Reflection Paper 3: Ivonne Alexandra Londoo Leudo 2013

THE SPIRAL LEARNER CENTERED CURRICULUM IN ESL: The antidote to the well-
intentioned short term memory in students
Throughout the history of curriculum development in Colombia it has been noticed that the
starting point of this particular design is based on content as well as the National standards; though, the
selection of the themes is a complex task given to the teacher which entails a profound study of learners
and contexts needs. In spite of this enormous effort, the outcomes in Colombian students when they
finished the school year follow the same pattern: The lack of understanding of several themes or topics the
English teacher has been teaching every period and at the same time the absence of coherence among the
contents given in the syllabus. The spiral learner centered curriculum could be a solution to the well-
intentioned short term memory of Colombian secondary students which is the common excuse for
supporting their laziness and unwillingness in the classes.
The definition of short term memory has been related to the ability to save in mind a small
quantity of information and it will be available just for a short time span (Becker and Morris, 1999).
However, the concept of contemplated short term memory comes to my mind as students competency
to attain knowledge depending their interests, mood, learning styles, multiple intelligences (Gardner,
1983), competences and specific instruction. In other words, the ESL Colombian syllabus design must
have an unceasing improvement and also underpinning with the objective of letting students acquire
practical knowledge as a long term process.
Actually, the act of planning content in ESL curriculum is crucial in attempting to solve those
common problems in Colombian students. According to Rowntree (1981) the topics specification with
intuitive approaches underlies processes of consultation and negotiation including learners goals with a
unique purpose which is communication in a second language. Therefore, the well-designed objectives
are the most important when developing an ESL learner centered curriculum where the performance aims
Reflection Paper 3: Ivonne Alexandra Londoo Leudo 2013

have primordial place in order to demonstrate the students outstanding role into the new educational
improvements.
For this reason, the ESL curriculum innovations comprehend series of steps being the summit the
study of learners needs and abilities using data collection techniques which will help the content
selection. The following stages will provide the framework to work deeply this mission (Nunan, 1994):
1. Extract the learners information (Communicative Goals).
2. Specify communicative tasks to facilitate the learners performance (Real world connection).
3. Contextualize the tasks (Making decisions about content).
4. Decide on the linguistic elements (Operationalize skills).
The effective application of the previous plan encompasses a broaden understanding of students
demand being especially reflected in ESL acquisition and learning results.
Nevertheless, the students-based educational goals are not sufficient to remedy the students
difficulties in knowledge retention and ESL performance. At the same time, we cannot leave aside the
famous meaningful learning with their beliefs of knowledge construction nor reproduction, the values
such as foundation of every classroom activity, finding as a consequence the students ownership of their
learning.
That is why, the spiral curriculum (Bruner, 1960) comes suchlike a
scaffolding process where every topic must be revisited more than once
during the school year from simple to complex; in other words, Colombian
teachers should work topics increasing the intricacy in order to facilitate the
association using for instance, recycling activities with the following
characteristics: Creating lots of language interaction, reading aloud
sessions, using open questions and answers, modeling words, retelling
Reflection Paper 3: Ivonne Alexandra Londoo Leudo 2013

stories and discussing word meanings. This language exposure is a frame for augmenting students
retention and acquisition of a foreign language.
Furthermore, another assumption that will support our students learning by heart and with
awareness is the transference of skills (Nunan, 1988) stating that occur a joining between classroom
contexts and real world situations, facilitating students practice of foreign languages just for one relevant
reason; what the students are learning is what they negotiate with the teacher and what they really want.
Clearly, the teacher is a powerful source in the procedure of making significant tasks but at the same time
designing those exchanged themes with a communicative purpose together with the collaborative work
which is the motivated agent to promote meaning negotiation.
In conclusion, the well-intentioned short term memory has lots of implications (Lack of interest,
boredom, repetitive process, not syllabus advancements) in the acquisition and learning of English as well
as in students grades and teaching situations. Nonetheless, the appropriate teachers intervention in the
curriculum (Planning, Needs analysis, content selection) using the spiral principle (Bruner, 1960) will
benefit the students remembrance thanks to the continuous reinforcement of topics besides the discussed
instruction that gradually become more complicated activating the desired long term memory.
In the same way, the learner centered curriculum with clear ESL communicative purposes
encourages the student to learn and to be considered as the core of the educational process.
Finally, the Colombian teachers duty in the ESL curriculum is to find the medicine to the
famous problem of having a short term memory which is mentioned in this quote:
We cannot change our memories, but we can change their meaning and the power they have over
us (David Seamans)

Reflection Paper 3: Ivonne Alexandra Londoo Leudo 2013

REFERENCES
Becker, J. T., Morris, R. G. (1999). Working Memory. Brain and Cognition 41: 18.
Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gardner, H. (1983) Frames of Mind, The theory of multiple intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Nunan, D. (1988). Syllabus design. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Nunan, D. (1994). The Learner-centred curriculum. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Rowntree, D. (1981). Developing Courses for Students. London: McGRaw Hill (UK).