Content-based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches

Content-based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION

Content –based instruction, as its name offers, focuses on learning target language through the
subject matter. That’s, while students learn about a specific field, they also learn target
language together with the particular subject. This content may be academic. The method
suggests that the content is more important than language skills. But language skills are nor
completely ignored. The subject should be paralel to target language. Because of the fact that
students study on diffucult subjects in addition to target language, target language should be
clear during the course. If not, they will possibly have troubles with both target language and
the subject. The teacher who uses this method plays a mediator role. Students are dealt with
academic subjects and vocabulary in high level. So the instructor helps the class. This reflects
the humanistic side of the teacher. The teacher doesn’t neglect the previous experiences of the
students. She/he asks about their early acquintances related to the subject. Doing so the
teacher activates their schemata which encourages the students and arouses their interests.The
method asserts that the vocabulary items and grammer should be taught in a contex rather
than given isolated. Also the teacher should inform the students about what they will learn in
the course beforehand.

Content-based instruction arouses from the communicative needs. Think that a group of
people work on a specific area such as medicine and they are expected not to use their native
language, they need to use the target language for their specific purpose. This instruction
method is based on implementing specific purposes through target language. The Content-
based instruction has three models; “ Immersion”, Adjunct Model”, and “ Sheltered-
Language”. Immersion is a method of teaching a second language in which the target
language is used as a tool for teaching the subject. The main purpose of teacher is to teach the
given subject. The adjunct model represents learning the specific subjects through the help of
target language. In this method, there are two teachers and two seperate classes one of which
is academic class and the other is language class. Language teacher helps the students to
understand the missing points represented by the subject teacher. There is a cooperation
between the classes. On the other hand, sheltered-language instruction offers an advantage of
learning the target language and the academic couses jointly. In this method, there is one
teacher who masters both the academic course and the target language.

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 Content-based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches

This provides an opportunity for the students that they do not have to spend their time on
learning the academic course and the target language distinctively. Especially in this method
the target language should be given as related to the subject. The academic classes can be
taught by a native speaker or non-native speaker. Teacher helps the students to develop both
their language proficiency and the content proficiency.

There is one more aprroach related to the content-based instruction: the Whole Language
Approach. The approach suggests that the target language should be taught all in one ,not in
pieces.It propeses coordination of the skills. The language skills should be gained through a
whole text. The text the teacher chooses should contain the language skills so that the students
can develop their language skills as a whole. This appoach supports one another approach
”the Language Experience Approach”. This approach is based on the learner’s experinces
Learners can be higly motivated to learning the target language by this way. The content is
related to their own experinces and attracts their interest. They will enjoy using the target
language to tell their experinces. It is believed that the most effective way of learning is
writing and the acceptable writing techniques are process writing and journal keeping. In
process writing, students interact with each other and the teacher, they can make
brainstorming and they are given to a feedback by the teacher during the writing process.
This is named as “process-oriented”avtivity. This will be helpful for the students to identify
their missings or errors and correct them. If the students have no chance to choice a topic on
their own, they have problems on writing process. The teacher doesn’t involve in the process
in any way. This is “product-oriented” activity and is not a useful way of learning.

All of these models can be effective in learning the target language. But the third model is the
most constructive one in terms of learning the target language and academic subjects.

TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION

Before defining the instruction in detail, it should be clarified what the task means. A task is
“a specific activity to perform an assigned piece of work, often finished within a certain
time.” (http://www.seslisozluk.com/?word=task). The method is a learner-based instruction.
The instruction focuses on a work which students are expected to fulfill by using the target
language. It is believed that task is more related to doing something with a language. Because
task needs so many language skills and items to be completed.

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 Content-based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches

As a practice of task-based instruction, a specific task is given to students by the teacher who
is in favour of learner involvement. This task is partly completed by the students and teacher.
Teacher interacts with students by asking them some questions. They attend the course
actively. The native language of the students cannot be used during the class. Students
complete the given task hand in hand which provides a peer-learning. Teacher shows them
how to implement a task by working together with the class. This period is named as pre-task
stage. Pre-task stage enables the students to do the next task correctly. That’s it prepares them
for the next task which they will fullfil individually or working in a group. After they learn
how to complete a task, they are expected to manage the rest of the task with their groups.
Students discuss about the task and share their ideas. An information gap activity also
emerges. They also evaluate their task by themselves which provides a peer-evaluation. The
activity which the students complete the rest of the task after learning the ways of it is called
as while-task. It can be also named as ongoing-task. After the while task, the students are
expected to do a new task working in groups. The subject of the task will be different from the
completed one. By this way, students can practice with their acquintances on the new task.
They plan the task, identify the steps and then gather information and share their ideas. At the
end, they will produce something on their own. This satage is called as the post-task. While
the students try to complete a post-task, they do an opinion-gap activity. Also an interraction
occurs between students naturally.

With the task-based activity students develop language skills and they use so many forms of
the target language. This instruction method provides the students with so many skills of the
target language.

PARTICIPATORY APPROACH

Participatory approach is based on solving the learner’s problems in real life using the target
language as a tool for this purpose. Learners bring their ouside problems into the class. Their
problems are discussed by the students and the teacher. There occurs an interraction between
them. The teacher is not the the authority but is a guider in this appoach. S/he helps them to
solve their problems and s/he shows some ways to them. S/he uses visuals to help them to
understand the situation. Only the target language is used during the course. In deed, the main
purpose is not teaching the target language but making solutions for the issues. This approach
is not much related to the teaching language.

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 Content-based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches

The approach offers the target language as a tool for survival skills and coping with the
diffuculties which the learners have encountered in their life experiences. The learners can
make a change with their problems by communicating in the target language.

ACTIVITIES

A.1. The difference between the CLT and Content-based, Task-based and Participatory
Approaches:

Both CLT method and the other three define their pusposes as teaching target language
communicatively. But their principles show that their ways of defining the concept of
“communication” is different from each other. CLT method focuses on the language itself but
the other three are centered around specific fields not the language itself. While the
contentbased instructon uses the target language as a tool for devoloping the academic skills,
CLT uses the language for teaching the target language. when we look at the task-based
instruction, students use the target language to complete the given task. In the same way, the
target language is employed in making solutions for the learner’s problems. CLT suggests that
a second language learner should be capable of four skills which are, Authentic Competence
Linguistic Competence, Sociolinguistic Competence,Strategical Competence . But the others
don’t take into consideration these skills. They help the students to learn the target language
within the framework of the ongoing issue or the given context. In CLT, students are allowed
to use their native language to some extent but in the others native language cannot be used in
any way.

A.4. The particpatory approach has a political philosophy as well as an educational

The political philosophy covers the subjects which people can encounter in their daily lives. It
deals with governmental, environmental, humanistic sides of the life etc. The concept brings
something about the human issues to the mind such as freedom, protection of the human
rights. And the political philosophy handles the human problems somehow. The participatory
approach is also established on solving the human problems and making chances about the
issue with the cooperation of the target language .

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 Content-based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches

I think, political philosophy is in general term means that deep thinking on an identified issue
and taking action for making a solution on it. When we look at the participatory approach we
see the same thing. The approach is based on the problems of the target language learners.

Since we say that the approach is irrelevant to language learning, the main function of it is to
discuss on the specific problems of the learners.

B.1 Process writing and journal-keeping are consistent with whole language principles.

Process writing enables the learners to follow their acquintances, discuss about the given issue
and make brainstorming. When needed the teacher is involved in the process and s/he makes
corrections or gives advices. During this process students have a chance to observe their
writing, mistakes and the use of the target language. They write about a topic and they should
use the necessary functions of the target language. but the functions are not defined by the
teacher beforehand. So while writing they can learn about more functions. On the other hand
tjournal-keeping is an activity which is familiar to the students. They write about themselves
and they enjoy with it. They should use functions of the target language according to the
ongoing event. For example they can need to use all tenses forms in their journals, there is no
limitation of function or skills. In addition to this, when they look back to their journals time
to time, they can follow their learning process. They can also discover the missing parts of
their learning or what they have done with the target language so far. So that they can identify
what they need about the target language.

In addition to these writing techniques , writing an essay on their academic couses can be
useful for their learning the target language. Writing letters about their life or emotion to their
close friends or their families regularly can be a useful way of learning. Sharing information
on social websites and writing on their personal blogs are also ways of learning.

B.4 The lessons can be planned around the ongoing events in the students lives.

While teaching target language teacher should not feel limited when it is needed to plan the
lesson around the student’s experiences. Because language is used in all areas of the life and it
has functions on all the subjects. Scientific subjects are even derived from human experiences
or need. Life is established on living things and the human beings are the most subjective one
of all the species. Therefore the language teacher can do everything with the language.