CBIContent-Based

Instruction

Elisabeth L. ChanPart II: Practical

A TICE Brown Bag – March 15, 2011

The International Center for EnglishArkansas State University

CBIConnect Build Integrate

Content-Based Instruction

English language instruction through the use of mainstream course content

CONTENTLANGUAGE

SKILLS

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).

Coming Up

Finding the balance between content and language in the CBI approach

Example CBI activities used in different levels of TICE

Defining and discussing assessment and error correction within a CBI curriculum

Finding Balance

Balance the content as a vehicle with the language and skills as focus of the course

Be knowledgeable in the content areaExtract the language and

teaching points from the content

Determine how and what to evaluate

TICE Academic Goals

Target the skills that students actually need to use in an academic setting Language Skills▪ Academic Discourse▪ Focus on Form/Forms

Academic Skills▪ Intensive reading▪ Note-taking▪ Test-taking

TICE Academic Goals

Comprehension of academic texts and lecture materials Analyze and critically evaluate

information Connect new information

with what they already know, synthesizing knowledge

Academically Focused Tasks

Authentic task - simulates a real-world language task

Interactive task - requires the learner to actively apply linguistic, topical, and strategy knowledge

Complete discourse level tasks – tasks are in context, rather than discrete, decontextualized tasks

Bachman and Palmer (1996)

Academically Focused Tasks Provide tasks that

require students to integrate information and to form and articulate their own opinions about the subject matter.

Three Examples

Functional Text Analysis Grammar Focus Short Stories

Focus on language in context “Rather than making the content less

difficult, we suggest that a functional text analysis can provide tools for helping students work with grade-level textbook material and at the same time develop critical language awareness.”

Schleppegrell et. al. (2004)

Functional Text Analysis

Field What is the text

about? Mode

How was the text delivered?

Tenor What is the

relationship between the author and the reader?

Měchura, M.B. (2005)

Grammar Focus

One way to use the content as the starting point for a focus on grammar is to focus on the specific usage encountered in a text but then to expandon that area of grammar in a systematic way.

Short Stories

Short stories can increase general, as well as academic reading skills.

Using a multimodal and multi-skill approach to short stories can accelerate students’ acquisition of academic language.

Ability to

interact with language and information

(Re)Defining: Assessment

Learning is a process. Learning and assessment are more

than just test scores. Assessment is all the different types

of feedback that occurs throughout the session.

Number of correct answers

on a discrete-item

test

(Re)Defining: Assessment

Hancock, C. R. (1994)

Highly contextual

ized

Challenge higher order

thinking skills

Develop proficienc

y in language features

Acquire skills needed to be

successful language learners

Measure progress in

terms of cognitive skill development

Measure progress in

terms of linguistic accuracy

Corrective Feedback

Corrective Feedback - Is the information correct and the language accurate?

How accurately and coherently is the student able to convey and interpret information?

Frequency of Assessment

May-Landy (1998) stresses the importance of extraordinarily frequent assessment Closely tied to the curriculum Takes several forms

Alternative Forms of Assessment

SHORT (1993) EXAMPLES

skill checklists and reading-writing inventories

anecdotal records and teacher observations

portfolios performance-based

tasks essay writing oral reports interviews

MAY-LANDY (1998) EXAMPLES

read an article, summarize, and then report on it to the class

critically evaluate and compare the article’s information presented to other material studied

Conclusion

“Effective intensive programs are like tightly knit chains—all course components are interconnected. As a result, there is strong reinforcement of learning as thematic concepts are considered from several different interdisciplinary perspectives.”

(Kasper, 2000)

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.

Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests. Oxford: Oxford UP

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.

Měchura, M.B. (2005). A Practical Guide for Functional Text Analysis. Accessed March 11, 2011. www.cainteoir.com/Etc.aspx? Read= FunctionalTextAnalysis.pdf

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.

Short, D. J. (1993). Assessing integrated language and content instruction. TESOL Quarterly, 27(4), 627-656.

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.