Content and Language Integrated Learning: In-Service Teachers’ Knowledge and Perceptions Before and After a Professional Development Program

Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigated perceptions and knowledge about content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and bilingual education. Data were collected using surveys, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from 26 content-based teachers in Valledupar, Colombia, before and after their participation in an online training program. Findings revealed that teamwork and administrative support are crucial factors for a successful CLIL implementation. However, results also showed that teachers knew very little about the CLIL approach, although they claimed to have been using it at their schools for 3-4 years before the study, suggesting that any previous in-service teacher training had not resulted in an adequate understanding of CLIL or bilingual education for the context.The teachers’ perceptions of CLIL and bilingualism were more positive after the training, and they reported understanding similarities and differences between both concepts. Hence, there is a need for more specialized training (material design, planning, communication, and assessment) to better prepare in-service teachers for bi-/multilingual learning environments, which in turn would provide teachers with much-needed tools for more effective delivery of CLIL-oriented solutions.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in ELT as a Link between Language Learning and Content Development

“…However, it is possible that teachers can learn this method in-service, on the job. This was the finding of McDougald & Pissarello (2020) when they investigated teachers on the use of the CLIL method. They found that most teachers were not trained on the CLIL method until they started at their teaching jobs.…”

Teachers’ Needs and Professional Development: A Systematic Review

“…Collaborative competence was mentioned in 13 studies on teachers' needs. Although a few studies reported collaboration among CLIL teachers (Pavón Vázquez et al, 2020;Pérez Cañado, 2017), the majority indicated that teachers were not collaborative, despite teachers seeing the need for collaboration (e.g., Fernández & Halbach, 2011;Infante et al, 2009;McDougald & Pissarello, 2020). The reasons that teachers are reluctant to collaborate include the lack of time (Bárcena Toyos, 2017), the tension between content and language teachers (McDougald & Pissarello, 2020), and the lack of opportunities to collaborate (Pladevall-Ballester, 2015).…”

“…Other studies called for in-cluding a pedagogical component in professional development training for CLIL teachers. In fact, pedagogical training topped the list of needs in Durán-Martínez and Beltrán-Llavador's (2016) study, whereas approximately one-third of the participants in Fernández and Halbach's (2011) study called for the inclusion of methodology in their training.Likely responding to the strong desire by CLIL teachers to receive pedagogical training, the programs inCammarata and Haley (2018),Francomacaro (2019),Lo (2019), and McDougald and Pissarello (2020 all worked to develop the pedagogical competence of CLIL teachers. These workshops focused on instructional techniques(Mc- Dougald & Pissarello, 2020) and scaffolding strategies…”

Emergence and Development of a Research Area in Language Education Policies: Our Contribution to Setting the Grounds for a Local Perspective on Policymaking

“…Mancipe Triviño and Ramírez Valenzuela (2019) report on using CLIL to teach natural science in a bilingual school in Colombia. McDougald and Pissarello (2020) conducted a teacher training course on CLIL and concluded that teachers found similarities between CLIL and bilingualism.…”