Relation of cv on the goverment and law

I INTRODUCTION

"The English Syllabus", was written within the principles stated both in our Constitution, The Education Law and in the Educational Policy "Towards the 21st Century" in order to help the students face life and work situations which require an average command of English, with the desire that this preparation will allow them to participate actively into the challenges of the global economy for the benefit of the country.

II. THE PURPOSES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

The large number of individuals who speak English either as their first or as a second or foreign language justifies the fact that Englis is considered a universal language. Likewise, within the scientific, technological and humanistic spheres, English is a fundamental linguistic tool. Written. Consequently, teaching English in our school system responds to basic needs:

1. To offer students a second language which can anable them to communicate within a broader social-economic context in and outside Costa Rica.
2. To give students a tool to directly access scientific, technological and humanistic information and , in this way expand their knowledge of the world.

From the perspective of those two basic needs the educational aims of teaching English are listed as follows:

- develop the ability to communicate for practical purposes;
- frame a sound basis of the language skills, and attitudes required for further study, work and leisure;
- offer insights into the culture and civilization of English speaking countries.;
- develop an awareness of the nature of language and language learning;
- incite enjoyment and intellectual stimulation;
- encourage positive attitudes towards to foreign languages and cultures;
- promote cognitive skills like application analysis, memorization, inferring;
- develop students' understanding of themselves and their own culture.

Along with the required study of the mother tongue, the study of second languages contributes to enrich the school curriculum because of the following reasons:

- it provides a combination of linguistic skills both physical and intellectual with personal and social development;
- it offers better opportunities to develop oral and written communication skills;
- it inculcates valuable study skills such predicting, selecting, comparing, and interpreting information and memorizing, and focussing on general and detailed meaning in listening and speaking;
- it helps develop the learners' awareness of cross-curricular
at the time that builds on the four communication skills.

In addition to the above reasons, the study of a foreign language, by definition, adds a distinctive dimension of its own since:

- it exposes learners to new experiences and enables them to make connections in a way which, otherwise, would not be possible.
- The sounds and intonation patterns of the second language present a challenge to learner's capacity to discriminate and imitate.
- It enhaces the learner´s self confidence of their abilities provoking a sense of self-achievement and discovery which grow along with a gradual proficiency.
- It improves the learners understanding of not only target cultures but also their own.

In sum, learning English as a foreign language will contribute to an integral formation of the learners which will anable them to be able to insert into the coming century in a lively and healthy way.

III. IMPLICATIONS OF THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY IN THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF ENGLISH IN OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

The Educational Policy "Towards the 21st Century" gives the learners the opportunity to express their care for their country, its democratic environment, cultural diversity and deep respect for law, nature and peace. At the same time, the policy encourages Costa Rican people to become positive leaders and critical thinkers through activities promoting a democratic environment, resulting in the reinforcement of values such as self-indentity and authentic growth as independent and interdependent learners.

Some of the basic principles of the Policy can be summarized as follows:

The citizens should be able to develop as persons through seeking for opportunities of self-fulfillment and happiness while contributing to the development of their country.

2. Education should promote the broadening of understanding through challenging teaching classroom situations and opportunities that can arise self-growth and learn how to learn.

3. Education should contribute to narrow down social – economic gaps by providing the individuals with the proper opportunities to intergrate into everyday problem-solving situtations, all this aiming to promote a self-suficient society.
4. Achieving sustainability in production and the economic in general represents a challenge for education. The country needs more qualified people in order to increase productivity and improve the spirit of competitiveness. Furthermore, there is a need to integrate the country more effectively into the global economy.
5. The information or the content the learners handle should be up-to-date and should be relevant to global development in the 21st century.
Education should aim to solidly reinforce values and attitudes. This is a moral imperative.

The underlying principles for our educational approach, humanism, rationalism and constructivism are clearly stated in the Policy.
Every person is considered capable of achieving his/her full potential. This entails interacting harmoniously with her/his surroundings, in three dimensions of human development: The cognitive, socio-affective and psychomotive.
Every person constantly contributes both to the common good and the development of education, and is responsible for improving the quality of human, individual and collective life.
Education ought to be a permanent formative process, which each person has not only a right, but also a duty to exercise.
Achieving quality in education is an integral process through which the results express the initial aims. Through this process learners are offered equality of opportunities to succeed and appropriate educational provision according to their needs, problems and aspirations.

Educational research at national, provincial, regional and institutional levels will ensure more systematic implementation of the policy from everyday classroom practice to administrative decision taking.
The design of the syllabus encourages participative interaction, and its adaptation.
The implementation of educational provision encourages democratic participation, cooperative and self-reliant attitudes.

The process of "mediation" for the construction of learning, and the transference of knowledge is framed, primarily, within an epistemological-constructivist position. The ties with other disciplines allow for deductive as well as for inductive processes.
The evaluation of the learning processes must reflect coherence between the three components. It must also consider both the process and the product.
Evaluation is conceived of as an instrument to monitor learning, and so provides feedback on the educational process. In addition, it enhances the quality of education through its three functions: diagnostic, formative and summative. The methodology proposed centers on the activity of the learner as builder of his/her own learning.
The student, as the main focus of the curriculum, carries out the learning process, is considered to represent an inherited culture, and has the liberty to select his / her own way.
The teacher, is conceived of as facilitator, collaborator and advisor in the student's learning. Therefore, the teacher acquires responsibility for the quality of learning, together with the family and the educational authorities.
In summary, learning English as a foreign language in Costa Rica will allow students to develop communicative competence, to gain knowledge of a new culture, beliefs and attitudes and to understand the messages given and, reflect on them. They also have the opportunity to analyze the real message and intentions of speakers in order to distinguish the negative from the positive and to develop greater and more desirable autonomy.

IV. ENGLISH AS A MEANS OF IMPLEMENTING THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY

English, in common with other subjects in the Costa Rican curriculum, must provide the learner with the opportunity to develop awareness of the urgent need for the balanced development of our environment, our human resources, and also the socio-political and the economy and means of production. This balance is essential to ensure the success of the new era of sustainable development.

The English language syllabus provides the necessary situations to support each one of the areas mentioned above. As far as environment is concerned, it emphasizes the analysis of the cause and effect of the use and misuse of natural resources and the possible solutions, as well as the value of our existing resources and the ecological diversity we possess. It also reinforces the harmonious development of human beings and nature.

Our syllabus pays special attention to those topics related to the basic needs of highly qualified people considering their successful realization in time, society and in the national and international surroundings. An example of this is provided by the topics which conduct research into an exchange information on health; the symptoms and prevention of common and more recent diseases. Likewise, drug abuse is another topic for discussion in the English class.
The syllabus takes into account other relevant areas of a well-rounded education, such as the job market and careers, in terms of active participation in the evolution of society.
Other aspects like the socio-political development of citizens is dealt with explicitly, leading to personal, and collective improvement through themes relating to values such as: gender equality, political liberties, and respect for ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as active involvement in community activities.
In the field of the economy and production, the syllabus provides for the promotion of a productive culture in harmony with the environment, coupled with the efficient use of energy and resources.
In all cases, English can be the means for exposure to and acquisition of valuable and permanent behavior patterns. These patterns, will fulfill his/her own needs, and those of the country.
The present generations should respect sustainable development to guarantee that future generations have the opportunity to satisfy their own needs.

V. ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN THE COSTA RICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

English is conceived of as a linguistic and cultural tool for communication, which allows the learner to complement his/her whole education. His/her knowledge of

English contributes to the social, economical and technological development. It also allows the learner to apply techniques to understand and produce appropriate oral and written messages.
In the end, the learner will apply his/her knowledge of English to accept and adapt him/her self to constant changes confidently.

ENGLISH AS AN OBJECT OF STUDY

The object of study of the English language in our curriculum is written and oral communication, emphasizing the four basic linguistic skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The practice of these skills permits the students to communicate efficiently according to the knowledge acquired.

Through the learning of the language, the learner can compare and apply different registers (formal and informal) and recognize expressions in British, American and other varieties of English.

BASIC STRUCTURES OF THE SUBJECT MATTER

For the purpose of studying the English language, we have divided the subject matter into three components:
1. Formal 2. Functional 3. Cultural

Formal Component

This component has been traditionally called the grammatical component. In this sense, the structures of the language have been graded, selected and chosen according to the different functions of the language and the topics to be studied. Lexics, syntax and morphology are part of this component.

By itself, the formal component is an important part of the language, but it has to be studied as a means to effective communication.

Furthermore, the teaching of grammar should be focused on the practical use of oral and written language for communication.

Functional Component

The functional component refers to the communicative purpose for which we use the language. Language is not only forms; we have to start looking at what people do with those forms. For example, expressing one's opinions asking for someone`s opinion, expressing doubts, etc.

Cultural Component

This component considers understanding of the culture of the country or countries where the language is spoken. Knowing the features of the target culture makes it easier to understand the language itself. Some of the cultural features that should be taken into account are: values, attitudes, behavior, patterns, points of view, ways of thinking, appreciation, etc.

The cultural component should always be present in the other components. Language and culture go together in order to communicate social meanings. This means that the language must be presented in meaningful situations according to the appropriate cultural contexts.

The pertinent use of the three components guarantees the required communicative competence. This competence does not occur by itself. The speaker must acquire linguistic competence simultaneously, starting in early stages. The main objective of the whole process of language learning is to enable the students to use the language for communication.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE MEDIATION OF LEARNING

The Educational Policy "Towards the 21st Century" presents the learner as a human being full of potential with the possibility to develop him/herself in harmony with the three dimensions of human development: cognitive, socio-affective and psycho-motive. Education has to provide this global development in a given context.

The objective of learning is to provide a contribution to social and personal development. Therefore, education is seen as a formative and permanent process. Education is considered as a social process in which human beings meet human experiences. These experiences, contribute to shape the capacities and values that will serve humans to give a contribution to the social welfare.

The Policy establishes an educational process which provides similar opportunities for everybody: the achievement of high standards of education as well as opportunities that take into consideration the participants needs, problems and expectations. Another feature of the Policy is the way it emphasizes the need to provide positive learning conditions.

The Policy also states that learners acquire education to be able to participate as individuals in their own development and the development of society; for that reason, they have to be acquainted with the knowledge that humanity has been accumulating and

systematizing through history. They must learn about its common uses, thoughts and actions in a particular social context. Within this approach "learning" is exploring, experimenting, discovering and reconstructing the learners own knowledge. Learning is described as a comprehensible, dynamic and meaningful process for those who learn. It is guided by the interest shown by the learner towards its acquisition and it is orientated to the acquisition of learning. From this perspective the teacher is the person who organizes and guides the learning situations, taking into account not only the students characteristics (background, learning styles, etc.) but also the curriculum, and the cultural and natural context).

In the teaching of English, as mentioned earlier the written and oral aspects of the language are the objects of study. Emphasis is given to the four basic linguistic abilities: listening and reading comprehension, oral and written production. An equal amount of classroom time should be devoted to the development of each of the four linguistic skills. In this sense, any learning activity in the development of a topic (should take into consideration the integration of these skills). In addition the teacher should design different teaching procedures to approach a topic. This can be done by emphasizing, for example, listening, then reading, speaking and writing, or by altering the steps any time the educator deals with a classroom procedure. The basic idea is to create a highly motivating atmosphere to encourage learning.

Whenever the teacher is developing an objective, he/she should know about the topic itself and the different ways he/she will be introducing the development of the skills listed above.

To help teachers with a general view of the subskills to be developed, we are including a summary of the most relevant aspects of each main skill:

Listening

Listening is one of the most important skills that has to be developed in early stages of language learning. Through listening the students should be prepared to cope with:
a. understanding speech in different settings (background noise, distance or unclear sound reproductions)
b. becoming acquainted with speech containing false starts hesitations, etc. (everyday speech)
c. understanding speakers who vary in tempo, speech, clarity of articulation and accent, non-native speakers of the language as well.

Listening, understanding and responding in an appropriate way is an essential part of communication and, therefore, regular practice of aural comprehension is a vital part of the teaching program although listening is fully practiced in our classes, there are specific listening activities that should be included in the syllabus, such as:

1. Distinguishing between sounds, stress and intonation patterns.
2. Answering quick questions.
3. Understanding comprehension passages.
4. Listening to broadcasts.
5. Listening to lectures.
6. Taking dictation.

Teachers should expose the learner to a considerable amount of meaningful language input through listening to: conversations, descriptions, directions, discussions, drama, films, songs, sports, reports, advertisements and any other form of authentic spoken language.

The teacher should encourage in the learners the development of the following strategies:

1. Thinking about the purpose of listening.
2. Thinking ahead about what learners already know and keep predicting what the speaker will say next.
3. Focus on what they do, understand and use to help them work out what they don't understand.

When developing listening comprehension, the activities should:
1. Meet the students' interests and needs.
2. Be designed according to the student's performance level.
3. Provide practice in distinguishing between sounds, stress, intonation patterns, to understand sentences, short texts, etc.
4. Provide the students with practice in listening techniques.
5. State the purpose of the task clearly.
6. Make use of background knowledge.
7. Follow an organized procedure.
8. Provide the learners with the necessary steps in the development of the activity.
9. Engage the learners in a variety of situations which provide practice, going from memorization to evaluation.
10. Follow the objectives.
11. Be graded.
12. Integrate other language skills.

Speaking

The development of the skills of speaking is the ultimate goal for students learning English. It is also a "wish" of every Costa Rican; parent, politician and in our society.

However, the development of the skill has to be carried out in conjunction with the development of the other skills. In particular, speaking and listening are complementary to each other in the act of communication. For that reason, both should be practiced in close relation to each other.

The teacher should provide a variety of opportunities for the students, in order to bring about the necessary models or language input.

Through speech, learners acquire the fundamentals of language pertinent to carry out specific interaction where they have to exercise the use of some functions, through the appropriate language structures, cultural appropriateness and acceptable language input.

To promote the development of this skill, it is necessary that students be aware of the following principles:

1. Oral speech is acquired through listening and through constant practice.
2. Speech delivery, rhythm, intonation and pronunciation are learned by listening to appropriate language models (tapes, native speakers, teachers and other English speakers).
3. Learning to speak English means knowing what to talk about. Introducing knowledge of the world and up-to-date topics are essential.
4. Learning to speak English means saying the appropriate words for a situation at the right time for a specific purpose.
5. For the students to speak English it is essential that English is spoken in class and in any other situation when it is required.
6. Since learning to speak means speaking to others, interactive practice must be set up in pairs, groups and with teachers and visitors.
7. The language tasks designed must be authentic and the same ones that native speakers of the language use to communicate with others.
8. The integration of skills is vital when speaking. e.g. giving an oral explanation of information presented in a chart or diagram.

Reading

Reading, although often regarded as a passive receptive skill is, in fact, an active skill which involves guessing, predicting, and asking questions. These should therefore be considered when designing reading comprehension exercises. It is, for instance, possible to develop the students' powers of inference through systematic practice, or introduce questions which encourage students to anticipate the content of a text from its title and illustrations or the end of a story from the preceding paragraphs. In brief, students should be encouraged to transfer the advanced skills they have when reading Spanish to the reading of English.

Students learning English expect to be able to read the language sooner or later. Their personal expectations may vary from wanting to read the lyrics of popular songs to newspaper ads to magazines or even classical literature. Teachers should, therefore offer a variety of texts and also remember that students in the same class may read at very different levels of difficulty in English, just as they do in their native language.

Reading activities should focus on normal reasons for reading. People normally read because:

1. They want information for some purpose or because they are curious about the topic;
2. They need instructions in order to perform some tasks for their work or for their daily life. For instance, they want to know how an appliance works; they are interested in a new recipe; they have forms to fill in, etc.
3. They want to play a new game, do a puzzle or carry out some activity which is pleasant and amusing.
4. They want to keep in touch with friends by correspondence.
5. They want to know when or where something will take place (timetables, program menus, etc.).
6. They want to know what is happening or has happened (they read newspapers, magazines, etc.).

Activities for developing reading skills should make use of these natural needs and interests preferably by supplying something which is interesting, amusing, exciting, useful or leads to a pleasant or beneficial activity.
Any reading activity should be :

1. interesting to the students.
2. chosen according to the students' interests, age and needs.
3. authentic . Its purpose must be the same as for native speakers.
4. leading to a purpose ( information, details, global meaning).
5. graded according to the students level of proficiency.
6. able to help the students build on information already acquired in their own language by complementing it with information learned in English.
7. not too culturally bound.
8. integrated with the other language skills. For example:

- Reading and writing e.g. summarizing, mentioning what you have read in a letter, note-taking, etc.
- Reading and listening e.g. reading the lyrics while listening to a song recorded information to solve a written problem, matching opinions and texts, etc.
Reading and speaking e.g. discussions, debates, etc

9. flexible and varied.
10. meaningful and related directly to the text.

Teachers should be aware of the students' reading interests in order to design the appropriate reading comprehension exercises. It is important to emphasize here that students must become effective readers. These reading exercises must be designed to develop the following reading skills.

- Skimming: a quick running of the eyes over a text to get the gist or global meaning of it.
- Scanning: quick overview of a text to find specific information.
- Extensive reading: reading longer texts for own pleasure. (involves global understanding).
- Intensive reading: reading shorter texts to extract specific information (reading for detail).

Writing

Writing is a skill which emphasizes the formal expression of thoughts through written language or graphic symbols.
The teacher should facilitate the writing process by providing the necessary guidance for the learner to be able to express her/his knowledge of the topic.
It is also necessary to define the type of written production the students will perform.
Any written practice should:

1. be related to the topic being studied.
2. follow the objectives.
3. be creative.
4. take account of the students' cognitive knowledge and skills.
5. be graded from simple sentence descriptions to more complex products.
6. include the use of appropriate language, style, punctuation and other characteristics.
7. involve the teacher and students in the development and production of writing.
8. use a collaborative approach in which teachers create together and give each other feedback through the process.
9. use real-life tasks for students, write authentic texts notes and letters.
10. integrate the other skills before, while or after the writing task is performed.
11. motivate the students to express their feelings, emotions and points of view in a written form.

To promote the development of written skills teachers can design a series of activities enabling students: to write notes and shopping lists, keep records, send messages, write letters to friends, keep diaries, complete reports and write poetry or fiction. All of these authentic tasks should be guided by following principles in which the writer :

1. attempts to communicate something.
2. has a goal or purpose in mind.
3. has to establish and maintain contact with the reader.
4. has to organize the material by using certain logical and grammatical devices.

Besides these general principles, teachers should pay attention to the rhetorical devices, logical, grammatical and lexical: appropriate to different types of texts, spelling, punctuation and other organizational features.

Writing just like listening, has to be taught by practicing different techniques and types of writing . It should be preceded by exposure to a wide range of models of written language. It is also important to show the students how the written language functions as a system of communication. The learner also needs to know how to organize sentences into a coherent text; write different kinds of texts; or select the appropriate style, formal or informal, according to the task, subject matter and target audience. However, most of all, tasks must be as realistic as possible.
Whenever a teacher is ready to introduce an activity focusing on one of the four basic skills described above, he/she should take into account five steps:

a. Preparation b. Demonstration c. Time to introduce the skill
d. Correction e. Follow-up

In order to follow these steps, the teacher should provide : "Pre-activities" to help the students think about what they already know and find a reason for listening, speaking, reading or writing; "While-activities" to exploit oral or written speech. These exercise different skills to carry out the task assigned and "Post-activities" to link the new information and skills with the students own experience and other skills.

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

The Communicative approach provides the basis for the methodology used in the English classroom. Its main features are:

1. It creates an stress-free atmosphere conducive to learning a language with plenty of opportunities to communicate.
2. It provides ample opportunities for interaction promoting a pleasant, warm and enjoyable environment which features positive feedback for the learner from both the teacher and peers.
3. The learners' needs and interests are taken into account making them as the center of the learning process.
4. The methodology used is participative, dynamic and offers the opportunity for real use of the language.
5. The teacher guides the learning process but shares the responsibility with the learners. They use critical thinking to solve problems, work in groups, take risks, discuss different topics, and appreciate and reinforce their own as well as English speaking cultures. All these aspects take place in real-life situations.
6. The teacher and students make decisions together. By doing this, the learner gets completely involved in the language-learning process and becomes responsible for it.
7. The objectives of the syllabus develop the communicative functions of the language elements.


The following chart provides a better idea of some of the characteristics of the different components of the communicative approach.