Content-Based Instruction

Content-Based Instruction

1. Definition

   • CBI is refered as an umbrella term
     • thus
       • Definitions follow a similar patern
         • Crandall & Tucker, 1990
           • It is an integrated approach based on contents but focused on academic and cognitive skills.
         • Mesureur, 2012
           • It engages students with content, improving language skills.
         • Snow & Wesche, 2003
           • Concurrent teaching of academic and language skills.
         • Butler, 2005
           • It aims to develop students' language skills and content knowledge.
         • Stoller, 2002a
           • It uses content as a vehicle to master language skills.
         • Richards & Rodgers, 2001
           • In CBI teaching is organized around content.
         • Brinton, 2003
           • It is teaching through content exposure relevant to learners.

2. Principles

   • are rooted on
     • Communicative language teaching
       • according to
         • Richards & Rodgers, 2001
           • 1. Using language as a means of acquiring information results in successful learning.
           • 2. CBI better reflects learners' needs for learning an L2
         • Brinton, 2003
           • 1. Base instructional decisions on content rather than language criteria
             • that is
               • Choose and adapt the material
                 • because
                   • CBI allows to choose the content (Brinton, 2003)
           • 2. Integrate skills
             • it involves
               • teaching multiple skills simultaneously
           • 3. Involve students actively in all phases of the learning process
             • because
               • CBI is learner-centered
               • Students play an active role in the classroom
               • Peer correction and input are significant
           • 4. Choose relevant content
             • to students'
               • lives
               • interests
               • academic goals
           • 5. Select authentic texts and tasks
             • that help
               • to talk about the real world
               • to modify its original purpose
               • to promote culture learning
             • based on these text levels (Brown & Menasche)
               • genuine
               • altered
               • adapted
               • simulated
               • inauthentic
             • benefits
               • beginner learners especially

3. Models

   • according to Bula, 2013
     • there are 4
       • Shletered Content Instruction
         • its objective is
           • that learners understand the content
             • so
               • teachers modify the lesson to make students grasp the material
                 • in fact
                   • teachers are content specialist (Richards & Rodgers, 2001)
       • Adjunct Language Instruction
         • there are 2 possible courses
           • that are complementary (Richards & Rodgers, 2001)
             • paired
               • based on specific content
                 • students should understand the subject matter
             • adjuncted
               • based on linguistic features
                 • students should improve language skills
       • Theme-based Language Instruction
         • provides
           • more specific themes and teaching posibilities
             • such as:
               • Videos, audio materials, reading and vocabulary
                 • hence
                   • the syllabus is arranged around themes
                     • In other words
                       • it provies a lot of usefuk input (Brinton, 2003)
       • Sustained-content Language Teaching
         • is similar to theme-based instruction
           • however
             • in SCLT learners work on one topic
               • that is
                 • content is sustained (Brinton, 2003)

4. Background

   • CBI is not new
     • However
       • It became popular in the second half 1980s
         • inspired by
           • Canadian French immersion programs
           • Bilingual education initiatives for immigrant communities
         • especially in
           • Schools and universities
             • To help foreign students adjust in education
         • some contributors were
           • St. Augustine said
             • Getting to know words is possible after grasping their meaning.
           • Bernard Mohan
             • Explored the different ways learning and language could be achieved
           • Cantoni-Harvey and Crandall

5. Disavantages

   • many teachers don't posses sufficient linguistic and academic skills to access content in English
     • so
       • they need appropiate pedagogical knowledge
   • other teachers don't work for language adquisition regarding the subject-matter model
     • thus
       • trained subject matter specialists are needed
   • CBI definitions lack specificity (Brown & Bradford, 2016)
     • as a result
       • it is diffiult to have meaningful discussions of the teaching practices associated with CBI
         • likewise
           • Stryker & Leaver (1997) stated
             • CBI is a "holistic and global approach to foreig language education"

6. Advantages

   • increases learners' motivation, self confidence, proficiency and cultural literacy (Stryker & Leaver, 1997)
   • is useful to develop communicative competences and language skills in real-meaningful contexts (Stryker & Leaver, 1997)
   • provides meaning to everything
   • makes students more confident and autonomous

7. Teachers and CBI

   • future CBI teachers must be
     • focused on professional knowledge
     • broader in academic skills
   • successful CBI teachers have to possess
     • language proficiency
       • to attain students necessary language skills
     • academic skills
       • to comprehend content from diverse fields
     • pedagogical knowledge
       • include areas into pre-service teachers' programs
         • 1. Effective practices
         • 2. Understanding different learners learning methods
         • 3. Become materials developers
         • 4. Designing classroom assesment tha go beyond
         • 5. Posses technological skills to reach new generations
     • content-language interface skills
       • to understand how emerging proficiency impact learning