Summary #2

Content-Based Instruction in Second/Foreign Language Education

by Maria Dueñas

English learners face difficult challenges when asked to perform academic tasks in their less developed language. Content-based ESL instruction, which integrates language instruction with content areas, can meet both the linguistic and academic needs of English learners. Thus content-based ESL instruction offers a more meaningful path to academic language acquisition. Therefore I invite you to learn more about the What’s, Why’s, How’s and the Who’s of Content-Based Instruction in Second/Foreign Language Education.

What is Content-Based Instruction (CBI)?

According to the article, Content-Based Instruction in Second/Foreign Language Education (2004), CBI is defined in a diversity of ways; nevertheless, it said that in a content-based approach, students simultaneously acquire subject matter expertise and greater proficiency in English, the medium of instruction. Additionally, they learn to master skills necessary for academic success.” Raphan & Moser (1994). Also, the term content-based instruction is commonly used to describe approaches to integrating language and content instruction, but it is not always used in the same way. In other words, students are learning content (for example, math, science, social studies, business, etc.) at the same time they are developing their target language skills.

Why is CBI important in a second language education?

The article points out a variety of findings based on CBI, which can be recapitulated as follows:

*Students acquire language while learning about other content areas.
*Content areas are relevant to learners' academic and/or professional needs.
*Language is contextualized through these relevant content areas, and thus, is also relevant to learners' needs.
*Support is provided for learners' linguistic development.
*A focus is placed on developing academic and/or professional language proficiency.
*Authentic materials are used to present content matter.
*The use of authentic materials lends itself to the integration of skills, to increased motivation, and to increased cognitive and linguistic complexity.

How is CBI used or applied in a second language education?

Content-Based Instruction is a teaching method that emphasizes learning about something rather than learning about language. Therefore, some class activities should be to elicit knowledge of content, acquisition of thinking skills, and development of English language abilities. The class activities may be the following:

*Build background knowledge
*Teach new vocabulary
*Awaken learning motivation and interest
*Enhance four modes and critical thinking abilities
*Promote cooperative learning

All of the programs, models, and approaches that integrate language and content share a common phenomenon: students engage in some way with content using a non-native language. The instructional experiences in which students engage may be placed on the continuum below. (Figure 3- www.carla.umn.edu/cobaltt/.../decisions.html)

Who’s: Authors, Experiences and Scopes in the existing literature

The article provides an extensive body of authors and works that reflects the amplitude of the lines of work, trends and interest in CBI. As for example, CBI is also referred to as one of the most representative contributions to contemporary foreign language pedagogy both in the updated editions of seminal books in the field of methodology —Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (Celce-Murcia, 2000), Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (Larsen-Freeman, 2000), and Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (Richards & Rodgers, 2001)—, and in newly published volumes in language methodology such as Methodology in Language Teaching. An Anthology of Current Practice (Richards & Renandya, 2002). Interest in CBI is perceived as well in relevant reference works in applied linguistics, as it is the case of the recently published Oxford Handbook of Applied Linguistics (Kaplan, 2002), which titles one of the only three chapters in the part of ‘The study of second language teaching’ as “Communicative, task-based and content-based instruction” (Wesche & Skehan, 2002).

In conclusion, CBI employs English at a comprehensible level so as to increase students' understanding of the subject matter and build language skills simultaneously. Therefore, teachers must familiarize with the effectiveness and importance of using literature in the content-based foreign language instruction. By applying the collaborative content-based literature teaching technique, students can acquire English abilities, not only to communicate, but also to use as a tool to comprehend the subject matter in school.CBI attempts to motivate and encourage students to learn more about how to express their ideas through language.