Reflections on the place of content-based instruction in a tertiary EAL programme

Abstract

This paper summarises the observations and reflections of a content-based (CB) practitioner and a language development (LD) specialist (also the researcher and the author of this article) on the use of content-based instruction (CBI) in a semester-long Graduate Certificate in English as an Additional Language (GCert EAL) Programme at a tertiary institution in New Zealand over a three-year period. Although the theme-based CBI model works well in combination with LD courses within the programme, there is an obvious need for regular attention to formal language features in the CB courses. The contention is that the sociocultural view of genre and the genre approach used in LD courses, in conjunction with student collaborations in the process of task-based learning, can serve as both a theoretical and a practical platform for successfully integrating grammar instruction into CB courses. Besides, creating a strategy for consistent collaborations between the teachers of the two suites of courses will enable the students to feel the positive results of the links within their programme of study.