Clil

CONTENT & LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING

CLIL: AN APPROACH FOR THE FUTURE?
“The future doesn’t just happen; it is shaped and modelled by our actions.” – David Marsh

Name and surname(s): Veerle María Magdalena Ponnet
Login: ESFPMLAEILE713004
Master edition: 2010-2011
Date: 05/12/2010

Index

I. Introduction
I.1. An Analysis of CLIL

I.2. Present Local Reality in CanarySchools
I.3. International CLIL Situation: English in Front

II. CLIL: Addressing Basic Concerns
II.1. Assessment
II.2. Materials
II.3. Language Teacher or Subject Teacher
II.4. Classroom Language / Communication
II.5. Code-Switching
II.6. Swain’s Output Hypothesis

III. Conclusion

IV. Bibliography

V. Appendices

I. Introduction
Content and Language Integrated Learning(CLIL), where a subject is taught through the medium of a second language, is a growing trend in all levels of education in Europe and in other parts of the world. CLIL is not a new concept. It has been used since the dawn of civilization. “Bilingual” education, already rooted as a practice in the Classical world and reserved, from the Middle Ages until relatively recent times, to a series of differentelites, was seen for centuries as the prerogative of privilege. The exponential progression in research and classroom experimentation in this sector during these last few decades, especially in America and in Europe, has brought CLIL into the mainstream in schools of every type and level, involving learners of every age.
The introduction of CLIL is strongly determined by the globalization andintegration processes in the world. It has always been part of organized schooling systems. Sometimes CLIL has involved children from minority L1s (first languages) where education is not provided in that language. It has also been used in language maintenance projects, for example, children from Spanish-speaking families in Catalonia or The Basque Country learning in Catalan or Basque mediumschools. The growing trend in CLIL in Europe now involves learning through English in communities which speak other languages.
I.1. An Analysis of CLIL
With the expansion of the European Union, diversity of language and the need for communication are seen as central issues. In my opinion, although some countries have strong views regarding the use of other languages within their borders, even withEnglish as the main language, other languages are unlikely to disappear. The increased contact between countries makes inevitable the need for communicative skills in a second or third language. Languages will play a key role in curricula across Europe. Therefore, attention needs to be given to the training of teachers and the development of frameworks and methods which will improve the quality oflanguage education. The European Commission has been looking into the state of bilingualism and language education since the 1990s, and has a clear vision of a multilingual Europe in which people can function in two or three languages. See Appendix 1: Eurydice Report.

As a European citizen, born in Belgium, I am a strong believer in the CLIL approach. The more exposure there is to a foreignlanguage, the easier the process will be. Countries with a high exposure to un-dubbed television and music, like Belgium, learn English through the environment. It is like a song that’s being repeated on the radio over and over…like it or not, in the end, you will start humming the tune…
I.2. Present Local Reality in Canary Schools

At this moment CLIL-classes are being implemented in Canaryclassrooms once a week in a 45-55 minutes session. The program starts with one group in each school, but a new one joins every year, so the program gradually increases. Teacher training courses are being organized both conventionally and on-line. Last November I had the chance to participate in a Teacher Training Course by TEA (The Canarian Association of Teachers of English) in their 27th annual...