What is Content-Based Instruction?
Although content-based instruction (CBI) has been in academic circles since the mid-1980s, it is gaining popularity as an effective form of teaching. Content-based instruction is a teaching approach where learners study language through meaningful content. It motivates students to learn because the subject matter is interesting, and allows them to apply their learned language skills in a different context instead of rotely memorizing vocabulary.
Here are the different ways that this is implemented in the classroom:
Theme-based model: Students learn content from an overlying theme or set of topics. Teachers create language activities for students based on the content theme.
Example: Students are learning about food nutrition. For a class activity, they will make a meal to enjoy together. They use English to discuss kitchen supplies needed as well as cooking methods to prepare their meal. Then the class will head to the kitchen and start cooking!
Immersion Model: Students attend school where the language of instruction is their second language.
Example: Students learn about the engineering process through an introductory applied science course. The language of instruction is English, so they are able to gain familiarity with relevant technical terms. Through experimenting with different mixtures, students become chemical engineers: asking, imagining, evaluating, and improving their designs to achieve the optimal play dough product.
Adjunct Model: Students enroll into two linked courses (one content course and one language course). Both courses complement each other with coordinating assignments.
Example: ESL students take a philosophy class, while taking a corresponding ESL academic writing class. This equips students with the necessary writing skills and organization flow needed for writing philosophy papers.
Sheltered Model: Students acquiring a second language attend school taught in the second language along native speaker classmates.
Example: International students attend boarding school in the US.
CBI comes in many forms, from students learning about French history while speaking French to taking photography classes while abroad. What can be better than seeing our students create something and learn language at the same time?
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