CLIL at Primary Level: balancing language and content instruction

“CLIL…refers to teaching subjects such as science, history and geography to students through a foreign language.”
"Content and language integrated learning (CLIL), in which pupils learn a subject through the medium of a foreign language…”
CLIL: what?

“…in CLIL the language needs to ‘emerge’ from the content. Therefore, although there may well be an activity or two which has a language focus, this should be part of the lesson and not the main focus.”
CLIL: what?

Bilingual Integration of Languages and Disciplines (BILD)
Content-based Instruction (CBI)
Content-based Language Instruction (CBLI)
Content-based Language Teaching (CBLT)
English Across the Curriculum (EAC)
English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
Foreign Language Immersion Program (FLIP)
Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC)
Teaching Content Through English
Teaching English Through Content
CLIL: the ultimate buzz word

CLIL: why?
Language is integrated into the broad curriculum/increases contact
Natural language is seen in context
Fluency is more important than accuracy
Learning is not merely a key to passing to an examination

CLIL: why?
Prepare students for future studies and/or working life
Diversity of methods and forms of classroom teaching and learning
Bilingualism is promoted
It is motivating for the students

CLIL: why not?
Cooperation of the language teacher and the subject teacher
Little clear guidance
Lack of CLIL teacher training programmes
Availability of time

CLIL: why not?
Flexibility of Curriculum
Teachers’ flexibility
Testing
What will happen to the native language?

Are we assuming all learners are good at everything?

Has language teaching not changed?

Curriculum
Available time
Subject
What type of CLIL should I use?

What type of CLIL should I use?
Strong CLIL

What type of CLIL should I use?
Weak CLIL

What type of CLIL should I use?
Mid CLIL

CLIL challenges
Students’ linguistic level

CLIL: challenges

What’s in it for them?
Language skills should be transferable outside the classroom (CALP/BICS).
Cognitive academic language proficiency
Basic interpersonal communication skills

Skills to develop
Information processing
Reasoning
Enquiry
Creative thinking
Evaluation
English National Curriculum

European Competences for Lifelong Learning
Communication (in mother tongue and foreign language)
Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology
Digital competence
Learning to learn
Cultural awareness and expression

The way forward (compromise?)…
More project work
Wider reading schemes
Cross-school projects