Transcript Slide 1

What is CLIL
(A brief theoretical
overview)
What is CLIL?
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A continuum of educational approaches devoted to two main
components – language and content
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'CLIL is a generic term and refers to any educational situation in which
an additional language, and therefore not the most widely used
language of the environment, is used for the teaching and learning of
subjects other than the language itself '.
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Neither ‘translation’ of first language teaching into another language,
nor ‘disguised’ systematic grammar.
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'CLIL refers to situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are
taught through a foreign language with dual-focussed aims, namely
the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign
language'.
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'CLIL is an educational approach in which non-language subjects are
taught through a foreign, second or other additional language'.
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'The use of languages learnt in the learning of other subjects'
Conceptual map for
understanding CLIL: holistic,
symbiotic view
What qualifies as “content” in CLIL?
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“curriculum concepts being taught through the foreign
language ... appropriate to the grade level of the students”
(Curtain and Pesola, 1994: 35)
“content need not be academic; it can include any topic,
theme, or non-language issue of interest or importance to
the learner (Genesee, 1994: 3)
“...what we teach in any kind of content-based course is
not the content itself but some form of the discourse of that
content” (Eskey, 1997: 139-140)
Language Triptych
Benefits of CLIL
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The whole that is greater than the sum of the parts
Accelerates learning
Nurtures a feel good (fun!) and can do attitude
towards language learning in general
Fires the brain up, fires the neurons
Rejuvenates teaching (David Marsh)
Serves as a platform for ultimate students’ interest
in other languages and cultures
Gives feelings of professional satisfaction and
cooperation to teachers
Discouraging factors
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CLIL is complex
There is no single model for CLIL – the context is to be taken
into account
Who is to teach CLIL (language or subject teachers), and how
to combine both?
Threat to the native language
Insufficient understanding of content through the medium of
foreign language
CLIL methodology and assessment are not clear – teachers have
to be supported
Teacher overload
CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY
CLASSROOMS (Grenfell, 2002)
1.Enhance student involvement
 Negotiation of topics and tasks
 Using particular cases before moving on to general topics
 Project work
 Role-reversal in project presentations
2.Facilitate comprehension
 Texts written for older children and adolescents
 Comprehension tasks
 Brief teacher explanations
 Paralinguistic together with linguistic strategies
CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY
CLASSROOMS (Grenfell, 2002)
3.Promote student-student interaction
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Benefits of pair and small group-work (Long and Porter, 1965; Pica,
1987, etc...)
Negotiation of meaning
input comprehesibility
Student/Student interaction
use of exploratory language
Proficient peers can help less proficient ones
Students need training in production and reception strategies
(marking lack of understanding, asking for clarification, repeating,
stressing a problematic word, paraphrasing)
CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY
CLASSROOMS (Grenfell, 2002)
4. Work on academic skills and strategies characteristic of the
subject matter
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Interpretation of visuals
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Use of flowcharts and time lines to organise information
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Cause and effect relationships
CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY
CLASSROOMS (Grenfell, 2002)
5. Work on communication skills for academic purposes
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Selecting content in oral presentations
Clear delivery
Fluency
Ability to attract the audience
6. Access to information and communication technologies
CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY
CLASSROOMS (Grenfell, 2002)
7. Accept code-switching as a normal feature of CLIL classroom
 Advantages of L1 use in problem-solving (Guasch, 1999)
 Give priority to communication and understanding
 Tasks to encourage use of L2, such as tape-recording the
students
8. Joint assessment of content and communication skills
 Awareness of learners’ linguistic limitations
 Testing of simple facts can be done with multiple choice
questions written with the help of students