Session Information
20 SES 04 A, Cultural diversity and multilingual education
Paper Session
Contribution
CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is a term used to describe a methodological approach to teaching subjects in which teaching of the main subject is integrated with teaching a foreign language. CLIL is widely used in individual curricula of natural sciences and mathematics in pedagogical universities. According to this methodological approach, students do not have to speak English at a high level to cope with a non-linguistic subject [1]. Our personal experience in primary integrated language teaching is limited to building physics lessons in English and observing physics lessons taught by teachers at M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz Regional University. Although so limited, the experience is valuable in learning how to build the proper outline needed to deliver a successful CLIL lesson. The above definition of CLIL indicates its main characteristic: "The abbreviation CLIL is used as a general term to describe a methodological approach in which a second language (foreign, regional or minority language and/or other official state language) is used to teach certain subjects in the curriculum" [2]. A more precise definition is given by Coyle, Do & Hood, Philip and Marsh, David [3]: "Integrated subject and language learning (CLIL) is a two-focus approach to teaching in which a foreign language is used to teach both the subject and language. That is, in the learning process, the main attention is paid not only to the content of the subject but also to the language".
The research question is: What planning strategies for CLIL physics lessons lead to effective learning?
Having a dual focus in a CLIL lesson means that the study of subject content and the improvement of language competence coincide, making CLIL "not an approach that relates to the study of a language or a subject." This peculiarity is a unique approach that develops by combining two teaching methods" [4]. Ioannou-Georgiouu, Sophie and Pavlou, Pavlos argue that the implementation of this approach leads not only to improved language skills and subject knowledge but also promotes multiculturalism, intercultural knowledge and understanding, the development of various learning strategies, the application of innovative teaching methods and methods, and increases the motivation of students to study the subject.
Integrating subject content and English poses several questions and challenges for EFL teachers (English as Foreign Language). The most significant difficulties lie in the fact that they include the development of subject knowledge and skills of students in conjunction with a foreign language, the selection and adaptation of materials to match specific subject content and the development of a lesson plan to achieve the goals of CLIL [5]. Another challenge is providing students with appropriate language support to enable them to design, read and listen to many different types of text with a focus on thematic content and objectives.
When planning an integrated lesson, several important factors need to be taken into account: the teacher must be well aware of the content and concepts in the subject area that can most effectively interact with language goals, the language competencies required to learn the content, the cognitive skills needed to complete tasks related both with content and with a foreign language, and, finally, about the possibility of integrating content with linguistic goals and cultural concepts and goals [6]. A balance of language, content and culture must be achieved. The topic should be related to life situations and provide a context for meaningful, authentic discussion and interaction and, thus, contribute to the development of appropriate, valuable and natural language functions and communication methods and connect to the target culture (cultures) [7].
Method
Teaching was carried out in 1-4-year multilingual groups (students age 18-21) with physics teachers in English. The lesson planning process was carried out jointly with colleagues at the Department of Physics and IT and with the support of two physics teachers. This team of collaboration with the planning of experienced teachers ensured that the lesson was very carefully planned. We were very motivated to prepare well for the CLIL lesson. The biggest problem was that students had never been trained on the CLIL methodological approach before, and it was not easy to motivate them to use English in their physics studies. The topics were very carefully selected: "Physical Quantities and units, Significant numbers. Mathematical Operations in Physics, Algorithms for solving problems in physics, Mechanical phenomena ". This topic list was part of the physics curriculum in the first year, containing exciting material that could be discussed using simple language and did not require learning new subject content. The content-related concepts include scalar, vector, vector addition, resultant, component, direction, magnitude, diagram, scale, parallel, perpendicular, decompose, decomposition, the triangle of forces, parallelogram rule, equation, ratio, homogeneous, uniformity, division, base value, base unit, number of decimal places, standard form. Language goals: to describe orally and in writing the relationship between physical quantities in mathematical and more discursive conditions, to discuss the validity of one or another measurement or conclusion; pronunciation of new terms, description function (using simple language), skills integration (listening, reading, speaking and writing), group work, discussion. The learning process included the development of thinking skills of the lower and higher-order: knowledge and comprehension, definition, classification, forecasting, comparison. The variety of tasks included: quizzes, presentation defense in pairs, group work on the blackboard. Materials included motion charts for descriptions, posters for speaking, and PowerPoint presentations with questions and tasks for the groups. The students were fully involved, albeit a bit shy, when using the new vocabulary in front of the whole group. The teachers provided timely feedback, monitoring the group work and checking each group's progress. The lessons were successful because from the beginning, we realized that "a holistic learning experience is built through careful attention to detail in planning and teaching." We must highlight the experience of the teachers in both content and language methodologies as an essential factor that contributed to the teaching effectiveness of this CLIL lesson.
Expected Outcomes
The CLIL lesson presents many challenges for teachers. The main challenges in using CLIL relate to the teacher competencies required to teach content and English. Integrating English with physics content requires teachers to have a high level of knowledge of both physics and English. The lack of relevant CLIL materials and resources can become a significant problem in preparing the CLIL lesson. The selection and adaptation of CLIL resources and training materials can be very time-consuming, and developing materials can become a considerable obstacle in planning. In terms of linguistic content, the CLIL lesson needed to simplify the language, give simple and clear instructions when introducing classes, and sometimes it was necessary to take students' answers in their native language to describe complex processes. However, many advantages cannot be ignored despite all these shortcomings and problems. Coyle, Do & Hood, Philip & Marsh, David [3] consider CLIL as a fusion of subject didactics, which opens up the possibility of integrating teaching a foreign language using content with such advantages as achieving good results in the shortest possible time, increasing the level of language proficiency; Interdisciplinary learning strengthens cognitive processing through problem-solving, facilitates learning, and increases student motivation and participation.
References
1. Graddol, David. English Next. British Council Publications (2006). 2. Eurydice. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) at School in Europe. Brussels: European Commission (2006). 3. Coyle, Do & Hood, Philip & Marsh, David. Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2010). 4. Ioannou-Georgiouu, Sophie & Pavlou, Pavlos (Eds.). Guidelines for CLIL Implementation in Primary and Pre-Primary Education. Comenius Socrates Project (2010). 5. Bentley, Kay. The Teaching Knowledge Test Course CLIL Module. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2010). 6. Curtain, Helena, & Dahlberg, C. A. Languages and children: Making the match (4th ed.). New York: Pearson Allyn & Bacon (2010). 7. Shin, J.K. Developing dynamic units for EFL. English Teaching Forum, 45(2), (2007).
Search the ECER Programme
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.