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Syllabus designDesigning a syllabus is a useful tool for any student as well as for any teacher. The syllabus will help students and teachers with their medium term goals, by guiding the progress of both throughout a semester or a full year. A teacher usually will have a set syllabus that is standard for the entire school, or will prepare his/her own before the course starts, in order to understand what the students need to learn to be at a certain level by the end of the term. On the first day of class, it is a good idea for the teacher to go over the syllabus with his/her students so that everybody is on board with what is expected from both. By its very nature, a well designed syllabus should clearly define the objectives of the course, as well as show every step that the class will take to achieve these objectives. The steps will include specific grammar or unit contents, in order to be as precise as possible. This guide will help students understand where they stand in the course at any given time, and especially where they can be expected to be by the end of the term. The nature of the syllabus makes it a very important tool for both teacher and student. It is important for the teacher to know the levels of his/her students at the beginning of the class in order for the objectives to be appropriate in difficulty level. This can be done through an assessment test or by finding background information on the group of students, either through prior teachers or prior transcripts. Since there are many levels of classroom and many different kinds of teaching that can be appropriate for a set of students, the syllabus should be a work in progress, especially if the teacher is, as is my case, a young teacher with little experience. The first syllabus I design will change over time, depending on how closely my expectations are to real situations, meaning that a certain amount of time dedicated to a certain subject may not be appropriate, or any other unforeseeable classroom dynamic will occur which I will have to react to. By keeping flexible with the course content, it will make it easier for me to grow as a teacher, and to keep learning. It will also allow me to keep an open mind with working with different students, especially if the classroom is diverse in background; a class of Asian students will not have the same needs as a class of Latin rooted students (Italian, French, ...) Having a well prepared syllabus can be very advantageous for teachers as it is the best tool to monitor the progress of the classroom. It can also be useful to show other interested parties, such as parents and other teachers, the progress of the students, in order for everyone to understand the usefulness of the course. Syllabi also are advantageous to students since it gives them the opportunity to be aware of their own progress, be aware of what is expected of them on a daily basis, and keep up with the work, in the event they were to miss a lesson. Having set goals is a great way for students to work hard in order to achieve those goals. On top of being a guide, a syllabus is also a tool for students to know what is expected of them for every class. A well prepared syllabus holds valuable information not previously mentioned. students will be aware of what behavior is appropriate (classroom behavior), daily homework and readings, as well as a schedule for important dates, including quizzes and tests, assignments as well as any other deadlines that will occur throughout the term.
