those parts andthe steps involved in considering
and applying them. An awareness of whatthey are should lie behind every piece
of curriculum design no matterhow small. In the following chapters we will look
at how curriculum designapplies to activities like choosing a course book,
involving learners in curriculumdesign and teacher education.
Chapter 10 deals with Negotiated
Syllabuses. This chapter explain to us that how
learners can be involved in curriculum design. The
authors explain about an example of negotiated syllabuses, requirements for
negotiated syllabuses, syllabuses with some elements negotiated, and advantages
and disadvantages of negotiated syllabuses. In the next chapter we look at a particular kind of
evaluation, evaluating acourse book.
For many teachers the evaluation
of course books is more importantthan designing courses because their teaching
situation determines that theyshould work from a course book. It should be
clear from this chapter 11 (Adopting and
Adapting an Existing Course Book)thatevaluating and adapting a course book draw on the same knowledge
andprocedures that are used when designing a course. Evaluating a coursebook is
a small but important exercise in curriculum design.In the next chapter, we
look atsomething which is related to choosing anew course book – getting others
to accept change.
Let us conclude this chapter 12 (Introducing Change) by looking at ways of resisting
change. We mayrecognise many of these subversive strategies from your own observation
ofworking in teachers’ groups and of political debates.
•
Agree to everything but do nothing.
•
Accuse the change proposer of seeking personal gains. Argue thatalthough
the ideas may be good, they will not work in the localconditions.
•
Question the credentials of the change proposers. Find examples ofunsuccessful
change in other places or at other times.
More positively, each of these
ways of resisting change can be countered bytaking account of the particular
steps in the change process outlined at thebeginning of this chapter.In the
next chapter we will look at one way in which change can occur,through
in-service courses.
Inthis chapter 13 (Planning an In-Service Course)
we look at short-term courses,
and the planning that is neededfor their success. The planning of short-term
in-service courses is includedin this book for two main reasons. First, short
in-service courses represent asmall-scale exercise in curriculum design. That
is, planning a short in-servicecourse involves very similar decisions to
planning a language course, and themodel of curriculum design used in this book
is relevant. Second, in-servicecourses are a major way of bringing about
innovative curriculum change.In the next and final chapter we will survey what
has been covered in thisbook by underlining how the parts of the curriculum
design process applyto the daily work of teachers.
Chapter 14 (Teaching and Curriculum Design)
as the last chapter of this book concludes that curriculum designas a process with a variety of starting
points and with continual opportunityto return to parts of the curriculum
design model to revise, reconsider andre-evaluate. It has also been shown that
curriculum design does not need tobe a large-scale operation. The whole
curriculum design process can beapplied to something as small as an activity in
a lesson. Alternatively, attentioncan be focused on just one part of the
curriculum design process.
