PRESENTATION OF SYLLABUS
Good morning, my name is ___________ and I’m here to present a syllabus for the
____year of CSE. I will deal with different parts of my teaching plan following the
order of the chapters in the document which is there in front of you.
My syllabus begins with a rationale or [ 1 JUSTIFICATION] of the relevance of
foreign languages for me and I hope for my students too. There, I claim that knowing a
foreign language such as English opens many opportunities for my students: it has
increasingly become a social necessity, considering we are part of the European Union.
So, I try to transmit my conviction that they will use English to communicate with
others in practically any other country, not only of the European community, but of the
whole world. They will be able to make friends, buy products… so English should be
taught from a practical approach, and I as a teacher, shall provide them with the
necessary tools to use this language outside the classroom as well.
Also, I consider very important to teach the cultural implications of the people who
speak English as a native language. Nowadays for example in our country, more and
more American products are popular: we have “diners” to eat at, we’re celebrating
graduations with typical American graduation caps, Halloween, Santa Claus… now
many restaurants offer “brunch” like in England and we’re eating eggs and baked beans
for breakfast… It’s not just about grammar and vocabulary of the language, but it is also
of great importance to teach students to respect and have a receptive attitude towards
foreign cultures.
Naturally, my syllabus is not only based on my ideas but also on the curriculum and on
taking into account my students’ characteristics, which I describe in the next chapter of
my syllabus.
[ 2 CONTEXT] One of the most important features of the school in my syllabus is the
fact that it is located in a small urban area of a city in Seville where relatively few
incidents occur. The students’ families in general belong to the working class, and the
area is well communicated with the city center, stores, transports… I try to use this
context and student’s personal experiences to motivate them in my lessons, by including
activities where they talk about their town.
On the other hand, there is a conflictive low class area nearby where there is a juvenile
center, which is home to one of my most disruptive students. He was sent there because
he attempted to stab his mother. He is 17 and this is his third time retaking 2nd of CSE,
so it is also his last possible time according to the law.
Another disruptive student in my group is Portuguese, she tends to call the attention all
the time, in the previous course she tried to hurt herself with sharp items, she constantly
distracts other students… So, I try to include these two students in all my activities so
that they feel motivated and they want to participate.
, And then another two students also require a bit more of attention: a student with
ADHD and a visually impaired student. I will explain the measures I have planned for
them later on.
[3 CLASSROOM] With respect to the classroom, I have a special English corner
where students keep their portfolios, dictionaries, projects and useful material. We also
have posters with inspiring quotes which we choose at the beginning of every unit, and
our “helpful board” with difficult or new words for them. This really helps to increase
their motivation because they all participate and it builds a sense of unity.
Also, I try to motivate them by taking advantage of the class space: to organize them in
groups (small groups, or half of the class...). I use the whiteboard for interactive
activities and games that they enjoy a lot, I paste strips of sentences for example to do a
running dictation or other activities where they have to move around….
So, the principles I’ve just mentioned about the context and the classroom are the basis
for the interpretation of the curriculum in my syllabus. Now we can move on to the next
chapter, [4 CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT]. First of all, I have related [key
competences] to [objectives] at the beginning of my work on the syllabus. WHY?
Because clear relations between them facilitates teaching and evaluating in an integrated
way. The KC are established of course in [Law 8/2013 (Art 6)] and also in [CD
1105/2014 (Annex I)]. The CD states that competences are capacities, but HOW are
these capacities achieved? According to [Order 65/2015], by combining [knowledge,
abilities, skills and attitudes]. I isolated the most relevant capacities for each
competence you can see a chart starting on page 6, which I call [competence profile],
containing this [list of the capacities]. You can also see that I related other elements of
the curriculum: each [KC] to a few [objectives] and a list of [EC]. For example, in
Social and Civic Competence I considered a capacity to respect others and avoid
discrimination in such a way that creating a positive class atmosphere is a priority. I
have related this competence to EC concerning sociocultural aspects in each block.
Moving on to objectives, they are referents [to evaluate capacities]. Achieving them
means developing competences. In my syllabus I have included stage objectives (found
in [Decree 111/2016], in annex 3, and annex 4 includes two more for the reality of
Andalusia) and I have related them to subject objectives from the [Order 14th July] and
how I work on them.
So, KC are developed through objectives…. Now, HOW can students develop
competences and objectives? Through contents (in the [CD 1105/2014]). Contents
imply what to teach and the knowledge students will acquire by means of concepts,
skills and attitudes. WHICH contents have I focused on?
First, on [subject contents]. According to the law, these are grouped in four blocks and I
have followed this sequencing in my syllabus. The contents for the English subject are
found in [Order 14th July]. I have contextualized them according to my group and
adapted them to the objectives of my teaching units.
