Language-Building Activities and Variations in Interaction With Mixed-Ability ESL University Learners in a Content-Based Course

Abstract

The preparation of both language-building activities and a variety of teacher/student interaction patterns increase both oral language participation and content learning in a course of manual therapy with mixed-language ability students. In this article, the researchers describe their collaboration in a content-based course in English with English as a second language learners. The data gathered through lesson plans, sociograms, and student feedback cards showed an increase of students’ involvement in class activities since their concern was to be able to diagnose and treat their future patients’ physical condition through a structured interview for which both careful language elaboration and therapist/patient interaction were essential.

Keywords

• Classroom interaction patterns
• language-building activities
• mixed-ability language students