Curriculum Design and Materials Development:

A Case Study of Task-Based Communicative Approach

Frances Yufen Lee Mehta

Department of Asian Studies

Cornell University

People have become dependent on the internet as a major source for their daily information. Tomlinson, the veteran materials developer, suggested the increasing use of the internet as a source of current, relevant, and appealing texts (2003). Burke called for more attempts to get affective engagement of learners by involving them in texts and tasks which encourage the expression of feelings (2000). News from the internet is a great source for texts which are engaging and afford excellent opportunities for task-based communicative activities.

As the demand for Chinese language learning grows, it is not surprising for a college instructor to encounter interested students who have prior knowledge of Chinese culture and current events. The task of materials development and curriculum design thus has to take into consideration that each learner may be an experienced and knowledgeable individual. As a result, it is the responsibility of the designer and developer to empower these learners’ learning process and maximize their learning efficiency by making use of their acquired knowledge and experience. Richards suggested that “language that is meaningful to the learner supports the learning process” (2001). Due to their existing prior knowledge and strong motivation, the learners should engage in using the language which is meaningful to them and authentic to Chinese native speakers.

This paper has several approaches: 1. examine principles of language materials development 2. show how these principles can be incorporated to prepare language teaching materials for this specific group of learners, and 3. evaluate samples of instructional materials for advanced Chinese learners to carry out task-based communicative activities derived from the Chinese news net, which in a broad and general perspective refers to authentic news articles, reports, and commentaries adapted from various online media intended for Chinese viewers.

The main objectives of this paper are to show how research findings on material development can be exploited for innovative curriculum design and task-based classroom activities which, as Ellis stated, are of proper level of difficulty and which provide opportunities of focusing on meaning and form, encourage students to adopt an active role and take risks, and require students to evaluate their performance and progress (2006).

I will first explore current trends in Chinese curriculum design and materials development and then demonstrate a project for advanced Chinese, using the project to assess the integration of the five major language teaching standards in the three communicative modes (Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, 1999, 2006). I will also provide a detailed curricular design in accordance with task-based communicative activities for pedagogical application.

References & Readings:

1. C. Burke, Personal Journeys: an examination of the use of text based role play in

constructing knowledge, 2000

2. R. Ellis, the Methodology of Task-based Teaching, 2006

3. R. Ellis, Task-based Language Learning and Teaching, 2003

4. J. Richards, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, 2001

5. B. Tomlinson, Developing Materials for Language Teaching, 2003

6. D. Nunan, Aspects of Task-Based Syllabus Design, 2001

7. J. Richards, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, 2001

8. M. Walsh, Task-based learning for “International Awareness”, 2006

9. Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, ACTFL, 1999, 2006