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Content Based Learning
CONTENT BASED
LEARNING
 What is Content based learning?

Several definitions of CBI have been provided by different researchers and authors.

CBI proposes an approach in which students acquire the target language through
content.
Richards and Rodgers (2001) say that “Content-Based Instruction refers to an approach
to second language teaching in which teaching is organized around the content or
information that students will acquire, rather than around a linguistic or other type of
syllabus” (Richards & Rodgers, 2001, p. 204). Content usually refers to the subject
matter that people learn or transmit using language (Richards & Rodgers, 2001).
Content-based instruction is “the teaching of language through exposure to content that
is interesting and relevant to learners” (Brinton, 2003, p. 201).
 Examples of Content-Based
Learning
Some examples could be:
• Learning a new skill (yoga, origami, preparing food)
• Studying a historical event (invention of the airplane,
World War II, the World's Fair)
• Studying a country of geographic region.
• Discussing what students did over the weekend.
• Telling stories.
 What does a content-based
learning lesson look like?
Preparation:
1. Choose a subject of interest to students.
2. Find three or four suitable sources that deal
with different aspects of the
subject.Be aware that these could be website,
reference books, or audio or video of lectures
or even real people.
 What are the advantages of
content-based learning?
• It can make learning a language more interesting and motivating. Students can
use the language to fulfil a real purpose, which can make students both more
independent and confident.
• Students can also develop a much wider knowledge of the world through CBI
which can feed back into improving and supporting their general educational
needs.
• CBI is very popular among EAP (English for Academic Purposes) teachers as it
helps students to develop valuable study skills such as note taking, summarising
and extracting key information from texts.
• Taking information from different sources, re-evaluating and
restructuring that information can help students to develop very
valuable thinking skills that can then be transferred to other
subjects.
• The inclusion of a group work element within the framework given
above can also help students to develop their collaborative skills,
which can have great social value.
 Principles
• Base instructional decisions on content rather than language criteria.

It is true that most books for second language instruction are designed by
course planners and material designers, not by language teachers. It is also
true that the responsibility to choose and adapt the material to be used in the
classroom falls on the language instructor, especially when working with CBI. In
fact, CBI permits the choice of content. It is the content itself that determines
the pedagogical decisions on selection and sequencing. With regard to this,
Brinton (2003) points out that CBI “allows the choice of content to dictate or
influence the selection and sequencing of language items” (Brinton, 2003, p.
206)
 Principles
• Integrate skills.

CBI advocates for an integrated skills approach to language teaching.

For example, a regular lesson may begin with any skill or focus such
as intonation or any other linguistic feature. This approach also
involves the teaching of multiple skills simultaneously, just as in the
real world.
 Principles

• Involve students actively in all phases of the learning process.

One of the main characteristics of the CBI classroom is that it is learner-centered, not
teacher-centered. Students do not depend on the teacher to control the learning experience.
Students play a more active role in the CBI classroom, creating and participating actively in
the construction of knowledge. Peer correction and peer input are also significant in this
approach.
 Principles

Choose content for its relevance to students’ lives, interests, and/or

academic goals.

Content is closely related to the students’ needs and instructional settings.

For instance, in high schools and universities content parallels the several
subjects that learners study. The only difference is that they are taught from
a different perspective and with different instructional objectives.
 Principles
• Select authentic texts and tasks. Authenticity is another significant feature of
CBI.

Texts and tasks used in CBI come from the real world. It is true that bringing and using
authentic material in the class modifies its original purpose (Hutchinson & Waters as cited
in Brinton, 2003), but it is also true that the use of authentic material promotes the learning
of the culture of the target language. Moreover, there are several degrees of text
authenticity (Helgesen & Brown, 2007). Brown and Menasche (as cited in Helgesen &
Brown, 2007) propose five types of text authenticity: genuine text authenticity, altered text
authenticity, adapted text authenticity, simulated text authenticity, and inauthentic texts.
CBI also claims that comprehensible input is not enough to acquire the target language
successfully unlike other approaches and theories (Brinton, 2003). Next, I believe that the
use of authentic materials fosters successful acquisition of the target language. Finally, I
have to admit that adaptations of authentic materials might be more beneficial for specific
groups of learners, for instance beginners.
 Team work
• Mention the disadvantages of CBL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SpVS6
zGYCc
 Team work
• Create a teaching demostration using CBI
• Present it to the class.

• There must be a teacher and students

following the lesson.
• Acting out!