UNIT 1: RATIONALE FOR CLIL IN EUROPE -

THE POLITICAL BACKGROUND AND E.U.

LANGUAGE POLICY

Marta del Pozo

AICLE 21/22
 • Bilingual education (BE) ‘BE is an umbrella term that
[…] refers to the regular use of two or more
languages for teaching and learning in instructional
settings when bilingualism and biliteracy are two of
the explicit long-term goals’. (Abello-Contesse, 2013:
BILINGUAL 3,4)
EDUCATION • ‘BE is generic concept that refers to various types of
(BE) educational programmes which provide systematic
instruction in two (or more) languages for a
prolonged period of time’. (Abello-Contesse, 2013:
4)
• BE is sometimes called EMI (English Medium
Instruction) (Ball, Kelly & Clegg, 2015: 6)
 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES (ABELLO-
CONTESSE & EHLERS, 2010)

• The use of two languages (L1 & L2) as a medium of instruction.

• Additive bilingualism (progressive development).
• Content-based instruction.
• Attention is paid to academic achievement and cognitive development, regardless of the
language used.
 BE PROGRAMMES • Canada: immersion education
(ABELLO-CONTESSE, • US: dual language/two-way programmes
2010: 4) • Europe: CLIL
 • Dual focus: language and content.
• Student’s needs and curricular context: meaningful
CONTENT- language and cognitively demanding content.
B ASED • The L2 content: the language objectives are not set by a
INSTRUCTION predetermined language syllabus; they emerge from the class
material. Language is then more authentic and comprehensible.
(CBI) • Emphasis on using the L2 to learn it: when the L2 is used
(ABELLO- as a medium or vehicle, the L2 proficiency increases.
CONTESSE, • Main advantages: new content knowledge and improvements
2013: 8-9) in the levels of proficiency.
• Wide range of application: different age group, different
levels, different school types, different students…
• Learner L2 ability.
• Exposure to L2.
• Literary and cognitive skills.
CRITERIA
FOR
• Teacher L2 ability-Teachers must feel confident enough
to be involved in CLIL-namely in the cognitive academic SUCCESS IN
variety along with subject-specific requirements. That is CLIL (BALL
to say, to control the language of the subject and also to ET AL. 2015:
use a wide range of pedagogical strategies.
11-16)
• Teacher pedagogical skill.
 CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS IN CLIL ( CONT)
(BALL ET AL. 2015: 16-19)

• Resourcing-the most valuable resource is learning materials.

• Self-selecting or system wide programmes. They take into account L2 ability, subject ability,
motivation, general learning ability. Most European CLIL programmes are self-selecting.
• Time allocation.
• The language syllabus-collaborative practices between both language and subject teachers.
• Planning: Participants: the education authority, the school management and the subject
teacher. Key aspects: materials, appropriate pedagogy, fair assessment.
 CLIL learners:
• are motivated.
• develop cognitively and their brains work
harder.
BENEFITS • develop communication skills.

(DALE & • make new personal meanings in another

language.
TANNER, 2012: • develop intercultural awareness.

11-29) • are prepared to study in a different language.

• learn in different ways.
CLIL teachers/schools: enthusiasm, new
curriculum, collaboration, projects and so on. .In
CLIL the teacher has a new role. Collaboration
between content and language teachers.
 • Affective challenges. Students can feel
CHALLENGES disempowered, overwhelmed, anxious when learning
(DALE & content in a second language.
TANNER, 2012: • Linguistic challenges
42-45)
• Cultural challenges
• ‘Learning several languages is a necessity for many people
and an opportunity for everybody’.
• The European Council meeting in Barcelona in 2002 LANGUAGE
along with the European Survey on Language
Competences were crucial to promote efficient FL LEARNING
(foreign language) teaching and learning. IN EUROPE
• What is more, policy makers consider that by developing
competences in different languages, citizens will maintain
(EURYDICE,
open, diverse, prosperous and democratic societies 2017: 3)
across Europe.
 1st foreign language from an early age:
• In 2016, in most countries, European citizens start to
learn their 1st FL before they are eight years old.
• In primary education, when it comes to learning their
THE B ARCELONA 1st FL, students only benefit from one or two hours
of instruction per week on average.
OBJECTIVE (EURYDICE,
2017: 5, 6, 7) 2nd FL from an early age:
• In 2016, before the end of compulsory education,
Europeans must learn a second FL in the vast
majority of the countries. Most of them, start learning
their second FL at the end of primary education/at
the beginning of secondary education.
 FOREIGN LANGUAGES LEARNT
(EURYDICE, 2017: 9, 10)

English is compulsory in 18 countries.

In countries with more than one official language, students must learn such languages (Belgium, Luxemburg, Finland, Switzerland,…).

Schools normally offer from seven to ten languages. However, the most popular languages are English, French, German and Spanish.

Policy makers strongly believe that citizens should study a lifelong language. That is to say, a second mother tongue or a personal
adoptive language (e.g. the national language of one of their neighbouring countries, the language of their parents/ancestors, etc.).
 • FL teachers should experience the everyday culture
of the country/es where the FL they teach is spoken.
QUALITY • CLIL should be implemented since:
OF FL CLIL can be motivating for young people, and it
TEACHING increases students’ self-confidence.
(EURYDICE, CLIL provides real opportunities to use a language in
2017: 11, 13) rich/meaningful communication situations.
CLIL increases students’ exposure to the target
language.
 • The language used is normally a FL,
regional/minority languages, a non-territorial
language or a state language (in countries with
more than one official languages).

QUALITY OF • CLIL provision is only available in all schools at

some stage in countries such as Italy, Cyprus,
FL TEACHING Luxemburg, Austria, Malta and Liechtenstein.
• CLIL teachers need:
(EURYDICE, An academic degree in the target language along

2017: 13, 14) with a degree in the content subject OR provide

evidence that they have enough knowledge of the
target language.
(CONT) Moreover, CLIL teachers also need a B2/C1 level
according to the Common European Framework
of Reference for Languages in the language the are
intended to teach, along with specific language
certificates/examinations.
 LANGUAGE SUPPORT MEASURES FOR
MIGRANT STUDENTS (EURYDICE, 2017: 17)

• ‘Education systems are faced with the responsibility and the challenging task of teaching
and integrating newly arrived migrant students’.
• Very few countries (Latvia, Sweden and Norway) recommend testing migrants when they
first arrive to a country.
• Half of the countries provide individualised teaching/personalised curriculum as a measure
of support for migrants.
• Some countries provide mother tongue tuition (the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia,
Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Turkey) and bilingual subject teaching for
migrants (Germany, Sweden and Norway).
 REFERENCES

• Abello-Contesse, A. (2013). Bilingual and multilingual education: An overview of the field. In C. Abello-
Contesse, P.M. Chadler, M.D. López-Jiménez. & R. Chacón-Beltrán, (Eds), Bilingual and multilingual
education in the 21st century: Building on experience (pp. 3-23). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
• Abello-Contesse, C., & Ehlers, C. (2010). Escenarios bilingües. In C. Abello Contesse, C. Ehlers, & L.
Quintana Hernández, (Eds.), Escenarios Bilingües. El contacto de lenguas en el individuo y la sociedad
(pp. 7-39). Bern: Peter Lang.
• Ball, P., Kelly, K., & Clegg, J. (2015). Putting CLIL into Practice: Oxford Handbooks for Language
Teachers. Oxford University Press.
• Dale, L., & Tanner, R. (2012). CLIL activities with CD-ROM: A resource for subject and language
teachers. Cambridge University Press. Eurydice (2017).
• Eurydice brief. Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe. Retrieved from
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/nationalpolicies/eurydice/content/eurydice-briefkey-data-teaching-
languages-schooleurope_e