CLIL: A European Overview

Introduction

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become a focus of attention in recent years, particularly in the state sector in various countries and on the interface with the private school and university sector. CLIL is the subject of ongoing debate in the UK national press, and was one of the main centres of attention at last year’s IATEFL conference. Along with the processes of joint political, economic and cultural activity and increased mobility across borders has come the realisation that a united Europe contains a huge diversity of languages and that if successful and continued expansion is to take place, communication pays a central role. There are a number of key considerations:

• Even if English remains the lingua franca, individual countries cannot be expected to relegate their own languages to second place in internal matters, and it has always been the case that some nations have strong views regarding the use of other tongues within their own borders.

• Given the above, together with increased linguistic contact, there will be an increase the need for communicative skills in a second or third language.

• Languages, therefore, will play a key role in curricula across Europe, and attention needs to be given to the training of teachers and the development of frameworks and methods which will improve the quality of language education.

European Policy

The logic of these conclusions is backed up by clear policy statements. Proficiency in three Community languages is stated as one of the objectives of education in Europe in the European Commission’s White Paper on ‘Teaching and Learning. Towards the Learning Society’. The vision of a bilingual and multilingual Europe is clear. The European Commission, through funded research projects in universities across Europe, has been investigating the state of language teacher training and bilingual education since the early-90s, pulling together the threads of existing approaches such as ‘content based instruction’, ‘language supported subject learning’, ‘immersion’, ‘teaching subjects through a foreign language’, and ‘bilingual/plurilingual education’. All the aformentioned terms suggest a strong relationship between language learning and the learning of other ‘content’ subjects, with CLIL, the term having originally been defined in 1994 and launched by UNICOM in 1996, emerging as the most promising and beneficial approach.

Definition

The term Content and Language Integrated Learning (ClLIL) was originally defined in 1994, and launched in 1996 by UNICOM, University of Jyväskylä and the European Platform for Dutch Education, to describe educational methods where ‘subjects are taught through a foreign language with dual-focussed aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language’. The essence of CLIL is that content subjects are taught and learnt in a language which is not the mother tongue of the learners. Knowledge of the language becomes the means of learning content, language is integrated into the broad curriculum, learning is improved through increased motivation and the study of natural contextualised language, and the principle of language acquisition becomes central. Broadly speaking, CLIL provides a practical and sensible approach to both content and language learning whilst also improving intercultural understanding, and has now been adopted as a generic term covering a number of similar approaches to bilingual education in diverse educational contexts. The evolution of CLIL involves precedents such as immersion programmes (North America), education through a minority or a national language (Spain, Wales, France), and many variations on education through a “foreign” language.

Theory

 Earlier notions such as ‘language across the curriculum’ and ‘language supported subject learning’ have been assimilated into CLIL, and judging by the variety and number of CLIL-based projects ongoing in Europe and elsewhere, it may no longer be relevant to queston which is the dominant partner in the language-content relationship (content in English or English through content). What is fundamental to CLIL is that language and content are taught and learned together in a dual-focused classroom context, and there are a number of related reasons why this might be the way forward if a bilingual or multilingual society is the goal.

Benefits of Interdisciplinary/Cross-Curricular Teaching

The theory behind CLIL has foundations in interdisciplinary/cross-curricular teaching which provides a meaningful way in which students can use knowledge learned in one context as a knowledge base in other contexts. Many of the important concepts, strategies, and skills taught in the language arts are "portable", i.e. they transfer readily to other content areas. Strategies for monitoring comprehension, for example, can be directed to reading material in any content area while cause-and-effect relationships exist in literature, science, and social studies. Thus, interdisciplinary teaching helps learners to apply, integrate and transfer knowledge, and fosters critical thinking. Interdisciplinary/cross-curricular teaching can increase students' motivation for learning. In contrast to learning skills in isolation, when students participate in interdisciplinary experiences they see the value of what they are learning and become more actively engaged. Interdisciplinary/cross-curricular teaching provides the conditions under which effective learning occurs. Students learn more when they use language skills to explore, write and speak about what they are learning.
Cross-curricular teaching is characterised by thematic units, offering the teacher flexibility over a period of time in terms of adopting a strict content-based or more global timetable of lessons.

CLIL, Translation and Translanguaging

One of the criticisms of standard parallel content and language programmes and some bilingual programmes is that there is little evidence to show that the comprehension of content is not impeded by lack of language competence. CLIL identifies a ‘transition’ stage at which learners become fully functional in both languages, and is open to a wide range of approaches which enable learners to arrive at this stage. Translation is an acceptable tool, particularly where the concurrent use of two languages enables concepts to be understood and depth of comprehension to be achieved. Many learners respond well to exploring and comparing versions of a text in different languages. In truly bilingual situations (Wales, Canada), ‘translanguaging’ is a teaching strategy designed to promote the understanding of a subject in order to use the information successfully. In translanguaging, the input (reading or listening) tends to be in one language, and the output (speaking or writing) in the other. Input and output languages are systematically varied.

Global Advantages of CLIL

Because CLIL is seen not only as an approach to subject and language learning but also in broader educational and even political contexts as a means of and understanding, proponents and exponents of CLIL see its advantages in terms of both achieving bilingualism and and improving intercultural undertanding. In the cultural context, CLIL is seen to build intercultural knowledge & understanding by developing intercultural communication skills whilst learning about other countries/regions and/or minority groups. Institutions using a CLIL approach are likely to enhance their profile by accessing international certification and preparing students for internationalisation, specifically EU integration. Linguistically, CLIL not only improves overall target language competence, but also raises awareness of both mother tongue and target language while encouraging learners to develop plurilingual interests and attitudes. Content-wise, CLIL provide opportunities to study content through different perspectives, access subject-specific target language terminology and hence prepare for future studies and/or working life. Educationally, CLIL adds to a complements individual learners’ range of learning strategies while adding diversity and flexibility to existing methods and forms of classroom practice.

CLIL and ELT

A CLIL lesson is not a language lesson neither is it a subject lesson transmitted in a foreign language, nevertheless, CLIL includes many aspects of language teaching methodology, and, of course, relies on the communicative language teaching tenet that language should be presented, taught and practised in a meaningful context. CLIL methodology is based on, resembles and incorporates many aspects of ELT:

• CLIL and Situational Learning. Language is presented in real-life contexts in which language acquisition can take place even in a monolingual/non-immersion environment.

• CLIL and Language Acquisition. CLIL encourages acquisition over conscious learning. Since language acquisition is a cyclical rather than linear process, the thematic nature of CLIL facilitates the creation of a functional-notional syllabus, adding new language whilst recycling pr-existing knowledge.

• CLIL and the Natural Approach. Exploring language in a meaningful context is an element of both natural and communicative language learning. Learners develop fluency iby using the language to communicate for a variety of purposes. Fluency precedes grammatical accuracy and errors are a natural part of language learning, thus the concept of ‘interlanguage’ is encompassed.

• CLIL and Motivation. Natural use of language can boost a learner’s motivation towards learning languages. In CLIL, language is a means not an end, and when learners are interested in a topic they will be motivated to acquire language to communicate. Language is learnt more successfully when the learner has the opportunity to gain subject knowledge at the same time.

• CLIL and Current ELT Practice. CLIL adheres closely to current trends in language teaching. Grammar is secondary to lexis, fluency is the focus rather than accuracy, and language is seen in chunks, as in the lexical approach. Learners are required to communicate content to each other, and skills are integrated with each other and with language input. Learner needs are of primary concern, and learning styles catered for in the variety of task types available. In many ways, then, the CLIL approach is similar to a modern ELT concept of integrated skills lessons, except that it includes exploration of language, is delivered by a teacher versed in CLIL methodology and is based on material directly related to a content-based subject. Both content and language are explored in a CLIL lesson. A CLIL ‘approach’ is not far removed from humanistic, communicative and lexical approaches in ELT, and aims to guide language processing and supports language production in the same way that an EFL/ESL course would by teaching techniques for exploiting reading or listening texts and structures for supporting spoken or written language.

CLIL Classroom Practice

Given the relative lack of teacher training programmes and obvious sources of materials, there is an understandable concern over what actually happens in a CLIL classroom. In fact, the underlying principles of cross-curricular teaching can be found in the 4Cs curriculum (Coyle 1999) which stated that a successful CLIL lesson should combine elements of the following four principles:

• Content. Progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specific elements of a defined curriculum.

• Communication. Using language to learn whilst learning to use language.

• Cognition. Developing thinking skills which link concept formation (abstract and concrete), understanding and language.

• Culture. Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings which deepen awareness of otherness and self.
 

A CLIL lesson looks at content and language in equal measure, and often follows a four-stage framework.

• Processing the Text. The best texts are those accompanied by illustrations so that learners can visualise what they are reading. When working in a foreign language, learners need structural markers in texts to help them find their way through the content. These markers may be linguistic (headings, sub-headings) and/or diagrammatical. Once’core knowledge’ has been identified, the organisation of the text can be analysed.

• Identification and Organisation of Knowledge. Texts are often represented diagrammatically. These structures are known as ‘ideational frameworks’ or ‘diagrams of thinking’, and are used to help learners categorise the ideas and information in a text. Diagram types include tree diagrams for classification, groups, hierarchies, flow diagrams and timelines for sequenced thinking such as instructions and historical information, tabular diagrams describing people and places, and combinations of these. The structure of the text is used to facilitate learning and the creation of activities which focus on both language development and core content knowledge.

• Language Identification. Learners are expected to be able to reproduce the core of the text in their own words. Since learners will need to use both simple and more complex language, there is no grading of language involved, but it is a good idea for the teacher to highlight useful language in the text and to categorise it according to function. Learners may need the language of comparison and contrast, location or describing a process, but may also need certain discourse markers, adverb phrases or prepositional phrases. Collocations, semi-fixed expressions and set phrases may also be given attention as well as subject specific and academic vocabulary.

• Tasks for Students. There is little difference in task-type between a CLIL lesson and a skills-based EFL lesson. A variety of tasks should be provided, taking into account the learning purpose and learner styles and preferences. Receptive skill activities are of the ‘read/listen and do’ genre.

CLIL Organisations

As little as two years ago, project results concluded that CLIL or similar systems were being applied in some countries, but were not part of teacher training programmes. Subsequently, there has been an increase in the number of schools offering ‘alternative’ bilingual curricula, and a response in terms of research into training and methodology at three distinct levels – individual Institutions of Higher Education, Ministries of Education, and international organisations. On the transnational level the following are key organisations:

• UNICOM, based within the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, and incorporating the European Platform for Dutch Education, remains a key centre of expertise in research, teacher development, consultancy and materials production. UNICOM also coordinates the CLIL Consortium, a growing collection of experts in the field of bilingual and content-based education. UNICOM have extended CLIL-related activity beyond Europe, with projects in Namibia, Mozambique and Etheopia where CLIL has also been used to reduce inequality in societies where some teachers and learners may be excluded on the grounds of linguistic inadequacy in the predominant language of instruction.

• EuroCLIC (The European Network for Content and Language Integrated Classrooms) focuses on programmes which entail the use of a modern foreign language as the language
of instruction or content and language integrated learning for non-language subjects and, like the CLIL Consortium, includes practitioners, researchers, teacher trainers and policymakers.

• The TIE-CLIL project (Translanguage in Europe, funded through Socrates) promotes plurilingualism through the introduction of CLIL in five different EU languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish). The aim of TIE-CLIL is to provide pre- and in-service development programmes in CLIL for language teachers and subject teachers and to develop both theory and practice.

• Probably the most comprehensive source of information is the CLIL Compendium, which identifies the foundations, benefits, dimensions, progress and potential of CLIL across Europe and is the result of a multinational research project. Like the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, support for CLIL research and development is offered by EUROPA (the European Union), the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

Within the UK, the major incentive has come from the Content and Language Integration Project (CLIP) hosted by CILT, (the National Centre for Languages) which is the UK government’s recognised centre of expertise on languages and whose mission, in line with European policy, is to promote a greater capability in languages amongst all sectors of the UK population. CILT monitors a number of projects connecting the National Literacy Strategy with language learning in schools across England. These projects cover the 7-16 age range and involve a variety of approaches ranging from innovative techniques in language teaching to the integration of French into the primary curriculum. Key players in the field of CLIL in the UK are based at the University of Nottingham, while teacher training and development courses in CLIL are available at Nottingham and NILE (the Norwich Institute for Language Education).

CLIL Across Europe

Incentives from the above organisations, together with national, regional and local projects have contributed to a significant spread of CLIL throughout the European Union. The European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML), through it’s research based project The CLIL Matrix, has traced the milestones in CLIL development since from initial interest in bilingual education in the early 1990s the publication and implementation of the European Commission’s Action Plan for the Promotion of Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity 2004-2006. Among an array of experimental projects, worthy of mention are the well-documented national projects in France (Lombardy) and Latvia, a teacher-training project in Czechoslovakia, and the highly developed Comenius-funded TL2L project in the Netherlands. In order to avoid the dangers of ad hoc implementation of CLIL, the aim of the CLIL Matrix is to pool experience with respect to maximizing successful implementation. The CLIL Quality Matrix team is collecting data on good practice in CLIL/bilingual education from ECML member states with the aim of to producing a Quality Matrix which shows how best practice may be achieved. Meanwhile, interest among schools and teachers has been stimulated by Web-based projects such as the Forum for Across the Curriculum Teaching (FACT World) which facilitates the exchange of ideas and encourages partnerships on an individual and institutional level. Significantly, articles and materials relating to CLIL have begun to appear in mainstream ELT journals and on-line magazines.

In the UK, the launch of the National Literacy Strategy has significantly increased the importance that teachers attach to connections between literacy development in English and comparative or reinforcement work in a foreign language. As a result, a range of school-based projects for has emerged, with differences in approach according to region and age group. Schools in Bedfordshire, for example, are working with songs and stories, words and phrases in the foreign language as a supplement to work done in their Literacy and Numeracy hours for the 7-11 age group, while in the 11-16 age group, several schools Several schools have launched fast-track GCSE foreign language courses on the basis of the success of their work in CLIL.

CLIL Research Directions

The CLIL Matrix and other research organisations have identified a number of areas for further research, now that a significant amount of data has been collected relating to the effectiveness of CLIL methods. Research is likely to focus not only on the positive effects of CLIL, but also on the potential dangers of limited comprehension as a result of lack of language competence and negative effects on mother-tongue development. The main areas of interest seem to be:

CLIL and the Future of the Language Classroom

Politically and socially, there is an obvious need for a rethink of language education policy in Europe. CLIL represents the best framework in terms of a content-based bilingual approach. At the extreme, it could be argued that CLIL materials are the subject matter of other disciplines, that CLIL teachers are well versed in both language instruction and a content subject, that learning a language and learning through a language are concurrent processes, and that the traditional concepts of the language classroom and the language teacher are without a future since they do not fit the CLIL model. While CLIL undoubtedly has potential, there are factors which hinder its development, and caution regarding the implementation of content-based bilingual programmes may be advisable on some or all of the following grounds:

• Experimentation and ad-hoc implementation of CLIL is currently outpacing research-driven studies and empirical evidence of success. Many private sector schools and tertiary institutions see variations on bilingual education and particularly English-medium content study as marketable.

• CLIL is based on belief in natural language acquisition, and may well be appropriate in an immersion situation. However, when cognitive effort is involved, when exposure to the language is restricted to specific times, and when exposure to the language rarely happens outside the classroom, conscious learning of the target language is involved. When English is learned in Turkey or Israel, this is usually what happens, even though it is an unnatural way to learn a language.

• CLIL involves a constant effort from both teacher and learner to master both content and language. In this situation, it is questionable whether students are assessed on language or content, and unclear what the attitude is to errors and possible restrictions on content caused by linguistic inadequacy.

• The lack of CLIL teacher-training programmes suggest that the majority of teachers working on bilingual programmes may be ill-equipped to do the job adequately.

• While learners’ breadth of knowledge, confidence and cultural understanding may benefit from CLIL, there is little evidence to suggest that, for the majority, understanding of content is not impeded by lack of language competence. Current opinion seems to be that language ability can only be enhanced once sufficient content has been absorbed to make the general context understandable, and that there is a ‘transition’ stage, after which the learner is able to function effectively in both languages.

• Various aspects of CLIL appear entirely unnatural; such as the appreciation of the literature and culture of the learner’s own country through a second language. For a Turkish student to learn about the tenets of Ataturk through English, for example, would seemingly be inappropriate.

Until issues such as teacher training and the development of content materials which lend themselves to language development are addressed, the immediate future of parallel language learning to support and complement the understanding of content is fairly secure. In the long term, however, there are political, economic and cultural considerations cloaked in the context of Europeanisation, which are likely to make CLIL a common feature of many European education systems.

CLIL Information

British Council Teaching English (articles and a CLIL lesson plan) –
www.teachingenglish.org.uk
CLIL Axis - http://www.clil-axis.net/
CLIL Compendium - www.clilcompendium.com
CLIL Matrix - www.ecml.at/mtp2/CLILmatrix/
Comenius Project TL2L  - http://www.tl2l.nl/
ContentEnglish - http://www.content-english.org/
Content and Language Integrated Project (CLIP) - www.cilt.org.uk/clip/
Department for Education and Skills - www.dfes.gov.uk/languages
EuroCLIC - www.euroclic.org
European Centre for Modern Languages - www.ecml.at
European Commission – Languages -  www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/languages/
Forum for Across the Curriculum Teaching - www.factworld.info
National Centre for Languages (CILT) - www.cilt.org.uk
Norwich Institute for Language Education - www.nile-elt.com
Quality Action in English - http://go.to/action-english
Science Across the Curriculum - www.scienceacross.org
Foreign Language Teaching to Children - www.Hocus-Lotus.edu
Tips and Materials - www.onestopenglish.com/business/bank/clil/index.htm
Translanguage in Europe - www.tieclil.org
University of Jyvaskyla - www.jyu.fi
University of Nottingham -  www.nottingham.ac.uk

Two short radio programmes are available from the BBC:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/download/radio/innovations

There is also an ongoing debate in the UK press: www.guardian.co.uk/guardianweekly/clildebate/
Video clips from the original debate can be downloaded from: http://forum.onestopenglish.co./default.asp
 

CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become the umbrella term describing both learning another (content) subject such as physics or geography through the medium of a foreign language and learning a foreign language by studying a content-based subject. In ELT, forms of CLIL have previously been known as 'Content-based instruction', 'English across the curriculum' and 'Bilingual education'.

Why is CLIL important?

How does CLIL work?

The basis of CLIL is that content subjects are taught and learnt in a language which is not the mother tongue of the learners.

The advantages of CLIL

CLIL helps to:

CLIL in the classroom

CLIL assumes that subject teachers are able to exploit opportunities for language learning. The best and most common opportunities arise through reading texts. CLIL draws on the lexical approach, encouraging learners to notice language while reading. Here is a paragraph from a text on fashion:

The language to be looked at in a passage like this falls into three categories: subject specific, academic and other lexis including fixed expressions and collocations:

The treatment of this lexis has the following features:

The future of CLIL

There is no doubt that learning a language and learning through a language are concurrent processes, but implementing CLIL requires a rethink of the traditional concepts of the language classroom and the language teacher. The immediate obstacles seem to be:

Until CLIL training for teachers and materials issues are resolved, the immediate future remains with parallel rather than integrated content and language learning. However, the need for language teaching reform in the face of Europeanisation may make CLIL a common feature of many European education systems in the future.

Where is CLIL happening?

CLIL has precedents in immersion programmes (North America) and education through a minority or a national language (Spain, Wales, France), and many variations on education through a "foreign" language. Euro-funded projects show that CLIL or similar systems are being applied in some countries, but are not part of teacher training programmes. There has been an increase in the number of schools offering 'alternative' bilingual curricula, and some research into training and methodology. Several major European organisations specialising in CLIL projects have emerged, including UNICOM, EuroCLIC and TIE-CLIL (see web references for details).

In the UK the incentive comes from the Content and Language Integration Project (CLIP) hosted by CILT, (the National Centre for Languages) which is the UK government's centre of expertise on languages. CILT monitors a number of projects covering the 7-16 age range and involving innovations in language teaching such as the integration of French into the primary curriculum. Other research is based at University of Nottingham, while teacher training and development courses in CLIL are available through NILE (the Norwich Institute for Language Education).

Further reading

CLIL Compendium www.clilcompendium.com
European Commission - Languages ww.europa.eu.int
EuroCLIC www.euroclic.net
Translanguage in Europe www.tieclil.org
Centre for Information on Language, Teaching and Research www.cilt.org.uk
Forum for Across the Curriculum Teaching www.factworld.info
 

CLIL: Potential and Practice

Introduction

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an umbrella term covering dual-focus contexts in which an additional language is used as a medium in the teaching and learning of non-language content. There are elements of a host of contexts, primarily variations of the themes of Language Across the Curriculum, Bilingual Education and Content-Based Instruction which fall under this umbrella. However, the essence of CLIL is that it is about teaching and learning content, and that language is the key to a fuller understanding of the subject matter.

CLIL is based on the common-sense belief that better learning takes place when learners are stimulated by the subject matter, hopefully out of interest but sometimes of necessity. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is catered for. There is also obvious pedagogic and even economic sense behind the notion that content and language are best taught and learned together.  

CLIL lessons

A CLIL lesson is not a language lesson or simply a subject lesson delivered in a foreign language. Neither is a CLIL lesson necessarily delivered by a language teacher or a subject specialist. To this extent, CLIL diverges from standard content-based instruction and ESL formats. CLIL lessons are subject lessons taught by teachers who are trained not only in the subject area, but also in how to exploit content-based materials for language. That language may be subject-specific, subject-related or necessary for the learner not only to comprehend, but also to produce written or spoken discourse having a similar content base.
CLIL lessons exhibit other important characteristics, either derived from underlying principles or dictated by the practicalities of the dual-focus teaching context:

1.    In principle, CLIL adheres to the ‘4Cs’ curriculum. CLIL lessons therefore contain elements of content, communication, culture and cognition. While based on content, the CLIL curriculum recognises broader educational needs such as the development of thinking skills and self-awareness, and exposure to alternative cultural perspectives. CLIL is committed to breadth of education, long-term learning and internationalisation.

2.    In using language to learn while learning to use language, it is the subject matter which determines the language to be learnt. There is no language syllabus, and language within a text is not graded. Naturally, more content is learned as language competence increases. Language is seen as a means to the end of learning content, and language is integrated into the broad curriculum.

3.    CLIL lessons incorporate all four language skills, but are often based on reading texts as the major source of input. Language learning in the CLIL context bears similarities to current ELT practice in that lessons tend to be of the integrated skills type, language is approached lexically rather than grammatically and language is noticed and explored rather than taught. Errors are seen as part of a natural progression, and functional language is of a high priority. Learner styles are taken into account in task types. Language learning in CLIL, therefore, is not far removed from the humanistic, communicative and lexical approaches commonly seen in ELT.

Lesson framework

While there is no such thing as a ‘CLIL lesson’, the following four-stage format is often followed in order to provide a balance of content and language:

1.    Processing the text. When working in a foreign language, learners need structural markers in texts to help them find their way through the content. These markers may be linguistic (headings, sub-headings) and/or diagrammatic. Once a 'core knowledge' has been identified, the organisation of the text can be analysed.
 

2.    Identification and organisation of knowledge. Texts are often represented diagrammatically. These structures are known as 'ideational frameworks' or 'diagrams of thinking', and are used to help learners categorise the ideas and information in a text. Diagram types include tree diagrams for classification, groups, hierarchies, flow diagrams and timelines for sequenced thinking such as instructions and historical information, tabular diagrams describing people and places, and combinations of these. The structure of the text is used to facilitate learning, the creation of activities which focus on both language development and core content knowledge, and to provide a basis for further analysis of the text and note taking.

3.    Language identification. Although there is no grading of language, it is a good idea for the teacher to highlight useful language in the text and to categorise it according to function. Learners may need the language of comparison and contrast, location or describing a process, but may also need certain discourse markers, adverb phrases or prepositional phrases. Collocations, semi-fixed expressions and set phrases may also be given attention as well as subject specific and academic vocabulary.
 

4.    Tasks for learners. A variety of tasks should be provided, taking into account the learning purpose and learner styles and preferences. Receptive skill activities are of the 'read/listen and do' genre. A menu of listening tasks might include:

·    Listen and label a diagram/picture/map/graph/chart
·    Listen and fill in a table
·    Listen and make notes on specific information (dates, figures, times)
·    Listen and reorder information
·    Listen and identify location/speakers/places
·    Listen and label the stages of a process/instructions/sequences of a text
·    Listen and fill in the gaps in a text

CLIL teachers

Currently, CLIL teachers are likely to be language teachers able to teach one or more subjects, or subject teachers who can also raise awareness of language. Competence in the target language is a necessity, while the ability to identify the core language of a subject, the ability to work with texts and words, and the ability to design tasks and projects are key skills. Ideally, CLIL teachers are properly trained and involved in INSET. Training providers are beginning to respond to demand, with short courses being available in the UK at institutions such as Pilgrims and the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE).

CLIL offers opportunities for team teaching and cooperation between language and subject teachers. Where skills for life are the aim, the ideal situation is the involvement of subject and language teachers together with a vocational trainer. In a cooperative environment, motivation for teaching increases, each discipline benefits, teachers expand their repertoire of teaching techniques, and mutual respect develops between teachers of various disciplines.

CLIL progress

Over the past five years, CLIL has spread from its roots in Western Europe, particularly Scandinavia, to many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the Far East . In some countries such as the USA there has been a tradition of content-based teaching, immersion programs and language learning in mainstream classrooms, while in Europe, many projects are driven by the EU’s long term vision of  a plurilingual society. In South America, particularly Brazil, CLIL is seen as an economical alternative to providing language instruction for very large numbers of students. In Africa, there are CLIL projects which have a socio-political objective in reducing racial and social inequalities. In the UK, where language has become a priority in the national curriculum, there are local and regional projects ranging from the teaching of science in French in elementary schools to providing language support for immigrants and refugees in the secondary and vocational sectors.

Obstacles

In many ways, CLIL remains embryonic. There is inevitable opposition to language teaching by subject teachers, while language teachers may foresee the end of the language classroom as we know it. There are also those who believe that the spread of CLIL is being driven by political and economic forces which may be temporary. Meanwhile, the majority of CLIL projects are experimental and there is a lack of empirical data by which success can be measured. CLIL training courses are few, and materials and resources scarce. ‘Teaching English Through Other Subjects’ (Sheelagh Deller and Christine Price, OUP 2007) is the first CLIL resource book from a major ELT publisher. Assessment is also a problematic area, given that content and language need to be given equal weighting. There are ongoing debates regarding the language acquisition aspect of CLIL learning, and over how far subject comprehension may be impeded by inadequate language competence. Critics, however, are faced with the potential of CLIL as long term learning starting in elementary school, and the inevitable demands of internationalisation for efficient and economical ways of achieving bilingualism or multilingualism.

CLIL in Turkey

CLIL may be a way forward for language learning in Turkey, where English has been the pivotal subject in the curriculum for some time. There is already a history of content based teaching and learning of mathematics and science in private high schools, while English medium universities currently proliferate. CLIL offers the opportunity to address the lack of vocationally oriented teaching in higher education, and the possibility of shifting more content learning into university foundation courses, which are currently almost exclusively language based. Learner motivation is a constant problem in a system in which students arrive at university having already studied English for several years and are faced with the prospect of yet more general English and EAP courses lacking a specific subject focus. While Turkey remains committed to membership of the EU, it may be well to remember that the demand for a mobile labour force may be largely confined to language competent skilled labour rather than the academically adept.

Essential Websites

There is a growing volume of literature concerning the nature and spread of CLIL. The following four Websites are good places to start:
·    http://www.clilcompendium.com/
·    http://www.clil-axis.net/
·    http://www.clilcom.stadia.fi/1500
·    http://www.factworld.info/
 

CLIL: CLIL on the Web

This is a list of current Web references. All these links have been checked and are live as of October 2007. It is intended that this list will be updated regularly. Sites may be added by sending the link to me at stevedarn@gmail.com

Click on text for link:
 

Organisations and Projects

Universities and Research

Teaching and Materials

Web Groups
 

Media
 

Books and Reference collections

Key articles and reports online

CLIL: Implementing a CLIL Approach - A Change of Emphasis

CLIL: A Lesson

In previous methodology articles I have outlined the theory behind Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and provided a framework for CLIL-type lessons, particularly suited to learners studying content-based subjects in English or as part of a bilingual education programme. Here I provide a specific example of a topic covered in a CLIL style.

There is no set format for CLIL lessons, the underlying principles being that language is used to learn as well as to communicate and that it is the subject matter which determines the language that students need to learn. However, this lesson also attempts to follow the 4Cs curriculum in that it includes Content, Communication, Cognition and Culture, and includes elements of all four language skills.

This particular lesson is designed to be part of a regional / economic geography or general studies course and is based on a factual text about Vancouver.

Level - Intermediate and above

Plan components

Lesson Plan: - guide for teacher on procedure including answers to tasks.

Plan 75k >>

Worksheets: - exercises which can be printed out for use in class. The worksheet contains:

Worksheets 54k >>

A lesson of this type, at this level, could be conducted by a subject teacher, a language teacher, or team-taught by both. All the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels and mixed ability groups. Since CLIL lessons are topic-based the subject matter and tasks could be covered in a single period or spread over a number of class hours, depending on the depth of study.

For more information about this topic you can visit these British Council | BBC sites:-

CLIL: A Project - A Brief Look At The Miniskirt

(with Rob Ledbury)

This is a description of one part of a project designed to build a bridge between content-based subject teachers and language teachers working in the context of a private English-medium university.

The institution, Izmir University of Economics, located on the Aegean coast of Turkey, is by no means unique. Students in the various faculties of the university study on undergraduate and post graduate programmes delivered in the medium of English. In order to gain entry to these programmes, students must either demonstrate a pre-determined level of language competence by passing a proficiency-style entrance examination, or, as is the case for some 1250 students per year, embark on a one-year intensive preparatory language programme.

There are inevitable problems. For decades, the Turkish education system has seen English as a pivotal subject in the curriculum. Successive attempts to teach English to a high level in the space of one year, first at the age of eleven, then later between middle and high school, have been, for the most part, unsuccessful, largely due to the inertia of an entrenched rote-learning system, poor teacher training facilities, and norm-referenced testing. Hence, the majority of students entering university are not yet capable of studying effectively in a foreign language. Nevertheless, a ‘bilingual’ programme is a major marketing point for private institutions, and preparatory schools within foreign language departments are expected to do the job that high schools were unable to do.

The scenario outlined above has produced a gap between expectation and reality, with the following components contributing to a widening chasm.

This is where Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) may play a role, providing that the institution acknowledges the problem. CLIL has emerged as an umbrella term covering both learning a language through a content-based subject and learning a content-based subject through the medium of a foreign language. Whichever angle one comes from, interdisciplinary co-operation, awareness-raising and training are prerequisites.

At Izmir University of Economics, the Teacher Development Unit has taken on the task of providing subject teachers with the tools necessary to provide ongoing language support to students unable to gain maximum benefit from studying in the English medium. This ‘toolkit’ has four components:

1 How to deal with vocabulary and lexis. This involves raising awareness of the subject specific and academic vocabulary that students need and of existing tools such as the Academic Word List which can assist in developing that knowledge. The lexical approach is also shown to be a way of drawing learners’ attention to the set phrases, expressions and collocations which they need to function efficiently.

2 How to make lectures and presentations more interactive. Here, ELT training methodology is used to demonstrate how different styles of lecture can give students the opportunity to assimilate and comprehend a large body of information.

3 Teacher and learner classroom language. Techniques for creating a learning environment which is as close to ‘immersion’ as is feasible, and ways of selecting and grading language by the teacher to make comprehension easier for the learners.

4 Dealing with texts. Reading remains the major learning and research skill in most subjects. Subject teachers are made aware of the ways in which language teachers deal with reading texts, the stages and tasks involved, and how this approach may be applied to their own subject matter.

It is the last of these which is described in detail here. The training session involved a group of instructors from the faculty of fashion and design. The participants had already been made aware of the different types of lexis in a text, and had been introduced to the Academic Word List in a previous session. The procedure was as follows:

Stage 1. Lead in through three pictures.

Brainstorm words and phrases – sixties, pop-art, geometric, colours, mini, pop groups. Tell participants that they are going to read about some or all of these things.

Stage 2. Distribute text and picture matching task. Participants find names, words or phrases in the text to match the pictures, compare findings in pairs or groups. (see Appendix 1)

Stage 3. Focus on the first paragraph of the text. Elicit examples of subject-specific vocabulary, academic words and other useful lexis. Note that there may be some overlap between categories.

The miniskirt is a skirt whose hemline is high above the knees (generally 200–300 mm above knee-level). Its existence is generally credited to the fashion designer Mary Quant, who was inspired by the Mini Cooper automobile, although André Courrèges is also often cited as its inventor, and there is disagreement as to who invented it first. Some credit the Miniskirt to Helen Rose who made some miniskirts for actress Anne Francis in the 1956 Sci Fi movie, Forbidden Planet.

Stage 4. Participants work in groups to find similar examples from the remainder of the text (one paragraph per group), recombine to share their findings. (see Appendix 2) Show participants a highlighted version of the text showing the academic words. Compare with their own lists. (see Appendix 3)

Stage 5. Introduce classic pre/while/post model for a reading lesson. Participants reflect on tasks so far in light of the model and identify task-types and purposes from the following chart:Stage 6. Look at language. Remind participants about collocations and fixed/semi-fixed expressions as lexical items. Reintroduce the Academic Word List and show how the Nottingham University AWL site can produce a gap-fill exercise for consolidation purposes. (see Appendix 4)

Stage 6. Look at language. Remind participants about collocations and fixed/semi-fixed expressions as lexical items. Reintroduce the Academic Word List and show how the Nottingham University AWL site can produce a gap-fill exercise for consolidation purposes. (see Appendix 4)

Stage 7. Ask what students will do with with this new lexis. Remind participants of ways of storing vocabulary meaningfully based on the following underlying principles:

Give examples of an organised vocabulary notebook page and a personalised thematic vocabulary network. (see Appendix 5 and 6)

Stage 8. Summarise. Focus on follow-up activities – a project on a similar fashion item, a different fashion era, parallel writing, a talk. Remind participants of their role in providing language support for students, given the right tools.

Stage 9. Remind participants that texts taken from the Web often contain internal links to further information and related subjects as well as pictures, suggestions for further reading and external links. Students might be encouraged to broaden their knowledge by way of a Web-based research project. (see Appendix 7 - Interactive Text)

Appendix 1. Match pictures to lexis in the text.

Find names/words/phrases in the text to go with the pictures

www.sixtiescity.com http://images.google.com/

Appendix 2. Complete Text and Appendix 7. Interactive Text

The miniskirt is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees (generally 20cm or more above knee level). Its existence is generally credited to the fashion designer Mary Quant, who was inspired by the Mini Cooper automobile, although the French designer André Courrèges is also often cited as its inventor, and there is disagreement on who invented it first. Some credit the Miniskirt to Helen Rose who made some miniskirts for actress Anne Francis in the 1956 Sci Fi movie, Forbidden Planet. [1]

Recently, Marit Allen, a Vogue "Young Ideas" editor at the time, has stated that "John Bates, in particular, has always been completely unappreciated for his contribution to the innovation and creativity he brought to the London design scene." He bared the midriff, used transparent vinyl and, Marit Allen asserts, was responsible for "the raising of the hemline. It was John Bates, rather than Mary Quant or Courrèges, who was responsible for the miniskirt." Bates' costumes and accessories for Diana Rigg in The Avengers define "Mod style." [2].

Mary Quant ran a popular clothes shop on Chelsea, London's Kings Road called Bazaar, from which she sold her own designs. In the late 1950s she began experimenting with shorter skirts, which resulted in the miniskirt in 1965 - one of the defining fashions of the decade.

Owing to Quant's position in the heart of fashionable "Swinging London", the miniskirt was able to spread beyond a simple street fashion into a major international trend.

The miniskirt was further popularised by André Courrèges, who developed it separately and incorporated it into his Mod look, for spring/summer 1965. His miniskirts were less body-hugging, worn with the white "Courrèges boots" that became a trademark. By introducing the miniskirt into the haute couture of the fashion industry, Courrèges gave it a greater degree of respectability than might otherwise have been expected of a street fashion.

The miniskirt was followed up in the mid-1960s by the even shorter micro skirt, which covers not much more than the intimate parts with the underpants. It has often been derogatorily referred to as a belt. Subsequently, the fashion industry largely returned to longer skirts such as the midi and the maxi. However, miniskirts remain popular.  Miniskirts are also seen worn over trousers or jeans, or with strap-on trouser "leggings" that provide coverage of each leg from above the knee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniskirt

Appendix 3. Highlighted Text

The miniskirt is a skirt whose hemline is high above the knees (generally 200 - 300 mm above knee-level). Its existence is generally credited to the fashion designer Mary Quant, who was inspired by the Mini Cooper automobile, although André Courrèges is also often cited as its inventor, and there is disagreement as to who invented it first. Some credit the Miniskirt to Helen Rose who made some miniskirts for actress Anne Francis in the 1956 Sci Fi movie, Forbidden Planet.

Recently, Marit Allen, a Vogue "Young Ideas" editor at the time, has stated John Bates, in particular, has always been completely unappreciated for his contribution to the innovation and creativity he brought to the London design scene." He bared the midriff, used transparent vinyl and, Marit Allen asserts, was responsible for "the raising of the hemline. It was John Bates, rather than Mary Quant or Courrèges, who was responsible for the miniskirt." Bates' costumes and accessories for Diana Rigg in "The Avengers" define "Mod style."

Mary Quant ran a popular clothes shop on Chelsea, London's Kings Road called Bazaar, from which she sold her own designs. In the late 1950s she began experimenting with shorter skirts, which resulted in the miniskirt in 1965 - one of the defining fashions of the decade.

Owing to Quant's position in the heart of fashionable "Swinging London", the miniskirt was able to spread beyond a simple street fashion into a major international trend.

The miniskirt was further popularised by the French designer André Courrèges, who developed it separately and incorporated it into his Mod look, for spring/summer 1965. His miniskirts were less body-hugging, worn with the white "Courrèges boots" that became a trademark. By introducing the miniskirt into the haute couture of the fashion industry, Courrèges gave it a greater degree of respectability than might otherwise have been expected of a street fashion.

In the United Kingdom, the increasing interest in the miniskirt in the 1960s necessitated a change in the way skirts were taxed. Previously, skirts were taxed by length, with the miniskirt qualifying as tax-exempt by effectively being a child's length.

The miniskirt was followed up in the mid-1960s by the even shorter micro skirt, which covers not much more than the intimate parts with the underpants. It has often been derogatorily referred to as a belt. Subsequently, the fashion industry largely returned to longer skirts such as the midi and the maxi. However, miniskirts remain popular. Miniskirts are also seen worn over trousers or jeans, or with strap-on trouser "leggings" that provide coverage of each leg from above the knee.

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/awlhighlighter.htm

Appendix 4. Gap-Fill Text

The miniskirt is a skirt whose hemline is high above the knees (generally 200-300 mm above knee-level). Its existence is generally to the fashion Mary Quant, who was inspired by the Mini Cooper automobile, although André Courrèges is also often as its inventor, and there is disagreement as to who invented it first. Some credit the Miniskirt to Helen Rose who made some miniskirts for actress Anne Francis in the 1956 Sci Fi movie, Forbidden Planet.

Recently, Marit Allen, a Vogue "Young Ideas" at the time, has stated John Bates, in particular, has always been completely for his to the and he brought to the London scene." He bared the midriff, used transparent vinyl and, Marit Allen asserts, was responsible for "the raising of the hemline. It was John Bates, rather than Mary Quant or Courrèges, who was responsible for the miniskirt." Bates' costumes and accessories for Diana Rigg in "The Avengers" "Mod ."

Mary Quant ran a popular clothes shop on Chelsea, London's Kings Road called Bazaar, from which she sold her own . In the late 1950s she began experimenting with shorter skirts, which resulted in the miniskirt in 1965 - one of the fashions of the .

Owing to Quant's position in the heart of fashionable "Swinging London", the miniskirt was able to spread beyond a simple street fashion into a international .

The miniskirt was further popularised by the French André Courrèges, who developed it separately and it into his Mod look, for spring/summer 1965. His miniskirts were less body-hugging, worn with the white "Courrèges boots" that became a trademark. By introducing the miniskirt into the haute couture of the fashion industry, Courrèges gave it a greater degree of respectability than might otherwise have been expected of a street fashion.

In the United Kingdom, the increasing interest in the miniskirt in the 1960s necessitated a change in the way skirts were taxed. , skirts were taxed by length, with the miniskirt qualifying as tax-exempt by effectively being a child's length.

The miniskirt was followed up in the mid-1960s by the even shorter micro skirt, which covers not much more than the intimate parts with the underpants. It has often been derogatorily referred to as a belt. , the fashion industry largely returned to longer skirts such as the midi and the maxi. However, miniskirts remain popular. Miniskirts are also seen worn over trousers or jeans, or with strap-on trouser "leggings" that provide coverage of each leg from above the knee.

The following words will fill the gaps:

Appendix 5. Vocabulary Notebook Page

Copy the information into your vocabulary notebook.
Add more information and examples of your own.

Appendix 6. Personalised Vocabulary Network

Information on CLIL in the classroom

British Council/BBC - www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/
Comenius Project TL2L  - http://www.tl2l.nl/
European Centre for Modern Languages - www.ecml.at
Forum for Across the Curriculum Teaching - http://www.factworld.info/
Getting Started in CLIL (PowerPoint) - www.factworld.info/clil.ppt
Norwich Institute for Language Education  -  www.nile-elt.com
Science Across the Curriculum - www.scienceacross.org
Tips and Materials - www.onestopenglish.com/business/bank/clil/index.htm

Two short radio programmes are available from the BBC:
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/download/radio/innovations

CLIL: Exploiting an Interactive Text

In an earlier project, we looked at the relationship between content and language through a reading text on the subject of miniskirts: http://www.factworld.info/turkey/miniskirt/index.htm
This project was aimed at raising the awareness of subject teachers (in this case lecturers from the faculty of fashion and design) of the need to provide language support to students working in the medium of English. Amongst the tasks suggested in this project was the notion of an interactive text which could not only be exploited for language, but also used as away of increasing learner motivation and self-study.

Aspects of this project have been developed, including learner training in techniques of organising knowledge, analysing language and project work based on texts culled from the Web.

For learners, a simple procedure needs to be established. Following a familiar CLIL format:

Here is a text as an example:

Jeans are trousers traditionally made from denim, but may also be made from a variety of fabrics including cotton and corduroy. Originally work clothes, they became popular among teenagers starting in the 1950s. Historic brands include Levi's and Wrangler. Today Jeans are a very popular form of casual dress around the world and come in many styles and colours.

The earliest known pre-cursor for jeans is the Indian export of a thick cotton cloth, in the 16th century, known as dungaree. Dyed in indigo, it was sold near the Dongarii Fort near Mumbai.

Jeans were first created in Genoa, Italy for Genoese sailors. The first denim came from Nîmes, France.

During the 1960s the wearing of blue jeans became more acceptable and by the 1970s had become a general fashion in the United States, at least for informal wear. Notably, in the mid-1960s the denim and textiles industry was revolutionised by the introduction of pre-washing by Donald Freeland of Edmonton, Alberta. The popularity of jeans continued through the 1980s and 1990s, and the average North American now owns seven pairs.

Outside of the United States, particularly in Russian popular culture, blue jeans were and are fashionable, symbolising American culture and the good life were somewhat expensive. In Spain they are known "cowboys" and in Chinese, jeans are known literally, "cowboy pants" indicating their association with the American West.

By the 1990s, the brand was facing competition from other brands and cheaper products from overseas. Production facilities in Canada and the United States closed and supply of finished products came from places like China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.

(adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeans)

Students are given the text, asked to identify key content and to ‘map’ the text diagrammatically in order to produce a framework for note taking:

Students are then asked to notice the language in the text, in this case divided into three categories, collocations, subject-specific vocabulary,  and structures. The first paragraph is analysed here:

Notes are made by expanding the ideational framework, and lexis is recorded in a thematically organised notebook: http://www.factworld.info/turkey/miniskirt/index.htm (see appendices 5 and 6 for examples).

Students, individually or in groups, are then asked to choose an aspect of the original text, search on the Internet, and produce a short interactive text of their own. The starting point for this is either a search-engine, or a link from the original passage which could be e-mailed to the class as an interactive text. An example of a student-generated text might be:

Levi's® is a brand of riveted denim jeans manufactured by Levi Strauss & Co.

Contrary to an advertising campaign suggesting that Levi Strauss sold his first jeans to gold miners during the California Gold Rush manufacture of denim overalls only began in the 1870s. Levi Strauss went into partnership with Jacob Davis, who had the idea of using copper rivets to make the jeans stronger.

In 2000, the "Laundrette" advert for Levi's 501s was named the 6th best television commercial of all time. The advert featured the song I Heard it Through the Grapevine by soul and Motown legend Marvin Gaye

Levi’s new RedWire DLX Jeans will have an iPod remote control and docking station fitted in its pockets, and comes complete with attached headphones. They will cost $200.

In early 2006, Levi Strauss & Co. was the high bidder in an eBay auction for an authentic pair of original Levi's 501 blue jeans, paying around $100,000 for the item (Economist, 2006).

The opportunities for project work and self-study are limitless. The above passage might lead to further fashion related studies, or other topic-based work on American history, music or media technology. The passage might also be used for content and language analysis as in the original passage. This work could be directed or left entirely to the students according to their interests. What is clear is that the combination of stimulating content and technology can only foster both higher motivation levels and increased learning of both subject matter and language.