Maximizing the benefits of English-medium instruction through cross-

curricular planning at junior secondary levels

Theoretical background and overview

Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about

Benjamin Lee Whorf

Language and learning

Language and learning: What do we know?

• Language develops mainly through its meaningful use.

• Learning often occurs through speaking and writing. (It is part of the process as well as the product)

• Language is a medium for building on learning and for becoming an independent learner

• Language use is essential for overall cognitive development

David Corson “Language Across the Curriculum” 1990

Learning in a second language

• Many students around the world are learning through a language which is not their mother tongue.

• They may have immigrated to another country• They may have been brought up speaking a

language which is not the official language or medium of instruction in their country

How do students learn a second language?

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS)

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

Immersion programmes

Intensive languageclasses

Content emphasis Language emphasis

Features•Achieve high level of fluency•Don’t develop native-speaker accuracy (all BICS and no CALP……)

Features•Focus on language•Too much time needed•Isolation•No subject instruction

Changing approaches to English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching in English-speaking

countries

Language across the curriculum

The teaching or consolidation of language

skills and knowledge in the context of content subject

lessons

world

Integration of language & content Learning (ILC) 1986 e.g. Bernard Mohan

Content Language Integrated Learning

(CLIL)

• ESL in the mainstream• Language & Literacy• Teaching ESL to new arrivals

The Sheltered InstructionObservation Protocol (SIOP)

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Content and Language Integrated Learning

• An approach practised by teachers in subject lessons

• Focus on vocabulary rather than grammar• Focus on language related to the subject• Applies approaches from the language less

on (eg pre-, while- and post-reading tasks)• Assumes subject teachers have the skills a

nd knowledge to make opportunities for language learning in their lessons

ESL in the Mainstream

• Professional development programme for subject teachers. Helps them to…– identify students’ language-related ne

eds– develop teaching practices which addr

ess these needs– develop awareness of students’ cultur

al and linguistic diversity

Sheltered Instruction

• A teaching strategy which aims to help L2 students develop English while studying other subjects

• Do not compete academically with L1 peers• Taught language and content by language

specialists in separate classes• Balance of special classes and mainstream

classes will change as students’ English develops

Integrated language and content learning: Knowledge structures

ChoiceSequenceDescription

modal verbs, requests and offers, preference (prefer, had rather etc)

connectors (then, next),

prepositions of space and time

stative verbs, relative clauses, prepositions of place

•Generating solutions•Identifying and solving problems

•Sequencing events•Following instructions•Predicting order

•Observing•Identifying•Comparing/contrasting

expressing opinions (good, bad, like/dislike, prefer etc)

is due to, modal verbs, 1st/0 conditionals

to be, to have, comparatives etc

•Evaluating•Ranking•Appreciating

•Establishing hypotheses•Interpreting data•Drawing conclusions

•Classifying•Identifying•Understanding

EvaluationPrinciplesClassification

Example from PSHE Strand 3: Culture and Heritage at KS3

A project on the overseas Chinese in different countries

•Connectives of cause/reason, eg because, so that, is due to

•Conditionals

•Connectors expressing the passing of time

•Prepositions of space and time

•Past tenses

•Used to

Text types:

Biographies

Feature articles

Documentaries Dramas

Visuals:

Timeline

Flowchart

Cause and effect table

Principles

Interpreting data

Drawing conclusions

Sequence

Putting events in order

Understanding cause and

effect

How various cultures have adapted to their changing environments

Possible

Tasks

Language structures

Text typesKnowledge structures and thinking skills

Topics

thinking skillsvocabulary,language skills

Integration of language & content Learning (ILC) 1986 e.g. Bernard Mohan

• ESL in the mainstream• Language & Literacy• Teaching ESL to new arrivals

Content Language Integrated Learning

(CLIL)

The Sheltered InstructionObservation Protocol (SIOP)

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teaching strategy subject teacher awareness

Language Across the Hong Kong Curriculum

School curriculum

English KLAs OLE Others

(English) LAC

Knowledge – vocab, text types, structuresSkills – reading, writing, (thinking & generic)

Issues of concern

• Language proficiency

• Understanding of language acquisition & students’ language related needs

• Fewer opportunities to use English outside school

• No need to use English for “survival”

Content subject teachers

Students

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How to make English medium teaching more effective?

subject knowledgesubject

knowledgelanguage knowledge

language knowledge

cross-curricular planningcross-curricular planning

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What do we need to consider when implementing cross-curricular planning?

Organizing principles

School contexts

Scale

Subjects involved

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Roles of teachers &

mode of collaboration

Approaches should be tailored to the school’s

situation and needs

Organising principles: What to transfer from English to content subjects

• Subject-specific vocabulary

• Knowledge of text types and language structures

• Language skills and strategies

• Skills for thinking and organising knowledge

ContentSubject

English Language

Overview of school cases

thinking skills

organising knowledge

reading strategies

knowledge of text types

language skills

subject-specific

vocabulary

Various content subjects

Liberal Studies

HistoryScienceScience

Using knowledge structures to organise the curriculum

Using reading strategies to organise the curriculum

English and Science teachers working hand in hand

English Teachers taking a leading role

Knowledge to transfer

Subjects

short term (one level) long term (across levels)

Scale

Presentation Focus

Case 4Case 3Case 2Case 1