Beyond simple memorization of grammar and vocabulary,
A class that cultivates the power to think in language

Today, foreign language classes still largely rely on rote learning and a focus on grammar and reading comprehension.
Because English is taught primarily through problem-solving and getting the right answer, students can easily lose interest and lack opportunities to use the language they learn in real-world contexts.
Adding to this, classes often rely on translated explanations without sufficiently considering the fundamental structural differences between Korean and English, and there are many cases where students end up merely practicing "transcribing" rather than expanding their thinking through language.

In this reality, language teachers fill their classes with meticulous interpretations of textbook passages and explanations of background knowledge, but at some point, they are faced with the question, “Am I teaching the language itself, or am I using language to convey other content?”
However, if the goal of foreign language education is to cultivate effective communicators, critical information consumers, and even responsible information producers, the focus of instruction must also change.

If the process of learning a foreign language is 'understanding and expression,' learners use language while performing various roles such as reader, listener, speaker, and presenter in activities such as reading, listening, viewing, writing, speaking, and presenting.
Concept-based foreign language classes aim to develop learners not simply as recipients of information, but as active producers who think and construct meaning through language.


Rafael Angel's "Concept-Based Foreign Language Teaching and Learning" presents specific practical strategies to overcome the difficulties of foreign language education based on this awareness of the problem.
The author, a certified trainer in the International Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) program, has been urging teachers around the world to “teach thinking beyond language.” In this book, he systematically guides teachers on how to transform foreign language classes from “skill training”-centered to “thinking-centered learning.”
This is a practical guide to help teachers re-establish the essence of foreign language education and implement it in their classrooms.

This book reconstructs the core of language classes into four areas: 'understanding language, responding to language, critiquing language, and producing language.'
This allows teachers to design lessons that go beyond simple language skills practice and help students connect concepts through language, critically reflect on the relationship between text and the world, and produce new meaning.
This structure supports students to develop critical thinking, creative expression, and academic language skills (CALP).

Furthermore, this book presents a lesson design method that reflects students' interests and life context while not losing sight of the essence of the subject.
Teachers can structurally implement academic language (CALP) education that expands the depth of thinking beyond everyday language (BICS) by guiding learners to deeply understand why they should perform a role in each activity (why) and how they should perform it (how).
As a result, students grow beyond being “language users” to active learners who think, interpret the world, and create meaning through language.