The big day is now just around the corner! Last semester I was given many teachers' dream scenario - carte blanche to create my own syllabus, moving away from a textbook-led approach, and aimed at developing a course outline which would actually motivate and inspire students. The result, which I'll start teaching from Monday onwards, is Level 4: Project Photopia. The syllabus is based around various key pillars:
* No textbook. Instead of a prescriptive one-size-fits-all syllabus which tries to work with all students but in practice works for few, the new course can be adaptive both across and within classes.
* Degree-based content. Topics for the semester have been chosen according to the students' degree courses. So, the different topics will connect with students' academic and professional interests, and will be of practical use for their future work: business, cinema, tourism, etc.
* Clear B1 benchmark. Students will take a PET-style exam at the end of the semester to guarantee that they are at level and ready to continue to the last two levels of English.
* Autonomy. Given that this is generally a weak point with our students, there is an opportunity for students to develop this capacity. Students will therefore be required to complete a weekly learners' diary, and will complete a grammar diagnostic test which is then linked to an online grammar bank and self-study throughout the semester.
* Skills-based approach. The course will be grammar- and vocab-light, and instead focus on both receptive and productive skills. There will accordingly be no explicit systemic testing. In line with this, there is also a focus on a task-based approach, with its implicit focus on practicality, authenticity, and project work. In order to encourage extensive reading, half of each Friday's class will be used to focus on this skill. During the first half of the semester, students will read the Picture of Dorian Gray.
The course will also make use of three online tools:
Facebook as a primary form of extra- and intra-class communication and as a cohesive engine.
Virtual classroom sites (for one class, Moodle, and for the other, Canvas) primarily as a medium for students to write and submit their weekly diaries.
Classcraft as a gamification and classroom management platform. I'm particularly interested to see how this works as a carrot and stick to motivate students, modify their behaviour, and solidify and externalise their actions and attitudes throughout the semester.
The classes start on Monday and I'll continue uploading my reflections here: watch this space!
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