Building Communication Skills

Natural language acquisition occurs in context; natural language is never learned apart from meaning, and CBI provides a context for meaningful communication to occur (Curtain, 1995; Met, 1991).

Postponing content instruction and waiting for students to develop language proficiency before integrating content is not only impractical, but it also ignores students' needs, interests, and cognitive levels (Byrnes, 2000; Cummins, 1981).

CBI lends itself to the incorporation of a variety of thinking skills, and learning strategies which lead to rich language development, e.g., information gathering skills—absorbing, questioning; organizing skills—categorizing, comparing, representing; analyzing skills—identifying main ideas, attributes, relationships, patterns; generating skills—inferring, predicting, estimating (ASCD, Dimensions of Thinking; Curtain, 1995; Met, 1991).

Research conducted in a variety of program models has shown that content-based instruction results in language learning, content learning, and increased motivation and interest levels

"...curriculum concepts being taught through the foreign language ... appropriate to the grade level of the students..." (Curtain & Pesola, 1994, p. 35).

Content “...need not be academic; it can include any topic, theme, or non-language issue of interest or importance to the learners” (Genesee, 1994, p. 3).

"... 'content' in content-based programs represents material that is cognitively engaging and demanding for the learner…" (Met, 1991, p. 150).

Content-driven (adapted from Met, 1999)◦ Content is taught and learned in L2; teachers and students

are held accountable for content learning.◦ Content learning is priority.◦ Language learning is secondary.◦ Content objectives determined by course goals or curriculum.◦ Language emerges from content and social interactions.◦ Teachers must select language objectives.◦ Students are primarily evaluated on content mastery.

Language-driven (adapted from Met, 1999)

◦ Content is used to teach/learn L2, but teachers and students are not held accountable for it.

◦ Language learning is priority.◦ Content learning may be considered incidental.◦ Language objectives determined by L2 course goals or

curriculum.◦ Language objectives drive decisions about how content is

integrated.◦ Students are evaluated on language skills/proficiency.

Identify the regions of China

Identify the agricultural products in each region

Identify elements of a healthy diet

I can divide China into five regions and identify the regions on a map

I can match agricultural products with where they are grown in the regions of China

Content-obligatory

North, south, east, west, central

Corn, wheat, chicken, tea, rice, soybean, fruit, cattle, lamb, duck

Content-compatible

Where is it?

Has/doesn’t have