【Article by EMI Resource Center】 To strengthen faculty members’ core understanding of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) and enhance their classroom practices, the EMI Resource Center at National Chengchi University (NCCU), in collaboration with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), hosted an interactive lecture on the morning of April 29, 2026, titled “Learning Content in a Second Language: Four Concepts Every EMI Teacher Should Know.” The session featured AIT English Language Fellow Jye Smallwood as the keynote speaker, who guided NCCU faculty to rethink the nature and challenges of EMI teaching from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

At the outset, Jye introduced a key perspective: EMI is not merely a method of teaching in English, but rather a specific teaching context. Its primary goal is not to directly teach the language itself, but to support students in mastering disciplinary knowledge through the medium of English. Therefore, the foremost task of EMI instructors is to help students effectively comprehend, absorb, and apply subject content in a second language environment, rather than simply translating existing courses into English.

To help instructors better understand students’ learning needs in EMI classrooms, Jye introduced Cummins’ Iceberg Theory, which distinguishes between Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). He emphasized that even students who demonstrate fluency in everyday English communication may still struggle with academic content. What truly underpins successful EMI learning is deeper academic language proficiency and conceptual processing ability. This insight reminds instructors to carefully consider students’ cognitive load and provide sufficient linguistic and content support in their instructional design.

The lecture then focused on key theories in second language acquisition. Jye introduced Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, highlighting that effective learning occurs through comprehensible input—that is, instructional content should be slightly above students’ current proficiency level (i+1), striking a balance between challenge and comprehension. He also explained Schmidt’s Noticing Hypothesis, which posits that learners must first notice new language forms or disciplinary concepts before they can truly understand and internalize them. In addition, he discussed Schema Theory, explaining that students construct new knowledge by drawing on their prior knowledge, cultural background, and learning experiences. Therefore, EMI teaching should actively activate students’ prior knowledge to reduce comprehension barriers and enhance learning efficiency.

Building on these theoretical foundations, Jye further outlined three key stages of second language learning: Notice, Process, and Engage. He emphasized that students must first notice important information, then process it through existing knowledge, and ultimately connect new knowledge with their own experiences and apply it flexibly. This progression serves as a crucial framework for EMI course design and as a core principle for constructing effective instructional scaffolding.

In the latter part of the lecture, Jye guided faculty to reflect on a critical question in EMI implementation: Can students’ language proficiency improve simply through exposure to an English-medium environment? He noted that language development in EMI contexts is often a form of incidental learning, meaning that students acquire some language knowledge naturally while learning content. However, without appropriate instructional design and language support, exposure alone is insufficient to ensure meaningful language development. This perspective sparked lively discussion among participants and deepened their understanding of the importance of balancing content and language support in EMI instruction.

During the group activity session, participants were divided into four groups to read, analyze, and discuss different second language acquisition theories. They also explored how to translate these theories into concrete and feasible EMI teaching strategies. Through peer exchange and practical application, faculty members further examined ways to effectively manage key vocabulary, design repetition and cyclical learning mechanisms, provide rich reading and listening input, and foster students’ autonomous learning strategies and metacognitive skills.

This lecture successfully combined theoretical depth with practical insights. It not only helped faculty develop a more comprehensive understanding of EMI pedagogy, but also deepened their awareness of the second language learning process. Participants noted that the session enabled them to more clearly grasp how to balance disciplinary content with students’ language needs in EMI classrooms and to design instructional activities in a more strategic manner. The NCCU EMI Resource Center stated that it will continue to promote diverse professional development initiatives to support faculty in enhancing their EMI teaching capabilities, with the goal of creating a higher-quality and more globally competitive bilingual higher education environment.