CHALLENGES TO CONSIDER IN OUR CLIL T.S.

When implementing CLIL there are some challenges we need to take into account in
order to ensure a good implementation of it.
GENERAL CHALLENGES

The first thing we need to keep in mind that CLIL implementation has dual focus: content
and language. Depending on the type of CLIL we want to implement, we will place the
emphasis on the content, on the language, or find the balance between both. Therefore,
we have to keep the dual focus present when planning, when teaching, when scaffolding,
when assessing, etc. Another aspect we have to pay attention to is the fact that CLIL is
still a new approach and there is still some reluctance by families, students and schools
due to CLIL assumptions such as: doing CLIL affects the learning process of students,
doing CLIL means scarifying the content, etc. Related to this, it is extremely important
that the school has a good School Language Project, which is something that not all
schools keep in mind. Moreover, it is also important to mention the importance of co-
teaching. As CLIL implementation has a dual focus content and language), the
communication between the content teacher and the language teacher is essential to
ensure a good linking between content and language goals. In relation to this, teacher
training is also a challenge that determines a good CLIL implementation. As CLIL is still
a new approach, there are many teachers that have not received the proper training to
implement it. Finally, as any other methodology, CLIL training requires being constantly
updated and doing research to incorporate new dynamics to improve its implementation.

SPECIFIC CHALLENGES
One of the specific CLIL challenges is classroom management. It is very important to
promote a comfortable and friendly environment in order to enhance children’s
participation. Activities should be authentic and promote experiential and active learning.

Regarding the assessment, it is very important to bear in mind CLIL dual focus since we
have to set objectives for both content and language, which will be assessed afterwards,
that have to be linked. Moreover, it is worth to mention the importance of the formative
assessment, in other words, assessing the process.

Thirdly, teacher implementing CLIL mastery of the second language is also a key point
when talking about CLIL challenges. It is very important a good mastery of the target
language chosen in order to ensure a good role model for students, good
communication, etc.
Fourthly, scaffolding is essential when implementing CLIL. It is very important knowing
the starting point of our students and knowing where we want them to arrive in order to
help them during the journey. Scaffolding is key when teaching a language and also
when teaching content in a different language, providing students with diverse and many
visual supports are essential, specially at initial stages of CLIL, when students’
competence of L2 is still very poor.

Finally, attention to diversity is something we should not forget when implementing CLIL.
When referring to attention to diversity we do not only mean paying attention to students’
special needs, but also taking into consideration different learning paces from students,
different levels of language mastery, etc.