CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2
DISCUSSION
A. What is Syllabus?
B. Different Types of Syllabus
1. Syllabus Design
Wilkins (1976) made the classic distinction between synthetic and analytic syllabuses in
the language classroom.
a. Synthetic Syllabus Design
Synthetic approaches to syllabus design characterize many traditional or conventional
language courses and textbooks. The actual units according to which synthetic syllabuses
are organized vary. Structural, lexical, notional and functional, and most situational and
topical syllabuses are all synthetic (Long and Crookes, 1992, 1993; Long and Robinson,
1998). There are some characteristics in synthetic approach as follows:
a) Synthetic syllabuses divide language into small units.
b) A grammar based approach (common in the past) is an example of a synthetic
syllabus. Here the whole of the language is divided into separate grammar points
and successive lessons focus almost entirely on the grammar points.
c) The learners task in a synthetic syllabus is to synthesize the separate language
items together to form a picture of the whole language.
Synthetic syllabuses, also called "focus on forms" in Long and Robinson (1998),
however, have been criticized for major problems, which include:
1) absence of needs analysis;
2) linguistic grading;
3) lack of support from language learning theory;
4) ignorance of learners' role in language development;
5) tendency to produce boring lessons, despite the best
6) efforts of highly skilled teachers and textbook writers;
 7) production of many more false beginners than finishers

b. Analytic Syllabus Design

The second fundamental type of syllabus distinguished by Wilkins is the analytic. In
analytic syllabuses, the prior analysis of the total language system into discrete pieces of
language that is a necessary precondition for the adoption of a synthetic approach is
largely superfluous Analytic approaches are organized in terms of the purposes for
which people are learning language and the kinds of language performance that are
necessary to meet those purposes (Wilkins, 1976:13). The characteristics of analytic
syllabus design are explained below:
a) Analytic syllabuses treat language holistically. The language is presented as a
whole, and learners have to analyze it for discrete points themselves.
b) Analytic or (Process-Oriented) Syllabuses developed as a result of a sense of
failure in product-oriented courses to enhance communicative language skills.
c) It embodies process (as well as some product) rather than considering product
alone.
d) The focus is not on what the student will have accomplished on completion of the
program, but on the specification of learning tasks and activities that s/he will
undertake during the course.
Some types of analytic syllabuses, also called "focus on meaning" in Long and
Robinson (1998), have been criticized for, for example:
1) lack of needs analysis,
2) lack of accuracy attained,
3) unlearnability of some grammatical features from positive evidence only,
4) deprivation of the opportunity to speed up the rate of learning.
2. Types of Syllabus
Based on some approaches and design of syllabus, Penny Ur (2009) mentioned a
number of different kinds of syllabuses are used in foreign language teaching such as
grammatical, lexical, grammatical-lexical, situational, topic-based, notional, functional-
notional, mixed, procedural and process.
 Some models of syllabus that have been used in foreign language teaching are
developed based on the purpose of teaching. The syllabus is used depend on the purpose
of teaching and the background knowledge of learners. The explanation related to the
syllabus models will be discussed as follow:
1) Grammatical (Structural) Syllabus: organized around grammatical items.
2) Lexical syllabus: identifies a target vocabulary to be taught.
3) Functional syllabus: organized around communicative functions such as
requesting, complaining, suggesting, and agreeing.
4) Situational syllabus: organized around the language needed for different
5) Content-based Syllabus: For linking different syllabus and usually each
syllabus must include some contents
6) Topic-based syllabuses level: ESL programs for elementary/secondary
schools, teaching features: integrated others subjects
7) Competency-based syllabus: based on competencies learners are expected to
master in specific situations and activities
8) Task-based (procedural) Syllabus: organized around tasks that students will
complete in the target language
9) Mixed (Multi-strand): combining different aspect in order to be maximally
comprehensive and helpful to teacher and students
C. Using Syllabus
REFERENCES