The whats, whys, hows and whos of content based instruction in second language education

Communicative language teaching has as it goals for the students to obtain communicative competence in a second language. Various other approaches are included in this method, among them: the Natural Approach, Cooperative Language Learning, Content Based Teaching and Task Based Teaching.
The author of this article, Maria Dueñas, focuses on the Content Based Instruction (CBI) as one of the second language teaching model. The effectiveness of this method is that it integrates both, the target language and some meaningful content in the learning process.
According to various proponents of the CBI method, there are four characteristics of this model: (1) subject-matter core which establishes that the curriculum shouldedbe derived from the subject matters , rather than from forms. (Dueñas, 2004); (2) use of authentic texts, that is, use only texts that are intended to be used by native speakers of the language; (3) learning of new information meaning that the learner should use the second language to learn new information using as the basis their previous knowledge of their own culture and what they have learned of the new culture; and (4) appropriate to the specific needs of the students, that is the learning materials, topics and texts should be geared to fulfill the cognitive and affective needs of the students.
The CBI core strategy is to give the students the opportunity to use the new language productively, both orally and in writing. Another strategy is the use of extensive reading, as many studies have revealed that reading coherent material promotes language development and content learning. (Dueñas, 2004)
One key element for the success of the student who are exposed to this method of learning a second language is the motivation. They feel motivated when they recognize they are actually learning, and what they've learned is pertinent.
The author also presented some CBI models ranging from radical to more flexible frameworks. The first model is the immersion education in which the second language is the medium of instruction. The second model is the shelterd courses, a method that proposes the segregation or shelter of the student from the native speakers for instruction purposes. The third method presented was the adjunct courses, an approach used mainly at the university levels. It intends to connect a language course with a regular academic course. The content instructor focuses on the academic concepts while the language instructor emphasizes language skills using the academic contents as the basis for the learning process. The last model presented is the them-based model. This is the most commonly used CBI model . In this model themes are the central ideas for the development of the curricular units.
Content based instruction is an excellent strategy for teaching a second language. It provides for the use of relevant and pertinent content that will promote language competence. It effectively integrates language and content so that the student learns in a balanced way.