Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Unleashing the Potential of Big Ideas in Language Education

What and How

Bibliographic Data

ID10819191
AuthorsRui Yuan (0000-0002-6603-6423, University of Macau Macao China, corresponding author), Tiefu Zhang (0000-0002-6184-1204, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu China), Qiang Wang (0000-0003-3091-5503, Beijing Normal University Beijing China), Wang Qiang (0000-0002-8115-8007, Beijing Normal University)
Year2024
Volume58
Issue4
Pages1801-1814
Publication date2024-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTESOL Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0039-8322 • E-ISSN: 1545-7249
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/tesq.3314
OpenAlexW4392141242
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited15

While the concept of big ideas has been widely promoted in different subject areas such as history and STEM, its pedagogical power has received little attention in second language education. In view of this gap, this paper seeks to conceptualize and practicalize this notion by addressing two fundamental questions regarding the “what” and “how” of big ideas in English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) classrooms. Specifically, the paper proposes a tentative, heuristic framework that views big ideas as a composite of three distinct yet interrelated dimensions regarding knowledge, domain, and learning. In light of the framework, the paper argues for the need to adopt big ideas as curriculum organizers in language teaching while employing an infusion, inductive approach to helping students analyze, comprehend, and apply big ideas in the process of language learning

Linguistics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Sociology · Educational Assessment and Pedagogy · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Philosophy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching

  • I Was All Fired Up

    Open Access•Rui Yuan•TESOL Quarterly•2026

  • Applying big ideas to facilitate reading-writing integration in language classrooms

    Open Access•Rui Yuan, Tiefu Zhang•Journal of Second Language Writing•2022

  • Content-based instruction and content and language integrated learning

    Open Access•Jasone Cenoz•Language Culture and Curriculum•2015

  • John Dewey & psychologizing the subject-matter

    Open Access•John P Smith, Mark Girod•Teaching and Teacher Education•2003

  • Language awareness and language learning

    Open Access•Agneta M-L Svalberg•Language Teaching•2007

  • Pedagogy of the oppressed

    Open Access•Marta Soler-Gallart•International Review of Education•2023

Citations per year1
Citation span2026 - 2026 (1)
Highly citedNo

Tools

Open DOI
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae