The Communicational Syllabus: Three Years Later

Abstract

(This is the transcript of a talk given by Dr. Noss to the Selangor English Language Teaching Association on the 30th August, 1978.)

I would like to start my discussion by briefly reiterating the contents of the Primary, Revised Lower Secondary Syllabuses in Malaysia. As I am sure you are all aware, these syllabuses are primarily structural in content. Teachers are guided by Handbooks which contain suggestions for teaching the lists of vocabulary and isolated grammatical items in the syllabuses. However, the Lower Secondary English Syllabus differs somewhat from the others in that the structures are grouped around situations or contexts and because of this teachers are urged not to teach structures in isolation but to teach groups of compatible structures around a common context.