lesson plans cbi

Lesson Planning andContent Based Instruction

Robert J. Dickey

Keimyung, Korea

past president, Korea TESOL

• “Prescriptive” vs. “Descriptive”• “Theory-driven” vs. “Reality-based”

• For classrooms “where a commitment has been made to content learning as well as language learning.”

Terms of Art

Language Teaching Investigators are

NOT

Semanticists

www.content-english.orgContent-based Instruction (CBI) Content-based Language InstructionIntegration of Content and Language (content & language, ICL)Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Content-enriched / Content-focused / Content-centered / Content-drivenContent-sensitive / Content-oriented / Content-infused Theme-based / Topic-based / Discipline-based Sheltered Subject Matter Teaching Dual-focused Language InstructionTeaching (Content) Through English / Teaching Through Foreign LanguagesBilingual Integration of Languages and Disciplines (BILD) Immersion / Foreign Language Immersion Program (FLIP)English Across the Curriculum / Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum (FLAC) Enhanced Second Language Learning / Extended Language Instruction Learning with Languages / Learning through an additional languageIntegrated Curriculum Bridge ProgramCross-Curricular Teaching Interdisciplinary Teaching Four-handed foreign language instruction Learning skills based ELT / ESP Applied Languages

Aims

• “Killing two birds with one stone”

• “Learning by Doing”

• “Language in Context”

“not talking about language, but using

language to learn language and content”

“Text” (Content)

I: Jack’s dog is sick.

I: Jack’s dog is sick. 1 2 3 4 5

• Assumption of learner motivation through interest in content– Is that valid? “can’t please everyone”

• Distinguishing from other approaches– Not “HOW” to teach, but with what (“text”)– Does not dictate teacher & learner roles– Can be used with any other approach

• Frequently matched with task-based learning

“latitude” in the (lack of) definition

• “CBI” label an “umbrella”

justify going outside established course materials

• No Agreement whether CBI early

• Distinguish between Cummins’ (1979)

BICS / CALP– BICS -- Basic Interpersonal Communication

Skills – CALP -- Cognitive Academic Language

Proficiency

Design Questions

• Cohesion– Science / Biology / “The Environment” /

“The Pond”– Appropriate to learners’ educational

development / other courses of study

• Duration– One class session (or less) – topical– One to three weeks – thematic– Six weeks or more – sustained content

• Using content to teach language, or

• Using language to teach content?

• Substitutions for content– “academic skills” as (aim for?) content– “vocational skills”– multi-media/technology as “content”

(TV commercials, movies, the internet)– “language skills” as content (applied

languages) - Translation, Journalism, Debate. Public Speaking… “the four skills” (especially Listening & Reading, topical areas)

Issues

• Authenticity / Genuineness ??

• Conflict with subject matter courses?

• “Everything is content” (including the Grammar-translation textbook drill sentences”)

• Language Teacher qualification in Subject area?

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Content / Language Mix

• Cognitive Load

– A topical matrix

• Mix Options

(Here “language as content” (e.g., Literature) or “language as skill” (e.g., Reading, Translation) belongs under “Subject Matter.”Language science here refers merely to the “science” aspects, e.g., grammar, vocabulary, phonetics…)

Lesson PlanningContent + Language

1. Lesson Conceptualization

2. Lesson Plan Development

• Teach the Students, not the Plan

Planning Content + Language

1. Identifying learning objectives

2. L1 Use

3. Methods (Teaching Tools)

4. Sample Class

5. Framework

1. Identifying learning objectives

• Orientations– Teacher’s orientation– Learners’ orientation– Administration, parents, others

• Course objectives– Content learning objectives– Language learning objectives– Other learning objectives, e.g., “academic

skills”, test preparation…– EVERY lesson should have both/3 types

• EFL vs. ESL approaches (generally)– N. American “CBI” is bifurcated:

• immersion/partial immersion (even French as a foreign language in Canada) has content focus

• “mainstreaming” in USA has more language skills focus – use of “sheltered,” “pullout” and “adjunct” programs (or, it did “pre-GW”)

– European “CLIL” more oriented to “balance” (though not necessarily 50/50)

• Instructor’s knowledge-base– Argued by both content specialists and

language specialists– Frequent reason for distinction between

“content-focus” and “language-focus”– A reason for topical vs. sustained content

decisions

2. L1 Use

• No assumption of L2-only

• Learners’ familiarity with content may affect L1 use

• Content focus (test aim?) along with time factors may dictate L1 use

3. Teaching Methods

• CBI does not dictate teaching techniques– works well with Task-based, as well as with

the more teacher-centered systems– probably all “methods” can and have used a

content-based syllabus at one time or another

• does not dictate medium of instruction:– distance learning– CALL/video/audio/other

4. Sample Class

• Language Objective – subjunctive ‘wish’

• Content Objective - Indian English Literature

• Class general aims– “appreciation of literature”– preparation for writing assignment -

social commentary through poetry

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A Sample Class .2

• The “text”: Tagore’s Crescent Moon – “Vocation”

• Language objectives: “I wish I were…” and descriptive writing

• Content objective: roles in society and creative thinking

5. Framework

• Teaching English through content, Teaching content through English ???

• A Framework for constructing a content-enriched (content-enhanced) lesson plan

• from the paper at http://www.content-english.org/data/dickey-ei.pdf

A Lesson from N. Luzon

1. Identify the specific course and group

of students to teach.

2. Identify the content to be utilized.

3. Identify why the students should care.

4. Identify the specific “teaching point(s).”

5. Develop/locate an exemplar text.

6. Design student responses to the text.

7. Students check their own work, and

that of their peers.

8. Students create new stories, new

endings, and tell the stories to groupmates.

9. Groupwork.

10.Testing (Assessment).

1. Identify the specific course and group of students to teach.

2. Identify the content to be utilized.3. Identify why the students should care.4. Identify the specific “teaching point(s).”5. Develop/locate an exemplar text.6. Design student responses to the text.7. Students check their own work, and that of

their peers.8. Students create new stories, new endings,

and tell the stories to groupmates.9. Groupwork.10. Testing (Assessment).

Robert J. Dickey

Keimyung University

Daegu

S. Korea 704-701

rjdickey@content-english.org

www.content-english.org