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12. CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION: PERSPECTIVES ON CURRICULUM PLANNING
- Fredricka L. Stoller
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- Journal:
- Annual Review of Applied Linguistics / Volume 24 / January 2004
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 June 2004, pp. 261-283
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Content-based instruction (CBI), distinguished by its dual commitment to languageand content-learning objectives, has been translated into practice in diverse ways to meet the needs of second and foreign language student populations. This article explores the general characteristics of and challenges associated with content-based curricula by reviewing (1) case studies that document outcomes of CBI programs at elementary, secondary, and higher education levels and (2) curricular models that have been implemented in first and second language contexts. Included in this review of curricular models, because of its implications for second and foreign language contexts, is a brief explanation of Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI), an approach to content learning and reading development that has been used and extensively researched in first language settings. Empirical studies focusing on CORI, immersion models, and other CBI-related issues (including teacher–student interactions; teachers' oral discourse; and teachers' attention to language, content, and task) are summarized to illustrate the complexities of content-based curricula. The article concludes with a call for further research that can inform the practices of teachers, curriculum and course designers, materials developers, and individuals involved with assessment in content-based settings.
Chapter 10 - Project Work: A Means to Promote Language and Content
- Edited by Jack C. Richards, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Language Centre (RELC), Singapore, Willy A. Renandya, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Language Centre (RELC), Singapore
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- Book:
- Methodology in Language Teaching
- Published online:
- 10 November 2010
- Print publication:
- 08 April 2002, pp 107-120
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Summary
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, increasing numbers of language educators have turned to content-based instruction and project work to promote meaningful student engagement with language and content learning. Through content-based instruction, learners develop language skills while becoming more knowledgeable citizens of the world. By integrating project work into content-based classrooms, educators create vibrant learning environments that require active student involvement, stimulate higher-level thinking skills, and give students responsibility for their own learning. When incorporating project work into content-based classrooms, instructors distance themselves from teacher-dominated instruction and move toward creating a student community of inquiry involving authentic communication, cooperative learning, collaboration, and problem solving.
In this article, I shall provide a rationale for content-based instruction and demonstrate how project work can be integrated into content-based classrooms. I will then outline the primary characteristics of project work, introduce project work in its various configurations, and present practical guidelines for sequencing and developing a project. It is my hope that language teachers and teacher educators will be able to adapt the ideas presented here to enhance their classroom instruction.
A RATIONALE FOR CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION
Content-based instruction (CBI) has been used in a variety of language learning contexts, though its popularity and wider applicability have increased dramatically since the early 1990s. Numerous practical features of C-I make it an appealing approach to language instruction:
In a content-based approach, the activities of the language class are specific to the subject matter being taught, and are geared to stimulate students to think and learn through the use of the target language. […]
13 - The curriculum renewal process in English for academic purposes programmes
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- By Fredricka L. Stoller, Northern Arizona University, USA
- John Flowerdew, City University of Hong Kong, Matthew Peacock, City University of Hong Kong
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- Book:
- Research Perspectives on English for Academic Purposes
- Published online:
- 05 October 2012
- Print publication:
- 15 March 2001, pp 208-224
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Summary
‘Successful organisations are biased towards action and they avoid stultification by developing and changing rather than remaining routinised and standardised’ (White, 1988: 138). English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programmes are no different from other organisations. Although some EAP programmes change little over time, seemingly content with the comfort and security of the status quo, many EAP programmes view change as a natural and integral part of programme life. In such programmes, curriculum renewal represents one effective way of responding to the evolving needs of students and faculty, to the shifting circumstances of the educational programmes themselves, and to new insights from the professional literature. Curriculum renewal that is grounded in sound decision making and a thoughtful consideration of the factors impacted by reform can ensure programme integrity, viability, responsiveness and competitiveness.
The challenges of curriculum renewal are complex. Because curriculum reform is best advanced through the collaborative efforts of faculty, students and administrators, the process of reform requires a working environment characterised by participatory decision making, opportunities for experimentation and open lines of communication (see Christison and Stoller, 1997). Curriculum reform also necessitates a responsiveness to internal and external changes (e.g. changes in student enrolment patterns, faculty hiring practices, institutional mandates), making timely access to information critical. Adding to the complexity of the process is the critical need to understand the linguistic, academic and acculturation needs of EAP students in general terms and, whenever possible, in terms more specific to the educational settings and academic disciplines to which the EAP students will be transitioning.
Chapter 6 - Reading and vocabulary development in a second language: A case study
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- By William Grabe, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Fredricka L. Stoller, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
- Edited by James Coady, Ohio University, Thomas Huckin, University of Utah
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- Book:
- Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition
- Published online:
- 05 October 2012
- Print publication:
- 28 December 1996, pp 98-122
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Summary
Introduction
Researchers in reading seldom have the opportunity to experience, as adults, an extended period of time learning to read. Although it is virtually impossible to have such an adult experience in one's first language, it is possible to find oneself in such a fortuitous situation in a second language (L2) context. This situation arose for the first author of this chapter when he spent 5 months in Brazil in 1990. Since he was not a speaker or reader of Portuguese, he took that opportunity to learn to read in Portuguese. This paper is a report of that case study, the outcomes after 5 months, and the records and reflections on the experience. As a case study, this report cannot make claims for statistical generalizations. There are, however, a number of important methodological advantages and research insights to this type of case study that cannot easily be explored experimentally (McCormick, 1993; Neuman & McCormick, 1995).
As a research methodology, a small number of published case studies document the learning of a second or foreign language and second language (L2) teacher education (Bailey, 1980, 1983; Porter, Goldstein, Leatherman, & Conrad, 1990; Schmidt & Frota, 1986; Schumann, 1980; Schumann & Schumann, 1977; see Bailey, 1990, for a review of diary studies in teacher education). Few case studies, however, specifically address the development of L2 reading and vocabulary skills (see Parry, 1993). The research reported here represents an effort to explore L2 reading and vocabulary development through such a methodology.
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