Cross-Disciplinary Lessons in an Elementary Public Institution
Lecciones interdisciplinarias en una institución pública de básica primaria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v23n2.83889Keywords:
content-based instruction, cross-disciplinary lessons, foreign language teaching and learning, public school, sciences curriculum (en)aprendizaje basado en contenidos, enseñanza aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera, escuela pública, currículum de ciencias naturales, lecciones interdisciplinarias (es)
This article reports the results of an action-research study, carried out in the fourth grade of a Colombian public elementary school, which sought the integration of the teaching of English and the natural sciences through cross-disciplinary lessons that followed the principles of content-based instruction. Observation, action plan, and evaluation were the ongoing research stages. Interviews, workshops, and the students’ portfolio were the main instruments used to collect data. Results revealed that the cross-disciplinary lessons were appropriate and useful to connect the foreign language learning with other school subjects. Beginner students of English demonstrated an enhancement in the communicative skills and developed contextualized learning strategies, which proved the importance of integrating English with scientific contents as a contribution to curriculum innovations.
Este artículo reporta los resultados de una investigación en el aula, realizada con un grupo de cuarto grado en una institución educativa pública colombiana, cuyo propósito consistió en integrar la enseñanza del inglés con el currículum de ciencias naturales mediante un conjunto de lecciones interdisciplinarias siguiendo el enfoque basado en contenidos. La investigación se desarrolló en tres etapas: observación, plan de acción y evaluación. La recolección de datos se realizó mediante entrevistas, talleres y portafolios. Los resultados indican que las lecciones fueron apropiadas y útiles para establecer una relación interdisciplinaria entre los temas de enseñanza. Los estudiantes demostraron habilidades comunicativas y estrategias contextualizadas, mediante las cuales se constató la importancia de integrar el inglés con contenidos científicos como una contribución a las innovaciones curriculares.
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