© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
Designing a topic-based syllabus for young learners
James M. Bourke is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Language Education at the University of Brunei where he teaches courses in language awareness, grammar, phonology, and syllabus design. He has published numerous articles on task-based learning, form-focused instruction, and communicative interactive techniques. His main research interest is ‘linguistic problem-solving’.
Email: jmb{at}shbie.ubd.edu.bn
In recent years there has been a good deal of debate on the teaching of English to young learners. Although the article looks at the teaching of English to lower primary children in an ESL context in Southeast Asia, it is not specific to one region. The young learners in question are aged 6 to 8 years. The main focus of the article is how best to design a syllabus and classwork materials suitable for young learners wherever they may be. The writer stresses the need for appropriate target-setting and makes the case for a topic- based/task-based syllabus. The underlying rationale is that a second language syllabus should reflect the world of the child and facilitate the bringing of acquisition into the classroom.