Reading Prompt #7

Egbert Chapter 7

Egbert talks about the integration of language and content objectives. Teaching language in isolation dangerously reminds me of the Grammar-Translation Method. Even if we combine it with some communicative techniques, without content, language objectives will not result in effective language learning.
I have tested some adult ESL learners in one of the local school districts’ ESL program earlier today. While I was waiting to get the list of students who needed to be tested, I noticed that one of the teachers started out talking about present perfect to his class. He wrote 5 sentences on the board – 3 sentences with present perfect and 2 sentences with simple past. 2 of the 5 sentences were related – mentioned the flu and measles. There was one sentence about a castle in Spain, and another about shopping. I can’t remember the fifth sentence. Clearly, there was no real content there, but language in isolation. Moreover, when I swung by the same classroom an hour later, there was a student adding some words to the same 5 sentences. I wonder what they were talking about – the flue, measles, castles in Spain or shopping?
Egbert did not mention adult ESL in her discussion, but I think what is true for K-12 in relation to combining academic content objectives with language objectives, is true for adult ESL too. ELLs need content to be able internalize the foreign language.
Adding technology to combined content and language objectives is really simply taking it up a notch. Technology enhances content and language instruction and therefore supports language learning.