An Introduction to CLIL

1
An Introduction to CLIL

• The European Language Label
• Cracow, 14-16 October 2005
• Ana Llinares
• Universidad Autonoma Madrid

2
CLIL/CBI ORIGINS AND DEFINITIONS

• Associated with the genesis of language immersion
  education in Canada (1965)
• the target language as the vehicle through which
  subject matter content is learned rather than as
  the immediate object of study (Brinton et al.,
  1989 5)
• the development of use-oriented second and
  foreign language skills (Wesche, 1993)
• 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 (Marsh Langé, 2000)

3
What qualifies as content in CLIL?

• 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)

4
Support from SLA research (I)

• Natural language acquisition occurs in context.
  Natural language is never learned divorced from
  meaning, and CLIL provides a context for
  meaningful communication to occur (Curtain,
  1995).
• CLIL promotes negotiation of meaning, which is
  known to enhance language acquisition (Lightbown
  and Spada, 1993). Language acquisition takes
  place through conversational interaction (Long,
  1983).
• Second language acquisition is enhanced by
  comprehensible input (Krashen, 1985), which is a
  key pedagogical technique in CLIL.
• However, comprehensible input alone does not
  suffice _ students need an explicit focus on
  relevant and contextually appropriate language
  forms to support content learning (Lyster, 1987
  Met, 1991)

5
Support from SLA research (II)

• Cummins (1981) notion of CALP (Cognitive
  Academic Language Proficiency) as contrasted with
  BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)
  shows that students need to be learning content
  while they are developing CALP.
• CLIL provides opportunities for Vygotskian-based
  concepts that contribute to SLA negotiation in
  the Zone of Proximal Development, the use of
  private speech (for problem solving) and
  student appropriation of learning tasks.
• Language learning becomes more concrete rather
  than abstract (as in traditional language
  instruction).
• More complex language is best taught within a
  framework that focuses on authentic content.

6
Support from research on Instructional Strategies

• CLIL lends itself to cooperative learning (which
  has been shown to improve learning Slavin,
  1995).
• CLIL allows the incorporation of thinking skills
  and learning strategies that lead to rich
  language development
• Information gathering skills (questioning)
• organising skills (categorising, comparing)
• analysing skills (identifying main ideas,
  attributes, relationship patterns)
• generating skills (inferring, predicting, etc...)
• Research on extensive reading in a second
  language shows that reading coherent materials
  leads to improved language abilities, greater
  content-area learning and higher motivation
  (Elley, 1991)

7
Support from Educational and Cognitive Psychology
(I)

• Anderson (1993) has proposed a cognitive learning
  theory for instruction that integrates attention
  to content and language skills (including
  language) and content follow a sequence of stages
  of learning
• COGNITIVE ASSOCIATIVE AUTONOMOUS

• The presentation of coherent and meaningful
  information leads to deeper processing, which
  results in better learning (Anderson, 1990)
• Information that has a good number of connections
  to related information promotes better learning
  (Anderson, 1990)

8
Support from Educational and Cognitive Psychology
(II)

• Facts and skills taught in isolation need much
  more practice and rehearsal before they can be
  internalised or put into long term memory.
• CLIL develops a wider range of discourse skills
  than does traditional language instruction
  (because of the incorporation of higher cognitive
  skills)
• CLIL provides for cognitive engagement (tasks
  that are intrinsically interesting will lead to
  better opportunities for SLA)
• CLIL emphasises a connection to real life and
  real world skills (Curtain, 1995)

9
CLIL benefits for content learning

• Learners are more successful and more motivated
  than those in traditional content subject
  classrooms (Wolff, 2004)
• Learners look at content from a different and
  broader perspective when it is taught in another
  language (Multi-perspectivity) (Wolff, 2004)
• Learners develop more accurate academic concepts
  when another language is involved
  (Lamsfuss-Schenk, 2002)
• In CLIL content subject related intercultural
  learning takes place (Christ, 2000)

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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

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CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY CLASSROOMS
(Grenfell, 2002)

• 3.Promote student-student interaction
• 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)

12
CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY CLASSROOMS
(Grenfell, 2002)

• 4. Work on academic skills and strategies
  characteristic of the subject matter
• Interpretation of visuals
• Use of flowcharts and time lines to organise
  information
• Cause and effect relationships

13
CLIL METHODOLOGY IN SECONDARY CLASSROOMS
(Grenfell, 2002)

• 5. Work on communication skills for academic
  purposes
• Selecting content in oral presentations
• Clear delivery
• Fluency
• Ability to attract the audience
• 6.Access to information and communication
  technologies

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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

15
CLIL EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN SECOND LANGUAGES

• 1980s Different types of immersion programmes
  in the Basque country, Catalonia and Galicia.
• Total competence in both official languages in
  the long term.
• Instrumental methodological approach (Serra,
  1997) using the regional language as the medium
  of instruction of content (CLIL).

16
CLIL EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

• Spain becomes member of the EC (1986)
• Students have to be competent in one ore more
  foreign languages, in addition to Spanish and, in
  some cases, their regional language
  (Multilingualism).

• Variety in the use of CLIL in foreign language
  teaching, due to progressive decentralisation.
• Bilingual and Bicultural Project (1996) with MECD
  and British Council.

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FL CLIL EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN TEACHERS

• PROBLEMS
• Primary school teachers global understanding of
  different subjects, good base in didactics
  however, some may not have enough communicative
  competence to teach content in the L2.
• Secondary school teachers importance of academic
  knowledge, not much training in educational
  methodology, specialists in one subject some may
  not have enugh communicative competence to teach
  in the L2.
• Less training in strategic and linguistic needs
  for specific content areas.

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FL CLIL EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN TEACHERS

• The CLIL projects in Spain have been based on
  teachersavailability/willingness to keep trying.
  
• SOME SOLUTIONS
• Education authorities should guarantee training
  in CLIL for content and language teachers.
• Teacher training should ensure command of L2.
• Education authorities should recognise officially
  double qualifications (content and language).
• Coordination between FL department and each of
  the content-subject areas or departments.
• Materials design

19
CLIL EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN RESULTS

• CLIL programmes have an effect on the overall
  linguistic competence of the children (Serra,
  1997 Cenoz Perales, 2001).
• At the pre-school level, CLIL seems to promote
  the learners oral functional production in the
  L2 (Llinares, 2004).
• Students in CLIL programmes seem to perform
  better on national achievement tests in L1, L2
  and other subjects (Sanz, 2000).
• Use of CLIL in other languages fosters
  understanding in that culture and European
  citizenship.