One of this week’s main task was to read Fredericka Stoller’s piece on Content Based Instruction and Tomasz P. Synlaski’s article on Inputs and Outputs

Here are my thoughts on Fredericka Stoller’s work:

• Stoller’s eight teaching practices above are the basis for a well-structured language lesson. I was first exposed to most of these ideas during my CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) training in London, and, as such, endeavour to incorporate as many as possible into my classes. For example, eliciting vocabulary from students using visual aids such as flashcards, modelling the pronunciation of new words myself, and then drilling the students chorally and then individually, as well as preparing comprehension questions for reading texts that check skimming (reading for general information) and scanning (reading for specific information) skills.
• The methods that I mention above are very effective for my teaching environment, because they culminate in a deeper understanding of the English language (in terms of vocabulary and grammar), and the acquisition of transferable skills (research skills, group work etc.). The key is, of course, organisation, and this comes from having prepared a well-staged lesson plan with varied and interesting tasks.
• I currently teach small group classes, so rely heavily on pair work. I think I could make my teaching more effective if I orchestrated a large project whereby multiple skills are used and greater co-operation is reached between my students. I would hope greater co-operation would lead to greater communication. However, teaching mono-lingual groups makes this more difficult (to control).
• Stoller touches on the role technology can make in facilitating content-based instruction. I think that, even on a very simple level technology allows teachers to address the different learning styles of their students. For example, videos for visual learners, audio tracks for audio learners etc. On a deeper level, technology in a CBI classroom can allow students to work at their own pace, to be either supported with extra tasks in order to catch-up, or given more challenging work, depending on their ability. Another advantage of online learning is allowing students the chance to submit their work at any time, and for the assessment to be done automatically by the platform software (Instreamia, for example). In this way, the student is encouraged to work at home, thus freeing up classroom time for only the most pertinent of questions.
• Stoller ends her paper with the following quote, “Think about the small or possibly large changes that you can make in your curricula, in your schools, with the materials that you’re writing, rather than using content simply as a shell for language teaching”. In my classroom, I see content (vocabulary) as the “meat” and language (grammar) as the “shell”. You cannot have one, without the other. I begin teaching language with content. A group of singular words which belong to the same group (colours, numbers, etc.). Once we build up this “meaty” bank of information, we can carefully protect it with strong “shell” of grammar rules.