Curriculum development is a key tool for language teachers when teaching their subject since teaching a foreign language is a complex process that requires careful planning and organization to ensure students’ success. This curriculum is a guide containing the learning objectives, contents, methodologies, evaluations and activities to be carried out throughout the course.
In an increasingly globalized world, it is essential that language classes focus on developing communication skills that enable students to relate effectively in all kinds of international contexts. This requires the development of innovative teaching plans in terms of methodology and content planned in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
The importance of the curriculum in language teaching
It is important to stress the importance of a well-structured curriculum when teaching languages, especially when training in secondary schools.
Firstly, a well-designed and well-organized curriculum gives teachers an overview of the objectives to be achieved and the pedagogical strategies to be employed to achieve them in each of the courses. This can be done based on group knowledge and academic requirements for each level. In this way, content priorities can be established, methodologies can be adapted to students’ characteristics, and thus quality education can be offered to all.
Secondly, a well-structured teaching curriculum allows teachers to have clear guidance for the development of class sessions. The plan must include an adequate distribution of the contents and logical sequencing of the teaching units. This helps students’ learning progression to be adequate and avoids unnecessary gaps or repetitions.
In this regard, having in the classroom an educational platform specialized in language learning such as Dexway assists teachers in developing a curriculum. Therefore, the platform helps organize the course in an agile and concrete way to meet students’ needs and make the best decisions for the subject.
The teaching platform as a tool for curriculum development
Digital technologies are currently transforming the way in which classes are given and curricula are developed. The LMS Dexway In-Person offers tools for face-to-face language teaching, and among other functionalities, allows teachers to develop a curriculum and organize all teaching units based on the class’s needs and its didactic decisions.
The development of a language curriculum is a crucial process for any teacher who wants to provide quality education. A well-structured curriculum allows the teacher to plan lessons efficiently, ensuring that students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to pass the course. It can also serve as a useful tool for evaluating student progress and adjusting the curriculum accordingly.
The Dexway language education platform enables teachers to develop teaching curriculums more effectively and efficiently. Let’s examine some of its solutions that have to do with the development and organization of the curriculum:
Customization of the curriculum
By using the language LMS, teachers can add, remove and reorder the content they want at any time, which allows them to customize the curriculum for the specific needs of each group and modify it according to the students’ learning pace.
Content scheduling
In addition, the Dexway teaching platform also allows you to schedule content, which means teachers can specify when a unit opens and closes. That is, you can set the time devoted to each teaching unit and plan activities according to the deadlines. In this way, students work is planned efficiently and prevents the accumulation of tasks and jams in the learning process. This feature is especially useful for courses that have a limited duration, as is the case in formal education since it allows them to plan the available time more effectively.
Also, when evaluating students, the teacher can set specific dates for tests or other assessment methods after the stipulated time has elapsed.
Teaching material in multiple formats
Dexway offers the contents of the syllabus in a wide variety of formats. Teaching resources include videos, audios, interactive activities, forums, conversation groups, individual and group exercises, and interactive and gamification-based activities.
Choosing the right moment for each activity
Another advantage of our platform is that it allows the teaching team to mark which lessons are going to be seen in class, which ones are going to be worked on in a review mode at home, and which are homework. For example, they can use a digital whiteboard or a projector to show lessons in the classroom, allowing them to teach certain subjects exclusively in person.
On the other hand, review activities at home or those marked by each teacher as homework, which can be gamified, written, oral or interactive exercises, allow students to review the material at their own time and at their own pace, which helps retain information more effectively.
Choice of methodology
Another key aspect in the development of the curriculum is the choice of language learning methodology.
In this respect, our LMS offers the Dexway method, the result of research by our team of experts in teaching and educational language technology, designed for students to develop all their language skills.
As we have seen, educational platforms have become essential tools for teachers to adapt their teaching to the times we live in.
It is important that secondary school teaching staff choose a powerful and versatile educational tool, inside and outside the classroom, that allows them to design the curriculum of a subject in a detailed and efficient way.
If you are thinking of implementing a specialized educational platform in the language department of your school, trust our team of professionals. We can advise you on the best solutions for your educational project.
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