Topic of Today’s Brown Bag

CBIContent-Based

Instruction

Elisabeth L. ChanPart I: Theory

A TICE Brown Bag – March 10, 2011

The International Center for EnglishArkansas State University

CBIConnect Build Integrate

Kamel: a case study

350 on the TOEFL; Master's degree in Business Administration

Speaks fairly well, but writing skills are very weak; trouble expressing ideas grammatically

Must pass the college writing skills assessment test within 2 years

Kasper (2000)

Content-Based Instruction for Us

English language instruction through the use of mainstream course content

CONTENTLANGUAGE

SKILLS

Coming Up

Expanded explanation of CBI Theoretical background

SLA, Cognitive & Educational Psychology How CBI differs from a traditional

ESL class Strengths and weaknesses

What is CBI?

Uses authentic tasks and materials

Emphasizes accommodation to language learners' needs

Increased redundancy and exemplification Use of advanced/graphic organizers Frequent comprehension checks Frequent, straightforward assignments

and assessment procedures(Master, 2000)

Why balance instruction of content and linguistic skills?

Language skills are most effectively developed when taught in the context of acquiring information

(Blakely, 1997; Brinton, Snow, & Wesche, 1989;

Kamhi-Stein, 1997; Larsen-Freeman, 1997;

Master, chap. 5, this volume, May-Landy, 1998;

Zuengler & Brinton, 1997).

SLA Theoretical Foundations for CBIComprehensible Input

CBI provides context with meaningful, comprehensible input; acquire language and knowledge

Comprehensible Output Hypothesis Explicit focus on productive skills and on

relevant and contextually appropriate language forms

BICS / CALP CALP needs task-based, experiential

learning from complex interdisciplinary content (Kasper, 2000; Stoller & Grabe, 1997)

Conversational vs AcademicCummins

BICS – basic interpersonalcommunicative skills ▪ 2-3 years

CALP – cognitive academiclanguage proficiency ▪ 5-7 years

Cummins’ Quadrants Context embedded? Cognitively demanding?

Cummins’ Quadrants COGNITIVELYUNDEMANDING

CONTEXT CONTEXTEMBEDDED REDUCED

COGNITIVELYDEMANDING

Vygotskian Theories

Private Speech CBI provides the chance to sort input and

practice rehearsing strategies Student appropriation of learning tasks

Learn from teachers and peers, appropriating strategies and content in ongoing learning cycles

Negotiation in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) CBI provides the opportunity to negotiate the

knowledge AND extend it at increasing levels of difficulty

Scaff olding

Bruner (1976) + Vygotsky (1960/1978) zone of proximal development

“more knowledgeable other” Recruit learner interest Simplify the task Highlight relevant features Maintain motivation Control learner frustration Modeling

Contingent scaffolding, collective scaffolding, teacher-as-learner effect

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_09/i_09_p/i_09_p_dev/i_09_p_dev.html

Negotiation of Meaning

Dialogic learning Miscommunications arise Address and resolve/modify language “more knowledgeable” + learner =

create and negotiate meaning Results in

Comprehensible input Comprehensible output Feedback in natural interactions Greater awareness of language and

further development of languageproficiencies

Cognitive Learning Theory

Cognitive Stage Rough mental representation

Associative Stage Stronger representation, but relies on rules and needs outside support

Autonomous Stage Automatic and autonomous

(Anderson, 1983, 1985)

Schema // Cognitive Map

?

•Instruction in the use of various learning styles

•Scaffolding•Extensive practice•Extensive feedback

Graphic Organizer

ACADEMIC

SCHOOLSTUDY

HARD

Fun Fact

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/academic_1

Fun Fact

http://astate.aquabrowser.com/?q=academic

Further Educational & Cognitive Psychology Examples

Depth of Processing Research Deeper

informational processing results in better learning

More elaborated Connections

between ideas Spaced retrieval

Discourse Comprehension Processing Research Materials organized

thematically are easier to remember

More connections of related information

Verbal and visual together increase memory and recall

Instructional Approaches & CBI Cooperative Learning (Slavin, 1995)

Huge gains with group work that has structured objectives, goals and rewards, individualized accountability, and equal opportunities for success for each group member

Metacognitive/Learning Strategy When strategy awareness and development

constitute a daily component of all learning activities, language learning increases

Extensive Reading (Elley, 1991; Krashen, 1993) Using a wide range of topics over a long period of

time, reading, writing, vocabulary, speaking, listening, and content knowledge all increase

Kamel: a case study (cont.) 4 Skills-based program:

grammatical exercises to help him practice verb tenses or subject-verb agreement

read one- to two-page passages and answer comprehension questions

attend a language laboratory; listen to tapes and practice the sounds of English

Kasper (2000)

Content-based program: achieve fluency and

master the vocabulary of academic discourse

use English to acquire interdisciplinary information

analyze and associate new information with previously learned information

articulate knowledge through various modes of written expression

4-skills vs. Academic CBI

Gives each language learning activity meaning, as it reflects university courses, as opposed to isolated or artificial exercises

Teaches useful academic language embedded in relevant discourse contexts

Challenges students to use the content knowledge and expertise they already have

Can increase intrinsic motivation when it is stressed that the student is learning and that it is worth the effort

Strengths and Weaknesses

STRENGTHS

Authentic and relevant language learning activities

Makes connections between information

Builds new content information and language on what students already know

Integrates, so that language is learned through acquiring knowledge

WEAKNESSES

It can be challenging to balance the content with the language, especially focus on form

Takes time and resources for instructors to be trained in using CBI, to gain knowledge of the content, and believe in its efficacy

Effectiveness of CBI

Impact of CBI on EFL Students’ Reading Performance (Tsai & Shang, 2010) 101 sophomores majoring in English in a

Taiwanese university 100 mins/week, 14 weeks; used short

stories At end, students took a general reading

comprehension test and an academic reading comprehension test

Statistically Significant Difference

Increasing CBI Effectiveness Faculty must be trained in the method and

must be confident in its pedagogical efficacy.

Teachers need to point out to students the advantages of teaching language through content, offering examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of this type of instruction.

Faculty should develop a degree of expertise in the subject area depending on the individual teaching situation.

Most helpful components

weekly level meetings with their course supervisor

experience with the model the sample lesson plans provided the observation/feedback sessions with their

supervisor

(Brinton, 2000)

Conclusion

“For ESL students to succeed in the academic mainstream, they must be able to do more than identify a vocabulary item, hold a simple conversation, or find the main idea of a reading passage. They must be able to use the English language as a means for acquiring knowledge, in the process engaging in the active analysis, interpretation, critique, and synthesis of information presented in English.” (Kasper, 1996; Pally, 1997)

Part II: Practice Preview

Finding balance with a CBI approach Modeling CBI activities used in

different levels of TICE A note on assessment

Q & A

References

Anderson, J. (1983). The architecture of cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Anderson, J. (1985). Cognitive psychology and its implications (2nd ed.). New York: Freeman.

Blakely, R. (1997). The English Language Fellows Program: Using peer tutors to integrate language and content. In M.A. Snow & D.M. Brinton (Eds.), The content-based classroom: Perspectives on integrating language and content (pp. 274-289). New York: Longman.

Brinton, D.M. (2000) Out of the mouths of babes: Novice teacher insights into content-based instruction. In L.F. Kasper (Ed.) Content-based college ESL instruction (pp. 48-70). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

References (cont.) Brinton, D. M., Snow, M. A., & Wesche, M. B. (1989).

Content-based second language instruction. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Hancock, C. R. (1994). Alternative assessment and second language study: What and why? Center for Applied Linguistics Digests. Retrieved from: http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/hancoc01.html

Grabe, W. & Stoller, F.L. (1997) Content-based Instruction: Research Foundations. In S.B. Stryker & B.L. Leaver (Eds.), Content-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education: Models and Methods. Washington, DC: Georgetown University.

Kamhi-Stein, L. D. (1997). Enhancing student performance through discipline-based summarization-strategy instruction. In M. A. Snow & D. M. Brinton (Eds.), The content-based classroom: Perspectives on integrating language and content (pp. 248-262). New York: Longman.

References (cont.)

Kasper, L.F. (2000). Content-based college ESL instruction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Kasper, L. F. (1996). Writing to read: Enhancing ESL students' reading proficiency through written response to text. Teaching English in the Two-Year College, 23(1), 25-33.

Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Grammar and its teaching: Challenging the myths. Center for Applied Linguistics Digests. Retrieved from: http://www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/Larsen01.htm

May-Landy, L. (1998). Linking assessment to the content-based curriculum. Paper presented at the 32nd annual meeting of TESOL. Seattle, WA.

References (cont.)

Pally, M. (1997). Critical thinking in ESL.: An argument for sustained content. Journal of Second Language Writing, 6(3), 293-311.

Schleppegrell , M.J., Achugar, M., & Oteíza, T. (2004). The Grammar of History: Enhancing Content-Based Instruction through a Functional Focus on Language. TESOL Quarterly, 38(1), 67-93.

Snow, M.A. & Genesee, F. (1989) A Conceptual Framework for the Integration of Language and Content in Second/Foreign Language Instruction. TESOL Quarterly, 23(2), 201-217.

Tsai, Y. & Hui-Fang Shang. (2010). The Impact of Content-Based Language Instruction on EFL Students’ Reading Performance. Asian Social Science, 6(3), 77-85.

Zuengler, J., & Brinton, M. (1997). Linguistic form, pragmatic function: Relevant research from content-based instruction. In M. A. Snow & M. Brinton (Eds.), The content-based classroom: Perspectives on integrating language and content (pp. 263-273). New York: Longman Publishing Group.