Module 1: The new English language curriculum and the

CEFR
This module explains why the English language curriculum has been changed, and what role
the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) plays within the
reform.
By the end of this module, you will have:

 learned about reform objectives and teacher responsibilities as English language

educators;
 developed an understanding of the CEFR scales and levels;
 studied the link between the new curriculum and the CEFR;
 explored the purpose of curriculum-related documentation;
 reflected on learning and provided some short feedback on the learning experience.

Why is the English language curriculum

changing?
You are going to watch a video about the English curriculum reform. 
Before you watch, read the statements and decide which are correct:

1. The CEFR is adopted because it sets international standards we aspire to reach.

2. The new curriculum adopted the CEFR to help pupils become effective language
users in today’s society and the world of work.
3. The CEFR describes what pupils can’t do at each level of proficiency.
4. The CEFR lets us set proficiency targets at the end of each lesson. 
5. There is clear progression across school grades, so teachers can plan learning, monitor
progress and support pupils to reach curriculum objectives.
6. The CEFR lets all teachers describe pupils’ proficiency levels in the same way.
7. The textbooks we have adopted are not aligned to CEFR levels.
8. International textbooks can give pupils a window into the outside world and help
them develop critical thinking skills with support from the teacher.
The CEFR and the new curriculum
What is the CEFR?

 The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international

standard for describing language ability. It uses Can Do statements to describe a language
learners’ language ability.
 It describes progressive language development in six main levels.
 It covers the four core skills (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening) and the language elements
within them (grammar, vocabulary).
 There are global (or general) scales which describe the level of language ability in general. They
give us an overall description of learners’ language ability at a glance.

The curriculum documents

The CEFR-aligned curriculum is described in documents designed to support learning. In this
section of the training we will review the documentation and think about how it can be used to
support classroom delivery.

The curriculum is designed to support learning through the use of effective standards, teaching
practice and assessments. The documents are made up of four components and you need to be
familiar with all of them. These four components are: 

1) The Curriculum Framework: A description of the overall content for each teaching context
(primary or secondary school) including the language and skills that students should achieve in
each level matched to identified Content and Learning Standards. 

2) The Standards-Based Curriculum and Assessment Document (DSKP): This document

incorporates a mapping of the English Language Content, Learning and Performance Standards
as well as pedagogical approaches aligned to the CEFR.

3) The Syllabus: A detailed description of the topics, language, specific skills and related skills
covered in each level linked to the textbooks and resources being used.

4) The Scheme of Work (SoW): A detailed description of how to deliver lessons for teachers
including lesson outlines linked to learning standards, examples of differentiation and suggested
activity ideas. The lesson outlines provide logically staged lesson sequences using pupil-centred
activities that have clearly identified aims and outcomes. 

There is also a textbook with suggested learning activities. The SoW helps the teachers see the relationship
between the learning activities in the textbook and the learning standards in the curriculum. Teachers are
also supported by the Teacher's Book which gives teachers a step-by-step instruction on how to deliver the
lesson. It is very important that teachers use the SoW and the textbook, including the Teacher's Book,
together when planning a lesson.  

The SoW is a useful tool for teachers at lesson planning stage as it contains useful guidance
including pre-lesson and post-lesson activities and references to textbook activities that are
linked to the learning standards. The SoW contains several parts:

 An introductory part which…

1. explains how the SoW works

2. explains how lessons are organised and any exceptions or notes to pay attention to

3. contains a section on differentiation strategies, generic pre- and post-lesson activities

and a glossary to explain terms found in the SoW and Content/Learning Standards for the
grade.

 Lesson cycles: contain all the lesson outlines with instruction on how to adapt teaching
and learning in order to meet the learning standards in each lesson. 

It is very, VERY important to read through the introductory part at the beginning of the school
year and refer to sections like differentiation strategies, generic pre- and post-lesson activities
and the glossary.

Module 2: Listening skills

This module focuses on developing and assessing Listening skills in the new curriculum. 
By the end of this module, you will have:

 studied the features and benefits of a pupil-centred learning approach;

 explored how to use a framework for teaching and assessing Listening skills;
 studied the Listening Content and Learning Standards in the new curriculum;
 examined some Listening activities in relation to the Learning Standards;
 explored and devised appropriate sequenced activities for the Listening Learning
Standards;
 used material from the textbook to plan a Listening lesson;
 reflected on learning and identified action points for future lesson planning.
Pupil-centred learning
A pupil-centred teaching approach is where pupils’ needs are at the centre of teaching and
learning. These needs are related to their individual proficiency level, interests, motivation and so
on.

Previously, you watched a video which explained the importance of the CEFR to the new
curriculum. You probably remember that the CEFR promotes a pupil-centred learning approach.
It is about what pupils can do with language.

So, in what ways is the new KSSM curriculum pupil-centred?

The CEFR levels and descriptors have been used to define and write the Content and Learning
Standards in the new KSSM curriculum, and therefore the new KSSM curriculum promotes a
pupil-centred learning approach focused on what pupils can do in English.

Think about the kind of activities that you can do in class. Some of them are more teacher-
centred (when the teacher has more control), and some are more pupil-centred (when the pupils
have more control and responsibility).  It is good to have lessons that are predominantly pupil-
centred in order to allow pupils to take responsibility for their learning, practise their skills, and
work at the right level and speed for them.  However, not all activities nor all lessons will be
completely pupil-centred - it will depend on the context, e.g. the class group, the skill being
developed. Most lessons will have a mix of different activities, some of which are more pupil-
centred and others which are less pupil-centred.

A framework for Listening lessons

In this next activity, you are going to watch a video which outlines a framework for planning a
Listening lesson.  Before you watch, think about these questions:

 Why is it important to have a 'pre-listening' stage in your lesson?

 What kind of tasks should we ask pupils to do the first time they listen?

 How can we use formative assessment in a Listening lesson?

Linking Content and Learning Standards to
classroom activities
Attempt: 1
Activity 1
Look at the classroom activity described below. Refer to the document from the previous activity
with the Listening Learning Standards. The answer may not be clear-cut as it could depend on
how the activities are set up, or other factors in the delivery or planning. This is a practice activity
so do not worry if your answers are not always correct. 

Which Learning Standard could this activity help pupils to work towards: 1.1.1 or 1.1.3?
Enter the number of the Learning Standard in the space. 

 Pupils brainstorm their predictions of what they expect to hear mentioned in today’s
news headlines.
 The teacher plays a short recording from the radio of the news headlines for that day
(headlines only, not the complete stories).
 Pupils listen to see which of the people or places they predicted are mentioned in the
headlines.
 Pupils listen to the complete news stories and note down the main event in each story. 
 Pupils listen again, check their answers, then compare them in pairs before sharing and
discussing with the class as a whole. 

Planning a Listening activity

We would like you to plan your own Listening activity now. 

This activity could be for any topic or with any material - it is up to you. The purpose of doing this
is to focus on the principles of a good listening lesson, one which is appropriately staged and
which demonstrates pupil-centred learning. You should therefore spend time on planning the
stages of the lesson more than the content or focus of the listening.

Planning your activity

1. Please choose one of the Learning Standards that was not focused on in the previous
exercise.  We suggest that you choose one of the following: 

 1.2.1
 1.3.1

   2. Plan your activity: think about the pre-, during- and post- stages.  Remember that we
recommend focusing on gist during the first listening, then in the second listening, focusing
more on detail. Furthermore, it is good to include an element of personalisation in the post-
listening stage. 

Please also keep in mind that the activity should be as pupil-centred as you think is realistically
possible in your teaching context.

Please use the Listening activity plan template to produce your activity plan.

Module 3: Differentiating learning

This module focuses on differentiating learning in the English classroom.

By the end of this module, you will have:

 developed a better understanding of the principles of differentiation;

 reflected on differentiation in your current practice;
 identified and explored differentiation strategies in the Scheme of Work;
 analysed a sample lesson from the Scheme of Work and identified appropriate
differentiation strategies for it;
 studied the links between Formative Assessment and differentiation.

Module 4: Speaking skills

This module focuses on developing and assessing Speaking skills in the new curriculum.
By the end of this session participants will have:

 extended understanding of key concepts relating to Speaking skills;

 considered and practised self-assessment of Speaking skills;
 analysed and reflected on common problems with Speaking and teacher responses to
these;
 been introduced to the Speaking Learning Standards in the curriculum framework;
 read about and reflected on Speaking activities for the new curriculum in their own
context;
 used material from the textbook to plan a Speaking lesson for a class they know well;
 reflected on learning and identified action points for future lesson planning.
The importance of self-assessment
Why is self-assessment important?
Various studies have shown that students learn better when they take responsibility for their
own learning and are able to learn independently. Being able to self-assess is a key element
of fostering this independence in pupils.
Self-assessment allows pupils to understand where they are and where they need to go, i.e. it
is a kind of formative assessment. It highlights their strengths and also areas to work on for
future study.
It helps pupils develop an understanding of the learning process – they learn how to learn,
which is an important study skill that extends beyond the English language classroom.
As pupils will need to think about their work and how it can be improved, self-assessment
also encourages pupils to develop critical thinking skills, a key higher-order thinking skill.
Success in a Speaking activity in English class can be assessed using the following criteria:

 Motivation:  I wanted to participate.

 Conceptual: I knew what I wanted to say.
 Language (fluency): I could express myself fluently.
 Language (accuracy): My language was accurate enough to be understood easily.
 Interpersonal: I interacted confidently.
 Personal preference: I enjoyed the activity.
 Task:  I knew what I had to do.