Language across the Curriculum Origins| Goals

If you are searching for what is language across the curriculum?. or to know the Origin of language across Curriculum , then you are in the right place here you will know .What is the meaning of language across curriculum? difficulties and origins of language across the curriculum b.ed notes.

what is language across the curriculum?

Language Across the Curriculum, in short, as LAC. LAC means the entire school as an environment influence students language development and language plays a key role in school learning. It involves broadening teacher’s notion, awareness, helping students learn to use language and helping them to use language. learn to learn.One of the major function of language is use for learning. For trying to put new ideas into words, which all need to be done to bring about new understanding. LAC is a curriculum enrichment program, that provide students with the opportunity to use their skills in language other than English in non-language process.

 LAC interpreted as a concern for improving surface structure of the students. And the non-language teacher also need to pay attention in the school environment as far as language learning is concern. LAC approach is one that integrates language learning and content learning. Language can not be effectively learn without a context, while learning in all subject is dependent upon language. It is therefore, necessary to integrate language and content.

Origins of LAC:

   LAC developed in the late 70’s and early 80’s of the last centuries. But it actually origins in Great Britain, where the idea of linking LAC with the school language policies as a whole received formal recognition in the Allan Bullock report .( A Language for Life)-  “

“Each school should have an organized policy for Language Across the Curriculum, establishing every teacher’s involvement in language and reading development throughout the years of schooling.”

”  A decade later this was underlined in the Swan Report ( Education for All ) – ”

“Unless there is a school language and learning policy across the curriculum ,there will be wastage of effort and often confusion“.

Goals of LAC ( Language across the Curriculum) :

1. The goal of LAC is to support language development in each and every child, in each learning activity in school.
2. To support and success in academic learning.
3. Another goal of LAC is to improve four language skills. Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, as a whole. The aim of LAC is to develop children’s existing mental and linguistic capacities.
4. To develop thinking process of the student as language is link to the thinking process.
5.  The goal of LAC is to assimilate new concept largely through language, that is when they listen to talk, read and write.
6. The overall goal of LAC is not just developing cognitive, academic and language proficiency but conceptual literacy.

Difficulties of LAC ( Language Across the Curriculum ):

   There are lots of difficulties in the LAC approach in the traditional Classroom situation with the traditional mindset of the teacher. Lets sum up the difficulties in the following way-

1. The main difficulties of LAC is what it is never fully put into practice . LAC  was never practiced to any larger extent on a regular basis neither in Great Britain nor in other parts of the world.
2.  There are no further reports about its implementation and also there are no documentation available regarding LAC.
3. There are very less research are done or published regarding LAC.
4. Another obstacle lay in the fact that there was no one centrally responsible in the school for such activities, except the head master or the school.
5. There is no language policy prepared by the central or state government to flourish LAC.
6. Introducing LAC requires a radical change in the attitudes and interest of teachers involved
7. Another obstacle is that there is no attention to the source of errors. 
8. Problem of the attitudes of the teachers.

Conclusion for language across the curriculum in short

            Thus, from the above discussion about the concept of LAC. Origins of LAC and it‘s Goals and Difficulties of LAC (Language Across the Curriculum) . LAC as outline so far is extremely important for adolescent and young teacher, so that they can function while within the school. LAC is an important approach but it has some difficulties for implementation which has been mentioned above.

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