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Content and language Integrated learning (CLIL)

1. What is the CLIL?
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an approach where students
learn a subject and a second language at the same time. A science course, for example, can
be taught to students in English and they will not only learn about science, but they will also
gain relevant vocabulary and language skills. It’s important to note that CLIL is not a means
of simplifying content or rete aching something students already know in a new language.
CLIL courses should truly integrate the language and content in order to be successful – and
success is determined when both the subject matter and language is learned.
(Source:https://www.english.com/blog/content-and-language-integrated-learning/)
CLIL involves teaching another curriculum
subject, or aspects of another subject through a
second language which is not that of the learner’s
mother tongue. This practice guide highlights
important considerations in adopting CLIL where a
subject is taught through Irish in a school in which
By STEVIE D.
English is the medium of instruction.
(Source:https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/ContentandLanguageIntegratedLearning (CLIL)
CLIL can work for students of any age, all the way from primary level to university and
beyond. So long as the course content and language aims are designed with the students’
needs in mind, there is no limit as to who can benefit from this teaching approach. However,
it is most commonly found in primary and secondary school contexts.
(Source:https://www.english.com/blog/content-and-language-integrated-learning/)

2. What are the main benefits of CLIL?

1) A deeper understanding of the target language
as students learn content in the second language, they form links in their minds
between their first language (and L1), the target language (L2), and the content. This fosters
better metalinguistic skills: the ability to reflect on language and meaning. They learn how
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languages work, in other words. Children who study the rules of grammar of a second
language invariably find themselves better grammarians in their native language; each
language can be studied through the lens of the other.
2) Improved social and critical thinking skills
The same benefits to communicative ability that accrue to bilingual people in general
of course come to students in a CLIL program, and they have more opportunities to put those
skills into practice as they move between the language classroom and the subject classroom.
The language teacher might teach ways of agreeing, disagreeing, and asking for clarification
and then have students apply those skills to discuss a historical event and its consequences.
The history teacher might then organize a debate on whether certain actions in the past
should or should not have been taken, and students will again use their linguistic skills.
3) A stronger, more flexible brain.
Students in a CLIL program do more than just learn a language — they learn in the
language, so they are constantly using the language and improving. The language teacher
explains the meanings of key vocabulary for chemistry, and then in their chemistry class,
students can use the vocabulary in context as they conduct, discuss, and write up an
experiment. (Source: https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/benefits-of-clil/)
3. Soft CLIL and hard CLIL: what is the difference?)
Soft CLIL: is the type of course that is more language-led rather than subject-
led. The soft version of CLIL is one in which the teaching and learning is focused primarily
on language and so is language-driven. A language-driven approach mean foreign language
classes using more content than is typical of such programmers, or using didactic units which
make greater use of subject-based content. The language-driven approach has language
learning as its basic objective.
Hard CLIL: more subject-led, which takes the curriculum of the school and
chooses what to teach in the target language. that an entire course is taught in a foreign
language and learners need to be at an intermediate or above proficiency level and already
be quite autonomous in the second language. In a course where everything is in a foreign
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language, learners need to be confident in the second language and have some substantial
experience studying it already. (Source: https://www.teacheracademy.eu/blog/clil/)
(Source: https://www.teacheracademy.eu/blog/clil/)

4. Who is CLIL suited for?

1) Students
Just about any type of student can benefit from a CLIL approach. It has been used
with all ages and ability levels. However, that doesn’t mean that every student will be
successful in a CLIL class, any more than every student is successful in any class. But the
factors limiting a student’s success are not tied to the CLIL approach.
2) Teachers
CLIL courses can take time and energy to prepare and carry out. A good CLIL teacher
is someone who is committed to the approach and is hard-working, dedicated, and passionate
about his or her students. In addition, a CLIL teacher should be skilled at communication and
flexible because cooperating with the subject-area teacher is essential
3) Subjects
while almost any subject can be taught through a CLIL approach, the most suited are
ones that involve student cooperation and have a cultural aspect to them. Some examples
are the social sciences, the arts, many trades, and some sciences such as biology and
chemistry. One study found that math and physics were less suited to a CLIL approach
because of their technical nature. A CLIL approach in these classes would probably rely more
heavily on L1 use.
(Source:https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/what-is-clil/)
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5. How can you apply the components of CLIL in your classroom?

It’s important to have a strategy in place when applying CLIL in your courses. One of
the key things to remember is that the language and subject content are given equal weight
and that it shouldn’t be treated as a language class nor a subject class simply taught in a
foreign language.
According to Coyle’s 4Cs curriculum (1999), a successful CLIL class should include
the following four elements:
Content – Integrating content from across the curriculum through high quality
language interaction. The subject matter and language demands of the lesson and
progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specific elements of a defined
curriculum.
Communication – Using language to learn whilst learning to use language.
As we know, communication implies that students must use the FL in the communicative
contexts in which the language is presented. However, it is useful to distinguish between
language learning, oftentimes understood as grammatical progression, and language using
which focuses on communication and learning demands. However, we shall consider some
central ideas to communication:
- Activities should entail active communicative participation on the part of the students.
- Classroom organization (i.e. desks arrangement, displays, etc.) should support
communication.
- Language skills and communication must be developed from all the areas.
Cognition – engaging learners in high-order thinking and understanding, accepting
challenges and reflecting on them. At this stage, the teacher must select the thinking skills,
problem solving and creativity, ensuring that the cognitive demands match the learners´
developmental stage. (abstract and concrete), understanding and language.
Culture – Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings, which
deepen awareness of otherness and self and interpreting and understanding the significance
of content and language and their contribution to identity and citizenship.
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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.
(Source: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/CLIL:A lesson framework.)

6. The Language Triptych as modified by Solik (2014)

Language of Learning: It is the type of language that learners have to acquire in

order to be able to access the new knowledge that is going to be introduced through the
specific content of the subject. It is language specific to the subject, so it can be related to
the genre.
Language for learning: It is the language that learners will need to use during the
lessons, so that they can develop and do the tasks and activities efficiently. It is related to the
classroom language.
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Language through learning: It is the kind of language that cannot be planned in

advance and which will ‘emerge’ through the learning process.
7. Some great CLIL activities include
1) Presentations: One student takes the center of the stage to introduce to the rest
of the classroom a tangential theme related to the subject you’ve been discussing. Encourage
them to use graphics, images and multimedia material, and to prominently write keywords on
the blackboard so their fellow classmates can take notes.
2) Role-plays: Students impersonate major figures and stakeholders to give life to a
concept or theme they’ve learned in the classroom. Ask them to prepare the reenactment
ahead of time by working together to write and memorize a mini-play around this theme.
Recap by letting the class interact with student-actors to ask questions about the subject
matter.
3) Science experiments: These are fantastic tools to help your students discover
science, chemistry and biology, and have fun along the way! Ask a subject teacher from your
school to come and supervise if you’re unsure about certain elements, and don’t forget to
pre-teach important concepts and words so students know what to do during the experiments.
4) Cooking classes: What better way to motivate students and strengthen the bonds
between teachers and learners than food? An essential part of culture, society and language,
food helps to bring the class together—and cooking is where it all starts. Start by selecting a
recipe and discuss it in class ahead of time. Then ask students to compete and make their
own versions of the recipe. They can customize presentations, add different spices and mix
together ingredients that inspire them. Then recap in class and ask students to discuss, taste
and compare their productions.
The end goal is to de-compartmentalize knowledge between subject and language
classes, so students can apply new information to their entire school curriculum, and even
outside the classroom! (Source: https://www.fluentu.com/TheCLILMethodofTeaching:4WaystoImplement.)
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