Managing the second language curriculum精品.pptVIP

Managing the second language curriculum BY：Guixia Sun Curriculum processes What the curriculum should consist of; how detailed and complex it should be; how much of it should be determined in advance; what the areas of freedom and momentary decision should be—these are all questions about the scope of the curriculum itself. A further important aspect of curriculum processes is curriculum evaluation, that is, the task of monitoring the strengths and weaknesses of a course or programme. Evaluation must include mechanisms for bringing about change, in order to ensure that all language programmes are as effective and adaptable to changing circumstances as possible. In short, curriculum processes are cyclic:(a) curriculum research and development, (b) curriculum implementation,(c) curriculum evaluation, (d) renewed research and development, and so on. The processes of curriculum management- development, implementation, and evaluation- are receiving increasing attention in the literature on second language education. 2. THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT Thus, some curriculum theorists think of courses to be developed by the teachers themselves for particular groups of students, which others have in mind curriculum development which is system-wide. Much curriculum development appropriately occurs at the classroom level and is, therefore, in the hands of individual teachers. On the other hand, where languages such as English, French, or Spanish are taught in entire school systems, it is customary for a central agency to play a leading role in curriculum development. These are two distinct functions, one a planning and the other a delivery function, but both part of language teaching, whether they are carried out by one person, the teacher, or whether they are divided up so that some curriculum decisions are made by people who are relatively removed from the classroom setting, such as an inspector, an adviser, an examiner, or an official in a ministry of