Module 6

Formulation Goals and Objectives
Graves ch.5

In the context of the framework of course development process, formulating goals and objectives are in the foundation of defining the context and articulating belief (p.3). Formulating goals and objectives are also associated with choosing materials and how to assess. This chapter helps those teachers who have lack of time and who do not know how to formulate goals and objective.
Before starting, it seems to be better to define what are goals and objectives. And what characteristics they have. Goals were defined as “a way of putting into words the main purposes and intended outcomes of your course” (p.75). Objectives are described as “statements about how the goals will be achieved” (p.76). One goal is related not only to one objective but possibly to several ones. Graves (2000) explained this “objectives serve as a bridge between needs and goals” (p.79). I think objectives plays a role to lead to goals.

Graves (2000) suggested to list goals first, then to “look for redundancies” (p.82). In order to organize the goals, there are several different conceptual frameworks given: KASA (knowledge, awareness, skills, attitude), David’s A TASK (awareness, teacher, attitude,skills, knowledge), Stern’s cognitive goals, proficiency goals, affective goals, transfer goals, and so on. As to formulate objectives, two major ways were introduced: Mager (1962)’s performance, condition, criterion, and Saphier and Gower’s cumulative framework. Mager’s one tend to be behaviorism while Saphier and Gower’s one metacognitivism. Brown’s one (p. 87) can still largely be used efficiently, which is developed from Mager’s one. Saphier and Gower’s cumulative framework seems to well-applied to advanced or intermediated EFLclass or EFL students. There are guidelines of consideration for formulationg goals and objectives (p.94).
Teachers are supposed to understand not only teachers’ goals for class but also students’ needs and goals. Teachers should take into consideration where this course head, how to lead them into planned in a sense that it can “be modified to fit the reality of your course” (p. 84). The materials, assessment embody the goals and objectives.


Responding to Learners' Language Needs in an Oral EFL C lass
Burns & De Silva ch.10

This chapter discussed how the curricular was developed in oral EFL classes at a university in Japan. The author, at the first hand, was dissatisfied with less achievement as he expected. In an attempt to improve it, he took it as a starting point the situation where students use English inappropriately in social contexts, which was descried as “learner-to-learner conversation” (p.190). Through theoretical foundation described as context of situation, text-based approach, scaffolding and teaching-learning cycle, and communicative language teaching (CLT), he believed that it can be approached closely to social cultural discourse in English. The course at the university in Japan has contraints in the pervasive thought that English has to be taught and learned like, but also there were opportunities. In the theoretical foundation, he processed the course gradually in a goal of scaffolding students in the social disclose.
It is true that it is hard to get over if the context is different from what I believe or expect, and even harder if I think it should be different from now. This chapter is quite well-described the situation of EFL class in Japan as well as Korea, well-described as much as I think it is like. What impressed me was in the part of content development. The effort to develop the content more closely to authentic social situation is quite fair. Moreover, the way of assessment (p. 203) was also remarkable.