Content Based Instruction (CBI)

Content Based Instruction (CBI)

1. What is it?

   • There have been multiple authors who have tried to define it
     • As a way of example
       • Briton, 2003, p. 201 as stated in Olmedo, 2014, p.72 defines CBI as “the teaching of language through exposure to content that is interesting and relevant to learners”.
       • On the other hand, Richards and Rodgers, 2001, p. 204 as quoted in Olmedo, 2014, p. 72, defines it as: "an approach to second language teaching in which teaching is organized around the content or information that students will acquire
         • Even though the differences I consider it is:
           • An approach in which content and resources are used as a "vehicle" (Brown & Bradford, 2017, p. 329) to help students improve and master their academic language skills as well as expand their understanding of the world (Horn, 2011).
             • Now, some of the basic principles of CBI approach are:
               • The instructor determines the pedagogical decisions on material selection and sequencing (Olmedo, 2014; Horn, 2011).
               • It integrates skills so teachers can work on multiple skills rather than one in specific (Olmedio, 2014)
               • It is student-centered which facilitates that the student is involved constantly in the class (Olmedo, 2014).
                 • That said, there are different models of CBI in accordance with Olmedo (2014):
                   • 1. Theme-based language instruction
                     • This model seeks to organize the syllabus and materials around different themes or topics.
                   • 2. Sheltered-content instruction
                     • In this model students need to keep mastering their language skills for them to understand the content so the teacher has to modify the lesson in terms of vocabulary, pace, speed, among other factors.
                       • Even though the aforementioned, CBI has some disadvantages
                         • 1. Teachers should not focus only on teaching certain "Englishes" (usually British or American accents).
                           • On the contrary, "To be ready to take part in an interconnected globalized world, learners will need to develop skills to comprehend a range of different world Englishes" (Horn, 2011, p. 4).
                         • 2. Even though there are multiple definitions of CBI that try to make this concept of something inclusive, they lack specificity.
                           • That lack of specificity in the term makes it "difficult for teachers and policy makers to understand the purposes and effectiveness of CBI” (Butler, 2005, p. 230 as stated in Brown & Bradford, 2017, p. 331).
                             • Therefore,
                               • "A narrower, more specific definition that distinguishes CBI from CLIL and EMI is needed" (Brown and Bradford, 2017, p. 331).
                                 • References
                                   • * Lightbown, P (2014). Content-Based Language Teaching (3 of 3). Oxford University Press ELT. * Olmedo. (2014). Content-Based Instruction: A Relevant Approach of Language Teaching. Innovaciones educativas. 15. 71. 10.22458/ie.v15i20.515. * Horn, B. (2011). The Future Is Now: Preparing a New Generation of CBI Teachers. English teaching forum, (3), 1-9. * Brown, H., & Bradford, A. (2017). EMI, CLIL, & CBI: Differing approaches and goals. In P. Clements, A. Krause, & H. Brown (Eds.), Transformation in language education. Tokyo: JALT.
                   • 3. Adjunct-language instruction
                     • For this model students need to take 2 complementary courses: one focused on linguistic features and the other focused on specific content and subject matter.
                   • 4. Sustained-content language teaching
                     • This is the most recent model which is very similar to theme-based instruction but the difference lies in which this model only focuses on one specific topic.
               • Content is chosen based on students' interests, lives, and academic goals (Olmedo, 2014)
               • It requires authentic materials and tasks to have an approach to the target culture (Olmedo, 2014) and increase contextualization for language learning (Horn, 2011)
             • That has been historically used, and in accordance with Horn (2011)
               • This approach has been employed in the modern era at least since the 1960s "when Canadian language educators began teaching academic content in French to English mother-tongue children" (p.2).
       • Lightbown (2014) considers that in CBI "both content and language must be in focus in every lesson" (1m 31s).

2. By Hugo Alejandro Vargas Rodríguez