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Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) at School in Europe
Eurydice The information network on education in EuropePreface
Multilingualism
is at the very heart of European identity, since languages are a fundamental
aspect of the cultural identity of every European. By CLIL,
pupils learn school subjects in the curriculum while at the same time
exercising and improving their language skills. Subjects and languages are
combined to offer them a better preparation for life in Europe, in which
mobility is becoming increasingly more widespread and should be within reach of
everyone.
The
acronym CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) started to become the
most widely used term for this kind of provision during the 1990s. CLIL is the
platform for an innovative methodological approach of far broader scope than
language teaching. Accordingly, its advocates stress how it seeks to develop
proficiency in both the non-language subject and the language in which this is
taught, attaching the same importance to each. Furthermore, achieving this
twofold aim calls for the development of a special approach to teaching in that
the non-language subject is not taught in
a foreign language but with
and through
a foreign language. This implies a more integrated approach to both teaching
and learning, requiring that teachers should devote special thought not just to
how languages should be taught, but to the educational process in general.
In
organisational terms, for example, CLIL enables languages to be taught on a
relatively intensive basis without claiming an excessive share of the school
timetable. It is also inspired by important methodological principles established
by research on foreign language teaching, such as the need for learners to be
exposed to a situation calling for genuine communication.
EU support for CLIL
For
many years now, language teaching has featured prominently in Community
recommendations regarding education. The promotion of linguistic diversity in
education and training has always been an important consideration in planning
the successful construction of Europe. Yet it was not until the 1990s that
discussion of language learning in the European institutions led to realisation
of the need to explore innovative teaching methods. In this context, several
initiatives have been launched by the EU in the field of Content and Language
Integrated Learning (CLIL).
One of
the first pieces of legislation regarding European cooperation in CLIL is the
1995 Resolution of the Council . It refers to the promotion of innovative
methods and, in particular, to 'the teaching of classes in a foreign language
for disciplines other than languages, providing bilingual teaching'. In the
same year, in its White Paper on education and training (Teaching and Learning - Towards the
Learning Society), the European
Commission focused on the importance of innovative ideas and the most effective
practices for helping all EU citizens to become proficient in three European
languages.
At the
May 2005 Education Council, the Luxembourg presidency reported on the results
of the symposium entitled 'The Changing European Classroom: The Potential of
Plurilingual Education' which was held a few weeks earlier in March. Among the
main conclusions, the need to ensure that pupils and students are involved in
CLIL type provision at the different levels of school education was emphasised,
as was the desirability of encouraging teachers to receive special training in
CLIL. As part of the European Commission Action Plan 2004-2006 to promote
language learning and linguistic diversity, pupils should be taught different
subjects in the curriculum in at least two languages (in a context other than
that of language lessons).
The
fact that a CLIL-based approach to learning is part of mainstream school
provision does not mean that it is widespread. The situation in Luxembourg and
Malta is most unusual in that these are the only countries in which CLIL type
provision exists in all schools on a general basis. Elsewhere, it is apparently
offered to only a minority of pupils and in just a few schools, mainly where it
is part of organised provision in a target foreign language. The situation
regarding the availability of CLIL type provision in one or more regional or
minority languages varies more markedly in that it is relatively widespread in
certain countries, including in particular Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and
the United Kingdom (Wales and Scotland).
Chronologically,
countries with several official languages such as Belgium (the German-speaking
Community), Luxembourg and Malta or with one or more regional or minority
languages have generally been the first to introduce CLIL type provision in
these target languages. Luxembourg and Malta in which CLIL is general practice,
introduced it as early as the 19th century. Several countries that offer CLIL
provision in regional and/or minority languages, namely Germany, Hungary, the
Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom (Wales)
introduced it at the end of the 1940s or in the 1950s.
Close
examination of CLIL target languages reveals that English, French and German
are the most widespread foreign target languages in countries in which
provision is in one or several foreign languages.
Seven
countries (Estonia, Spain, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and
Sweden) provide scope for trilingual CLIL provision combining the national
language and two foreign languages (Spain and Latvia), or the national language,
a foreign language and a minority language (Estonia, Latvia, the Netherlands,
Austria and Sweden).
Levels of education concerned
In the
majority of countries, CLIL provision is offered at primary, lower secondary
and upper secondary levels of education. Several countries, namely Belgium (the
French and German-speaking Communities), Spain, Italy, Latvia, Poland (in the
case of minority languages), Finland, the United Kingdom (Wales, Northern
Ireland and Scotland) and Romania (in the case of minority languages) also
organise activities in another language from pre-primary level onwards.
However, depending on the country, this provision varies very widely as it may
be available throughout all or just some of the period of pre-primary
education.
Admission criteria
In
general, involvement in CLIL type provision when it is an integral part of
mainstream education is open to all pupils. However, some countries have
established conditions governing access to CLIL and select the pupils
concerned, particularly when the target language is a foreign language.
This
selection at the point of entry is often based on tests of some kind (written
or oral examinations, interviews, etc.) with a view to identifying which pupils
have a good general knowledge of curricular subject matter or aspects of the
language used for CLIL.
In the
Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria, pupils wishing to enrol in schools that
offer CLIL type provision have to take examinations designed mainly to assess
their all-round knowledge (especially in basic subjects such as the mother
tongue and mathematics). In the last two countries, school marks are taken into
account and an entrance examination is held. The examination focuses on the
intellectual ability of pupils (in Slovakia) as well as on the mother tongue
and mathematics (in Bulgaria). In France and Romania, candidates sit
examinations in which the priority is to check their knowledge of the target
language. In France, applicants to sections
internationales have to submit a
record of attainment for the purpose of assessing their ability to follow CLIL
provision in the target language (for example as a result of time spent abroad,
or learning the language at an early age), and then take an oral test (in
primary education) or written and oral examinations (in secondary education) to
determine their proficiency in that language. Similarly, in Romania pupils are
admitted to bilingual schools after being tested in the target language.
Aims
Conceived
as an approach to education in which language teaching and subject learning are
combined with the teaching of school subjects in general, content and language
integrated learning (CLIL) is inspired by a twofold objective. It is meant to
ensure first that pupils acquire knowledge of curricular subject matter and
secondly develop their competence in a language other than the normal language
of instruction.
Aside
from these general common aims associated with the CLIL concept, official
recommendations of various European countries - in curricular guidance or other
policy documents - differ. Depending on the country concerned, importance is
attached to:
·
preparing
pupils for life in a more internationalised society and offering them better
job prospects on the labour market (socio-economic objectives);
·
conveying
to pupils values of tolerance and respect vis-à-vis other cultures, through use
of the CLIL target language (socio-cultural objectives);
·
enabling
pupils to develop:
o language
skills which emphasise effective communication, motivating pupils to learn languages
by using them for real practical purposes (linguistic objectives);
o subject-related
knowledge and learning ability, stimulating the assimilation of subject matter
by means of a different and innovative approach (educational objectives).
Subjects taught through CLIL
There
are few differences between primary and secondary education as regards the
subjects taught in the CLIL target language. On the evidence of national
recommendations, the commonest situation at these levels of education is one in
which it is possible to select from across the entire curriculum the one or
more subjects included in CLIL provision.
Evaluation and certification
Besides
the assessment that all pupils undergo in mainstream education, assessment of
their attainment specifically in relation to CLIL occurs in almost half of the
countries concerned, normally in secondary education. In general, this special
form of assessment is carried out in the CLIL target language and focuses on
the knowledge learners have of the subjects selected for the CLIL curriculum.
Nevertheless, in countries such as Ireland, Hungary and Austria, pupils may
decide whether they will be examined in the CLIL target language or in the
language of mainstream curriculum.
In all
other countries in which CLIL type provision is available, there is no special
assessment and pupil proficiency as regards the content of the curriculum is
assessed solely using the language of mainstream curriculum. In the case of the
Netherlands, however, many schools offer pupils the possibility of taking an
additional examination in English to demonstrate their language ability.
In all
of these countries, the attainment of pupils involved in CLIL is (or may be)
formally recognised with the award of a special certificate. The linguistic
'value added' acquired by pupils during the years spent in CLIL is taken into
account. In Germany, for example, the fact that pupils have attended bilingual
school sections or streams is certified at the end of lower and upper secondary
education. Additional indications regarding the target languages, the subjects
studied and the periods of study are included on the certificate.
Furthermore,
as a result of bilateral agreements between certain countries, pupils with a
certificate that makes mention of their CLIL curriculum may continue studies in
higher education in the partner countries. For example, in the Czech Republic,
Germany, Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria, pupils from bilingual upper secondary
schools (which in Poland use French as the target language) have a special
entitlement enabling them to enrol in universities abroad without having to
take language tests.
Evaluation of schools
The
external evaluation of schools is a very widespread practice in European
countries and it t seems reasonable to suppose that there will be changes in
the way the quality of CLIL provision is evaluated and that evaluation will
become steadily more widespread in the years ahead.
Teachers
CLIL
type provision requires of the teachers responsible for it - and this is their
common distinctive attribute - the ability to teach one or more subjects in the
curriculum in a language other than the usual language of instruction and
thereby teach that language itself. Such teachers are thus specialists in two
respects. The strategies identified involves requiring that they should possess
a special qualification or certificate in addition to what is normally needed
to teach at a particular level. In CLIL type provision, teachers are generally
fully qualified for the one or more educational levels at which they work. In
most cases, they are specialists in one or more non-language subjects or have
two areas of specialisation, one in a language subject and the other in a
non-language subject. The basic qualifications required relate generally to
non-language subjects. It is hardly surprising therefore that further diplomas
or certificates testify to skills associated with the second area of expertise
needed in CLIL type provision, namely language skills.
In
Spain, some Autonomous Communities require a regional or minority language. Extra
time to prepare and coordinate lessons is allocated to teachers in European
sections in the Autonomous Communities of Galicia and the Balearic Islands, and
the bilingual centres of Navarra. Salary increases are awarded to teachers in
the bilingual centres of the Autonomous Community of Madrid.
Factors inhibiting general implementation
The
organisation of CLIL type provision in foreign target languages makes demands
that go well beyond those associated with traditional language teaching. It
requires the use of human resources (specialist teachers) and suitable teaching
materials to a significantly greater extent than conventional school language
teaching. Given that CLIL is a relatively recent practice in Europe, it is not
surprising to note that over half of the countries concerned confront problems
when the time comes to extend this kind of provision - or in some cases
introduce it - on a general basis to the entire school population.
Many
countries draw attention to a big shortage of teachers with the qualifications
needed to teach in schools making use of CLIL methodology. Teachers themselves
complain that there are virtually no initial and in-service training programmes
devoted to methods used specifically to teach a subject in other than the
normal language of instruction.
Finding
teaching materials geared to CLIL is not easy for schools. Such materials not
only have to be available in the target language but also cover subjects in the
national curriculum.
In
some countries, the national language issue is at the heart of the discussions.
Concerns in this respect are numerous. They relate, first, to teaching: could
teaching of the national language (generally taught as the mother tongue)
suffer as the result of intensive teaching of another language? They are
language related too. The vitality and richness of a language are rooted in the
experience of its speakers. Could there ever be a risk of the national language
suffering if certain areas of knowledge are explored and analysed in a foreign
language?
And
finally, such fears are also political in so far as the position and influence
of a language are for some people the reflection of national culture and
citizenship. It is worth noting that discussion about CLIL may be part of a
more general debate on language teaching: in Spain, the real situation in some
Autonomous Communities that have their own official language in addition to
Spanish also calls for a broad approach to the issue of language teaching.
Conclusions
The
CLIL methodological approach seeking to foster the integrated learning of
languages and other areas of curricular content is a fast developing phenomenon
in Europe. At the European level, interest is growing in the approach which,
according to various experts, carries with it many benefits for pupils and
students. EU initiatives in the field of CLIL have increased in recent years.
Underlying them is the belief that young people should be more effectively
prepared for the (multi)lingual and cultural requirements of a Europe in which
mobility is expanding.
Aware
of this challenge, national policy-makers in the field of education are taking
a greater interest in CLIL and offering a wide variety of initiatives
consistent with the different circumstances facing them. The present Eurydice
survey has sought to review the diversity of this kind of provision in European
countries. It is concerned solely with school contexts (other than language
lessons) in which various subjects in the curriculum are taught using at least
two languages.
In
CLIL provision, as much attention is paid to languages as to the subject
content. In general, in primary and secondary education, all subjects in the
curriculum may be targeted by CLIL. However, in secondary education the range
is sometimes more restricted and only a few subjects are taught in this way.
Mathematics, the physical and natural sciences, geography, history, and
economics are often cited in official recommendations on CLIL provision.
Furthermore, it is clear from analysing the country contributions that
developing proficiency in the subjects taught using a target language may
sometimes be a secondary consideration. In general, national recommendations
regarding CLIL tend to attach greater importance to the language proficiency
that pupils or students are meant to acquire.
The
qualifications held by teachers involved in CLIL activities is a key question
for most countries. In some of them, the approach is still fairly novel and
inevitably calls for the development of teacher training programmes that have
been specially devised for this kind of provision. It is not enough to ensure
that teachers have a twofold kind of specialised training in languages and
other (non-language) subjects. They should also be trained to develop in pupils
or students the ability to learn subjects in a language in which their level of
proficiency is not that of native speakers.
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