CBLLCONTENT BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
AND
MEAN WHAT YOU SAY
CBLLCONTENT-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING
English across the curriculum: a challenge or mystification ?
•Reasons for content based language learning
•Characteristics of content based LL
•Content
•Classroom activities
•Open issues and problems
Reasons for content-based language learningWhy
It’s learner-centred
• increases motivation• promotes learner’s self-
confidence • it’s subject-integrated,
therefore interdisciplinary
• based on cognitive constructivist mind process
• stimulates use of multiple intelligences and creative decision-taking, ability to reconstruct and represent, autonomy
institutional policy
•EU-recommended•Italian MPI -supported•responds to youth exchange project needs•responds to growing multi-ethnic classes
relevance to work
•professionally/vocationally oriented •focused on practical outcomes•task-based, goal-based•responds to need for better discipline-integrated educational paths (interdisciplinarity)
WHATContent & Characteristics
Content: choice of content considers:
•Learner’s needs analysis a)educational purposes (academic,
literature, British studies)
b)professional/vocational purposes
•Variables: a)absolute
b)variable
•Choice should fall on most suitable subjects because of their
highly interdisciplinary value
Characteristics•Meets specific learner’s needs
•can also make use also of underlying methodologies and activities of the disciplines served
•when part of school curriculum it’s more motivating if it falls to the centre of continuum
•presumes students’ more focused cognitive attention
•concentrates on subject matter and leaves linguistic aspect on the background: it’s more meaningful
•requires some initial intensive vocabulary intensive instruction if field is new
•is multidisciplinary activity
•requires cooperation between language and subject teachers
•requires teachers with good competence in both language and subject
•requires well designed and well-balanced assessment criteria
•implies and allows code shift from L1 to L2 and viceversa
Activities1.Implies a lot of •Task-based activities,•problem solving, •simulations, •role play, •case study, •project work•mind maps, charts, tables, graphics
2.Makes use of more •peer teaching•authentic material and less simplified language texts but more simplified subject texts•innovative techniques and technologies ITC
3.Subject activities are more structured and language ones more focused on meaning
Open issues and problems
•Activities implying lots of self made material and T’s work overload
•Balance between language & subject weighting in assessment
•Need for special school & class organisation: department in charge, small groups, timetable
•Involves teamwork and regular meetings to add to teacher’s work
•Possible difficulties encountered by lower achieving students
OUTCOMES
Improved students’ competence in speaking English
Smooth introduction to English and graduality
Students’ grades in bilingual subjects above the average
Students’ and parents’ fear of extra overload not substantiated
Students’ improved autonomy, self direction, motivation
Teachers’ improved team work management and didactic competence
MODEL TYPES OF CBEL
Language-based types Subject/content-based types
•FLT
•Import topics into FLT (content-based FLT
•Theach language in support of FL-medium lesson
•Teach whole subject lessons in FL
•Dual teacher lesson
•Teach whole/part of subject in FL
ROLE OF LANGUAGE TEACHERS/SUBJECT TEACHERS
•Multidisciplinary teacher
•Expert evaluator
•Lot of teacher/peer interaction
•Teacher may not be the primary knower of the carrier content but students may be more expert
•Theacher as material editor: choosing , adapting, writing the right material
•Teacher as researcher in understanding the discourse of the texts students use
•Teacher as collaborator : language expert suppoting the subject teacher
L1 L2Peer interaction
Testing and assessment
Language
competenceSubject
competence
CBEL
PEDAGOGY
MINORITY
LANGUAGE EDUCATION MINORITY GROUPS IN
LANGUAGE EDUCATION
GOALS , AIMS
TEACHING L2 ABILITY
L teacher’s role
S teacher’s role
Policy & administration
contentCode switching
Teacher talk Student talk
Learning strategies Task
design tasks
available
Assessment
testing
Language demand
materials
MIND MAP
“The best method is whatever is best for the learner.”
“...Teachers can teach, but only learners can learn.In the end one is responsible for his own progress.”
from The Council of Europe Guide