UNIT 3

The Clil classroom should be characterized by FUNCTIONAL BILINGUALISM, that is:

• using the target language at a native’s level and forgetting the students’ mother tongue.

• forbidding the use of the mother tongue so that our students use the target language as much as possible.

• using the mother tongue when it is necessary to provide and promote a multiperspectival, contrastive and integrated view of content.

“Engagement in High Order Thinking (HOT) and understanding, problem solving, and accepting challenges and reflecting on them. CLIL is about allowing individuals to construct their own understandings and be challenged –whatever their age or ability”. This is...

• Culture

• Cognition

• Communication

Which is NOT one of the core features of CLIL?

• multiple focus

• authenticity

• strict rules

The 4Cs Framework...

• integrates four contextualized building blocks: 1.CONTENT (subject matter), 2.COMMUNICATION (language learning and using), 3.COGNITION (learning and thinking processes) and 4.CULTURE (developing intercultural understanding and global citizenship).

• integrates three building blocks known as the “triad” of CLIL: 1.COGNITION (high-order thinking processes), 2.CULTURE (developing intercultural understanding and global citizenship) and 3.CLEAR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (a safe environment for the classroom).

• integrates four contextualized building blocks: 1.CONTENT (subject matter), 2.COMMUNICATION (language learning and using), 3.COGNITION (learning and thinking processes) and 4.CO-OPERATION (developing global citizenship).

After some time working with CLIL, teachers...

• become more aware of how important it is to follow the same CLIL methodology all over the world, and they have a specific blueprint for CLIL teaching.

• become less creative but more self-confident, as they can find many CLIL materials already made for them and available online and in print in every school.

• become more creative and self-confident. They are able to design units, to create or adapt their own material and therefore, develop their professional competence.

In CLIL, content goals are supported by language goals...

• and in addition to a focus on content and language, there is a third element that comes into play: learning skills, which constitute the third driver in the CLIL triad.

• but you should always focus on your language goals first when you’re planning your unit and your CLIL lesson; language first, and content last.

• and there is a third element that refers to learning skills: they include the development and focus on cognitive proficiency, leaving aside the content objectives which will be assessed only through summative evaluation.

For many years, when CLIL played only a minor role in institutionalised teaching and learning, methodological issues were neglected:

• In general, teachers taught their content subject in the foreign language just as they would have taught it in their mother tongue, and that is why CLIL was always successful.

• Language teaching and learning in a CLIL classroom took place according to traditional language teaching methodology: that is the blueprint of CLIL.

• In general, teachers taught their content subject in the foreign language just as they would have taught it in their mother tongue, and this is not CLIL. CLIL needs a lot of preparation and scaffolding.

What CLIL core feature is this: “using routine activities and discourse; displaying language and content throughout the classroom; building student confidence to experiment with language and content; using classroom learning centres (such as the maths corner, the science corner...); guiding access to authentic learning materials and environments increasing student language awareness”.

• active learning

• safe and enriching learning environment

• co-operation

The CLIL core feature “scaffolding” consists of:

• building on a student's existing knowledge, skills, attitudes, interests and experience.

• involving the local community, authorities and employers (e.g. with a project studying geometry in public buildings).

• using current materials from the media and other sources ( coins, dices, on-line games, etc.).

...... may present special challenges for all students, and has been identified as the most common obstacle to reading for students who are learning non-linguistic areas in English

• shyness

• vocabulary knowledge

• high-order thinking skills