CONTENT-BASED ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN SOCIAL COMMUNICATION: THE EARLY STAGES OF A RESEARCH PROJECT

Transcription

1 CONTENT-BASED ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN SOCIAL COMMUNICATION: THE EARLY STAGES OF A RESEARCH PROJECT Marcelo Concário Professor Assistente Doutor Unesp Bauru Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação Departamento de Ciências Humanas mconcario@faac.unesp.br Resumo: Os objetivos deste trabalho são relatar as principais tendências e aplicações do ensino de línguas com base em conteúdos, principalmente em contextos universitários, e descrever as fases iniciais de um projeto em implementação em cursos de Comunicação Social da Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação em Bauru, SP. O projeto mais amplo visa a analisar os desafios, as possibilidades e os resultados relacionados ao ensino de inglês com base em conteúdos específicos para a prática e o desenvolvimento de oralidade com alunos de graduação. Por tratar-se de um trabalho em desenvolvimento, há destaque para a fundamentação teórica e para critérios que pautam a seleção, adaptação ou concepção de tarefas e materiais de ensino que exploram conteúdos específicos da matriz curricular da graduação nas aulas da língua estrangeira. Dados parciais sobre a motivação, o interesse e o desempenho de alunos são apresentados e discutidos. ABSTRACT: The objective of this paper is to report on the main trends and applications of content-based language teaching, especially in higher education at universities, and to describe the early stages of a study that is being implemented in Social Communication programs of the Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação in Bauru, SP. The broader project aims at addressing the challenges, possibilities and results concerning the teaching of English based on specific contents in order to foster the development of undergraduates oral skills. Because this study is currently under implementation, there is an emphasis on the theoretical grounding and the criteria that guide the selection, adaptation and design of teaching tasks and materials that explore specific contents across the curricula in the foreign language classes. Some data concerning student motivation, interest and performance will be shown and discussed. 645

2 Introduction The term content-based language teaching (CBLT) is used throughout this paper to refer to an approach to language teaching that has attracted the attention of teachers and researchers in a number of educational settings, particularly in higher education. Although the terms content and language integrated learning (CLIL), contentbased instruction (CBI) and content-based second language instruction are also common, the different authors who write about them (Brinton, Snow & Wesche, 2003; Mehisto, Marsh & Frigols, 2008; Richard & Rodgers, 2001) seem to agree on the main principles inherent in the approach. In a recent publication, Nunan (2011) underscores the growing popularity of CBLT in post-secondary contexts around the world (p. 103) and suggests this trend can be explained, for instance, by the requirements and/or incentives for higher education institutions in different parts of the world to offer specific courses in English to attract foreign students. Despite a few initiatives that I have identified in Brazil, it seems that CBLT is only marginally explored in the teaching of foreign languages or Portuguese as a second language in our country. In this paper, therefore, I attempt to provide a succinct and overall description of the tenets of CBLT, while institutions are mentioned that in some sense advocate or have implemented this approach. I will also provide an overview of the early stages of a research project concerning the implementation of CBLT in Social Communication undergraduate programs in my institution. Since this project has started recently, the example provided in this paper is for illustrative purposes and no serious claims can yet be made about the real challenges and contributions associated with CBLT. Why is CBLT regarded as an approach? Traditionally, the term approach is used in language teaching to refer to a set of intangible factors, such as: theoretical knowledge, beliefs, preferences, experiences (maybe not even remembered clearly), exposure to role models, and styles that somehow influence what teachers (and learners) do during teaching and learning interactions or events. Some agreement seems to have been reached in the area of teacher education, particularly after the 1980s, that the approach is the driving force in the way individual teachers plan and make choices concerning the use of resources, tasks, and group work. On the other hand, the term method is used to describe an organized sequence of steps to achieve an objective or specific goals along the way. Therefore, the method can be more clearly visualized it can be experienced on a more objective level. The method involves concrete actions, things that need to be done if you want to get specific results. This view of method as recipe is essentially what led many professionals in teacher education to regard it as prescriptive and, at the same time, naive. Those who support the idea that there is no best method (Prabhu, 1990) actually argue that although a recipe may be provided, a teacher will always feel more attracted to some of the prescriptions or suggestions, and put off by others, because of his or her approach to language teaching. I will come back to the terms approach and method later in this section. According to Richards and Rodgers (2001, p. 204), CBLT is an approach because it does not offer or prescribe a specific sequence of tasks or actions for the classroom. Instead, CBLT unites a set of principles about the nature of language, of learning, and of both teachers and students roles in those processes. CBLT also amalgamates non-specific recommendations for the choice of materials, the definition of what aspects of language should be explored, and how that can be done always taking into account students needs and backgrounds. Coherent with the communicative approach, CBLT regards language as knowledge and skills that are needed for effective communication. CBLT also shares a basic principle with the teaching of languages for specific/special purposes: students needs must be taken into account at all times. Furthermore, in CBLT the approach to language is based on text and discourse. 646

3 Two fundamental premises in CBLT, particularly in the case of foreign languages, are: (1) people learn a language better when it is used as a means to acquire other type of information or knowledge, and (2) this process actually reflects better the reasons why foreign learners study it. The association of language and specific content affords opportunities to learn in context, probably allowing students to explore their previous knowledge (content, discourse patterns) to a greater extent. Exposure to specific language patterns that relate to students needs and interests (study or work, in particular) can also enhance motivation and engagement. In CBLT, learners are therefore expected to play more active roles in the process. This is based on the assumption that they are familiar with the information/knowledge (and maybe conventions of language use) that appear in the materials brought to the classroom. Students are also expected to learn by doing for example, giving presentations, explaining the relevance of specific information in their field of expertise, reading or interacting with materials in English to become better prepared to perform in other courses they are taking. The exploration and continued development of autonomy is also a goal in CBLT. Teachers committed to CBLT are expected to know (or, at least be willing and confident to take part in discussions) about different subjects. This might challenge a lot of teachers, and it also means that they will have to devote time to researching, selecting, adapting and producing materials for the classroom. CBLT teachers should be curious about the area of study/work their students find themselves in, and should also be attuned to the needs of such learners. These are some of the reasons CBLT can be daunting for teachers. As explained before, because of its status of an approach, CBLT should not be expected to provide standardized, generalizable materials or routines (method) that might otherwise culminate in the publication of particular course books to cater to students/teachers in different contexts. Instead, CBLT is supposed to inform and help teachers make specific choices that can work best in specific settings. For more details on the concepts of approach and method, see A methodical history of language teaching (Brown, 2001). The most important trait of CBLT as regards the planning of courses is the centrality of content, which can be defined as substance or subject matter that we learn or communicate through language rather than the language used to convey it (Richard & Rodgers, 2001, p. 204). Therefore, the teaching of linguistic information should involve focus on form and/or awareness of language (form and use) as ancillary, incidental processes triggered by the interaction with other types of content. The first step in the planning is identification of students needs. In higher education contexts, like the one where the present study is being conducted, this takes into account the program students are enrolled in, and the other courses they take while they are having language classes. The analysis of content areas will typically lead to the identification of themes that are relevant to the general education of students. Themes will subsequently help to select texts that can be directly used in the classroom or help the teacher plan how to approach specific topics. The opportunity/need to deal with such topics will require or promote the use of particular structures often specialized vocabulary or chunks of language. Thus, CBLT can be considered to bear similarities to principles underlying both notional-functional syllabus design (Wilkins, 1976), and the lexical approach (Lewis, 1993). Even though the process described above may seem straightforward, things are not simple in practice. Another challenge in CBLT is the difficulty to design materials and choose procedures that will give students (and teachers themselves) a sense of progression and connection between what is done in one lesson and the next. It can even be more challenging to demonstrate integration between different themes throughout the course. This difficulty to organize units normally means that students in CBLT need to learn that a pack of materials cannot usually be made available for a given number of lessons when a new theme is first approached. It is not uncommon for students to report insecurity, the impression that they are not really learning, or that the course is a little messy when it comes to the organization of materials. As mentioned before, this lack of standardization, of an easily recognizable route/routine, can be regarded as a typical characteristic of an approach without one method. 647

4 CBLT examples and models of implementation A survey of undergraduate programs in the state of São Paulo early in 2011, which was conducted on the internet as part of my research project, revealed that foreign language courses are very rarely required components of the curricula. Similar surveys are being conducted for programs in other parts of the country and abroad. The Letras undergraduate program at Universidade Federal de São Carlos ( has been reported to use CBLT in the English language courses (Concário, 2009). Another institution that used to offer very favorable conditions for the exploration of CBLT was a private Medical School in Ribeirão Preto, SP ( where I have previously worked. Unfortunately, language courses are no longer part of the problem-based medical curriculum there. There are a number of examples in other countries, particularly in the fields of Engineering, Law, and Business, where CBLT is mainstream: the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); the University of Vienna (Austria); the Ondokuz Mayis University (Turkey); and Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain), among others. Regardless of location or field, CBLT is usually implemented in one of these five formats: theme-based, sheltered instruction, adjunct instruction, skills-based, and team-teach (a variation of the adjunct instruction model). A detailed description (with examples) of the first three models can be found in Brinton, Snow and Wesche s book (2003). Richards and Rodgers (2001) can be consulted for the others. In a few words, theme-based CBLT is the most common model particularly in contexts of foreign language instruction. This is the case in my project, and the model essentially involves language courses for which the planning, materials, teaching and assessment gravitate around themes that are relevant (useful and motivating) for the general education of students. Sheltered instruction means that foreign students enrolled in a specific program (higher education, non-language) are taking a specific content course in the local language, with a native speaker. This specialist teacher will adjust his or her way of communicating in order to facilitate comprehension of specific content by the students. Language learning is mostly if not entirely incidental. Adjunct instruction is also typical of immersion, second language settings. It refers to a situation where there are two (or more) separate courses. The content area course is attended by both non-native and native speakers of the local language. In addition, only the foreign students attend classes in the second language, which are taught by a different teacher and aim at helping them overcome communication difficulties and deal with the specific topics covered in the content course(s). The skills-based model is commonly used when the objective is to promote the development of academic writing, reading, or another particular language skill. Finally, there is the team-teach model, in which both a content specialist and a language specialist are present in the classroom, working as consultants to assist students as needed. The study at Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação: early stages of a project The School of Architecture, Arts and Communication is one of the three teaching institutes on the Unesp campus in Bauru ( It offers three separate undergraduate programs under the umbrella term of Social Communication: Journalism, Public Relations, and Radio. These are the only programs on campus that include eight credits of English as a foreign language as required courses. The objectives of my research project are: (1) to analyze the impact of CBLT on the development of students' oral skills, and (2) to study the challenges and contributions of CBLT as perceived by the students. Although the project concerns the three programs I mentioned above, I will focus on Journalism at this time in the interests of space. 648

5 Journalism is a program organized into eight terms (semesters). Every year, 40 students are admitted into the daytime program, and 50 into the night-time program. English I and English II are offered in the third and fourth terms, and the courses are supposed to focus on academic reading according to the official undergraduate, daytime and night-time curricula. The students in each cohort attend classes together. In the third year, though, each cohort is supposed to be divided into two groups because English III and English IV are intended to promote the development of productive skills. My first contact with Journalism students occurred in the first semester of 2011 (English III) and, according to my research plan, I took the chance to analyze students' needs, expectations and previous experiences regarding the study of English at university. Diagnostic tests and tasks were also used in order to provide me with information about the level of language/communicative competence of individual students. To my surprise, the daytime class was quite homogeneous. Apart from four students whose productive skills were at basic level, the other learners could easily be rated as intermediate (B2 - ALTE 2). The night-time class was found to be more heterogeneous: at least one student is clearly at the breakthrough level (ALTE), nearly ten have been regarded as basic, and the others would rate somewhere between ALTE 1 and ALTE 2. Although no official, external tests have been used that can validate this assessment, my experience as a teacher and Cambridge ESOL oral examiner in the past can warrant some credibility to it, at least as far as this project is concerned at this early stage. Later, as I continued to work with third-year students of both cohorts attending English IV (as of August 2011), more systematic teaching sequences were implemented -particularly with the daytime classes-, which aimed at encouraging students to speak English in class. The main reason why the work with night-time students could not be done in the same way was the fact that, for administrative reasons concerning the schedules, that cohort had not divided into two groups in Therefore, the example described in the next section is only representative of what has been happening in both daytime classes of English IV in Journalism. However, this example really is valid because it shows what is intended in my project: to provide students with opportunities to use English productively (particularly speaking) in more favorable conditions (smaller number of students, similar levels of proficiency). In the later stages of my project this is supposed to happen in extension courses, which I will have more freedom and autonomy to organize. In the first semester of 2011, the curricula were reviewed in order to identify all the courses that students were supposed to be enrolled in during the terms they were expected to attend English courses. It was then possible to study the pedagogical plans of specific courses and prepare a list of themes that could be explored during that term. More accurate decisions about the themes and texts/materials for classroom use were then made in specific situations, taking into account students' responses to informal interviews in class at the start of the semester, and informal talks with colleagues who were teaching the other courses. For sixth-term Journalism students in the second semester of 2011, the following themes were identified: Brazilian economy, development and the environment, newspaper layout planning, ethical decisions in journalism, and political systems. After considering the number of lessons in the academic semester, it was decided that a maximum of four topics could be adequately dealt with. Each topic would require between three and four meetings (two credits each = 100 minutes). For each topic, I selected texts, videos, vocabulary exercises, glossaries and so on, but the decision about which items to actually use, and how to use them in the classroom, would always take into account what had happened in the previous lesson. An example of implementation: some data and comments 649

6 The sequence described in this section was implemented between August and September 2011, during three and a half meetings with one of the day-time Journalism classes taking English IV. The theme that was explored in these meetings was economy, which was also being dealt with in another course the students were enrolled in: The Brazilian socioeconomic and political scenario. In the first meeting, a handout with three extracts in English was provided to each of the 18 students - there are twenty-one students enrolled in this group. Each extract was between words long and addressed some aspect of the Brazilian economy: (a) the Brazilian president's opinion that the country's economy would strengthen in 2012, (b) a government plan to deal with the shortage of qualified labor and thus avoid problems for businesses in Brazil, and (c) the president of a main bank in Brazil saying that the country's economy was not overheated at the time. After a brief warm-up to introduce the topic, students were asked to work in groups, read the handout, choose one of the extracts, and think about how they would contact one person mentioned in their favorite text in order to conduct an interview about the content. The third extract is transcribed below for illustration. In an interview with "Veja" magazine, the President of the National Bank for Social and Economic Development (BNDES), Luciano Coutinho, said that Brazil is not experiencing an "economic bubble". "Brazil is a country with tremendous opportunities in a world in which major economies are stagnant and will remain so, probably for the next decade," noted Coutinho, who is a PhD in Economics from Cornell University. For him, analysts that indicate the existence of a so-called "bubble" show a very superficial understanding of Brazilian reality. Underlining the sustained and sustainable character of economic growth in Brazil, the BNDES President observed that the country is one of the main alternatives to provide the world with two key assets: food and energy. "We have a fantastically competitive agribusiness, probably with the greatest potential in the world (...), we can become the largest global producer of protein and (...) we have ethanol, which has the potential to make Brazil a leading provider of sustainable energy", said Coutinho (BRASIL, 2011). The rest of the meeting was dedicated to monitoring student work, dealing with vocabulary, students' reporting on what they had done, and looking at some websites for vocabulary study. After some brief review in the second meeting, another text was used in class. Students were told to work in pairs, read the text and make sure they would be able to report on the theme, the sections in the text, and the topic progression throughout. I assisted them with vocabulary and, after nearly half an hour, two volunteers reported on their work to the group. I then said that I would like two different volunteers to use that text as inspiration and simulate a talk show before the rest of the group in two weeks' time. Two male students were very quick to say they would do that. This second, two-page text (Oner, 2010) dealt with inflation in the following way: (a) a definition, (b) indexes used for measuring and monitoring inflation at different levels, (c) the good and bad effects of inflation, (d) causes of inflation, and (e) policies concerning inflation. The third meeting was essentially used to correct vocabulary and grammar exercises: common words in finances/economy; verbs/expressions (increase, decrease, remain the same, and the like); and passive constructions (Prices are expected to rise, for example). Material available for free on the internet was used also in those cases. In this meeting, there was also the chance to review the text used in the second meeting (see extracts) and clarify any doubts the students had about it or the talk show to be presented in the following meeting. Both paragraphs below were extracted from Oner's text. They are intended to show the nature of the material and, in addition, help understand how one of the two volunteers (S2) refered to the information in the text during the talk show. Inflation is the rate of increase in prices over a given period of time. Inflation is typically a broad measure, such as the overall increase in prices or the increase in the cost of living in a country. But it can 650

7 also be more narrowly calculated for certain goods, such as food, or for services, such as a haircut, for example.... To the extent that households nominal income, which they receive in current money, does not increase as much as prices, they are worse off, because they can afford to purchase less. In other words, their purchasing power or real inflation-adjusted income falls (Oner, 2010, p. 44). The volunteers (S1 and S2) presented a talk show in class that lasted nearly 40 minutes. They agreed to have their presentation recorded on video and were happy to let me use the material in my research. It is not within the scope of this paper to provide a detailed description and analysis of the talk show. Instead, I have decided to include below a literal transcription of three minutes of the material recorded on video. First, there is the opening of the talk show (by S1) and introduction of the guest (S2). Then there are two passages in which the latter, who plays the role of an economist, explains what inflation is while he uses information that can be traced to Oner's text (both paragraphs above). S1: Well, good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Late Night with Penguin. Tonight at the audience, Journalism students from São Paulo State University... [students cheer and applaud]... Well, Ok, tonight in the show we're gonna talk about economics... economy S1: Well, Peter, thank you for coming tonight, well, and you know... I believe almost every well-informed person have... has a few knowledge about inflation, but when we open our financial part of newspapers, we kind of... don't... can't understand very well... I sometimes can't understand nothing, so I'll just get started by the most simple question I can ask for you: what is inflation?... S2: Ok, first about the papers... they make a newspaper to an specific readers who knows about economy. It's difficult someone write to the average people, the average public... but well, about inflation, in a simple words it's a measure of things that make the things more expensive, but actually is not exactly this. Inflation is nothing more than the rate of increase in a price - goods and stuffs - in a... some period of time. For example, I buy a cell phone today with 100 dollars and the next month this same cell phone costs 120 dollars. This 20 (/'twen'ti:n/) dollars is the inflation...at 20% inflation rate S2: how many times your salary - your income - grows up in your life? And how many times you see a product become more expensive. It's a little different. You see eh... the things... the price of things changes very more times... uh a lot of more times than the income that you receive (/ri'saiv/)... and you understand the relation of the price of things and what you get...and... uh... your power... your purchasing (/pзr't eizin/) power will help you to administrate better your finances, you know? At the end of the talk show, all students in class had the chance to ask questions, review specific vocabulary and express their appreciation of the work done by the volunteers. In addition, I later exchanged s with S1 and S2 to find out what they thought about the experience. Both students wrote that they enjoyed doing the activity because it was a nice opportunity to use English in a challenging situation: it demanded previous preparation, and they felt good about taking responsibility for the quality of their job. Part of what S2 wrote is transcribed below. Well, about the presentation i like to say that was a great opportunity to train my English in a real adverse situation, with a complex theme that demands an expecific economics vocabulary. In addition, the complexity of inflation theme makes me research more about it, understanding better this subject being capable to present it in another language that i am not fluent. About some new vocabulary 651

8 knowleged, i can quote some specific economics words like "income", "profit", "interest",and something like that,with i confused before and learn the accurate use of these themes (S2 feedback, transcribed as typed). Concluding remarks In this paper I have outlined the main characteristics of CBLT, an approach that can potentially contribute to the language/communicative competence of language learners, particularly in higher education settings. In the implementation of CBLT, students are expected to become more engaged with -and experience enhanced motivation throughout- language courses in which specific content is dealt with, particularly themes that are addressed in other courses in the program they are following. The approach may require a lot from teachers (e.g. familiarity with and interest in different content areas, and selection and adaptation of materials), and students may feel there is no clear connection between one lesson and the next - this is particularly true of students who are comfortable with more traditional, teacher-centered procedures to deal with vocabulary and grammar. Advocates of the approach tend to agree that the learning of language (form and use) is incidental in courses that are consistent with CBLT. However, analysis of students' needs and negotiation can, in my opinion, help individual teachers make best choices in particular settings. In the example I provided in the previous section, a careful reader will identify potential areas for more explicit language awareness work (Concário, 2003): singular/plural/verb-subject agreement; structure of questions; how to first address an audience in formal situations; and pronunciation. If, how and when to do that, on the other hand, will have to be decided on after taking into consideration the objectives underlying the teaching sequence; if students were informed of how their work would be assessed; whether language analysis should be done in class or somewhere else, individually; and a number of other variables. As far as challenges are concerned, I would also like to point out that any serious attempt at implementing CBLT will require institutional support. In the example I described, it is possible to see how administrative decisions may inadvertently sabotage plans to promote the development of students' skills in the target language. To end this paper on a positive note, it has to be mentioned that CBLT allows for extensive use of information and communication technologies in class. The amount and variety of up-to-date material that is available for free cannot be overlooked. In addition, I also wish to urge teachers and program administrators to look at CBLT as an approach that can prove attractive and helpful to students who already have great command of the target language but may still need to practice using it in more formal (educational and professional) situations. Acknowledgements I wish to thank the Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa (Research Pro-Rectory) of Unesp for the financial support to my project, as a Programa Primeiros Projetos grant (First Project Program) that was awarded by the university. I also want to express my appreciation of and excitement about the extremely cooperative and creative students who have so readily embraced my proposals. 652

9 References BRASIL. (2011). 'Brazilian economy is not overheated.' Disponível em [August 2011] BRINTON, D. M.; SNOW, M. A. & WESCHE, M. (2003). Content-based second language instruction. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. BROWN, H. D. (2001). A methodical history of language teaching. In:. Teaching by principles. An interactive approach to language pedagogy. 2.ed. White Plains: Longman, p CONCÁRIO, M. (2003). Consciência linguística no ensino de inglês como língua estrangeira: seu papel na abordagem comunicativa e na formação de professores. Dissertação de mestrado, IBILCE - Universidade Estadual Paulista.. (2009). A língua portuguesa e a construção do conhecimento escolar. Tese de doutorado, IEL - Universidade Estadual de Campinas. LEWIS, M. (1993). The lexical approach. London: Language Teaching Publications. MEHISTO, R.; MARSCH, D. & FRIGOLS, M. J. (2008). Uncovering CLIL. Content and language integrated learning in bilingual and multilingual education. Oxford: Macmillan. NUNAN, D. (2011). Classroom research in a Chinese context: a review. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics. Beijing, v. 34 n. 3 p ONER, C. (2010). 'What is inflation?' Back to basics. Finance and development. Disponível em [August 2011] PRABHU, N. S. (1990). There is no best method why?. TESOL Quarterly, v. 24 n. 2, p RICHARD, J. & RODGERS, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. 2.ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. WILKINS, D. A. (1976). Notional syllabuses. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 653