Content-based ESL instruction and curriculum

Abstract This article discusses necessary paradigm changes in English as a second language (ESL) education from an oral English proficiency orientation to an academic English proficiency orientation. English learners face difficult challenges when asked to perform academic tasks in their less developed language. Content-based ESL instruction, which integrates language instruction with content areas, can meet both the linguistic and academic needs of English learners. Thus content-based ESL instruction offers a more meaningful path to academic language acquisition. The article presents theoretical, pedagogical, and empirical reasons why content-based instruction is more beneficial for English learners. Introduction Communicative language teaching, which stresses meaning over form, has been the mantra in English as a second language (ESL) education. This approach is skill-based and task-oriented; ESL instruction and curriculum are driven by language functions and forms based on the functional-notional approach (Bruton, 2002; Kidd, 1996). English learners in the traditional ESL class practice, for instance, how to politely apologize or disagree, to accept invitations, or how to talk to the doctor (Brown, 2004b; Snow, Met, & Genesee, 1989). In addition, they develop functional literacy through activities such as writing letters or personal stories. They also usually read short stories written exclusively for English learners. The orientation of the ESL class is largely geared toward building English learners' conventional English. It must be noted, however, that the nature of reading and writing tasks in traditional ESL classes is short, controlled, contrived, and watered-down, and student learning is isolated from the general education curriculum content. This results in a disjointed, superficial, and inauthentic curriculum. In the meantime, the biggest change in ESL education has been the student body itself. Demographics of the English learners have changed dramatically within the nation. From 1991 to 2001, the ELL enrollment in public schools in the United States increased by 95 percent while the general student population increased only 12 percent (Padolsky, 2002). While current accountability measures stress English learners' academic achievement, it is troublesome to think that we as a society produce a group of students who are only equipped with conversational ability and basic functional literacy (Early, 2001). A critical need is academic language development, the language of subject matter content. A better ESL instruction and curriculum model is the one that provides English learners with academic language development by integrating language and content (Brown, Park, Jeong, & Staples, 2006; Chamot, 2004). Based on theoretical, pedagogical, and empirical perspectives and evidence, this article discusses the rationale behind the content-based ESL instruction approach as a better way of helping English learners effectively acquire academic English. Content-Based ESL Instruction The idea of content-based instruction is not new. Since the early 1980s, there have been continuous efforts to help English learners achieve academic success by linking content learning and language (Pohan & Kelly, 2004). A steady stream of discussion about English learners' needs in academic language and different instructional models has been presented to enhance English learners' language learning or accelerate language acquisition (Krashen, 2003; Short, 1993; Snow, Met, & Genesee, 1989). These models, however, are usually employed in adult ESL settings found in English language institutes or college ESL classes, not k-12 public school settings. Thanks to Cummins' (1981) distinction between social English and academic English, ESL teachers of k-12 settings in particular, have become more conscious of the fact that social English competency alone does not help English learners achieve academic success. …