CLIL and Social and Emotional Learning in Early Bilingual Education: Compatible and Mutually Beneficial

Abstract

This article focuses on a key issue for the holistic education of the young child in the bilingual classroom: the optimal development of social and emotional competence when learning takes place in another language. Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been referred to as “the substance of education itself” by the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (2019, p. 6) and research shows that the beneficial effects on the wellbeing of young children are deep-reaching and long-lasting. The recent growth of bilingual education in early childhood has propelled Content and Integrated Learning (CLIL) to the forefront of teacher training, methodology, and research into the teaching and learning processes of young children in bilingual classrooms. However, there is a dearth of research investigating the development of SEL in early CLIL. In this context, this article reviews and brings together existing literature of SEL and CLIL and argues that the main tenets of both are highly compatible. Examination of research highlights the key role played by classroom climate for the effective implementation of SEL through CLIL, and the challenges faced through an absence of specific legislation and teacher training. Finally, this article proposes how pedagogical strategies might be successfully established within the lower and pre-primary CLIL classroom that are mutually beneficial to both the development of bilingual education and young children’s social and emotional wellbeing.