Teaching English through Art History

Abstract

Providing students with an opportunity to learn a foreign language through diverse subject matters is practiced worldwide. However, there is no evidence of such implication in Armenia. The "Teaching English through Art History" Content-Based Instructional(CBI) course is designed to answer to the perceived gap in education system of Armenia. The design project is aimed at designing, implementing and assessing a CBI course which is designed for students who are of advanced level of proficiency in English. The course aims to raise students' awareness about Art History study, particularly Modern Art period, as well as to develop students' four language skills(speaking, writing, reading, and listening) in the target language. In addition, the course aimes to develop higher order thinking skills for students to be able to apply the techniques and strategies learnt during the course. Various activities are conducted to achieve the goals set for the course. Moreover, several grading rubrics are designed to assess students' content and language achievement. The "Teaching English through Art History" course was piloted at the Experimental English Classes(EEC) of the American University of Armenia. The students' age ranged between 16 and 17. The results gained from the course evaluation showed that, overall, the course met the goals and learning outcomes, as well as students'expectations.