ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION: OPTIMIZING LEARNERS' EXPOSURE TO ENGLISH THROUGH NON-LANGUAGE SUBJECTS

However effective second/foreign language teachers are at teaching their subject, their hard work needs to be supplemented by providing students with rich and appropriate exposure to the language outside the language classroom. The research literature on language learning confirms that input is an essential element in the second language acquisition process. This paper examines the complementary nature of the roles played by language and non-language teachers in providing essential exposure to language learners within a school. It draws on data from Hong Kong's recent experience of introducing a more flexible approach to medium of instruction in secondary education, by allowing schools to teach some subjects through English and others through Chinese. Formerly, the schools were required to teach the curriculum exclusively through either Chinese or English. It is argued that non-language teachers who teach their subject through the medium of English can play an important and effective role in providing learners with much needed exposure to academic vocabulary