Project: COMMUNICATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES - Implementing innovative approaches to foreign language teaching through foreign teachers inclusion into the school curriculum

LANGUAGE ACROSS THE CURRICULUM and CLIL

FOREIGN TEACHERS’ MEETING Katja Pavli č Škerjanc, 28/1 - 2009 Operacijo delno financira Evropska unija iz Evropskega socialnega sklada ter Ministrstvo za šolstvo in šport. Operacija se izvaja v okviru Operativnega programa razvoja človeških virov v obdobju 2007-2013, razvojne prioritete: Razvoj človeških virov in vseživljenjsko učenje; prednostne usmeritve: Izboljšanje kakovosti in učinkovitosti sistemov izobraževanja in usposabljanja.

USING LANGUAGE: THE PARADOX

•

Language

is a system which

relates

– what is being talked about (

content

) and – the means used to talk about it (

expression

).

• Linguistic

content is inseparable from

linguistic

expression

. •

In SUBJECT MATTER LEARNING

we

overlook the role of language

as a medium of learning.

•

In LANGUAGE LEARNING

we

overlook the fact that content is being communicated

.

Mohan, 1986

TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

• Traditionally, language teaching has been conceptualised through one major learning route:

GRAMMATICAL PROGRESSION

• with secondary consideration given to

conceptual/cognitive/cultural progression

• and only lip service to

content

progression.

FLT: SOME DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

1. Where is the content (i.e. relevant content) in FL?

What is

relevant content

?

2. How do we challenge students to

think

and

learn

new

content

in FL?

3. Why is so little attention paid to some aspects of

culture

? 4. Why do we use testing tools as teaching tools?

• • • •

The 4Cs Teaching Framework:

CONTENT

/subject matter/project/theme

COMMUNICATION

/language

COGNITION

/thinking

CULTURE

/citizenship

USING LANGUAGE TO LEARN - LEARNING TO USE LANGUAGE

A 4Cs teaching framework requires a

re conceptualisation

of language learning • from

language learning per se

• towards an

integrated model

which actively involves the learner in using and developing − language

of

learning, − language

for

learning, − language

through

learning

USING LANGUAGE

demands that teachers

systematically teach

,

monitor

and

evaluate

:

plan for

, • • •

LANGUAGE OF LEARNING

- linked to an analysis of content (thematic, syllabus …) demands - grammar, vocabulary, structures, functions

LANGUAGE FOR LEARNING

- builds up learner repertoire linked to meta-cognitive skills

LANGUAGE THROUGH LEARNING

- emergent knowledge building & skill development, cognitive development, BICS/CALP (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills/Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) • (NB

LEARNING ABOUT LANGUAGE

↔

language awareness)

LAC and CLIL

• • • Project COMMUNICATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES Implementing innovative approaches to foreign language teaching through foreign teachers inclusion into the school curriculum • builds its

strategies

approaches to (F)LL: and

activities

on the following two

LAC CLIL

-

Languages Across the Curriculum Content and Language Integrated Learning

Language(s) Across the Curriculum LAC

• Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC) refers to the approach/practice through which

the study and use of languages take place throughout the curriculum

(cf. Key competences: communication in mother tongue – communication in foreign languages) .

• Its purpose is to prepare students for the

intercultural

and

multilingual

demands and opportunities of a

global society

. LAC is appropriate

at all levels of education

.

Language Across the Curriculum

• The concept of Language Across the Curriculum is – to give all students the

opportunity to apply their foreign language skills in other disciplines

, and – to learn that

knowledge of a second language can enhance and deepen their understanding of subject matter

. • Language Across the Curriculum extends the development of language skills beyond the traditional language courses and programs, and – offers students an

opportunity to read and discuss relevant texts in more languages than one ( mother tongue & foreign ).

GOALS OF LAC

•

The long-term goal

of LAC is – to

integrate multiple languages into the teaching of all disciplines

•

in order to enrich their international content. intercultural and

•

The short-term goal

is – to

enlist the support of teachers and administrators

• to

expand opportunities for the content-specific acquisition and discipline-focused use of language and cultural knowledge .

GOALS OF LAC

• Cross-cultural and multilingual inquiry leads to

a more complete learning experience and provides a basis for comparative understanding

unavailable when students and teachers are limited to the use of resources in only one language.

• Learners develop

a deeper and more precise understanding of a new language and culture

by studying – how that language and culture

address precisely defined topics about which they have already established a certain familiarity in their native language

.

RATIONALE OF LAC

•

Understanding of a given culture

and its documents and artifacts is greatly

enhanced through a knowledge of its language

.

• A

curriculum that includes materials in multiple languages

provides – access to

a wider range of perspectives

, – encourages

greater depth of exploration

, and – opens the door to greater understanding.

• The use of materials in multiple languages significantly

enhances any and all disciplinary inquiry

.

Language(s) Across the Curriculum approach:

• •

enhances intercultural competence

; • encourages students and teachers to venture beyond their own cultural and linguistic borders in order

to gain additional perspectives and additional knowledge

;

bridges existing curricular and disciplinary boundaries,

–

creating a more integrated learning environment ,

–

energizing the disciplines

in new ways; • by

integrating the use of multiple languages into disciplines across the curriculum

,

reinforces the centrality of language study at all levels of education.

Content and Language Integrated Learning - CLIL

CLIL refers to any dual-focused educational context in which • an

additional language

the

teaching content

. and is used as

learning a medium

in of

non-language

• It is an umbrella term covering aspects of: –

Language Across the Curriculum

– –

Bilingual Education Content-based instruction/learning

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

CLIL by other names…

( collected by Steve Darn)

Content-based Instruction (CBI) Content-based Language Instruction (CLII) • • Integration of Content and Language Content and Language Integrated Classrooms English-enriched Content Teaching Content-enriched English Teaching English-focused Content Teaching Content-focused English Teaching Content-centered English Teaching English-centered Content Teaching Content-driven English Teaching English-driven Content Teaching English-sensitive Content Teaching Content-sensitive English Teaching Content-oriented Language Learning Content-infused Language Teaching Theme-based Language Teaching Topic-based Language Teaching Discipline-based ESL Instruction Sheltered Subject Matter Teaching • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Teaching Content Through English Teaching English Through Content Foreign Language Medium Instruction (FLMI) Teaching Through Foreign Languages (TTFL) Teaching Content in a Foreign Language (TCFL) Dual-focused Language Instruction Content-support ELT Adjunct / Linked Language courses Integration of Languages and Disciplines (BILD) Four-handed foreign language instruction Learning with Languages Learning through an additional language Foreign Language Immersion Program (FLIP) Plurilingual Instruction Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum (FLAC) Extended Second Language Learning Language-enhanced Content Instruction Integrated Curriculum Bridge Program Cross-Curricular Teaching Interdisciplinary Teaching Learning skills based ELT / ESP

How does CLIL work?

• • • Knowledge of the

language learning content

.

Language

is becomes the

means of integrated into the broad curriculum

. • • CLIL is

based on language acquisition

rather than language learning.

Language

is seen

in real-life situations

in which students can acquire the language. This is

natural language development

. •

The subject matter determines the language needed to learn

.

• CLIL is program.)

long-term learning

. (e.g. Students become academically proficient in English after 5-7 years in a good bilingual

Fluency

is more important than develop fluency by using

FL

for a

variety of purposes accuracy

(e.g. English) . Learners . to

communicate Reading

is the

essential skill

.

Research tells us that…

(collected by Steve Darn)

• • It takes 5-7 years for students in a quality bilingual program to become academically proficient in English.

Language acquisition

is

cyclical

, not a linear process.

•

Learners construct

acquire

best

their own when they

meanings

.

create

,

discover

and • •

Language is a means, not an end

language to communicate. , and when learners are interested in a topic, they will be motivated to acquire •

Fluency precedes accuracy

and errors are a natural part of language learning. • Learners develop fluency in English by using English to communicate for a variety of purposes.

Reading

is essential for developing academic English skills. • Stoller (2004) 

improved language abilities and content-area knowledge gains

• Short (1994) 

retention of vocabulary and content concepts

The Benefits of CLIL

(Steve Darn)

CLIL • Introduces the

wider cultural context

• Prepares for

internationalisation

• Enhances the

school profile

• Improve

overall and specific language competence

• Prepare for

future studies and / or working life

• Develop

multilingual interests and attitudes

• Diversify

methods of teaching and learning

• Increase

learner motivation

The CLIL Lesson…

(Steve Darn)

There is no such thing as a “

CLIL lesson

but lessons often follow a

pattern

: ”,

1. Processing the text

2. Organisation of

knowledge 3. Language identification 4. Tasks

for learners CLIL teachers are: • Subject teachers who can also teach language • Language teachers who can teach content • Competent in the target language • Properly trained and involved in INSET (= in-service education training) CLIL teachers are good at: • identifying the core language of a subject • working with texts and words • designing tasks and projects • using technology

The L2 vocabulary development…

(Maria Xanthou, University of Cyprus)

• •

Vocabulary development

is central to language acquisition (Zimmerman,1997).

An effective approach:

deep vocabulary learning, activating prior knowledge, learning vocabulary in context, active processing, recalling new words, being provided multiple exposures to new vocabulary allowing incremental vocabulary learning  CLIL satisfies these learning conditions.

• • • • • • Educators need to use an effective approach in promoting L2 vocabulary development. Searching for the prospect of an effective approach to vocabulary learning, a deeper knowledge about how people learn words needs to be sought. Therefore, in what follows, what vocabulary learning involves is described. Learning target words through word pairs is discussed and their relation or not to deep comprehension is examined. The importance of activating prior knowledge is stressed and learning vocabulary in context is presented as an approach taking this principle into consideration. The importance of active processing when learning L2 vocabulary as well as being provided multiple exposures to a word are raised and the subsequent need of approaching an incremental vocabulary learning process is expressed. Learning a subject through the medium of the L2 seems to be an approach satisfying the aforementioned learning conditions.

The L2 vocabulary development…

(Maria Xanthou, University of Cyprus) CONCEPT

A view of the structure of the mental lexicon, illustrating a lexical entry (Radford et al, 1999: 233)

Lemma Mental Lexicon Morpho-phonological form Lexical pointers

A lexical entry consists of its lemma and its form information. L

emma

information involves meaning and syntax e.g. the meaning of the lemma ‘take’ is to obtain possession and the syntactic category is verb.

Form

involves morphological information e.g. the 3 rd singular becomes ‘takes’ and phonological forms this lemma can take in speech. CLIL environments expose the learner repeatedly to both the semantic form of the target word and its morpho-phonological form strengthening this relationship.

The lexical entry in the mental lexicon

(Jiang, 2002: 619) lemma meaning morphology syntax form lexeme

Similarly Jiang (2002) explains that when a root word enters the mental lexicon, this lexical entry involves two components: the

lemma

component and the

lexeme

and syntactic information whereas the second contains morphological and formal information.

component. The first includes semantic Traditional approaches do not seem to offer all the information required for learning a target word. The data of this study (vocabulary pre-test) revealed that primary school children confuse L2 words with others that are phonetically or morphologically similar e.g. they confused coal with goal, plain that is a large area of level country with airplane, hut that is a roughly-made house with hat, plants with plans, destruction with instruction, heat with hit and head with hate, trunk with drunk, parade with pirate, poultry with poetry, cypress with surprise, etc.

Learning vocabulary in context

•

Context

= ‘morphological, syntactic, and discourse information in a given text

’

( Nation and Coady, 1988: 102) • • When learning a language  consider all systems of language –discourse, semantics, phonology, pragmatics (Rutherford, 1987, Nation, 2001)

Comprehension of discourse

 when students make meaningful connections between vocabulary and the contexts in which it is found • CLIL is rooted on

learning new vocabulary

in the environment of

meaningful context

. • CLIL methodology provides content-based language environments where contexts demonstrate the pragmatic value of target words.

Learning vocabulary in context

• Providing several exposures to new words enables knowledge of the words to grow. A single exposure: not enough for learning a new word. • Nation (1990) repetitions in order to learn a new word. • Herman et al (1987) context after a single exposure is only 0,05%. Repeated encounters with target words can expand word meanings and illustrate new associations with that word. • Rott (1999) examined the effect of exposure frequency on intermediate learners’ incidental vocabulary acquisition: six exposures produced significantly more vocabulary knowledge than two or four exposure frequencies. • A content-based approach provides recurring exposure to new vocabulary.

 Learners need to be involved in 5-16  The probability of learning a word from • Robinson (2005): explored CLIL teaching  frequent repetition of the key vocabulary.