1

Theme Based Teaching & Learning

By: Bishara Adam

2

Theme Based Teaching & Learning

Theme based units are a vehicle for teaching a range of skills and content by integrating curriculum areas around a topic.

This method of teaching links curriculum strands and capitalizes on children’s interests, creating a sense of purpose and community in the classroom.

By building on their interests and life experiences, young people’s attitudes, skills and knowledge are developed in meaningful ways.

Inquiry and communication are activated by a desire to know more, resulting in enthusiastic participation in the learning process

3

Issues Around Theme Based TeachingThe structure and duration of the Theme based teaching vary according to the resources available and the objectives of the unit.

Often this type of activity is limited to a single day or several half days because of the complexity of organization required.

One advantage of Theme based teaching is that teachers benefit from the interchange of ideas when they come together to work collaboratively.

Plan your student groupings according to your goals for the theme study and the types of activities you wish to use.

Theme based teaching can be wonderful spirit builders and an excellent way to celebrate special days (e.g. World Food Day) and holidays.

4

Theme Based Teaching of a Foreign Language

How children naturally learn.

Creative thinking and skilled organisation - a long list of activities relating to all areas of the curriculum under one theme.

The potential of theme-based teaching is to provide realistic and motivating uses of language.

Variations on Theme.

Valuable to the overall educational and social development of the child.

5

Planning Theme Based Teaching This type of teaching demand years of practising and experience.

Even the expert teacher will need careful planning of a theme, to prepare sub-themes and to identify the language learning goals.

‘choice-points’ - Direction, activity or timing

Find a theme

Planning content

Planning language learning tasks

6

Learning Language ThroughTheme Based Teaching

It is necessary to select from the possibilities to match the interests of a particular class and then build on what pupils already know.

Theme-based teaching can help the children to contribute from partial to more complete knowledge by building links and connections in the networks of children´s language resources.

Learning vocabulary

Language learning through communicative stretching

Learning discourse skills

Using information texts, on paper and on computer.

Outcomes and products from learning language through theme-based learning.

7

Increasing Target Language Use InTheme Based Teaching

Tell the words in the doing and making process

Teacher support

Give feedback to each other

Talking to oneself

Background language exposure

Sing, saying rhymes, playing tapes of songs as the children work.