“How do you balance the roles between language instruction and subject teaching”

Essay “How do you balance the roles between language instruction and subject teaching”
A teacher uses various ways and methods of teaching. Language instruction means increasing communication in English. A teacher should use model language. However it focuses on the subject of the lesson. Therefore subject teaching provides language across the curriculum. Besides, time for assessment and feedback should be planned at the lesson.
A lot has been done in educational system In Kazakhstan. Curriculum in the first grades has been updated this year. The distinctive feature of the subject programmes is that they are focused on forming not only the subject knowledge, but also a wide range of skills. The system of learning objectives forms the basis for developing the following wide range of skills: functional and creative application of knowledge, critical thinking, conducting research work, using information and communication technologies, application of different methods of communication, ability to work in a group and individually, problem solving and decision making. A wide range of skills is a key to learners’ success in school educational experience, as well as in the future, after graduating from school.
Learning English is of great demand nowadays. An ability to communicate in English is crucial in the modern world of mass global communication. English is the language frequently used in communication, science, business, entertainment, travel and sport. A good knowledge of English provides learners with access to these areas and enables them to continue their educational, economic, social and cultural development. Knowledge of English presupposes the results of achievements in various contests and competitions, communication with native speakers. In Kazakhstan bilingual education is prior to polylinqual one. The president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s policy provides a lot of opportunities for young generation to learn foreign languages. There are schools like Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, Kazakh-Turkish high schools where core subjects such as Biology, Physics are taught in English. Some subjects like History and Geography are taught in the Kazakh language. On the one hand bilingual policy helps learners to understand importance of learning foreign language. On the other hand teachers can find balance in their teaching language through the curriculum. One of the strong points of CLIL is using knowledge learned previously. Another advantage is using criteria during language assessment. The fact is that English teachers have poor knowledge of core subjects, such as Physics, Maths or Chemistry. However, Maths or Physics teachers have a poor command of English. It is a big problem.
CLIL is an approach in which a foreign language is used as a tool in the learning of a non-language subject in which both language and the subject have a joint role (Marsh in Coyle, 2006)
Principles of CLIL are 4Cs: content, communication, cognition and culture. Subject theme provides the basis for learning to occur through acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding. Language is used as “a conduit for communication and for learning” which goes beyond the grammar system and aims at interaction. The principle of learning to use a language and using language to learn is applicable in this context. As to cognition: learners are challenged “to think and review and engage in higher order thinking skills in which learners construct their own understanding”. Teachers are suggested to make use of the three domains (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) within Bloom’s taxonomy (1956). And the last, but not least, studying through a foreign language is vital to fostering the understanding of others and cultural awareness. CLIL aims:
to introduce learners to new ideas and concepts in core subjects.
improve learners’ performance in both curriculum subjects and the target language;
encourage stronger links with the citizenship curriculum;
increase learners’ confidence in the target language;
make the content subject the primary focus of classroom materials;
provide scaffolding to support learning of content and language.
The world around us is diverse: it is multicultural and multilinqual. Information technology is changing the way people communicate with each other. A teacher should encourage learners to learn about the world around them. Cognitive skills as well as learning ones are supposed to be improved across the curriculum. Learners will be able to create new ideas using old concepts, identify and analyze patterns, to classify, to predict, to give reasons and to compare ideas, assess them and evaluate their outcomes. Creative thinking will also be developed. Communication skills will be developed. The skills are the following:
agreeing or disagreeing;
asking questions;
clarifying what has been said;
comparing and contrasting;
demonstrating;
describing cause and effect;
describing a process;
explaining a point of view;
evaluating work (self and others); expressing ideas;
generalizing; giving examples;
giving information; hypothesizing;
instructing; interpreting data;
persuading; predicting and justifying predictions;
presenting solutions; presenting work;
suggesting.
Learning skills such as guessing from context, processing and using knowledge, stating facts and opinions, transferring information, carrying out investigations, considering layout, recording results, reviewing, skimming and scanning, summarizing will be taught across the curriculum.
Therefore, taking into account all things mentioned above, CLIL approach will be applied in Kazakh schools in the nearest future.