Instructor: Kimberley Brown
Course number and title: Ling 4/575: Curriculum Design and Materials Development
Course description: In this course, we examine principles of curriculum design in ESOL
as well as materials development. We focus on four dimensions in particular: needs
assessment, syllabus design, lesson and materials development, and evaluation of the
syllabus, lesson(s), and materials. The primary syllabi formats we examine are:
structural, notional, communicative, task-based, and content-based.
Each student in this class will identify a particular group of students or a context on
which to focus. The class readings, activities and assignments are designed to assist you
as you develop a general understanding of both theoretical and practical issues in
curriculum design and materials development, as well as for developing a more specific
understanding in relation to your target group/context.
By the end of this course, it is expected that you will be able to:
 Have an understanding of the current options in ESL/EFL curriculum design
 Conduct a needs analysis for a group of ESL/EFL learners
 Develop a curriculum with syllabus, lesson plans, and materials for ESL/EFL
learners
 Evaluate and modify existing materials for your curriculum
Prerequisites: This may be taken concurrently with Ling 4/577 TESOL Methods I or
after completing Ling 4/577 TESOL Methods I.
Major assignments: Initial Curriculum Design Work (group project); Lesson plan and
materials (individual project)
Required Texts:
 Nation, I.S. P. and Macalister, J. 2010. Language Curriculum Design. New York:
Routledge (isbn 0-415-80606-0)
 Hal, D.R. and Hewings, A. 2001. Innovation in English Language Teaching: A
Reader. New York: Routledge
 Tollefson, James. Chapter: Alien Winds (available from Clean Copy)