An Introduction to CLIL: aims and rationale

Description

This activity helps develop an understanding of Coyle’s ‘4 Cs’ framework for CLIL:

Participants discuss different activities and decide the main focus of the activity. It could be developing
content vocabulary and structures, developing communication skills, developing cognitive skills or
developing awareness of cultural issues.

Time required: 60-75 minutes

Materials required: • Participant’sWorksheet 1 (cut into strips)
• Participant’sWorksheet 2 (one for each group) • Sample task (one for
each participant)
Aims: • to know about the 4 Cs of CLIL
• to be able to differentiate the 4 Cs
• to be able to identify the main focus of classroom activities and give
reasons for choosing the main focus.

Stages
Intro Begin by putting ppts into small groups to discuss what they think
CLIL is and how relevant it is to their teaching/ the school.
Elicit ideas from ppts.
Show slide #2 showing what the acronym CLIL stands for.
Highlight that in an increasingly globalized and integrated world a
designed approach to integrated learning is needed to better equip
students with knowledge and skills for the global age.
For those students which are ‘digital natives’, they will be influenced
by their own personal, hands on experience with integrated
technologies as well as a focus on immediacy, that is ‘learn to use-
use to learn’ rather than ‘learn now -use later.’
Show slide #3 giving reasons for introducing CLIL into the school.
Show slides #5-8 giving greater detail of the reasons for applying CLIL
in the classroom.
Show slide #9 detailing CLIL related goals.
Highlight that the goal of CLIL is to create conditions which help
support the achievement of the following:
 Grade-appropriate levels of academic achievement in
subjects taught through CLIL language;
 Grade-appropriate functional proficiency in the primary skills
(reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in the CLIL
language:
 Age appropriate levels of first-language competence in the
primary skills;
 An understanding and appreciation of the cultures
associated with the CLIL language and the students first/
dual language(s);
  The cognitive and social skills and habits required for success
in the ever- changing world.
One concern of some teachers has been whether learning through
an additional language can result in learners not understanding key
terms in the L1. Translanguaging may be used to overcome this
concern. For example, by using L1 material (vocabulary and concept
checklists etc.) to support teaching in the CLIL language.
Translanguaging refers to the systemic shift from one language to
another for specific reasons.

Show slide #10 detailing the core features of CLIL.

Show slides #11-15 showing the core features in more detail.
Go through reach in turn, clearing up any misunderstandings,
questions etc.
Show slide #16
(what drives the 30 core features)
Highlight to ppts that thinking drives the teaching/ learning process.
The more powerful the thinking, the greater the learning.
CLIL is no exception, good CLIL practice is driven by cognition.

Show slide #16

Highlight to ppts that analysing facts and figures as well as differing
perspectives and understandings: imagining where one wants to be,
articulating and conceiving plans, assessing or judging progress in
meeting planned outcomes and thinking about the learning process
are all helpful techniques in supporting cognitive development and
learning.
CLIL supports the holistic development of learners guiding students
towards becoming capable and motivated, bi- or multilingual
independent learners who:

 Gain needed content and language knowledge and skills;

 Actively seek and successfully make use of opportunities for
communication with other speakers of the CLIL language.

In CLIL the focus is on the substance (content) as opposed to form.

Repeating language patterns and memorizing vocabulary and/ or
facts in any subject area is unlikely to contribute to long-term
application. In order to acquire new knowledge and skills , people
usually need to not only access new information, but also to connect
that information within their own existing knowledge, skills and
attitudes.
In Addition, as making sense of meaning is both a personal and social
process (community), new knowledge and skills develop through
personal as well as co-operative reflection/ analysis (cognition) and
through a communicative process (communication). Long term
retention also usually requires that we experience the application of
new knowledge and the use of related skills in a meaningful context.
Finally, discussion and reflection, and the drawing of conclusions
related to the experience associated with the application of new
knowledge and skills, helps to consolidate learning.

In its most reduced state, the principles that can be said to drive the
CLIL model are: (see slides #17/18: the 4Cs)
Highlight that these principles can serve as a reference point for
lesson planning.
Show slide #19 which details how these examples can be found in a
CLIL lesson.

Follow up:

1. Give out strips from Ppts worksheet 1 to each group of 3 or

4 ppts as well as the sample task.
2. Tell each group that each strip has an activity related to an
activity related to the development of one of the 4Cs of CLIL:
content, communication, cognition and community
(culture).
3. Ppts discuss which of the 4Cs are being developed in each
strip and agree which column the activity goes into.
4. Ppts then compare their decisions with another group to see
if they agree which of the 4Cs is being developed in the
activity.
5. Ppts return to their groups and make any changes they feel
are necessary based on the other groups’ answers.
6. Feedback together so that ppts can share answers and
discuss their reasons for them.
7. Display answers on OHP (slide # 19)

Follow up

1
Hand out sample task. Ppts match the aims of CLIL with the
classroom activities. Have them compare and discuss their answers
in groups.
Go over answers as a class.

2.

Hand out Unit 1 (aims of CLIL and rationale for CLIL) from TKT CLIL
Module coursebook. Have ppts read the key concepts section.

Direct ppts to the follow up activity. Have them do the task in pairs.
Ppts then compare and discuss their answers/ ideas with another
pair. Elicit answers and reasons for their answers.
Plenary
Summarise the points covered.

Display slide (#21) and have ppts in pairs/ small groups discuss the
Qs. Elicit answers from ppts.

Finishing:
Direct student to read rest of unit nd complete the discovery
activites.

The CLIL toolkit: transforming theory into practice

Stage 1
The first stage involves those involved in CLIL engaging in
constructing a shared vision of CLIL.
1. Begin by giving out a ‘post it’ note to each ppt. On their post
it note, each ppt writes an “I want” statement i.e. what they
want from their CLIL classroom/ learners/ themselves as
teachers etc.
2. Once they have completed their ‘I want’ statement, each ppt
should post it to the board. Ppts then discuss each square in
turn and create a consensual diamond shape which
prioritises individual statements in order to arrive at a
shared vision – the most popular statement in position 1,
the next two in position 2 and so on. This provides the group
with opportunities to agree on or challenge visionary
statements.
Priorities which emerge from the vision activities are the
global goals – which by definition will long term and
overarching. Whilst global goals may change over time, it is
the initial identification of these goals which provide a
collective e CLIL vision and steer the remaining stages.
As practice develops, visions can and do change over time. It
is desirable that the vision is seen as dynamic and iterative
process which might change as the stages lead to reflection
and review.

Stage 2: Analysing and personalizing the CLIL context

This stage requires those involved to construct a model for CLIL,
which not only grows from the from the vision created in Stage 1,
but also reflects the local situation. At this stage making the model
our own is not detailed, but identifies the fundamental principles or
the building blocks.

Whilst each CLIL model will have its own global goals, different
models all share a common founding belief: that CLIL has a valid
contribution to male to personal development and preparation for
working in a plurilingual world through the integration of content
and language learning.

Stage 3: Planning a unit