Rita Divéki: Developing Global Competence in the Hungarian EFL Classroom
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2. Review of the Literature
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2.1. Theoretical Background
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2.1.3. Global Education in the EFL Class
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2.1.3.3. Content-Based Instruction

2.1.3.3. Content-Based Instruction

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The 1990s have seen the rise of a new language teaching approach, content-based instruction (CBI), also referred to as content-based language teaching (CBLT), which also prepared the terrain for the integration of citizenship education into the EFL class. In Europe, the same concept was coined as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), however, for the present argumentation, the terms CBI and CBLT are going to be used interchangeably, as they are more universal terms. CBI is seen as a variation to communicative language teaching (Leaver & Stryker, 1989) and it is an umbrella term, which can be defined as an approach “in which teaching is organised around the content or information that students will acquire, rather than around a linguistic or other type of syllabus” (Richards & Rodgers, 2002, p. 204). According to Leaver and Stryker (1989), the four main components of a content-based course are as follow:

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  1. Subject matter core: the syllabus should be organised based on the subject matter, rather than forms, functions, or situations. As they see it, communicative competence will be acquired by learning content information on topics, such as social studies, culture, business, history, political systems, international affairs, economics, etc.;
  2. Use of authentic texts: The selected material for the course should mostly consist of texts, videos, audio recordings, visuals created for native speakers of the language. The activities done using these materials should focus on “conveying real messages and accomplishing specific tasks”;
  3. Learning new information: Using the foreign language, students should learn new information and evaluate information, “based on knowledge of their own culture and their own emerging literacy in the second culture”;
  4. Appropriate for the specific needs of students: The materials, topics, and the activities, as well as the language level of these aspects, should be appropriate for the students (p. 271).
 

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The rationale behind using the CBI approach is manifold. First, students tend to learn a language more successfully “when they use the language as a means of acquiring information, rather than as an end in itself” (Richards & Rodgers, 2002, p. 209). It has also been pointed out that “thematically organised materials are easier to remember and learn” (Stoller, 1997, p. 38). Moreover, while accessing ideas, students might come across interesting and useful materials, which might result in more engagement and motivation to deal with the topic and thus learn the language (Lightbrown, 2013; Richards & Rodgers, 2002; Stoller, 1997). As Lightbrown (2013) puts it, “engaging students in meaningful interaction that challenges them in cognitively age-appropriate ways can help them maintain their interest while their language skills grow”. Also, as CBI is a student-centred approach, the thematic content must be tailored to their needs, which makes the material feel relevant to their lives (Richards & Rodgers, 2002). As Stoller (1997) points out, the main benefit of CBI is that “learners develop language skills while becoming more knowledgeable citizens of the world” (p. 37), which also resonates with the aims of global education.

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CBI can be implemented in different ways, and instruction can happen through either expository approaches (e.g., reading texts, watching videos, presentations, discussions) or experiential approaches (e.g., role-plays, simulations, field trips, interaction with native speakers) (Leaver & Stryker, 1989). Coyle (1999) proposes the 4Cs framework as a methodological and theoretical foundation for planning CLIL lessons and creating materials, containing the guiding principles of CBI: Content, Cognition, Communication and Culture. Based on this framework, the Content of the course should not only be about acquiring knowledge and skills, but students should construct their own knowledge and thus develop their skills. Relating to Cognition, Coyle asserts that the content of the course should be selected to enable learners to make the students think. Communication, in this framework, equals language and it entails the learning content should happen through the language, which should be “transparent and accessible” (p. 9). Finally, in connection with the culture component Coyle claims that “intercultural awareness is fundamental in CLIL” and also makes explicit links with this component and the “global citizenship agenda” (p. 9).

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Inspired by Coyle’s 4C framework, Byram (2009) suggests incorporating intercultural citizenship education in ELT through CLIL, which he illustrates by linking the four main principles of CLIL to citizenship education: the content of the course should be drawn from curricula for citizenship education, as for communication, English should be used as a medium for doing citizenship education, the cognition component is the same as in Intercultural Competence, developing thinking skills which link concept formation, understanding and language (knowledge, skills to interpret and compare, skills to acquire new knowledge, attitudes, critical cultural awareness), and the culture component should be linked to concepts of ‘otherness’ in citizenship and students should be encouraged to participate in international civil society. Global citizenship education and developing global competence through dealing with issues of local, global, and intercultural significance can be similarly incorporated into the classroom using the 4Cs approach (Ho, 2020).
 
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