TITLE Compiling Instructors ' Perceptions of Learners' Deficiencies: A Problem-Centered Approach to

An approach to language program adm4nistration attempted to integrate three factors: communicative syllabus use, in-service faculty development, and collective decision-making on techniques for implementing instruction with specific student groups. The approach was devised for a university program of non-credit intensive academic English courses. The students in the program were a heterogeneous group with a wide variety of characteristics and needs, and the syllabus was undeveloped. The procedure involved teachers ' identifying specific student learning problems from classroom behavior, circulating the information to colleagues for comments and instructional strategy suggestions, and discussing the problems in regular meetings. After an initial six-month period, an informal consensus regarding teachers ' perceptions of student problems was reached, and a wide variety of relevant teachin