1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the syllabus?

2. In designing your own syllabus, what kind of elements should you

take into consideration?

In my workplace, the English Area is based on a structural syllabus, where it is

oriented in grammar. The main goal is the students translate Companies`
manuals from English to Spanish.

The advantage of this syllabus is the students put into practice their translation`
abilities, for example: The company needs who translates a Manual to repair an
important machine, in this situation our students are able of making it.

However, the disadvantage is the students only acquire two skills: Reading and
writing, so, they can’t participate in communicative situations where they have
to use the listening and speaking skills. For example: the students will able to
translate into Spanish a manual, but they won’t able to explain the manual’s
instructions to a foreign people.

In contrast, the institution wants to implement a new syllabus for the English
area. It would be: A skill – based syllabus. The purpose is the students can be
competent in a language throughout 4 skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and
Speaking. Furthermore they could interact in a conversation, to pronounce in a
better way, to interpret manuals and writing instructions easily.

To be achieved it; the institution must take into consideration the following:

 It’s appropriated for teacher’s demanding – it doesn’t affect the teach

ability
 It’s appropriated for student’s demanding – it doesn’t affect the learning
ability
 It must satisfy the society and the companies needs
 It must be effective to solve academic and professional problems
 It must be related to the institution’s corporate statements
 A syllabus assures students that certain activities, a grading system with
evaluation standards, will occur during the semester.
  A syllabus serves as a framework for mutual (teachers and students)
setting of goals and expectations, not as a lock into a rigid schedule.
 Establishes course requirements, general policies (attendance, class
participation, late assignments, and missed work) and guidelines for
student performance (grading policies).
 It describes the course content, perspective, goals, and learning
outcomes.
 It doesn’t restrict students` freedom to learn.

In conclusion, there are many essential points when considering a syllabus to

be designed and implemented.

The possibility and practicality aspects of a particular syllabus to be developed

and implemented are of great significance while processing the issue. In other
words, in making practical decisions about syllabus design, one must take into
account all the potential factors that may affect the teach ability of a specific
syllabus. By beginning with an assessment and investigation over each syllabus
type, keeping track of the choice and integration of the different types according
to local needs, one may find a principled and practical solution to the problem of
suitability and efficiency in syllabus design and implementation. The
investigation on how to design and implement a syllabus opens a new horizon
for future research.

As Hutchinson and Waters (1987:51) state “it is wise to take an eclectic

approach, taking what is useful from each theory and trusting also in the
evidence of your own experience as a teacher”.