ENSEÑANZA DE INGLÉS DE ESPECIALIDAD

DEFINING THE CONTEXT

Context, refers to the conditions and/or circumstances that form the setting for an event. The
‘givens’ of one’s context are the resources and constraints that guide our decisions. Knowing how
long s course is, it’s purpose, who the students are, and how it fits in with othe aspects of the
curriculum helps us to make decisions about content, objectives and so on.

Factors to consider in defining the context.

Activity 1. Complete the informatoin in the following chart according to the information of the
course you work with.

People
Physical setting
Nature of the course
Teaching resources
Time
CONCEPTUALIZING CONTENT
The process of conceptualizing content is a multifaceted one which involves:

 Thinking about what you wantt your students to learn in the course, given who they are,
tehir needs, and the purpose of the course;
 Making decisions about what to include and emphasized and what to drop;
 Organizing the content in a way that will help you to see the relationship among various
elements so that you can make decisions about objectives, materials, sequence and
evaluation.

The product of conceptualizing content is a kind of syllabus in that it delineates what you will
teach. The form it takes –mind map, grid, list, flow-chart how detailed it is, one that someone
else can interpret and use- is up to you.

Conceptualizing content involves answering the following questions:

 What do I want my students to learn in this course, given who they are, their needs, and
the purpose of the course?
 What are my optins as to what they can learn?
 What are the resources and constraints of my course that can help me narrow my options?
 What are the relationships among the options I have selected?
 How can I organize these options into a working plan or syllabus?

Example of a mind map.

Activity 2. Answer the questions that guide conceptualizing content and represent your result in a
form of a mind map.