5. Overview of English Language Curriculum of Secondary
Level.
5.1.
English Curriculum, Textbooks, and Teacher's Guide (Grades 9-12)
English Curriculum English is taught as a compulsory subject at the
secondary level because it is the primary language for international
communication, education, mass media, ICT, and global business. The curriculum
for Grades 9 and 10 has been revised to incorporate recent trends in language
teaching, emphasizing all four language skills (listening, speaking,
reading, and writing) and a strong grammatical foundation. By the end of Grade
10, students are expected to achieve competencies such as communicating with
reasonable accuracy on familiar topics, extracting essential information from
standard speech, and using e-resources to boost their learning.
Textbooks The textbook is the primary learning resource for
students and is designed to meet the curriculum standards. A good textbook
provides a systematic progression of language content and includes variety in
genres and engaging exercises. However, some issues noted in current secondary
textbooks include their teacher-centered nature, a heavy focus on rules
(deductive teaching), and a lack of sufficient sets for creative writing and
speaking tasks.
Teacher's Guide The teacher's guide is a reference material that bridges
the gap between the curriculum and the textbook. Its purpose is to prepare
teachers for effective and programmed teaching by providing detailed
lesson instructions, modeling activities, and suggestions for managing
classroom time. The guide is based on principles such as maximizing Student
Talking Time (STT), treating errors as natural outcomes, and ensuring the
learning environment is anxiety-free.
5.2.
Use of Supplementary Materials
Supplementary materials are used to
provide the "vital organs and flesh" to the structures taught in the
textbook.
- Dictionary:
Essential for learning word grammar, phonetic transcription, and
cultural significance. It helps students become independent, lifelong
learners by allowing them to find meanings, spellings, and parts of
speech autonomously.
- Grammar Books:
These are necessary to familiarize students with language rules and
constraints, helping them build confidence and avoid ambiguity in
communication.
- Newspapers:
A "living textbook" that provides authentic language exposure.
Newspapers are used for activities like jigsaw reading, summarizing main
ideas, and practicing skimming and scanning techniques on real-world
events.
- Charts and Para-orthographic Texts: These include tables, maps, and diagrams used to
display information vividly and accurately. They are unique presentation
tools that improve students' speaking and reading power through visual
comprehension.
5.3.
English Language Testing System and Specification Grid
Testing System Nepal's secondary level utilizes a Continuous Assessment
System (CAS) involving both formative and summative evaluation.
- Formative Assessment:
Regular and informal, using tools like observation, portfolios, and
classwork to provide timely feedback and identify learning
obstacles.
- Summative Assessment:
This consists of an Internal Assessment (25%) and an External
Assessment (75%).
- Internal:
Covers participation (3 marks), listening (8 marks), speaking (8 marks),
and terminal exam scores (6 marks).
- External:
A 3-hour written test covering reading (40 marks), writing (25 marks),
and grammar (10 marks).
Specification Grid The specification grid, published by the Curriculum
Development Centre (CDC), is a tool that ensures the test measures a representative
sample of learning outcomes. It Relates outcomes to content and indicates the relative
weightage given to different areas. It provides transparency for students
regarding question patterns, total marks, and the time allotted for
examinations.
5.4.
Correction of Error and Error Analysis
Error vs. Mistake In language teaching, it is critical to distinguish between
these two:
- Error:
Results from a lack of knowledge of the target language rules;
errors are systematic and cannot be self-corrected by the learner.
- Mistake:
An accidental, inconsistent slip or deviation caused by fatigue or lack
of attention; mistakes are performance-based and can often be
self-corrected.
Error Analysis (EA) Error analysis is the systematic process of identifying,
classifying, and interpreting learner errors to provide remedial instruction.
- Causes of Errors:
Major causes include first language (L1) interference,
overgeneralization of rules, cultural differences, and a lack of exposure
to the target language.
- Areas of Errors:
Common areas include phonetics (pronunciation), morphemes
(word formation), syntax (sentence structure), and semantics
(word meaning in context).
- Steps in EA:
The process involves data collection, error identification,
classification, description/explanation of the error in relation to
grammar rules, and finally providing a specific answer or correction.
- Implications:
EA helps teachers modify their teaching methods, evaluate student
competence individually, and provides a guideline for remedial and curative
teaching.
1. Discuss the
relationship among curriculum textbook and teacher guide. Also mention the best
possible ways with examples of using textbook to achieve the stated
competencies and learning outcomes in the secondary level (grade 9-10) English
curriculum. 5+5=10
The relationship between
the curriculum, the textbook, and the teacher's guide is foundational to the
secondary level English language teaching system in Nepal. They function as a
coordinated instructional framework to ensure that students achieve specific
language competencies.
Relationship
Among Curriculum, Textbook, and Teacher's Guide
- The
Curriculum (The Master Plan): The curriculum is the core document
that defines and specifies what
to teach, how to teach, and how to assess. It sets the grade-wise competencies and
learning outcomes, allocates time for content, and
determines assessment standards. It acts as the "legal"
foundation for all educational activities.
- The Teacher's
Guide (The Bridge): The teacher's guide serves as the
essential link that "bridges
the gap" between the theoretical goals of the
curriculum and the practical content of the textbook. It prepares teachers
for effective
and programmed teaching by providing principles (such as
maximizing Student Talking Time), modeling activities, and offering
instructions on how to implement specific units.
- The Textbook
(The Instructional Tool): Developed based on the curriculum,
the textbook is the primary
learning resource for students to meet curriculum
standards. It provides the foundational content, a systematic progression
of language items, and the necessary balance of skills to be taught. It
gives a concrete form to the curriculum's objectives through diverse
genres and engaging exercises.
Best
Ways to Use the Textbook to Achieve Learning Outcomes
As a secondary level
teacher, the textbook can be used effectively through the following strategies
and examples to meet the stated competencies:
1. Integrating All Four Language Skills
The textbook is designed
so that every unit deals with listening, speaking, reading, and writing in an
integrated manner.
- Example: In Class 9,
Unit 1 (Travel and Holidays), teachers can use the Reading text
about trekking to pre-teach Vocabulary,
followed by a Speaking
task where students make their own travel plans, and finally a Writing task
where they write a letter to a friend about their upcoming holiday.
2. Using Visuals for Contextualization and
Prediction
Textbooks include
pictures, charts, and diagrams to translate abstract ideas into realistic
forms.
- Example: Before
starting a reading passage, the teacher can ask students to look at the picture
(e.g., people throwing oranges in Unit 11) and guess the theme or title,
which activates background knowledge and stimulates curiosity.
3. Practicing Language Functions in
Real-Life Situations
The textbook provides
dialogue models and exponents for specific language functions prescribed by the
curriculum.
- Example: Teachers can
use the "Speaking" table in the textbook to have students
practice making
requests using structures like "May I...?" or
"Do you mind if...?" in pair-work simulations.
4. Implementing Process-Oriented Writing
The textbook provides
prompts for guided
and free writing to develop academic and functional literacy.
- Example: Using the clues
and outlines provided in the textbook (e.g., points for a vacancy notice
or a message of condolence), students can learn the correct layout and punctuation
for professional communication.
5. Utilizing "Extra Bit" and
Supplemental Materials
Modern textbooks include
"Extra Bit" sections for mechanics like punctuation and grammar
rules.
- Example: Teachers can
direct students to the "Extra Bit" on colon usage or
types of essays
(narrative, descriptive, persuasive) to help them understand word and
sentence grammar in context.
6. Training for Learner Autonomy via
Dictionary Work
The curriculum expects
students to use the textbook alongside dictionaries to learn different aspects
of words.
- Example: Teachers can
use a parts-of-speech
grid where students find a word in the textbook (like monument or fossils) and use a
dictionary to identify its noun/verb forms and phonetic transcriptions.
2. What do you mean by supplementary
materials? Discuss with examples how can an English newspaper be
used as a good supplementary materials while teaching English language to
the secondary level students? 4+6=10
Supplementary
materials
refer to additional instructional resources—such as dictionaries, grammar books,
newspapers, charts, and digital tools—that a teacher brings into
the classroom to support the primary textbook . While the textbook provides the
foundational content, supplementary materials provide the "vital organs and flesh"
to those structures, offering a rich repository of context and authentic
language exposure that textbooks may lack. These materials are designed to make
learning more immediate,
effective, and responsive by bridging the gap between classroom
theory and real-world application.
The
English Newspaper as a Supplementary Material
An English newspaper is
often described as a "living
textbook" because it expands the curriculum with an
unlimited amount of current, authentic information. Below are specific examples
and strategies for using newspapers effectively in a secondary level classroom:
1. Developing Reading Skills
Newspapers are ideal for
practicing diverse reading strategies on real-world topics.
- Jigsaw
Reading:
The teacher divides a long article into several extracts and assigns one
to each student in a group. Students then report on their section to the
group to reconstruct the full story, developing both comprehension and
collaboration skills.
- Skimming and
Scanning:
Students can be tasked with scanning
the headlines or classifieds to find specific information (like dates,
names, or prices) or skimming
an editorial to identify the main argument or theme.
2. Enhancing Writing Skills
Newspapers provide
authentic models for various genres of functional and creative writing.
- Parallel
Writing:
Students can study a published news
story or a message of condolence in the paper and then use
it as a structural guide to write their own version about a local event or
person.
- Creative
Writing:
Teachers can ask students to invent
their own headlines for a picture found in the paper or
write an alternative ending to a news report.
3. Teaching Language Aspects (Vocabulary,
Grammar, and Punctuation)
- Vocabulary
Enrichment:
Students can use newspapers for word
puzzles or "word races," where they search for
synonyms, antonyms, or specific parts of speech within an article to build
their lexical bank.
- Grammar in
Context:
Instead of isolated drills, teachers can have students identify specific sentence structures
(like the passive voice in news reports) or conjunctions
(connectives) used to link ideas in a complex article.
- Punctuation
Practice:
A teacher can provide students with a paragraph from a newspaper article
that has been stripped of its punctuation. Students act as "Sentence Surgeons"
to re-insert the appropriate marks, which helps them understand the
functional role of punctuation in clarifying meaning.
4. Boosting Speaking and Communication
Newspapers serve as
excellent prompts for oral interaction.
- Retelling and
Discussion:
After reading a human-interest story, students can summarize the article orally
for their classmates or engage in a group
discussion or debate about the social or cultural issues
raised in the news.
3. Discuss the importance of using
newspaper in English classroom. How do you utilise newspaper as a
supplementry material in English classroom? explain with suitable
examples. (4+6=10)
An English newspaper
is a print-based supplementary material and a "living textbook" that
offers a rich repository of current, authentic information beyond what is found
in standard textbooks. It serves as a vital tool for secondary level students
to practice language skills, grammar, and mechanics in a real-world context.
Importance
of Using Newspapers in the English Classroom
The use of newspapers in
the English classroom is essential for several reasons:
- Authentic
Language Exposure: Newspapers grant students the
opportunity to engage with "real
English" and language styles not always present in
traditional textbooks.
- Enrichment of
Vocabulary and Grammar: They help learners get familiar with
new vocabulary, identify parts of speech, and observe diverse sentence structures
in use.
- Motivation
and Curiosity: Because they report real-life events of actual
importance and emotional value, newspapers arouse students' curiosity and
act as a highly
motivational material for reading and writing.
- Development
of Critical Thinking: Unlike static textbook content,
newspapers encourage students to analyze texts, clarify cultural values,
and strengthen real-life
decision-making and problem-solving skills.
- Updating
Language Changes: Newspapers reflect modern changes in language
faster than textbooks, helping students and teachers keep pace with
evolving linguistic trends.
Utilizing
Newspapers as Supplementary Material with Examples
As a secondary level
English teacher, you can utilize newspapers through various interactive
strategies:
1. Developing Reading Skills (Skimming and
Scanning)
Newspapers are ideal for
practicing specific reading techniques.
- Scanning: Students can
be tasked with scanning headlines or classified advertisements to locate
specific dates, names, or prices.
- Skimming: Students can
skim
an editorial or an introduction to quickly identify the general idea or
the author's main argument.
- Jigsaw
Reading:
Divide a long news article into several extracts and assign one to each
student in a group. Students must then report on their section to
reconstruct the story in the correct order.
2. Enhancing Writing Skills
Newspapers provide
authentic models for various functional and creative writing genres.
- Parallel
Writing:
Students can study a published news
story, advertisement, or message of condolence and use it
as a structural guide to write their own version based on local events.
- Creative
Writing:
Teachers can ask students to invent
their own headlines for a specific picture in the paper or
write an alternative ending to an existing news report.
3. Improving Speaking and Communication
Newspapers serve as
excellent prompts for oral interaction in the classroom.
- Retelling and
Discussion:
After reading a human-interest story, students can summarize the article orally
or participate in a group debate regarding the social or cultural issues
raised in the news.
- Role Play: Students can
perform a role
play based on a newspaper interview or a situational
report found in the paper to practice spontaneous communication.
4. Teaching Language Aspects (Vocabulary
and Mechanics)
- Word Games
and Puzzles: Use the paper for "word races"
where students search for synonyms, antonyms, or specific morphemes within
an article.
- Punctuation
and Editing: A teacher can provide a paragraph from a
newspaper stripped of its punctuation. Students act as "Sentence Surgeons"
to re-insert marks like commas, full stops, and capital letters in the
appropriate places.
- Parts of
Speech Identification: Students can use a newspaper to find
specific words and determine their functions using a parts-of-speech grid
(e.g., finding how a word like "report" acts as both a noun and
a verb).
4. Discuss with example how does the use
of dictionary short as a supplementary material in English teaching? Also
mention the importance of using dictionary in English class. (5+5=10)
A dictionary is a crucial
supplementary material in English language teaching, serving as a comprehensive
collection of lexical items that provides essential information about meaning,
usage, spelling, parts of speech, and phonetic transcription. While the
textbook provides the core structure, the dictionary adds the "vital
organs and flesh" required for linguistic mastery.
Importance
of Using a Dictionary in English Class
The use of a dictionary is essential
for developing both linguistic and communicative competence:
- Comprehensive Word Knowledge: It provides deep knowledge on word grammar,
identifying whether a word is a noun, verb, or adjective, and its typical
role within a sentence.
- Mastery of Pronunciation: It is the primary tool for learning correct sound
patterns, including the articulation of sounds, stress placement, and
intonation.
- Fostering Learner Autonomy: By training students to use a dictionary, teachers
help them become independent, lifelong learners who can solve their
own vocabulary problems and habituate self-correction.
- Vocabulary Enrichment: It assists in finding synonyms, antonyms, word
derivations (prefixes/suffixes), and morphemes, which expands the
student's lexical bank.
- Understanding Context and Culture: Dictionaries help students navigate the cultural
significance of words and their multiple meanings across different
fields (registers) and social contexts.
Using
Dictionaries in English Teaching: Examples and Activities
As an English teacher, you can
utilize the dictionary through various interactive activities to build
students' skills:
- Parts of Speech Grid:
Give students a list of words like coat, drink, or slow
and ask them to complete a grid identifying which parts of speech the
words can function as (e.g., drink as both a noun and a verb) and
copy an example sentence for each from the dictionary.
- Pronunciation Verification: After teaching phonetic symbols, write words on the
board (e.g., monument, successor) and have students guess
the stressed syllable before using the dictionary to verify the correct
pronunciation.
- Meaning Discovery (Styles of Action): Provide a list of words that refer to specific styles
of an action, such as styles of eating (munch, nibble, gobble),
and have students use the dictionary to define the precise differences
between them.
- Homonym Research:
Assign students a list of homonyms such as address, band, or
current and ask them to find and record their distinct
meanings and any differences in pronunciation.
- Alphabetical Order Race: To build foundational skills for locating information
quickly, provide a random list of twenty words and have students compete
in groups to put them in the correct alphabetical order using their
dictionaries.
- Spelling from Sound:
The teacher pronounces a word, and students attempt to write the spelling
in their notebooks. They then use the dictionary to find the word and
confirm if their spelling was correct.
5. Why is grammar book called a
supplementary material? What sort of knowledge and skills students
develop in the use of grammar book as a supplementary materials?
A grammar book (also known as
a reference grammar) is classified as a supplementary material because
it is an additional instructional resource that teachers bring into the
classroom to support the primary textbook. While the textbook provides the
foundational content and a systematic progression of language items, grammar
books provide the "vital organs and flesh" to those structures
by offering detailed descriptions of the rules and constraints behind the use
of language that may not be fully addressed in the textbook [5.2, 128, 129].
Students develop the following
knowledge and skills through the use of grammar books:
Knowledge
Developed
- Language Rules and Restrictions: Students become familiar with the set of rules that
make language systematic, common, and universal.
- Structural Correctness: They gain a deeper understanding of the structural
aspects required for language to be correct and communicable.
- Levels of Grammar:
Learners gain knowledge across multiple fields, including phonology
(sounds), morphology (word formation/morphemes), syntax
(sentence structure/word order), semantics (meaning), and pragmatics
(appropriate use in context).
- Systematic Nature of Language: Students learn to respect the functional value and
systematic nature of the target language.
Skills
Developed
- Linguistic and Communicative Competence: The primary skill developed is the ability to use the
language correctly and appropriately in both written and oral forms.
- Error Avoidance and Correction: Students develop the skill to minimize errors and
mistakes (such as spelling, structural, or word placement errors) that
can harm their reputation as language users.
- Sentence Transformation: They learn to transfer one grammatical structure
into others (e.g., active to passive or direct to indirect speech).
- Writing and Reading Proficiency: Grammar books help students write sentences correctly
and become responsive and knowledgeable readers who can make sense
of complex texts.
- Native-like Usage:
By mastering the rules, learners develop the skill to use the target
language more like native users.
- Confidence and Autonomy: The use of grammar books helps students build up
confidence in their real learning and monitor their own performance.
6. Newspaper, charts, chants, dictionary
and grammar books can be used as a useful supplementary materials in using
English textbook. Discuss with examples how can these materials be used in
English language learning? (2. 5+2.5+2.5+2.5+2.5)
Supplementary materials like
newspapers, charts, chants, dictionaries, and grammar books provide the "vital
organs and flesh" to the core language structures found in textbooks. Below is a discussion of how these materials can be used in English
language learning with specific examples:
1.
Newspapers
Newspapers are considered "living
textbooks" because they offer an unlimited amount of authentic,
current information that expands the curriculum.
- Developing Reading Skills: Teachers can use "Jigsaw Reading,"
where groups are assigned different extracts of a long news story and must
report back to reconstruct the full event. Students also practice skimming
headlines for main ideas or scanning classifieds for specific
details like dates and prices.
- Enhancing Writing:
Through "Parallel Writing," students follow a published
news story or a message of condolence to draft their own version based on
a local event.
- Vocabulary and Mechanics: Students can participate in "word races"
to find synonyms within an article or act as "Sentence
Surgeons" to re-insert punctuation marks into a news paragraph
that has been stripped of them.
2.
Charts
Charts are unique presentation tools
used to display statistical or categorical information vividly and accurately.
- Oral Description:
Students can practice speaking by interpreting data from a bar
chart (e.g., average daily attendance or the popularity of different
sports).
- Writing Interpretation: In Grade 9 and 10, students are often tasked with
writing paragraphs that describe trends shown in pie charts or
tables, using verbs like "rise," "fall,"
"jump," or "remain constant".
- Vocabulary Practice:
Charts are used to teach comparative adjectives (e.g., big, bigger,
biggest) by visually representing differences in size or quantity.
3.
Chants (and Rhymes)
Chants and lyrical poems are
"fun-raising" supporting materials that focus on the auditory and
rhythmic nature of English.
- Pronunciation and Rhythm: Because English is a stress-timed language,
reciting chants helps students internalize correct stress patterns,
intonation, and rhythm.
- Vocabulary Reinforcement: Chants are used as a language game to introduce and
repeat new lexical items in a way that is more engaging than
traditional rote memorization.
- Motivation:
They create an anxiety-free environment where students,
particularly audio learners, feel motivated to participate in chorus.
4.
Dictionary
A dictionary is a vital tool for
developing learner autonomy, helping students solve their own linguistic
problems without constant teacher intervention.
- Mastering Word Grammar: Teachers can provide a "parts-of-speech
grid" where students look up words (e.g., coat, drink, slow)
to see how they can function as both nouns and verbs depending on the
context.
- Pronunciation Verification: Students use dictionaries to find phonetic
transcriptions and verify the location of stress marks in difficult
words like successor or monument.
- Meaning and Nuance:
Students use them to research homonyms (words that look the same
but have different meanings, like bank or match) and record
their distinct definitions.
5.
Grammar Books
Grammar books, or reference
grammars, provide the structural rules and constraints that make a language
systematic and universal.
- Rule Familiarization:
While a textbook might introduce a theme, the grammar book provides the "underlying
pattern" of syntax, morphology, and semantics required for
structural correctness.
- Sentence Transformation: They are used to practice transferring structures,
such as converting active voice to passive voice or transforming direct
statements into reported speech.
- Building Confidence:
Students use reference books to minimize errors in word order and
basic mechanics, which helps them communicate more like native users and
build their reputation as credible language users.
7. Mention some of the potentially
difficult areas of English language learning to the Nepalese learners where
they commit errors. Also describe some useful ways of correcting students
errors in second level English classes. (4+6=10)
Second language learners in Nepal
often face specific linguistic challenges that lead to systematic errors. Based
on the provided sources, here is a discussion of the difficult areas and
effective correction strategies.
Difficult
Areas of English Language Learning for Nepalese Learners
The primary cause of errors for
Nepalese students is First Language (L1) interference, where the rules
of Nepali are incorrectly applied to English. Key difficult areas include:
- Phonology and Pronunciation: English has a much larger inventory of vowel sounds
than Nepali, and unique consonant clusters that do not exist in the
learners' mother tongue. Additionally, the concept of silent letters
(e.g., the 'p' in psychology or 'h' in honest) and the stress-timed
rhythm of English pose significant hurdles. Specific sounds like /f/
and /v/, which are labio-dental in English, are often produced as
bilabials by Nepalese speakers.
- Syntax and Sentence Structure: There is a fundamental difference in word order;
English follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern, while Nepali
is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). Learners also struggle with the
correct use of articles, prepositions (which are postpositions in
Nepali), and causative verbs.
- Semantics and Pragmatics: Students often find the multiple meanings of a single
word problematic. They frequently fail to grasp the actual meaning of idiomatic
and phrasal expressions or struggle with the socio-cultural
appropriateness of certain utterances in specific contexts.
- Mechanics (Punctuation): Many learners treat punctuation as an afterthought,
often due to an over-reliance on spoken language patterns or an ignorance
of the grammatical functions that marks like commas and periods serve in
written English.
Useful
Ways of Correcting Student Errors
In secondary level classes, teachers
should treat errors as natural outcomes of the learning process and use
them as a tool for remedial instruction. Useful correction strategies include:
- Promoting Learner Autonomy (Self and Peer Correction): Instead of immediate teacher intervention, students
should be encouraged to find and fix their own errors or work with peers.
For example, in the Direct Method, a teacher might repeat a
student's sentence but stop just before the error, signaling the student
to provide the correct word.
- "Sentence Surgeons" Activity: This is an interactive technique where the teacher
provides "sick" sentences containing common grammatical or
punctuation errors. Students work in pairs or groups to "cure"
the sentences by identifying and correcting the mistakes.
- Modeling and Imitation: Especially for pronunciation, the teacher provides a
clear, accurate model of the target sound or word. Students then engage in
repetition drills (individual or chorus) to internalize the correct
pattern.
- Judicious Timing of Feedback: Teachers should distinguish between fluency and
accuracy activities. During fluency-focused speaking tasks, teachers
should avoid interrupting students; instead, they should make notes
of errors and address them during a dedicated "study" phase
later in the lesson.
- Dictation with Self-Check: The teacher dictates a paragraph, and after
completion, provides the correct version on the board. Students then
compare their work and perform self-correction, which helps improve
their awareness of spelling and punctuation.
- Dictionary and Resource Training: Teachers can train students to use dictionaries
to verify word grammar, phonetic transcriptions, and meanings. Using grammar
books as reference materials also helps students build confidence and
minimize structural errors.
- Systematic Error Analysis (EA): Teachers can follow a formal process: collect data on
recurring errors, identify the patterns, explain the underlying rule that
was broken, and provide the correct solution with a better explanation to
ensure the error does not become fossilized.
8. Discuss how does specification grid
differ from scoring guideline? Discuss with examples how can
specification grid be used effectively in teaching and learning English
language? (5+5=10]
A specification grid and a scoring
guideline (often referred to as rubrics) are both essential assessment
tools, but they serve different functions within the secondary English
curriculum.
Differences
Between Specification Grid and Scoring Guideline
- Definition and Purpose: A specification grid is a blueprint or a
two-way table that provides assurance that a test measures a representative
sample of learning outcomes and subject matter. Its primary goal is to
align assessment with the curriculum’s spirit and ensure test validity
and uniformity. In contrast, a scoring guideline consists of
clear criteria or descriptors used to evaluate a student's actual
performance on a specific task, such as a speaking or writing activity, to
ensure objectivity and fairness in awarding marks.
- Content and Information: The specification grid contains broad technical data
including learning outcomes, question types (e.g., Multiple Choice,
Matching), total number of questions, time duration, and the relative
weightage given to different content areas. Scoring guidelines focus
on performance indicators, such as the clarity of pronunciation,
range of vocabulary, smoothness of speech, and grammatical accuracy for
specific tasks.
- Level of Application:
A specification grid acts as a master plan for the entire examination.
Scoring guidelines are applied at the individual item or skill level,
providing a scale (e.g., 1 to 4 marks) based on how well a student
understands a message or communicates an idea.
- Authoritative Source:
In Nepal, the specification grid is published centrally by the
Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) to maintain national standards.
Scoring rubrics are often developed or adapted by the teacher to
match specific classroom activities or internal assessment tasks.
Effective
Use of Specification Grid in Teaching and Learning
The specification grid is not just a
tool for examiners; it can be used effectively to guide the instructional
process in the following ways:
- Focusing Instructional Time: Teachers can use the grid to identify which areas
carry the most weight and prioritize them in the classroom.
- Example:
Since Reading carries the highest weightage (40 marks) compared to
Grammar (10-11 marks), a teacher might dedicate more sessions to
practicing diverse reading strategies like skimming and scanning.
- Designing Targeted Classroom Activities: Teachers can design activities that mirror the
specific question types and comprehension levels required by the grid.
- Example:
If the grid specifies that reading questions must cover Literal
Comprehension (LC), Reorganization (R), and Inference (I), the
teacher can create worksheets that explicitly ask students to find hidden
meanings or reorganize facts from a text.
- Planning Writing Instruction: The grid lists specific genres for Guided and Free
Writing, allowing teachers to provide targeted practice.
- Example:
If the grid includes "Description of charts/diagrams"
under Guided Writing I, the teacher can involve students in interpreting
bar charts or pie charts during class to meet this specific competency.
- Student Preparation and Prediction: Sharing the grid with students helps them understand
the question patterns and marking schemes, reducing test anxiety
and allowing them to predict major questions.
- Example:
By knowing that Grammar questions are divided into "Reproduction"
(e.g., voice, tense) and "Multiple Choice," students can
practice transforming sentences and identifying correct forms in
contextual passages.
- Managing Internal Assessment: The grid for internal evaluation helps teachers
maintain systematic records of student participation and practical skills.
- Example:
A teacher can use the internal assessment grid to track attendance and
curiosity (worth 3 marks) or prepare specific sound files for the Listening
test (worth 8 marks) as prescribed by the guidelines.
9. Discuss the characteristics of present
secondary level English curriculum. also draw the differences how does
present secondary level (9-10) English curriculum differ with previous
curriculum? 5+5=10
The present secondary level English
curriculum (Grades 9-10) in Nepal has been revised to align with the National
Curriculum Framework 2076 and reflects the recent socio-political
restructuring of the country. It is designed as a well-structured program aimed
at producing capable communicators who can function in a globalized world.
Characteristics
of the Present Secondary Level English Curriculum
- Competency-Based and Outcome-Oriented: The curriculum clearly defines ten terminal
competencies for Grade 10, such as using e-resources and communicating
with reasonable accuracy. It specifies grade-wise learning outcomes
for all four language skills.
- Integrated Language Skills: All four skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—are
adequately addressed and integrated into every unit.
- Functional and Communicative Approach: It emphasizes communicative competence,
focusing on the practical and pragmatic use of language in real-life
situations rather than just grammatical perfection. It prescribes around 18
language functions (e.g., reporting, criticizing, expressing
conditions) for each grade.
- Inclusion of ICT and E-Resources: A distinct feature is the requirement for students to
use information and communication technology (ICT) and online
resources to boost their learning.
- Focus on Soft Skills and Diversity: The curriculum integrates soft skills to
support balanced socio-emotional development and views diversity as a
resource, using content from various multicultural backgrounds.
- Continuous Assessment System (CAS): It utilizes both formative and summative evaluation,
with a heavy emphasis on regular feedback and internal assessment.
Differences
Between the Present and Previous Curriculum
The shift from the previous
curriculum to the present one represents a transition from traditional methods
to modern, student-centered pedagogy.
|
Feature |
Previous Curriculum |
Present Curriculum (2077/2078) |
|
Primary Approach |
Often relied on the Grammar-Translation
(GT) method and deductive teaching. |
Based on the Functional
Communicative Approach and inductive learning. |
|
Teaching Focus |
Highly focused on rules and
grammatical structures (teaching about the language). |
Focuses on meaning and
communication (teaching the language itself through use). |
|
Skill Emphasis |
Listening and speaking skills were
often neglected or given less priority. |
Provides equal space and
testing weightage to all four language skills. |
|
Role of Assessment |
Highly focused on summative
evaluation and formal scheduled exams. |
Emphasizes Continuous
Assessment (CAS) and formative evaluation for remedial teaching. |
|
Classroom Dynamic |
Largely teacher-centered,
where the instructor talked and students remained passive. |
Learner-centered, promoting learner autonomy, pair work, and group
interaction. |
|
Resources |
Heavy dependency on the textbook
alone as the primary source. |
Encourages the use of ICT
tools, e-resources, and supplementary materials. |
|
Contextual Reality |
Often decontextualized from
students' current socio-political environment. |
Revised to incorporate recent
socio-political restructuring and contemporary social issues. |
|
Evaluation Weightage |
Assessment was predominantly based
on a written final paper. |
Summative assessment is split into
25% internal (participation, oral tests) and 75% external
(written). |
10. List out the major features of current
grade 10 English textbook. Discuss with examples the best ways of
utilising textbook in English language teaching class.(4+6=100)
Major
Features of the Current Grade 10 English Textbook
The current Grade 10
English textbook is the primary
learning resource developed to meet the standards of the
Secondary Level English Curriculum. Its major features include:
- Integrated
Skill Development: Each unit is designed to address all four language skills
(listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and language aspects (grammar,
vocabulary, and pronunciation) in an integrated manner.
- Alignment
with Curriculum and Syllabus: It provides a systematic and graded coverage
of the syllabus, ensuring that the terminal competencies and learning
outcomes prescribed by the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) are met.
- Genre Variety
and Authenticity: The textbook includes a variety of materials
from various
genres—such as stories, essays, poems, and biographies—and
uses authentic
language to provide realistic linguistic exposure.
- User-Friendly
Design:
It features clear
instructions, a carefully designed layout with readable
print, and is easily portable and readily available locally.
- Practical and
Engaging Exercises: The topics are practical and
interesting, supported by engaging
exercises and student activities specifically designed for
evaluation purposes.
Best
Ways of Utilizing the Textbook in the ELT Class
As the primary
instructional tool, the textbook should be used as a foundation that teachers
can adapt to their specific classroom contexts. The following are effective
ways to utilize it:
1. Integrating Language Skills through
Theme-Based Units
Teachers should treat
every unit as a cohesive lesson that builds one skill upon another.
- Example: In a unit
like "Travel
and Holidays," the teacher can use the Reading text
to pre-teach vocabulary, then transition to a Speaking task
where students plan their own trips, and finally a Writing
activity to draft a travel brochure.
2. Using Visuals for Prediction and
Contextualization
The textbook is rich with
pictures and diagrams intended to translate abstract ideas into realistic
forms.
- Example: Before
reading a passage like "The
Voice of the Rain," the teacher can show students the
accompanying illustrations to help them guess the theme and activate
their prior knowledge.
3. Practicing Language Functions in
Real-Life Situations
The textbook provides
dialogue models and exponents for specific language functions.
- Example: For the function
of "Reporting
Statements," teachers can have students act out the
dialogue in the textbook and then practice converting those direct
structures into reported
speech using pair-work simulations.
4. Implementing an Inductive Approach to
Grammar
Instead of teaching rules
first, teachers should use the examples provided in the textbook to let
students discover the "underlying patterns."
- Example: Students can
analyze multiple sentences in the text using Conditional Type 2
and then work together to generalize
the rule (If + Past Simple, would + Verb).
5. Developing Literacy through Specific
Reading Stages
Literary texts like poems
and stories should be taught using pre-reading,
while-reading, and post-reading activities found in the book.
- Example: For the poem
"Leisure,"
the teacher can have students recite it to improve pronunciation and rhythm,
then answer the comprehension questions to analyze the metaphorical
meanings.
6. Fostering Learner Autonomy via
Supplemental Tasks
The textbook encourages
the use of dictionaries
and "Extra Bit" sections to help students solve
linguistic problems independently.
- Example: Teachers can
utilize the "Extra
Bit" on homophones or idioms to have students look up
words in a dictionary and complete a parts-of-speech grid to understand
how words function as both nouns and verbs.
11. Highlight the main features of present
secondary level (9-10) English curriculum. Do you think all the provisions
mention in the curriculum are implementable? If yes, how ? If no, why?
(5+2.5+2.5=10)
The present secondary
level (9-10) English curriculum in Nepal is designed as a well-structured
learning program aimed at producing capable communicators prepared for a
globalized world. While it incorporates modern pedagogical trends, its
implementation faces several practical challenges.
Main
Features of the Present Secondary Level English Curriculum
Based on the sources, the
major features include:
- Competency-Based
and Outcome-Oriented: The curriculum identifies ten terminal competencies
for Grade 10 and specifies grade-wise learning outcomes for all four
language skills.
- Integration
of Language Skills: It provides equal space and testing
weightage to listening, speaking, reading, and writing,
ensuring they are taught in an integrated manner.
- Functional and
Communicative Approach: The focus is on communicative competence,
emphasizing the practical use of language through around 18 prescribed language
functions (e.g., reporting, criticizing, expressing
conditions) per grade.
- ICT and
E-Resource Integration: A key competency is the requirement
for students to use information
and communication technology (ICT) and online resources to
boost their learning.
- Inclusion of
Soft Skills and Diversity: It integrates soft skills
for socio-emotional development and views diversity as a resource,
incorporating content from various multicultural and contemporary
contexts.
- Comprehensive
Assessment System: It utilizes a Continuous Assessment System
(CAS) involving both formative evaluation for remedial
teaching and a summative structure (25% internal, 75% external).
Implementability
of the Curriculum Provisions
In my view, all the provisions mentioned in the
curriculum are not fully implementable in the current context
of Nepal. While the curriculum is theoretically sound and well-developed, there
is a significant gap between the intended goals and the actual classroom
reality.
Reasons for Implementation Challenges
The following factors
hinder the successful implementation of the curriculum's provisions:
- Lack of
Infrastructure and Resources: Many schools, especially in rural
areas, lack ICT
tools, language labs, and authentic audio-visual materials
required to teach skills like listening and speaking as prescribed.
- Teacher-Related
Constraints: There is a shortage of trained, technically sound,
and communicative-proficient instructors. Many teachers
continue to rely on the outdated Grammar
Translation (GT) method and deductive teaching because
they find it easier and it requires less preparation.
- Classroom
Environment: Large
and overcrowded classes with students of diverse learning
needs make it difficult for teachers to facilitate interactive pair work,
group work, or provide individual feedback.
- Exam-Oriented
Mindset:
The education system remains heavily focused on formal scheduled exams.
Teachers often only focus on parts of the textbook that are important for
scoring high marks, neglecting creative writing and speaking tasks that
are not easily measured by standard written tests.
- Dominance of
Mother Tongue: The frequent switching between the native
language and English during instruction inhibits the creation of an English-only environment,
which is necessary for developing fluency.
- Neglect of
Receptive Skills: Although the curriculum emphasizes integration, listening and speaking
are often neglected in practice or awarded full marks in internal
assessments without rigorous practical evaluation.
12. What do you mean by Structured
Curriculum? Curriculum Development Center (CDC) has recently revised the Grade
9 and Grade 10 curriculum. What additional features have been added in the
recent curriculum and why those features were added? 3+7 [TSC-2079]
A structured curriculum
is defined as a well-organized and detailed plan for the learning process. It
specifically defines and specifies what
to teach, how to teach, and how to assess student learning in a
systematic and valid manner. Such a curriculum includes reliable information on
learning content, resources, teaching methods, pedagogical principles,
classroom techniques, and student assessment systems.
Recent
Revisions to Grade 9 and 10 Curriculum
The Curriculum Development
Centre (CDC) revised the Grade 9 and 10 English curriculum to align with the National Curriculum Framework 2076
and reflect the country's recent socio-political restructuring.
Additional Features in the Revised
Curriculum
The recent curriculum
incorporates several new features and pedagogical shifts:
- Inclusion of
ICT and E-Resources: A major new competency is for
students to use e-resources
(digital/online materials) to boost their learning and develop language
skills.
- Integration
of Soft Skills: The curriculum now integrates soft skills to
support balanced socio-emotional development alongside academic learning.
- Competency-Based
Framework:
It explicitly identifies terminal
competencies (e.g., extracting information from standard
speech) and detailed grade-wise learning outcomes for all four language
skills.
- Modern
Pedagogical Principles: It emphasizes principles such as
"Fun and engagement," "Exposure," "Personalization,"
and "Diversity
as a resource," moving toward a more inclusive and
pluralistic classroom.
- Continuous
Assessment System (CAS): The curriculum formally adopts a internal evaluation process
(25%) alongside external exams (75%), focusing on regular,
formative feedback.
- Expanded
Language Functions: It prescribes around 18 types of language functions
per grade (e.g., reporting, criticizing, expressing conditions) based on
the form-function relationship.
Reasons for Adding These Features
These features were added
to make the curriculum more relevant, practical, and responsive to current
global and local needs:
- Addressing
Global Trends: The revision incorporates recent undercurrents
in language teaching to ensure students can communicate confidently in a
globalized world where English is the key to international communication,
ICT, and business.
- Promoting
Learner Autonomy: By including ICT and self-correction strategies,
the curriculum aims to make students responsible for their own learning
and prepare them for independent,
lifelong learning.
- Enhancing
Practical Communication: The focus has shifted from mere
grammatical rules to communicative
competence, ensuring students can use English effectively
in real-life situations rather than just passing written exams.
- Supporting
Diverse Learners: Integrating soft skills and acknowledging
diversity as a resource helps teachers manage students from various
multilingual and multi-cultural backgrounds, promoting social cohesion.
- Standardizing
Assessment:
These provisions ensure transparency,
uniformity, and validity in how language skills are
measured across the country.
- Meaningful
Cognition:
Integrating content and language is intended to move students beyond mere
communication toward meaningful cognition through the language being
learned.
13. What do you teach: Curriculum or
Textbook? Briefly explain with reference to Grade Ten; and evaluate the newly
revised compulsory English textbook of Grade Ten with adequate illustrations.
4+6 [TSC- 2080]
In the context of the Nepalese
secondary education system, the distinction between teaching the curriculum and
teaching the textbook is fundamental to effective pedagogy.
Teaching
the Curriculum vs. the Textbook
At the secondary level,
particularly in Grade
10, a teacher primarily teaches the curriculum, using
the textbook
as a primary instructional tool to achieve prescribed goals.
- The
Curriculum (The "What"): It is the central guide that
defines the competencies
and learning outcomes students must achieve. For Grade 10
English, it sets ten
terminal competencies, such as the ability to communicate
with reasonable accuracy, extract information from standard speech, and
use e-resources
to boost learning.
- The Textbook
(The "How"): It is a main tool designed to
deliver the intent
and content of the curriculum in a systematic, graded
manner. It provides the foundation for content, but it is not exhaustive.
The teacher’s role is to ensure students meet curriculum standards, which
often requires adapting textbook tasks or using supplementary materials
to match student needs.
Evaluation
of the Revised Grade 10 Compulsory English Textbook
The newly revised Grade 10
English textbook, aligned with the National
Curriculum Framework 2076, is a comprehensive resource designed
to develop communicative
competence.
1. Integrated Skill Development (Adequate
Illustration)
Each unit is designed to
integrate all four
language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and
language aspects (grammar, vocabulary).
- Illustration: In Unit 1: Current Affairs and
Issues, students engage in Reading about driverless cars, Speaking
through reporting activities, and Grammar
focus on Reported Speech (Statements). This ensures that linguistic items
are not taught in isolation but through meaningful context.
2. Authenticity and Contemporary Relevance
The textbook moves away
from traditional, static content by incorporating authentic materials
and modern themes that resonate with the globalized world.
- Illustration: Topics like "Cyber Security"
(Unit 7) and "Media
and Entertainment" (Unit 18) provide students with
realistic linguistic exposure that is useful for international
communication and ICT usage, a core competency of the curriculum.
3. Activity-Oriented and Practical Design
The book is structured to
be learner-centered,
featuring "Getting started" visual prompts to activate background
knowledge and project work to encourage independent learning.
- Illustration: Units
frequently include Project
Work, such as "Designing a Wheel Chart" in Unit
3 or "Collecting Evidences and Making a Presentation" in Unit
18, which fosters learner
autonomy and collaboration.
4. Alignment with Assessment Standards
The textbook's structure
directly supports the Test
Specification Grid, providing materials for both seen and
unseen reading comprehension, as well as various writing genres.
- Illustration: The
inclusion of diverse genres like emails,
news stories, and biographies mirrors the external exam
requirements, where students are tested on their ability to produce these
functional texts.
5. Areas for Improvement (Weaknesses)
Despite its strengths,
pedagogical notes highlight some limitations:
- Teacher
Dependency:
The book is not yet fully a "self-help"
resource, as many students still require constant teacher
guidance to navigate complex instructions.
- Deductive
Leanings:
Some sections remain heavily rule-prescribing
(deductive), which can sometimes stifle the inductive, discovery-based
learning intended by the communicative approach.
- Visual
Clarity:
In some instances, the print quality of graphs and charts is noted as
being insufficiently clear, which can hinder data interpretation tasks.
14. Explain with example, how a
teacher's guide differs from a textbook. And, critically review the
specification grid of secondary English curriculum. 5+5 [TSC- 2081]
The differences between a
teacher's guide and a textbook, followed by a critical review of the
specification grid, are discussed below based on the instructional framework
for secondary English in Nepal.
Differences
Between Teacher's Guide and Textbook
The textbook and the teacher's guide
serve complementary but distinct roles in the classroom:
- Primary
Audience and Purpose: The textbook is the primary learning resource for
students, containing the "what" of the lesson,
including reading texts, vocabulary lists, and practice exercises designed
to achieve curriculum standards. The teacher's guide is a reference material for
educators, acting as the "how" by providing
detailed instructions on how to implement the curriculum and textbook
effectively.
- Content and
Structure:
A textbook provides a systematic
and graded coverage of the syllabus through various genres
like stories, poems, and essays. A teacher's guide bridges the gap
between these texts and the classroom reality by offering pedagogical
principles, such as maximizing Student
Talking Time (STT) and treating errors as natural outcomes.
- Instructional
Steps (Example): In a Grade 9 lesson on "Making Plans,"
the textbook
provides the reading passage about a holiday and exercises for the
"Going to" future. The teacher's
guide, however, details specific classroom stages not
found in the textbook, such as Warming-up
(using pictures to activate prior knowledge), Presentation
(how to model the grammar), Practice
(grouping instructions), and Evaluation
(specific oral check questions).
- Guidance vs.
Content:
The textbook focuses on knowledge
and skill practice, while the teacher's guide focuses on classroom management,
time allocation, and the use of supplementary
materials like worksheets or digital tools.
Critical
Review of the Specification Grid
The test specification grid
is a blueprint published by the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) to ensure
examinations measure a representative
sample of learning outcomes and maintain national standards.
Strengths and Positive Provisions
- Comprehensive
Assessment (CAS): The grid successfully formalizes the Continuous Assessment System,
splitting evaluation into Internal
(25%) and External
(75%) components. This ensures that
listening and speaking, which were previously neglected, are now mandatory
parts of the internal score.
- Cognitive
Depth:
It ensures that comprehension questions are not just literal but cover
four distinct levels: Literal
Comprehension (LC), Reorganization (R), Inference (I), and Evaluation (E).
This forces students to engage in higher-order thinking.
- Inclusivity: The grid
includes commendable alternative
assessment provisions for students with disabilities, such
as writing tasks for the hearing-impaired or event narration for students
with visual difficulties.
- Transparency: It provides
clear guidelines on question types (MCQ, Matching, etc.), weightage, and
time duration, which helps reduce
test anxiety and allows for better student preparation.
Weaknesses and Practical Challenges
- Summative
Heavy:
Despite the CAS framework, the system remains heavily focused on summative
evaluation and formal scheduled exams rather than
assessment as
learning.
- Skewed Skill
Weightage:
In the external exam, Reading
carries a disproportionate 40 marks compared to Grammar's
10-11 marks. This can lead to a "washback effect" where teachers
focus primarily on comprehension drills at the expense of structural
depth.
- Implementation
Gap for Oral Skills: While the grid prescribes 8 marks
each for listening and speaking, these are often neglected in real classrooms
or awarded full marks without rigorous testing due to a lack of resources
like language labs or trained examiners.
- Contextual
Difficulty:
The requirement for unseen
texts up to 400 words may be too challenging for students
in rural areas with limited exposure to authentic English materials,
leading to a gap in performance between public and private school students.
15. What are the literary genres to
be taught as provisioned in the English language curriculum of the Secondary
level (grade 9-10)? Explain how these texts help in developing students'
reading and writing skills. 3+7 [2082]
The English language
curriculum for the secondary level (Grades 9-10) in Nepal incorporates a
diverse range of literary genres to ensure students achieve the terminal
competency of reading short literary texts for pleasure and understanding.
Literary
Genres Provisioned in the Curriculum
The curriculum provisions
the following literary genres and text types to be used under various thematic
units:
- Poetry: Including
sonnets, elegies, ballads, and lyrical poems.
- Fiction: Specifically
short stories and novels/novellas.
- Drama: Including one-act
plays and short dramas characterized by dialogue and performance.
- Essays: Covering
narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive styles.
- Biographical
Texts:
Including both biographies and autobiographies.
- Narrative
Documents:
Such as diary entries and personal accounts.
- Evaluative
Texts:
Including book and film reviews.
How
Literary Texts Develop Reading and Writing Skills
The integration of these
genres serves as a "significant weapon" to develop linguistic and
communicative competence through the following ways:
1. Developing Reading Skills
- Exposure to
Authentic Language: Literary texts provide students with
authentic models
of English, moving beyond the simplified language often
found in standard instructional materials.
- Strategy
Practice:
Narrative genres like stories and biographies allow students to practice
diverse reading strategies such as skimming,
scanning, and predicting events.
- Deep
Comprehension and Interpretation: Literary texts encourage
"reading between the lines." Students learn to identify hidden
meanings, metaphorical
expressions, and symbolic messages that are not explicitly
stated.
- Vocabulary
Enrichment:
Literature is a rich repository of lexical items. Reading varied genres
helps students extrapolate the meaning of unfamiliar words from context and
internalize word grammar.
- Phonological
Awareness:
Reciting poetry and drama improves students’ recognition of stress, intonation, and rhythm,
which are essential for developing fluency.
2. Developing Writing Skills
- Structural
Modeling:
Reading different genres provides students with structural templates. For
example, essays help students learn formal
organization (introduction, body, conclusion), while
stories teach the sequence
of narration and plot development.
- Grammar
Internalization: Literature exposes students to diverse sentence
structures (e.g., stories for past
tense usage, essays for logical connectives). This helps
students internalize grammar rules inductively rather than through rote
memorization.
- Creative
Expression:
Genres like poetry and free-verse encourage students to use language creatively and artistically.
This helps them move from controlled writing to autonomous and innovative
use of the language.
- Genre-Specific
Skills:
The curriculum explicitly requires students to produce their own texts
based on literary models, such as writing diary entries, paraphrasing poems, and developing
skeleton stories into full narratives.
- Refinement of
Mechanics:
Analyzing literary works helps students understand the functional value of
punctuation and
capitalization as "traffic signals" that clarify
meaning in written discourse.
By engaging with these
texts, students achieve meaningful
cognition, where they learn not only to communicate but also to
think critically and analytically through the target language.
No comments:
Post a Comment