Principles

Principles

1. Methods and Principles

   • A “method” approach to curriculum design seems to result in some aspects of curriculum design being well thought out and well founded on research but in many aspects being ignored or not well thought out.

2. Twenty principles of language teaching

   • Content and Sequencing
     • Frequency, Strategies and autonomy, Spaced retrieval, Language system,Keep moving forward, Teachability, Learning burden, Interference.
   • Format and Presentation
     • Motivation, Four strands, Comprehensible input, Fluency, Output, Deliberate learning, Time on task, Depth of processing, Integrative motivation, Learning style.
   • Monitoring and Assessment
     • Ongoing needs and environment analysis, Feedback

3. Content and sequencing

   • A language course should provide the best possible coverage of language in use through the inclusion of items that occur frequently in the language, so that learners get the best return for their learning effort.
     • A language course should train learners in how to learn a language, so that they can become effective and independent language learners.
       • Learners should have increasingly spaced, repeated opportunity to give attention to wanted items in a variety of contexts
         • The language focus of a course needs to be on general is able features of the language system.
           • A language course should progressively cover useful language items, skills and strategies.
             • The teaching of language items should take account of the most favourable sequencing of these items and should take account of when the learners are most ready to learn them.

4. Monitoring and assessment

   • The selection, gradation, presentation and assessment of the material in a language course should be based on a careful consideration of the learners and their needs, the teaching conditions, and the time and resources available.
     • Learners should receive helpful feedback which will allow them to improve the quality of their language use.