Content and Language ◗◗ Teachers need to be trained: it is preferable for the

Integrated Learning (CLIL) subject teacher to be trained in English, though it might

be possible for an English teacher to be retrained as a
In this Unit we will: subject teacher. Either way it is not a fast process!
◗◗ Find out what CLIL is
◗◗ Assessment needs to be developed. It won’t be possible
◗◗ Consider how it can be used in the classroom to use the same assessment as before. Students will need
◗◗ Become more familiar with activities in New Challenges 3 to be assessed in maths through English and the marking
which have CLIL potential of the assessment will need to provide information on
◗◗ Complete tasks for the teacher portfolio their level of maths, not their level of English. What
students can do and know in English will need to be
First things first assessed separately.
CLIL, as an approach for language teaching and learning, ◗◗ Students need to be given some formal lessons in
has become very popular in the last few years. Most ELT English, for example one lesson a week, which focus on
magazines or journals these days have at least one article grammar and vocabulary.
on CLIL in an issue. A quick search of the Internet also
brings up many CLIL sites. On your own or in your study Task: Is CLIL used in your school or local context? If it is,
group, discuss what you think CLIL means in a practical what are the teachers’ opinions of it? What do the students
sense in the classroom. Try and find information about it think of it? If not, do you think it would work in your
on the Internet or in an ELT journal or magazine. context? Why/why not?

Feedback CLIL for teenagers

A CLIL approach means students learn new content at the Many of the teaching/learning experiences of CLIL around
same time as they are learning the new language. The the world have taken place in secondary schools with
theory behind CLIL is that when the focus is on meaningful teenagers. There seem to be a number of reasons for this:
content, students will acquire language in much the same ◗◗ Teenagers are not always motivated to learn another
way as mother tongue children do. Students learn to language. They find content more interesting and so CLIL
understand and use the target language by experiencing is a way of helping them learn the target language in a
it as a learning tool. This approach also has its roots in less direct way.
bilingual education, where students learn some school
subjects through their mother tongue and other school ◗◗ The secondary curriculum is very full, and CLIL seems
subjects through a second (or even a third) language. to offer a way of combining two subjects: language and
content.
CLIL is not the same as ELT topic-based approaches. In
CLIL, students learn new content at the same time as they ◗◗ Teenagers have formed basic concepts which enable
are learning the new (target) language. In topic-based them to understand and function in the world through
approaches, familiar content is used as a way of giving their experience in primary school and are ready to build
meaning and context to the new language. Some of the on these in a new language in secondary school.
content might be new to students in topic-based material ◗◗ CLIL presents teenagers with a new challenge and this is
but the main objective is for students to learn language. an aspect to which many of them respond positively.
The main objective in CLIL is for students to learn the new
content (for example maths, history, geography) as well as Some pros and cons of CLIL
the new language. As with any approach, there are both positive aspects and
A CLIL language syllabus is shaped by the needs of the drawbacks to CLIL (see Task on the following page).
subject. For example, students learning history through
English will need to understand and use past tenses from Trying out aspects of CLIL with New
day 1, whereas students learning science through English Challenges 3
will need to understand and use conditionals and present New Challenges 3, as you will know from using the book
tenses from day 1. and from the information in the Teacher’s Book, has a
topic-based approach which enables students to learn
Preparing for CLIL about the world. In learning about the world, students
Clearly, if students are to learn new content through will come across concepts which are new to them and
English, there is a significant amount of preparation which which they are first encountering in the target language.
needs to be done. Subjects which are generally used as In this way they will be learning new content through the
vehicles for CLIL are maths, history, geography and science. language and the focus will shift from the language to the
Here is an example of the preparation process for teaching content.
maths through CLIL:
◗◗ Maths text books need to be rewritten in English and the
English syllabus within the materials needs to be graded
to suit the students’ level and the needs of the subject.
◗◗ Tasks within the text books need to be developed and
graded so that they support the learning of the subject as
well as the learning of the language.
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 Teacher development workshops

Task: On your own or in your study group, brainstorm a Talk to your students about CLIL. Find out what they think
short list of positive aspects and drawbacks of CLIL for your of it and if it is a way they’d like to learn. Remind them
context. Can you add points which haven’t been mentioned that they may want to go to university in an
above? English–speaking country and so they will be in a CLIL
environment then. It may also be that some of the
Answers universities in your country offer courses through English
too. Ask students what they think about this.
Positive aspects
TP If you want to attend a course on CLIL, find out from
◗◗ Students learn a subject and a language at the same the Internet where courses are currently offered and where
time the nearest ones are to you. Get together with a group
◗◗ Language becomes a tool for communication and is of interested teachers and enrol on the course! You can
therefore more ‘real’ to the students probably apply for funding to help with the costs too. Keep
notes of the whole experience in your teacher portfolio.
◗◗ It provides a challenge for students and can make the
subject more appealing
◗◗ Students use a wide range of language skills and
strategies
◗◗ Students are exposed to a wider range of language
than in the traditional ELT syllabus
◗◗ The whole experience is more meaningful and
students have a real purpose for communicating in
the target language
Drawbacks
◗◗ Teachers need to be trained in this new approach and
this training takes time
◗◗ Text books need to be adapted/rewritten
◗◗ Students who are not successful language learners
may lose out on key subject knowledge
◗◗ Students who are not interested in the subject or
who find it particularly challenging may be less
successful in the target language than they would be
in traditional language classes
◗◗ Assessment needs to be prepared by experts, unless
teachers are specifically trained in how to assess
through a CLIL approach
◗◗ The possible effects on the development of spoken
and written skills in students’ L1

Task: Have a look at the four Across Cultures sections in

New Challenges 3. Think about the following:
Which pieces of information in each one do you think will
be new for your students? How can you develop these into
further new areas in the classroom so that the main focus
is on the content not the language?
If there’s nothing that you think will be new information
in any of the sections, what can you add to each one which
is new? Where will you find this information and how can
you present and develop the ideas in it with the students?

Over to you!
Here are a few ideas and activities to help you develop your
understanding of CLIL:
TP Look on the Internet and find out if CLIL is being
used in your region. If it is, contact your local group
and ask if you can come along to any meetings or be
sent any newsletters. Keep notes of the meetings and/or
your response to the readings about CLIL in your teacher
portfolio.
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