THE RESEARCH BASIS OF THE SIDE BY SIDE PROGRAM
Curriculum
The Side by Side curriculum is a synthesis of three research-based aspects of syllabus design:
1) The grammatical syllabus has its roots in the research of structural linguists working in the
1940s and 1950s to develop a scientific descriptive analysis of different languages and the
implications for language learning (Fries 1945).
2) The topical syllabus is based on research related to lifeskill competencies and performance
standards. The original Adult Performance Level (APL) studies conducted by researchers at the
University of Texas at Austin identified specific lifeskill performance standards necessary for adults
to function successfully in society (Adult Performance Level Project Staff 1975). These were
subsequently applied to English language learning through competency-based curriculum standards
developed by federal, state, and local agencies, including the Mainstream English Language
Training (MELT) project of the national Office of Refugee Resettlement (Grognet 1997) and the
Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) (CASAS 2000). Recent research has
expanded the topical syllabus to include more emphasis on workplace and employability skills
(Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills 1991) and a greater focus on adults’ roles
as parents, citizens, and workers through the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Frameworks and
Standards (Stein 1995). The Side by Side topical syllabus synthesizes the content and competencybased performance goals of these various curricula and standards.
3) The functional syllabus is based on the work of the Council of Europe to identify general uses of
language, such as apologizing or asking permission (Van Ek & Alexander 1975).
Approach/Methodology
The Side by Side approach to instructional methodology is a synthesis of current and past research
and practice. The program is based on the communicative language teaching (CLT) approach that
is currently recognized by researchers and practitioners as the most appropriate instructional
methodology due to its focus on communicative competence, authentic language use for
meaningful purposes, contextualized learning, and learner-centered instruction (Widdowson 1978,
Savignon 1983). Integrated with this approach are certain aspects of the earlier audiolingual
methodology (ALM), including careful grammatical sequencing, ample student practice,
structured language-learning tasks, and the development of students’ linguistic competence,
fluency, and accuracy (Prator & Celce-Murcia 1979).
The Side by Side program’s integration of current communicative language teaching and elements
of the earlier more-structured approach make it unique as an effective language-learning series that
meets the needs of students and instructors while it meets the requirements for explicit and
systematic instruction as identified in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
References:
Adult Performance Level Project Staff. 1975. Adult Functional Competency: A Summary. Austin,
TX: University of Texas.
CASAS. 2000. CASAS Life Skill Competencies. San Diego: CASAS.
Fries, Charles C. 1945. Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language. Ann Arbor: The
University of Michigan Press.
Grognet, A. G. 1997. Performance-based curricula and outcomes: The Mainstream English
Language Training project (MELT) updated for the 1990s and beyond. Washington, DC: Center
for Applied Linguistics.
Prator, Clifford H. and Celce-Murcia, Marianne. 1979. An outline of language teaching
approaches. In Celce-Murcia, Marianne, and McIntosh, Lois (Ed.), Teaching English as a Second
or Foreign Language. New York: Newbury House.
Savignon, Sandra. 1983. Communicative Competence: Theory and Classroom Practice. Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley.
Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. 1991. What Work Requires of Schools: A
SCANS Report for America 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor.
Stein, Sondra. 1995. Equipped for the Future: A Customer Driven Vision for Adult Literacy and
Lifelong Learning. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.
Van Ek, J.A. and Alexander, L.G. 1975. Threshold Level English. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Widdowson, Henry G. 1978. Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.