Content and Language Integrated Learning

Dual-focused approach (content and language) focusing mainly on meaning. It enables learners
how to learn both languages and other subjects.

Reasons to introduce CLILL across Europe-> Dimension 5

Main concern is about education not about becoming bilingual (added value)

CLILL makes us re-think when we teach certain types of subject matter, and language requires
interdisciplinary mindset in Education.

Since the 1990S-> widespread across to the Internet and new technologies. (Knowledge
revolution)-> Learn as you use and use as you learn->Success factor of CLIL the immediacy of
purpose. Positively acknowledged by young people.

REASONS FOR DELIVERY OF CLIL

THE CULTURE DIMENSION

 Transforming intercultural knowledge into Understanding through Language-> means

for showing similarities and differences between people of different backgrounds.
 Developing intercultural communication skills -> people can develop an appetite for
language learning if given broader opportunities to learn
 Learning about neighbouring countries (European integration) and minority groups
(within the learners’ own country).
 Introducing the wider cultural context and cultural adaptation-> transmigrants learn to
live in a different society.

THE ENVIROMENT DIMENSION

 Preparing for internationalization and EU integration. Accessing International

certification overall education achievements and language competence. Some students
prepare learners for these types of certifications through CLIL.
 School profile is under pressure: performance of school is judged.
 Schools subjected to similar market pressures typical to the private sector-> results in
schools looking for new means CLIL.

THE LANGUAGE DIMENSION

 Improving overall target language competence (historical reason).

 Develop oral communication skills is an important aim and arises from the notion of
having knowledge of a language, but not being able to actually use language in real-life
situations.
 Develop awareness of mother tongue and target language. Difference of opinion
regarding the best condition for SLA.
 Some schools depending of the age-range have developed that cultivate first and
second languages simultaneously
 Develop plurilingual interests and attitudes: languages can be seen as advantages for
young people and their future needs. English can be used to start CLIL.

THE CONTENT DIMENSION

  Study content through different perspectives: languages (associated with their country
culture) and content are taught differently (for example shared historical events
described in various ways depending on the country).
 CLIL enables learners to study through these different perspectives achieving a deeper
understanding of the subject matter.
 Access to subject-specific language terminology: using the TL through CLIL helps
learners to understand the subject and its core terminology.
 Preparing for future studies/working life -> workplace emphasizes the need to ble able
to speak different languages.

THE LEARNING DIMENSION

 Complementing individual learning strategies -> attention to individuals needs in terms

of social and thinking skills and if there is a gender bins that disadvantage certain
groups of boys, CLIL provides an alternative.
 Diversifying methods and forms of classroom practise -> SYNERGY FROM:
- Communication orientation on the language.
- The content
- Interaction within the classroom

The sum of these result in stronger effects than if they are separate.

 Increasing learning motivation: low exposure programmes, providing non-threatening

and supportive content where the learners feel comfortable with the classroom
activities-> Aim to positively influence learners’ attitudes and self-confidence.

THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATION, CONCERNS AND DEBATE

 Voluminous amount of research on learning through the medium of a second foreign

language. This has a positive impact of teaching through L2.
 Critiques -> stem from political rather than research-based interests.

This can be denied -> CLIL accused of serving for strengthening English within EU
educational systems to the detriment of national languages, diminishing interest in other
languages.

By saying-> There are clear indicators that CLIL is increasingly being considered as a
platform for introducing and enhancing languages other than English in Europe. No prior
reason why English should be the main TL as CLIL develops across Europe.

 Criticism of CLIL portray a single type (but ignores many others very innovate-> high
exposure over an extended number of years in a single language, English.
 Little doubt that European CLILL is focused on education and not just language, yet
much research focuses solely on the language dimension. In America, many
applications of teaching through a L2 differ considerably from the European Experience
of CLIL.
 SLA makes a distinction btw instructed learning and naturalistic learning situations.
 2 types of knowledge: explicit intentional learning and implicit incidental learning.
 CLIL often delivered through a form of naturalistic situation that allows largely for
implicit and incidental learning->Language is only one part of a form of dual (implicit
and incidental) focused education through authentic, meaningful and significant
communication with others.
 REBER’S HYPOTHESIS-> From a evolutionary perspective, unconscious implicit functions
must have developed in main well before conscious explicit functions.

Observations on implicit learning (regarding naturalistic CLIL delivery)

1. Implicit learning/memory not altered by the disorders affecting explicit learning and
explicit memory.

2. Implicit learning independent of age/level.

Implicit processes show little agreement with intelligence test results.

 Successful language acquisition depends on amount and quality of input. But not all
input becomes intake
Limited intake results in limited opportunities for output (The realisation of productive
language skills)
 Reber’s hypothesis has bearing on why practioners claim that CLIL can work well with a
broad range of learners.

LEARNERS

-Recent studies (within SLA) have emphasized 3 factors (Integrative orientation,

pedagogical and student’s linguistic self-confidence)

1. Desire to integrate in other culture.

2. Effects on classroom environment, attitudes towards the language teacher and course.

3. Students’ belief to have the ability to produce results and accomplish goals with low
levels of anxiety.

 Research in diverse settings has consistently shown that students in bilingual programs
acquire significantly more advanced levels of functional proficiency in the L2 than->
students who receive conventional L2 instructions.
 If below or above average learners both benefit from exposure to implicit learning
environments, then CLILL can be viewed as inclusive. On the contrary if the only means
for either group to learn a foreign language is through explicit, instructed, intentional
setting, then this may be considered exclusive.
-Economically disadvantaged immersion students generally perform better than
comparable students in conventional (second language) programs.
-That exist a critical period in which SLA best occurs is a statement only supported by
research far from conclusive: critical period hypothesis used to argue the case that the
younger you start the better.
-Given naturalistic approach, quality input and early introduction to CLIL at low
exposing may be advantageous WHEREAS early language learning through non-
naturalistic learning environments may offer NO recognizable advantage.
-Age is never a factor that operates on its own, but needs to be accompanied by the
other factors studies as quality of teaching and time for learning.
-There is a difference in the impact of the “age factor” when it’s linked to naturalistic
and instructional contents. In the naturalistic one, an early start appears to bring
quicker advantaged than does the other.
 -The level of proficiency in the child’s first language having a direct influence on
development of proficiency in a L2 may not be a key issue in the forms of naturalistic
language acquisition common to CLIL, but may be so in instructed SLA.
-Argument that various levels of exposure to a TL through CLIL threaten development
of L1-> remains problematic.
-Europe Secondary level students are unlikely to be found in high exposure CLIL
(damaging) classes learning academically demanding subjects if they do not have the
pre-requisite TL competence.
-It’s been found and that L2 acquired in adulthood are separated from native
languages. However, when acquired during early language acquisition staged of
development, native and L2 tend to represent in …..?
-No single optimal starting age for CLIL-> depends on the situation.
-What’s important is any experience of early language learning be largely naturalistic.

THREAT TO FIRST LANGUAGE

-Students in bilingual programs who speak a dominant societal language develop the
same levels of proficiency in all aspects of the L2.
-No available evidence that low to medium exposure trough CLIL threated development
of L1.
-CLIL frequently involves trans-language whereby both TL and L1 are actively used in
the classroom. One study shows that after 6 years of CLIL medium exposure->
improvement in L1 (Dutch) and TL (English)

WHICH LANGUAGES
 English does not have a …. As TL in European CLIL.
 The teaching of English has led to major innovations and positively influenced the
teaching og other languages.
 Evidence that successful experimentation with English may lead to further
development in other languages.
 In higher education and business, Spanish, French and German are gaining ground as
TL.

WHICHS SUBJECTS
 Schools are compared to open windows on the world, ideal for observation developing
means of interpretation and changing personal understanding.
 Considerable interest in offering CLIL through designed modular approaches, rather tan
just through subjects.

LEARNER COMPETENCES
 Reading and listening skills are often more acquired than speaking and writing skills
even in cases of high and long exposure immersion.
 High exposure can slow down literacy (the ability to read and write) skills in L2 only
early start primary level and not at late primary or secondary.
 Indications that certain transversal competences may be achieved through CLIL->
because-> language is a principal means of forming and holding new concepts->
considerable interest in the possible benefits of learners being able to handle concepts
in both L1 and TL simultaneously.
 Due to the methodologies involved types of CLIL clearly suit the differing abilities of
learners-> The added value of the approach for these learners in terms of enhancing
knowledge and skill is of particular interest.

TEACHER COMPETENCES

 CLIL is a pedagogy/methodological approach which requires specific professionals’ skills

(including a high level of fluency in the TL).
 A goal teacher will constantly adjust his linguistic skill to the complexity of the topic at
hand through application of didactic skills.
 Teacher not having native (new-native fluency in TL need to adjust how they teach
according to linguistic limitations, but this should not be seen as a failing on his part)
 An over-emphasis on “language skill” can lead us to neglect the significance of
methodological skill.
 Language fluency alone is not sufficient for effective CLIL teaching.
 It is necessary that teachers can handle CLIL methodologically in terms of language and
non-language content and application, through use of optimal linguistic TL skills.

Idealised competences required of a CLIL teacher teaching cognitively demanding subjects

through the TL.

 Language communication -> sufficient TL knowledge to produce comprehensible input

for learners and sufficient knowledge of the language used by the majority of learners.
 Theory -> comprehension of differences and similarities btw language learning and
learning acquisition.
 Methodology -> ability:
1. To identify linguistic difficulties resulting from L1 interference.
2. To use methodologies enhancing social language enhancing social language.
3. Employing …. Communication strategies.
4. To use interaction methods that facilitate the understanding of meaning.
5. To use strategies for correction and modelling good language use.
6. To identify dual-focused activities which simultaneously cater for language and
subject aspects.
 The learning environment -> Ability:
1. To use different settings to provide rich learning environments.
2. To work with learners of diverse linguistic cultural backgrounds.
3. To devise strategy where learning is enhanced by poor interaction and learner
autonomy.
4. Use potential info on CLIL learning enviroments.
 Materials developments -> Ability to select complementary materials on a given topic
from different media.
 Interdisciplinary approaches -> ability to identify the conceptual relations between
different subjects with a view…
