Teacher Discussion Forums

[andrewgessman]

I am enrolled an ESL teacher training program in which I am studying the application and effectiveness of an often dizzying milieu of "approaches", "techniques", "methods", etc. I am previously trained as a Social Studies teacher, and am interested in dovetailing the teaching of Social Studies content (primarily Civics) and ESL instruction. I am reading about Content Based Instruction (CBL) for my current ESL training course and am curious as to how and where (in which educational settings) I might implement it. Let me re-state that I am previously trained and experienced as a teacher in K-12 settings. For adult learners, is CBL particularly focused on Social Studies appropriate and/or feasible? In which educational settings/forums might such an approach take place?

[AnnJ.Ring]

You could certainly make it work to your benefit in a couple different Adult Education settings. I would start out by seeing if Vocational schools would offer classes in Social Studies or Civics that lead ELL students to obtaining their citizenship. You could also see if there are any places or universities/colleges offering Intensive English Programs, English for Academic Purposes, or English for Specific Purposes in order to ready ELLs for community college or four-year degree programs. In these programs, you could apply the CBL with high intermediate to advanced students who are interested in pursuing a major or career in government jobs or becoming a paralegal, among other occupations. These programs could deal with teaching the ELLs the vocabulary and research skills needed for their college education and major program of study.