A Study of Generative Instructional Design for Senior High School English Large-Unit Teaching Based on the Process Model under the New Curriculum Standards

Abstract

 The General Senior High School English Curriculum Standards (2017 Edition, Revised in 2025) emphasize an orientation toward subject-specific core competencies and advocate large-unit teaching organized around thematic contexts. However, current large-unit English teaching in senior high schools is commonly constrained by Tyler’s “Objectives Model.” Its excessive pursuit of predetermined behavioral objectives and formulaic language output makes the teaching process inflexible and overlooks both the dynamic, generative nature of language acquisition and the deeper development of students’ thinking capacity. This paper introduces Stenhouse’s “Process Model” and examines its distinctive value for large-unit English teaching in senior high schools. By reconceptualizing the objectives, content, activities, assessment, and teacher’s role in large-unit teaching, it seeks to move beyond the traditional procedural and linear model of instruction. In doing so, it offers a new theoretical perspective and practical pathway for implementing the activity-based approach to English learning and effectively cultivating students’ core competencies.