The Whats, Whys, Hows and Whos of Content-Based Instruction

By: María Dueñas

            The article shows the points of view, of the different theories related on Content Based Instruction. The What’s, bring information related of how teachers may use content topics rather than grammar rules, vocabulary spheres, operative functions or contextual situations as the frame work for instruction. Striker and Lever agree that CBI proposals are bound to meet four basic characteristics; subject matter core, use of authentic texts, learning of new information, and appropriate to specific needs of students. The curriculum of these four should be based on subject matter, rather than forms functions or situations. The materials should include texts, video tapes, audio recording, and visual aids. They should be based on knowledge of their own culture. The topics content, materials and learning activities should correspond to the cognitive and affective needs of the students, and should be appropriate for the proficiency level of the class. The second language can be used in history, math, science, social studies or any other. For this select material which can provide background knowledge or socio-cultural matters. It should also include other global issues providing the students opportunities to learn about the world realities.

             Krashen claim that L2 happens when students comprehend what it says other than memorizing vocabulary or working with grammar exercises. They acquire the language when they know what to say other than how to say it correctly like in grammar exercises. In some cases English is been taught in some school district based in only grammar. What is the purpose of this if the students don’t know how to use it or express themselves in a real life situation.  Cooperative learning is a great teaching technique that requires small groups of students to work together and to learn information and perform different tasks. When students work in groups offers potential rewards, promote individualized responsibility and provide equal opportunities for success. I used this technique with my kindergarten students in Florida with the Reading Program. They were divided in three groups. The first one was directed by the teacher, the other two worked independently with activities related with a specific topic. In certain period of time they rotate to change from one activity to another. The students were engaged and work together as teams. Every day we select a new team leader, this one was in charge of the activities for his/her group. This activity promotes self motivation. I don’t see this type of technique here in Puerto Rico, just rows, where students work independently. We should change and provide different activities to promote participation and engagement in the classroom and keep the students interested.

             There are different kinds of models in order to promote second language acquisition. The immersion education the class is delivered in the target language. The sheltered courses are taught in a second language by a content specialist to a group of learners who have been segregated from native speakers. My kindergarten group belongs to this model. There were from different countries and different cultural backgrounds.   

The adjunct model is more sophisticated with integration of language and content. This model is implemented at the university level. In some cases at secondary school level. Theme–based models are strong language oriented projection. Allow a high degree of flexibility in terms of content selections curricular organization and procedural applications. Variety of text types and discourse sample combining oral input, teacher presentations, video sequences, recorded passages and guest lecture talks. Written materials as newspaper articles, essays, informative texts and literary passages.

            CBI is known one of the most representative contributions to contemporary curriculum.  It has been used in the United States and Canada in recent decades. It also been used in Asia, South America, Australia, Europe, Spain among others. In my personal opinion the different theories and models depend on what type of instruction you want to deliver, and what are the student’s needs in different situations, including background knowledge and socio-cultural knowledge and the community you are going to impact. Based on the curriculum we should select which model will accomplish the goals to help the students acquire a second language. Here in Puerto Rico the Department of Education should agree what type of model they wan to use. In order to establish if they want fluent accurate speakers or just grammar experts.

The Audio-lingual Method

Introduction:

            The audio-lingual method was widely used in the United States and other countries in the 1950's and 1960's. It is still used in some programs today.

Approach:

            Theory of language

The Structural view of language is the view behind the audio-lingual method. Particular emphasis was laid on mastering the building blocks of language and learning the rules for combining them.

Theory of learning

Behaviorism, including the following principles:

• language learning is habit-formation
• mistakes are bad and should be avoided, as they make bad habits
• language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented orally first, then in written form
• analogy is a better foundation for language learning than analysis
• the meanings of words can be learned only in a linguistic and cultural context

Design

Objectives:  

Here are some of the objectives of the audio-lingual method:

·        accurate pronunciation and grammar

·        ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations

·        knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with grammar patterns

The syllabus

Audiolingualism uses a structural syllabus

Types of learning techniques and activities

·        dialogues

·        drills

Procedure

Here is a typical procedure in an audio-lingual course

• Students hear a model dialogue.
• Students repeat each line of the dialogue.
• Certain key words or phrases may be changed in the dialogue.
• Key structures from the dialogue serves the basis for pattern drills of different kinds.
• The students practice substitutions in the pattern drills.

Journal #2

Communicative competence and Communicative Language teaching

The communicative competence and the communicative language teaching establish no uniform interpretation of the meaning of a second language acquisition. The concept of Hymes based on Chomsky’s theory; the ideal listener speaker- listener knows and uses the language perfectly with out making any mistakes. For Hymes this cannot happen, the Chomsky’s theory cannot be true people in real life make mistake when speaking and interact in social life. Social life affects the rules of grammar. We need to understand the linguistic competence that deals with producing and understanding grammatical correct sentences, and the communicative competence that deal with producing understanding sentences that are acceptable to particular situations. You don’t speak to your students or colleagues the same way you interact and share ideas or opinions with your family member or friends.

In the other hand Widdowson’s concept of communicative language teaching establish that we need to acquire both the rules of grammar and the ability to use language to communicate. Knowing a language is more than understand speak, read and write is how to use them all in order to communicate. Woddwson establish that the communicative ability and the linguistic skills have to be developed at the same time. He suggests that we need to teach communicative competence along with linguistic competence. Giving the students the opportunity to be able to express correctly not only speaking but also writing correct sentences. The classroom presentation of language must ensure the acquisition of both kinds of competence by providing linguistic and communicative contexts.

Canales and Swain establish that there are rules of language use would be useless with out rules of grammar. This one includes grammatical, sociolinguistic and strategic competence. The grammatical competence, how to determine and express accurately wich includes knowledge of lexical items, and rules of morphology, syntax and phonology. Sociolinguistic competence includes sociolinguistic rules and rules of discourse. Strategic competence includes verbal and nonverbal communications.

The application of the concept of communicative competence to language teaching shows how to help our students acquire communicative competence in the classroom. Stern establishes to live the language as a personal experience through direct contact with the target language community. Rivers proposes methodological distinction between “skill-getting” and “skill using” activities. On the ‘skill getting” the teacher must provide activities to relate with real life situations.  But Rivers points out no matter how much we relate these activities to real life situations this practice rarely passes beyond pseudo-communication. I disagree the most real life situations you provide in the classroom the better for the student when they need to use the language in their own.  We should teach English based on our students needs. In order to prepare them for the future. On ‘skill using” they work on their own they are not supported or directed by the teacher. They must work one-on-one with another student or with small groups of students. Not my style, the teacher should be supporting the students and using the techniques to guide them throughout the lesson. Allowing them to use aids like gestures, drawings or pantomime, to express themselves. All the theories are important we must find the correct one that better serve our students needs. Not all the groups are the same not all the students learn the same way. We as teachers need to find the one that works better and get the results we want to accomplish. 

Journal # 1

• Use and usage:

            Use is how a language is use in communication or the function of language.

Usage is the grammatical explanation of language.

• Fluency and accuracy:

            Fluency is the ability to produce rapid flowing natural speech. Accuracy is the ability to produce grammatical correct sentences that are comprehensible.

• Functional syllabus and structural one:

            The instructional syllabus is based in functions not grammatical structure. For example; “I think you should…”

Structural syllabus is based on grammatical complexity. For example; “If I were you…, I would…”

Benefits and Strategies of Communicative Language Learning

The article shows different techniques or strategies to teach a second language. The communicative language learning for example provide skills longer than to  learn an ancient language which  it goes from grammatical explanation and translation exercises. Some ancient languages don’t need conversational ability in order to understand the language. Strategies recommended to master the communicative competence are private dialog, immersion environment instructional songs. Encouraging private dialog among students gives the opportunity to express themselves with opinions. When guiding the students with the correct techniques they will be able to move from one stage to another. Teaching a second language we must keep in mind a vital step for students’ progress instead of traditional language learning. We must present the language with different techniques in order to develop a communicative competence, which should include visual aids in the classroom for students’ engagement. When establishing an immersion program the techniques should be presented in the target language only, they must interact with the language, for example with oft- repeated phrases. The teacher should guide them throughout the lesson, or repeating together a specific sentence provided by the teacher. Also when teaching a second language we must consider making the environment more exiting for students and also for teachers. Providing songs will help with retention. In some cases it will be only memory, but I considered that is an easy way to improve retention, using the songs with charts will provide the visual and auditory skills, to make that connection with students   to acquire a second language. The early stages are vital when learning a second language. They must hear how the language sounds before attempt to vocalize words by themselves. Sometimes students feel insecure of how a specific word is pronounced, these leading to frustration making this a barrier in order to continue to acquire a second language. We should provide them engaging songs not only for young students, making the environment easy to retain the language. We as teachers should give them numerous of opportunities of creative classes and marvelous strategies and techniques to capture the students’ desires.