Issues in Syllabus Design

Book excerpt: The various types of syllabi and the host of related issues in the field of second language teaching and course development manifest the significance of syllabus design as one of the most controversial areas of second language pedagogy. Teachers should be familiar with different types of syllabuses and be able to critically analyze them. Issues in Syllabus Design addresses the major types of syllabuses in language course development and provides readers with the theoretical foundations and practical aspects of implementing syllabuses for use in language teaching programs. It starts with an introduction to the concept of syllabus design along with its philosophical foundations and then briefly covers the major syllabus types from a historical perspective and pedagogical significance: the grammatical, situational, skill-based, lexical, genre-based, functional notional, content, task-based, negotiated, and discourse syllabus.