Reconceptualizing language teaching: an in-service teacher education course in uzbekistan

Syllabus 
type
Main features
Genre or 
text-based 
syllabus
The text-based syllabus is organized around genres. Genres are 
spoken or written texts, such as recounts, lectures, and critical 
reviews, structured in particular ways to achieve particular 
social purposes. 
Project based 
language 
learning
Project based language learning uses a project or projects as 
the backbone of the syllabus. Learners engage in individual 
and cooperative investigative and production-based tasks to 
complete a project.
Con-
tent-based 
instruction 
and content 
and language 
integrated 
learning
Content-based instruction (CBI) and content and language 
integrated learning (CLIL) syllabuses are organized around sub-
ject-specific content (e.g., history or science) in addition to or as 
a means of learning language (Lopriore, 2009; Show & Brinton, 
1997; Stoller, 2002b). Approaches vary as to the relative empha-
sis on content or language.
Negotiated 
syllabus
The negotiated or process syllabus grew out of the task-based 
syllabus, in the sense that it is through process of negotiation 
in interaction with others that one uses and acquires language 
(Breen, 1987a, 1987b). In contrast with product-based syllabus-
es, which focus on the knowledge and skills that are the prod-
uct of learning (Nunan, 1988) and in which decisions about 
what will be learnt are made prior to meeting the learners. The 
negotiated syllabus has itself shifted from a thing – a type of 
syllabus – to an educational process – a negotiation in which 
teacher and learners share decision making in the classroom.
While designing a syllabus, developers must think of two important 
things: “a starting point of what is and an ending point of what is desired” 
(Graves, 2014, p. 56). The journey from the starting point towards the desired 
finish demand making decisions on the content and activities. The process is 
not linear: all sections connect, affect, and complement each other.
Building a bridge between the two points carefully is extremely im-
portant because each course has very specific learning context, learners’ 
needs, goals and objectives. Both curriculum and syllabus design must be 
based on needs assessment which involves gathering information by dif-
ferent means and sources, including teachers, students, parents, employers 
and other stakeholders.

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CHAPTER FIVE: FROM SYLLABUS DESIGN TO LESSON PLANNING
ACTION
Look at your syllabus once more. Can you identify which type of syl-
labus is it? Does it belong to one type of syllabus or is it a combination of 
various syllabi? 
REFLECTION AND ACTION
What view do you think is employed by curriculum developers in 
Uzbekistan: implementation or enactment? Why do you think so? Which 
one would you like to see in the Uzbekistan context?
Look at the Uzbekistan National Standards and answer the question: 
How are the three: the standards, curriculum, and your institutional sylla-
bus, connected?
Uzbekistan National Standards for Higher Education – Non-Linguistic and Spe-
cialist (English Majors)