CLIL Methodology and Bilingual Education

CLIL Methodology

• CLIL methodology involves lesson planning and guiding principles for Content and Language Integrated Learning.
• CLIL is a type of bilingual education.

Types of Bilingual Education

• Three types of bilingual education exist: Immersion, CLIL, and Submersion.

Immersion

• Immersion-oriented education focuses on teaching a country's other language (e.g., Canada, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Finland, Switzerland) or regional language (Slovenia and the United Kingdom).
• The medium of instruction is a language different from the dominant language of the society.
• Often, this language is another official language of the country.

CLIL

• Students are immersed in the target language while learning content subjects.
• Little direct language instruction is given, as the target language is assumed.
• Content, linguistic, semantic, and pragmatic support are given for content and exams.
• The goal is to strengthen both subject knowledge and language skills simultaneously.

Submersion

• Submersion relates to the linguistic and cultural integration of migrants (the linguistic minority).
• Language minority students are taught in the language of the majority, with the goal of developing skills in that language.
• Foreign language skills are essential for curriculum and daily life, both inside and outside the school.

Is it Immersion, Submersion, or CLIL?

• A biology class conducted in English exemplifies CLIL, integrating content with language.
• Subject content (biology) is seamlessly connected with language (English), enhancing both subject knowledge and language learning simultaneously.
• A key characteristic differentiating CLIL from immersion is the integration of content and language, rather than focusing on a separate language instruction part of the learning process.

CLIL Founder

• David Marsh created the term CLIL in 1994.
• He is a well-known figure in CLIL.
• He has extensive experience in teacher development, research, and consultancy throughout the world (Africa, Europe, and Asia).

Coyle's 4 Cs of CLIL

• Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture
• The 4Cs are parameters for understanding and planning CLIL lessons.
• A CLIL lesson should combine content, communication, cognition and culture.

4Cs of CLIL for Planning Lessons

• Content: What is the science topic?
• Communication: What science language will learners use during the lesson?
• Cognition: What thinking skills do learners engage in during the science lessons?
• Culture: Is there a cultural focus within the lessons?

Elements Associated with CLIL

• List of words relating to each category for Content, Communication and Cognition and Culture (examples: Agreeing and disagreeing, asking questions, clarifying what has been said, etc. )
• Specific words are related to specific domains or components of the CLIL pedagogy.

CLIL Strategies

• Provide holistic educational experiences.
• Identify learning goals that are meaningful, challenging, and authentic.
• Integrate scaffolding, student interaction, and authentic communication to create more inclusive lessons.
• Adapt to different cognitive levels (high-order thinking skills).
• Understand and address classroom culture (intercultural dimension).
• Provide support for learning and address intercultural communication.
• Assessments and reflections should be included.

CLIL Core Elements

• Input: authentic, meaningful and challenging
• Tasks: higher order thinking, student interaction and communication & subject-specific study skills, learning
• Output: cross-cultural communication, fluency, accuracy, complexity and BICS/CALP skills.

Content Progression in CLIL lessons

• Progression in knowledge, skills, and comprehension related to a defined subject curriculum is essential to effective CLIL lessons.
• Language use (communication) is part of learning the subject matter and CLIL learning.
• Using language to learn and using language in general are both essential to the learning process.

Language Skills in CLIL

• All four language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) are combined to achieve success.
• Meaningful reading materials and listening activities provide the main basis for input.
• Speaking during a CLIL lesson is important to achieve fluency, and accuracy is relevant but less important.
• Written communication using recycled grammar skills is vital.

CLIL characteristics for teachers in an ELT background

• Lessons often rely on reading and listening materials, with language integration.
• Language use is functional, dictated by the subject matter, and approached lexically rather than grammatically.
• Learner styles affect task types in class, and these needs should be considered.

CLIL Lesson Framework

• CLIL lessons engage content and language equally and follow a multi-stage structure.

CLIL Pyramid

• Topic selection, choice of media (including study skills and input scaffolding), and task design (including cognition, communication and output scaffolding.)

CLIL Advantages

• It enables multifaceted lesson planning, connecting content, communication, cognition, and culture.
• Higher order thinking skills are reinforced by inherent CLIL methodologies.
• CLIL is flexible in terms of student learning styles and interaction types (group, individual, or pairs).
• Intercultural communication and understanding is essential.

Cognitive Skills in CLIL

• Vocabulary selection and appropriateness/relevance are key.
• Learning objectives need to consider what level of cognitive skills are being taught and what level of thinking skills are being developed.
• The type, amount, level, and complexity of tasks, as well as the teaching and learning techniques employed in a CLIL classroom should be aligned with the cognitive skills being practised or developed.

Cultural Considerations in CLIL

• Beliefs, traditions, values, diversity, and social symbols are important aspects of culture to be acknowledged within CLIL lessons; it demonstrates understanding of cultural differences.