CONTENT BASED, TASK-BASED,

AND PARTICIPATORY
APPROACHES

CONTENTS

Introduction
Content-based instruction
Task-based instruction
Participatory approach

INTRODUCTION

The three approaches make communication a central point of

language teaching.
The focus is on linguistic content rather than linguistic
functions
Ss use English to learn it rather than learning to use
English.
Teaching through communication rather than for
communication.

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION

Content-based instruction integrates language learning with the

learning of some other content
Academic subjects provide natural content for language
instruction
"Language across curriculum" movement
Clear language objectives and content objectives are of great
importance
Language objectives are dictated by texts , and not by
predetermined syllabus

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION

Snow (1991) describes the content-based instruction as the approach

with many faces:
Language immersion language + academic subject matter
Adjunct model academic course + language course
Sheltered-language instruction used in second-language
environment
Competency-based instruction for adult immigrants

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION
PRINCIPLES

The subject matter content is used for language teaching purposes.

Teaching should build on Ss previous knowledge.
Learners feel motivated when they perceive the relevance of the
language used.
Teacher scaffolds the linguistic content.
Language support is needed when Ss work with authentic subject matter
Language is learned most effectively when used with a real purpose.
Vocabulary is easier to acquire when used in context.
Ss work with meaningful and cognitively demanding language and
content.
Communicative competence involves more than using language
conversationally.

TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION
BACKGROUND

Provide Ss with a natural context for language use

The central purpose is language learning through tasks in the
form of problem-solving negotiation between the students
previous knowledge and new information.
The focus is on task completion instead of on the language
used in the process.
Ss interact while completing a task.
Such interaction facilitates language acqusition

TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION
Prabhu (1987) identified three types of tasks in TBI:
Information-gap activity
Involves the exchange of information among participants in order to
complete a task
Opinion-gap activity
Requires students to give their personal preferences, feelings, or
attitudes in order to complete a task
Reasoning-gap activity
Requires Ss to derive some new information by inferring it from
information they have been given

TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION

PRINCIPLES
Purpose and the outcome of the class activites are clear
Pre-task help Ss to see the logic in what they are asked to do
Teacher uses whatever language is necessary
The main task is realised by Ss working in groups
Interaction is both teacher-student and student-student
Ss feel more comfortable working on their own
Language meaning is in focus rather than language forms
All four skills are employed
L2 is used throughout the class
Evaluation is based on the content

PARTICIPATORY APPROACH
BACKGROUND

Originated in the early sixties with the work of Paulo Freire

Freire believed education occurs in a particular context
Similar to CBI in terms of meaningful content
Differs from CBI in the nature of content
CBI content based on subject matter texts
PA content based on issues of concern to Ss
The goal of PA:
Help Ss to understand social, historical, or cultural forces that affect
their lives
Help to empower Ss to take action and make decisions in order to
gain control of their lives

PARTICIPATORY APPROACH

PRINCIPLES
What happens in the classroom should be connected with what
happens outside that is relevant to Ss
The curriculum is not predetermined
Education is most effective when it is experience-centered
When jointly constructed, knowledge becomes a tool to Ss to voice
their problems
Focus on linguistic forms occurs within the focus on content
Ss produce their own materials to become texts for other Ss
Ss evaluate their own learning and increasingly direct themselves

CONCLUSION

The three approaches goal is to develop students communicative

competence rather than language competence.
Learning to communicate by communicating is, therefore, the best
way to achieve this goal rather than practicing various pieces of
language.

REFERENCES

Larsen-Freeman, D.(2000)Techniques and Principles in

Language Teaching. Second Edition. Oxford University Press