Teaching of reading and writing skills: Process syllabus and global issues

Abstract

This study aims to present a suggested syllabus that can set an example for process and task based syllabus applications for the teaching of reading and writing skills in a foreign language. It proposes a teaching model and the related evaluative data analysis. In the spring term of 2006-2007 academic year, 50 first year pre-service teachers at Hacettepe University, Division of English Language Teaching attended the course ‘Reading and Writing Skills II’. The course was designed in line with process and task based syllabus. While desinging the course syllabus, the aim was to develop an alternative teaching model. Therefore, the main goals were identified as improving critical reading skills, achieving student autonomy and focusing on global issues. To achieve these goals, the participants identified 5 global issues to do research and reading/writing activities on. Hence, these issues composed the syllabus and its sequence. The course work and materials were collected in personal portfolios which took the place of the coursebook and encouraged library and the Internet search and written personal reflections. Those subjects identified by the participants were terorism, great middle east project, freedom of expression, multi-lingualism/culturalism and sexism. The qualitative data gathered during and after the application and also the quantitative data and feedback collected at the end of the application provided sound findings on both the syllabus and its evaluation. In these findings, it is observable that the syllabus/teaching model encouraging the students to choose the reading texts on their own, to compose portfolios and to manage the teaching/learning process appreciated by the participants and achieved student participation and motivation.