CLIL: A European Approach to Bilingual Education

Abstract

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is a term used especially in Europe for forms of bilingual education where an additional language, in most cases English, is used as the language of instruction in non-language school subjects. This chapter outlines the development of CLIL, embedded both in European level policies and in growing awareness of the new orientations to language learning introduced, for example, in language immersion research. Because of its potential to serve as a context for meaningful language use and situated language learning, CLIL has been regarded by EU institutions as an important instrument to foster European citizens' bi-and multilingualism, to be offered alongside regular foreign language teaching for students in mainstream education. This chapter introduces the main strands of CLIL research that have revealed a great deal of the possibilities and challenges that CLIL as an educational approach entails, for both students and teachers. Overall, there has been a shift in emphasis in research from studies orienting to effects of CLIL on language learning outcomes to studies that point towards the need to adopt a truly integrated view on language and content, and to explore the potential that CLIL has in supporting the development of subject literacies.

Identifying space for mainstreaming multilingual pedagogies in European initial teacher education policies

“…The local development of multilingual approaches has led to a variety of small-scale experiments and even educational programmes addressing various students' linguistic backgrounds across diverse social and educational contexts (Barwell et al, 2016;Busch, 2011;Reljić et al, 2015;Sierens and Van Avermaet, 2017). In many EU countries, content and language integrated learning (CLIL), additive language immersion education and bilingual education targeting dominant languages have been set up to promote multilingual learning (Bergroth, 2016;Cenoz et al, 2014;Hélot and Cavalli, 2017;Nikula, 2017). However, they tend to be educational programmes or approaches that caretakers can opt for, and ideally, teachers should have received at least some specialised training for this type of teaching.…”

“…Initiatives to promote language programmes aimed at enriching students are gaining importance at the national policy level (Eurydice, 2019;Nikula, 2017). Moreover, such concepts as language awareness (Cenoz et al, 2017;Hélot et al, 2018), pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures (Candelier, 2008) and plurilingual competence (Coste et al, 1997) have gained a foothold in European educational policy discourses, rendering the ideological space visible.…”

What matters for language learning?

“…Across European education systems, earlier onset of foreign language learning at school is generally associated with higher proficiency in foreign languages, particularly for writing (European Commission, 2012 [45]). Wilden and Porsch (2016 [46]) found that early onset had a positive impact (mediated by German reading skills) on reading and listening skills in foreign languages for a sample of German students.…”

“I repeat the question porque no me entero”: El uso de la L1 en clase de didáctica del inglés como lengua extranjera por parte de maestros en formación de Educación Primaria

“…Con todo, la enseñanza de idiomas ha ido evolucionando hacia prácticas de enseñanza bilingüe, lo que implica diferencias significativas (Ferreira, 2011): la LE ejerce como vehículo para impartir contenido relacionado con Áreas No Lingüísticas (ANL). Entre otros enfoques, el Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenido y Lengua Extranjera (AICLE) (Coyle, Hood y Marsh, 2010) recibe el mayor reconocimiento en educación bilingüe, sobre todo en Europa (Nikula, 2016). En AICLE, el profesor opta por una integración de LE y contenido, siendo este último el punto de partida de la planificación docente (Meyer, 2010).…”