Content and Language Integrated Lear Ning: Vesalon Florentina Georgiana Master Lapm / Anul I

CLIL

Content and Language Integrated Lear
ning
VESALON FLORENTINA GEORGIANA

MASTER LAPM / ANUL I
CLIL is 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.
The principles behind Content and Language Integrated Learning include global
statements such as 'all teachers are teachers of language' (The Bullock Report - A
Language for Life, 1975) to the wide-ranging advantages of cross-curricular
bilingual teaching in statements from the Content and Language Integrated
Project (CLIP).
The benefits of CLIL may be seen in terms of cultural awareness,
internationalization, language competence, preparation for both study and working
life, and increased motivation.
Why is CLIL important?
 With the expansion of the European Union, diversity of language and the need for
communication are seen as central issues.
 Even with English as the main language, other languages are unlikely to disappear. Some
countries have strong views regarding the use of other languages within their borders.
 With increased contact between countries, there will be an increase in the need for
communicative skills in a second or third language.
 Languages will play a key role in curricula across Europe. 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
 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.
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.
 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 language seen in context. When
learners are interested in a topic they are motivated to acquire language to communicate
 CLIL is based on language acquisition rather than enforced learning
 Language is seen in real-life situations in which students can acquire the language. This is natural language
development which builds on other forms of learning
 CLIL is long-term learning. Students become academically proficient in English after 5-7 years in a good
bilingual programme.
 Fluency is more important than 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 the essential skill.
The advantages of CLIL
CLIL helps to:

 Introduce the wider cultural context
 Prepare for internationalization
 Access International Certification and enhance the school profile
 Improve overall and specific language competence
 Prepare for future studies and / or working life
 Develop multilingual interests and attitudes
 Diversify methods & forms of classroom teaching and learning
 Increase learner motivation.
CLIL in the classroom
A CLIL lesson is therefore not a language lesson neither is it a subject lesson
transmitted in a foreign language. According to the 4Cs curriculum (Coyle 1999),
a successful CLIL lesson should combine elements of the following:
 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.
In a CLIL lesson, all four language skills
should be combined. The skills are seen thus:
 Listening is a normal input activity, vital for language learning
 Reading, using meaningful material, is the major source of input
 Speaking focuses on fluency. Accuracy is seen as subordinate
 Writing is a series of lexical activities through which grammar is
recycled.
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:
 Opposition to language teaching by subject teachers may come from language teachers themselves. Subject
teachers may be unwilling to take on the responsibility.
 Most current CLIL programmes are experimental. There are few sound research-based empirical studies,
while CLIL-type bilingual programmes are mainly seen to be marketable products in the private sector.
 CLIL is based on language acquisition, but in monolingual situations, a good deal of conscious learning is
involved, demanding skills from the subject teacher.
 The lack of CLIL teacher-training programmes suggests that the majority of teachers working on bilingual
programmes may be ill-equipped to do the job adequately.
 There is little evidence to suggest that understanding of content is not reduced by lack of language
competence. Current opinion seems to be that language ability can only be increased by content-based
learning after a certain stage.
 Some aspects of CLIL are unnatural; such as the appreciation of the literature and culture of the learner's own
country through a second language.
Conclusion
 From a language point of view the CLIL 'approach' contains nothing

new to the EL teacher. CLIL aims to guide language processing and
'support language production in the same way as ELT by teaching
strategies for
reading and listening and structures and lexis for spoken or written
language. What is different is that the language teacher is also the
subject teacher, or that the subject teacher is also able to exploit
opportunities for
developing language skills.

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CLIL

VESALON FLORENTINA GEORGIANA

 Knowledge of the language becomes the means of learning content

CLIL helps to:

 From a language point of view the CLIL 'approach' contains nothing

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