Methodology 5: Curriculum Design

OAEN-H2METH5-14
Irene de Kleyn
Theoretical justification to lesson series
Part II Food Festival Activities
(lessons 5, 6, 7 and 8 from Catering 4 the Future)
by Loes Brekhof (student number 1651769)
17 April 2016 (716 words)

Backward design for content and language integrated learning

Talking to my students and finding out what they like and dont like about their language courses proved
to be most insightful and inspirational for the backward design of our curriculum. More practical and
collaborative assignments along with language games and interesting topics are common items on my
students wishlists. The main idea - the food festival theme - behind our curriculum aims to look after
those wishes.
The basic set up of the curriculum has one end goal in mind: organising a food festival. This topic was
chosen with a view to teaching organisational and event management skills through English as a foreign
language. In other words, our curriculum is based on the CLIL methodology: content and language
integrated learning (British Council, 2016).
Following the three stages of backward design (Wiggins and McTighe, 1998) the content oriented lesson
goals are directly related to the end goal of organising a food festival. These organisational and event
management skills are derived from the official Dutch vmbo exam programmes including Dienstverlening
& Product and Zorg & Welzijn (Stichting Platforms VMBO, 2016). With regard to language skills all of
the individual lesson goals are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages
(Council of Europe, 2001), matching the target level of A2 for year 3 vmbo basis and kader students.

Project based learning through an authentic online learning environment

The project of organising a food festival places students at the center of their learning process, as their
project work is central to fulfilling each task and requires them to tap into a variety of skills (cf. Introduction
to project based learning, n.d.). The responsibility of organising a food festival creates an authentic drive
for the students to be actively engaged throughout the entire learning process.
The online learning environment challenges the students to further develop their ICT skills, for example
by creating an infographic (lesson 5), making a banner (lesson 6), using an online mindmap (lesson 7)
and making a video (lesson 8). These tasks draw on the use of authentic materials and are often aimed
to promote collaborative group work, such as working in pairs (lesson 8), giving feed back (lesson 6) and
brainstorming (lesson 7).
A clear structure for each lesson with Westhoffs Penta Pie
The lesson menu (an appetiser, a starter, a main course and a dessert) provides a clear and logical
structure for each individual lesson. This set up incorporates the five aspects of Westhoffs penta pie in
every lesson: input, processing form, processing content, output and the use of various strategies
(Westhoff, 2008).
With a view to the CLIL approach, the input of each lesson is focused both on the content of the particular
festival goals and on the form of the English language goals. The subsequent assignments allow students
to process the input on form and content. In lesson 5 for example, the Zaption video lets students practice
using the imperative and the true/false questions help students process the message of the online article
Event planning for Dummies. The final output (such as the speaking activity in lesson 8) taps into the
cycle of task-based learning, with authentic problems for students to solve through using the target

language for a communicative purpose (cf. TBL methodology, n.d.). Throughout each lesson various
strategies are presented to students, including activating prior knowledge through examples (lesson 5)
and channeling predictive skills through questions (lesson 7).

Multiple intelligences theory

Following Gardners theory of multiple intelligences (1987) this lesson series draws on a wider set of
talents. For a large part the entire curriculum is directed at students linguistic intelligence, as the students
are learning through reading, listening, speaking and writing (1987, p. 27). To complete these tasks
students also learn visually and are often asked to organise their ideas spatially, for example by making
a PiktoChart (lesson 5) or creating a mindmap with Mindly App (lesson 7), which tests their visual-spatial
intelligence (1987, p. 28). Various assignments also challenge interpersonal intelligence (1987, p. 29)
such as making a video together (lesson 8), which targets the students ability to work practically with one
another. The students will also need to understand what motivates their classmates, for example when
deciding over a topic for their teams festival stand (lesson 7).

With all of these different elements mixed into our curriculum, I hope that we will enthrall our students to
master new skills and enjoy themselves over the course of our lessons and that we are a step closer to
diversifying and energising our educational approach (following sir Ken Robinsons revolution in
education (2010)).

Bibliography
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Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for languages: learning,
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http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/cadre1_en.asp

Gardner, H. (1987). The theory of multiple intelligences. Annals of Dyslexia, 37(1), 19-35.

Introduction to project based learning (n.d.). Last retrieved on April 17, 2016, from:
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Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Last retrieved on April 17, 2016, from:
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