Cambridge English for CLIL

M. J. Frigols Martin - Competence Building and European Framework for CLIL Teacher Education

The Role of ICT in Education

The role of CLIL teachers - Carmel Mary Coonan

CLIL

CLIL, or Content and Language Integrated Learning, “is an umbrella term covering teaching contexts in which subject content is taught through another language.” (Kay Bentley, 2009).

The term was created by David Marsh in 1994 and consists in learning a foreign language through learning a subject in that language, for example, learning History in English in Italy.

It is a very effective way of developing communicative competence. This is why this approach is growing so fast in so many European countries.

 Learners’ Advantages of adopting a CLIL approach include:

Increasing motivation as language is used to fulfill real purposes to learn the substantive material.- It is not the same to learn a language with no real purpose in mind as that as to know a second language, than to have the need to do it. This makes it more purposeful and therefore more motivating for the learner.

Introducing learners to the wider cultural context.- Learning a subject such as History makes the learner understand the L2 culture far too much.

Developing a positive ‘can do' attitude towards learning languages.- Learning not only grammar, but personalizing the language through teaching something meaningful might lower the affective filter.

Developing student multilingual interests and attitudes.- Knowing more about a language increases sometimes the learners’ interests in different cultures such as the one they are learning the language from. It also broadens their horizons.

Preparing students for further studies and work.- Knowing a language and subjects and culture in L2 can increase the learners’ opportunities in life.

Access subject specific target language terminology.- Which may be difficult otherwise to acquire or even to be exposed to.

CLIL provides a purpose for language use in the classroom.- Since learners need to communicate among each other in order to help cooperative learning.

It has a positive effect on language learning by putting the emphasis on meaning rather than on form.- By having non-disposable contents, it focuses on meaning, grammar is embedded. 

It takes into account the learners’ interests, needs and cognitive levels.

                      

One of the main problem of CLIL is that language teachers lack knowledge on the subjects while subject teacher have minimal knowledge of foreign languages.- 

Each country or school has a clear objective when defining a language teaching program. According to Hugh Baetens Beardsmore, no one version of CLIL is “exportable”. It may sound as a disadvantage but this argument just reinforces the notion that CLIL has been purposefully designed by a board of Education or school coordination and should reflect the thought of a National Educational Program. Each country has its own needs, deals with its own reality and will establish its own way of implementing CLIL as a methodology or not.

Why CLIL by David Marsh

Introducing myself

First Name/s	Speranza Rosa
Surname	D’Alessandro
Age	n. d.
Birthplace	Barquisimeto (Venezuela)
Hometown	Marigliano (Na)
Occupation	Teacher of English Language and Literature at Liceo Scientifico “C. Colombo” - Marigliano
Contact mail	speranzarosa.53@gmail.com
Phone number	contact me by email