Widening the Circle: Teaching English for Specific Purposes in the Light of Content-Based Instruction

Abstract

Language instruction based on content is not a new idea; it originated in English-speaking countries such as the USA, Canada, and many European countries that study content subjects in English. Accordingly, it has become a widely adopted pedagogical approach to English for Academic Purposes. The teaching of English to speakers of other languages, including Algeria, however, abounds with multiple acronyms, causing teachers to become confused, and even disoriented when considering English for Specific Purposes, English for Academic Purposes, and Content-Based Instruction. The rationale of this purely theoretical-based article is to understand the current pedagogical practices in language across the curriculum and strive to unearth and uncover how English for Specific Purpose courses can be taught by implementing Content-based Instruction as a syllabus, by reviewing some linguistic, and pedagogical rationales as well as principles for the application of this framework for foreign language learners in higher education, more precisely in the ESP context. Besides, the study suggests some teaching models that are meant to help English language instructors to be content teachers in some circumstances and language-competent teachers in other contexts.

Keywords:  Content-Based Instruction; teacher; Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.