Index

General Information . 2
Assignment .. 3
Introduction ...4
Rationale ...5
CLIL Analysis.. .6
Conclusions ..11
Bibliography ..12
Webography .13

GENERAL INFORMATION:

This assignment must be done in pairs and has to fulfil the following conditions:
- Length: between 6 and 8 pages (without including cover, index or appendices if there are
any-).
- Type of font: Arial or Times New Roman.
- Size: 11.
- Line height: 1.5.
- Alignment: Justified.
If for some reason you cannot do the assignment in pairs, you will have to do it individually
(notice that individual assignments will be penalized. The maximum score a student can get is
8/10). The individual assignment must have a length between 6 and 8 pages approximately
(without including cover, index or appendix if there is any).
The assignment has to be done in this Word document and has to fulfil the rules of presentation
and edition, as for quotes and bibliographical references which are detailed in the Study Guide.
Also, it has to be submitted following the procedure specified in the Study Guide. Sending it to
the teachers e-mail is not permitted. Both members of the group have to send the assignment.
In addition to this, it is very important to read the assessment criteria, which can be found in the
Study Guide.
The assignment mark is 70% of the final mark.

Assignment:
1

Consider the various caveats expressed about CLIL in section 5.6 entitled 'Some problems'.
Take these points and any others that you wish to consider from the whole subject, and use
them to form either a defence or a repudiation of the notion that 'CLIL is the approach for the
future'. This must take the form of an appraisal of CLIL, in which you must consider the
arguments and the materials that you have seen in this subject, and then balance these with
perspectives gathered from your own teaching experience.
Most importantly of all, you must organise these points into a coherent essay. Please avoid
taking the points one by one, as if you were simply appraising a list. Try to look at the issue
from both a local and an international perspective, and also try to consider CLIL from both a
practical and a philosophical viewpoint. Will it enable us to teach languages better? Perhaps.
Will it enable you (in your context) to teach languages better? Perhaps not. But the latter is not
a total repudiation of CLIL. Try to give the defendant a fair trial!

Important: you have to write your personal details and the subject name on the cover (see the
next page). The assignment that does not fulfil these conditions will not be corrected. You have
to include the assignment index below the cover.

Introduction

All of us are aware about the importance that English language has around the world, and even
more if we work in this amazing career that is teaching. This is why teachers have to be aware
of changes that help our students to learn in a meaningful way. According to Andrew Wright,
David Betteridge and Michael Buckby (1984) Language learning is hard work ... Effort is
required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period of time. Consequently,
Teachers have to innovate with new teaching methods like CLIL (Content and Language
Integrated Learning), especially if learners mother tongue is different from the one they are
learning. CLIL is a suitable approach for all learns types and ages.
CLIL can make a class have two main aims, one related to the subject or topic and the other
linked to the Language, what is called dual-focussed education. Using a strong version of CLIL
can be beneficial for students because it can help them to build self-confidence and a hunger to
learn. Also this approach does not only promote linguistic competence but also can have an
impact in the way of thinking. According to Curtain (1995) Natural language acquisition occurs
in context. Natural language is never learned divorced from meaning, and CLIL provides a
context for meaningful communication to occur. Being able to think about something in a
different language can enrich students understanding of concepts and the most important thing
they can integrated knowledge and produced it in real situations. Curtain (1995) says, CLIL
emphasises a connection to real life and real world skills.

Rationale
The aim of this article is explore the potential of CLIL as a key approach in the future of English
Language Teaching. According to the European Commission CLIL can provide effective
opportunities for pupils to use their new language skills now, rather than learn them now for use
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later. It opens doors on languages for a broader range of learners, nurturing self-confidence in
young learners and those who have not responded well to formal language instruction in
general education. It provides exposure to the language without requiring extra time in the
curriculum, which can be of particular interest in vocational settings.
The same European Commission (2008, chapter 14) established the following; The European
Union encourages its citizens to learn other European languages, both for reasons of
professional and personal mobility within its single market, and as a force for cross-cultural
contacts and mutual understanding. (...) Learning and speaking other languages (...) improve
cognitive skills and strengthens learners mother tongue skills; it enables us to take advantage
of the freedom to work or study in other Member State. Of course this was established for
European countries but this can be apply in any country and for that we need CLIL approach.
Bearing in mind what the European commission says about CLIL we will analyse some benefits
and problems that come up when using this approach, problems such as: The Trojan Horse,
Export, English teachers, Backsliding, Culture, Core studies, Linguistic range, Training,
Transfer, Functions, Materials, and Assessment. We will not analyse them one by one but will
do a global analysis of all of them. After this analysis we will get a conclusion where we could
see if it is possible to use this with our students from a particular bilingual school in AmbatoEcuador.

CLIL Analysis
English is not the most spoken language but it is known as the official language in many
countries as well as the business language and it has become almost a necessity for people to
speak.

We consider that nowadays knowing English language is necessary not only because we live
in a globalized world but also the natural necessity of communicate with people from many
places that understand this language. English in education has the aim of making people better
through formal learning, this is how we consider important to use CLIL which is not bad but it is
different. Learners use CLIL to learn now and use later. According to Ball (2013) Content and
Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) seems to be a new candidate likely to produce a
paradigm shift in the world of language teaching. Considering this we can not see CLIL as
Trojan horse, not in our country where English is used as a Foreign language and the first
language (Spanish) is used in majority of the time and is not affected in a negative way..
In spite of this, it is also important to mention teachers environment, teachers who works with
CLIL will find there the chance to improve their knowledge, so CLIL is not an approach that
tends to take teachers place, when in fact, that will be consider as the innovative role of the
teacher. It is clear that there is no a perfect method to teach, but everything depends on how
teachers use or apply a method when teaching. For us it is clear that CLIL could help with the
teaching-learning process, through fostering relevant information to students. On the other
hand one of the main disadvantage is teachers lack of knowledge in the foreign language, we
all as teachers know that this job requires continuous preparation, especially if we are planning
or using CLIL, where teachers need to master the foreign language or they will need to be
trained before they start using CLIL.
CLIL has made an important contribution to learners intercultural understanding by developing
... an ability to see and manage the relationship between themselves and their own cultural
beliefs, behaviours and meanings, as expressed in a foreign language, and those of their
interlocutors, expressed in the same language or even a combination of languages (Bryan,
1997). In order for CLIL to have a cultural impact, learners need to engage in the interactive and
dialogic learning within the classroom and beyond. We have to keep in mind that according to
Fu (2003 P, 135) when one learns a new language, he/she does not only have to learn different
vocabulary and grammar but also has to reconstruct his/her thinking, order and adjust to a
new language patterns. Consequently,

Using CLIL in a class students are encourage to

understand themselves as citizens of the world and understand both, their own culture and the
culture of others, as well as promote international awareness and understanding.
According to Dong (1999), in dealing with non-native students, teachers need information about
students' native literacy learning in order to tailor their instruction. If teachers, especially

mainstream classroom teachers, build up some knowledge of second language acquisition,

they will learn methods to help the ELL students develop their second language and content
area knowledge at the same time. According to these words it is clearly that when students
develop the skill of understanding content in a second language culture can easily be acquired.
Talking about our reality in Ecuador, a strong version of CLIL is not included in our Educational
Curriculum, however some private institutions have included this approach into their own
institutional curriculums. Referring to educational institutions, some of them, private and public
ones offer an International Baccalaureate, which is a pedagogical - educational approach that
seeks to prepare young graduates to live in a globalized and interconnected world this century.
In this case we can see that CLIL can function effectively because students have a bilingual
education and cover different subjects in a second language such as; Language and Literature,
English subject, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Tics, and Arts which in this case
have concepts that do not have differences in meaning in both languages the foreign and the
first language, so students do not learn these concepts superficially but deeply.
The use of CLIL help our students to be part of many institutions around the world by being
fluent in the use of the mentioned subjects. According to the Ministerio de Educacin in
Ecuador there are many institutions around the world that apply CLIL approach with excellent
results.
Some teachers who have implemented CLIL in their teaching process comment that to be a
good bilingual teacher it is important to have an excellent command of languages and
knowledge of the CLIL methodology in order to be able to motivate students and to have
strategies to communicate in that language. CLIL puts quality into a bilingual classroom and it
incorporate four main areas which are content, communication, cognition and culture.
Regarding to content, curricular subjects apart from languages can be taught through the
target Language, so when planning the content of a lesson is important to think of the language,
skills and understanding we want our students to learn not only the knowledge they should
acquire.
Communications is another key area of CLIL, as well as medium for communication the foreign
language is also a tool through which new meaning and new knowledge is constructed. CLIL
lessons are characterized by high levels of interaction not only between teachers and students

but also between learners and their peers, which is fundamental for the learning process. CLIL
offers students new and genuine opportunities to articulate their knowledge.
Cognition which is the third area of CLIL regards the kinds of cognitive processes and the kind
of thinking skills that teachers have to develop in students, so it is not possible to expect our
students to develop lower thinking skills such as understanding or remembering information,
we have to ask learners to go further, to analyze the information from different points of view to
apply it to different new situations and furthermore to evaluate in order to develop their critical
thinking and ultimately to create or generate new knowledge.
Culture is the last area of CLIL and as we mention before this makes an important contribution
to learners intercultural life. CLIL is a wonderful vehicle that explores the links between the
language and cultural identity. The use of a foreign language can help learners to know more
about Universal History, Arts and other important subjects, all that provides the necessary
background to enrich the learning process. CLIL can be a wonderful experience for students to
widen horizons, understand others point of view and and preventing cultural crash.
So far we have analyzed how useful can be CLIL in Education. Marsh (2014) recognizes that
education faces the biggest change since setting up to education system over hundred years
ago by using CLIL. However some problems raise up for example: training. In our country the
educational authorities are trying to change the curriculum from teaching through English to
teaching in English, a sample of this is what we mention before, the IB program. However there
is not enough training, sometimes teachers are getting trained and sometimes not. It is
necessary that teachers who work with CLIL will have sufficient linguistic competence, training
and also a deep knowledge about their subject.
Teachers undertaking CLIL will need to be prepared to develop multiple types of expertise
among others in the content subject; in a language; in best practice in teaching and learning; in
the integration of the previous three; and, in the integration of CLIL within an educational
institution. (Marsh et al., 2010: 5)
When planning CLIL classes we can find another problem which is choosing the right material.
This problem comes up because who designs and writes the material does not consider the
different educational circumstances that teachers have to face in everyday teaching. What can
be done in that case? Flavia Zappa a teacher from an Italian Secondary School gives the
answer, When planning a CLIL course, we will probably find that there is a lack of suitable

ready-made materials. It is therefore our task to produce them. Authentic texts, whether videos
or written presentations accompanied by visuals, are highly motivating and offer the opportunity
to develop a multicultural dimension. If they are too difficult, they can sometimes be simplified
or, rather, scaffolding. When producing materials for a CLIL class teachers have to be careful in
order to not only translate home material into English but fulfill teachers and students
expectations, the produced material have to be carefully designed providing real content so that
can help learners to construct their own knowledge to use in real life situations.
Many institutions here in Ecuador have a traditional way of teaching English, this can makes
students fail English, in some cases. Teachers believe that the main problem has to be with
motivation, which is a complex psychological construct regarded as one of the determinant
factors in successful foreign language learning.

Motivation is something that energizes,

directs, and sustains behavior; it gets students moving, points them in a particular direction, and
keeps them going. We often see students motivation reflected in personal investment and in
cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement in school activities (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, &
Paris, 2004; Maehr & Meyer, 2004; Reeve, 2006).
According to Do Coyle from the University Nottingham, Motivation in CLIL classrooms has to be
fostered in students as well as in teachers. Motivated teachers breed motivated learners:
enhancing learners value and attitudes related to increasing learner expectations. Based on
this it is important that teachers and learners show a sense of being part of a learning
community, where everyone has a role to play. Working with CLIL methodology implies that
content and language teachers work together in cooperation, collaboration and partnership.
Subject and language teachers can share ideas and support classroom enquiry to guide
learners.

We would like to mention Cooks words, Motivation works in both directions: high motivation is
one factor that encourages successful learning; in reverse, successful learning encourages
high motivation Cook (2001). From this, special attention has to be paid on Motivation, not only
on learners but also on teacher because a motivated learning community produce excellent
results on the teaching-learning process.

Motivation gets a class going and supports its environment. According to Melendy, (2008)
motivation refers to a process that starts with a need and leads to a behavior that moves an
individual towards achieving a goal.
A motivated CLIL class can easily be encouraged to use and understand any learning strategy.
Motivation is as important as it is to create autonomous learners to be successful. Beyond,
teachers need to make learners aware of the process involved in their own to help them find
what suits their needs best. In addition, students that understand the learning process can take
full control over their learning.
Education faces big changes so teachers and learners need to use a revolutionary method
that help to foster learning language that will be use now and later in real situations.The use of
CLIL offers the opportunity of giving a radical change in education system that will benefit
learners to master their foreign language skills.

Conclusions
Working in a Bilingual School has helped us to analyze CLIL methodology. Since we use a
weak version of CLIL we have mentioned some of the benefits of implementing this
methodology and some of the problems that come up when working with CLIL. However it is
impossible to mention and analyze all of them.

We are in favour of using CLIL with our students that are learning English as a foreign
language. We find that CLIL has a lot of advantages, like the ones Genfell (2002) mention;
enhance

Students

involvement,

facilitate

comprehension,

promote

students-students

interaction, work on academic skills and strategies characteristic of the subject matter, work on
communication skills for academic purposes, access to information and communication
technology, accept code- switching as a normal feature, and join assessment of content
communication skills, as we can read there are many components that will help our students to
learn the new language in a meaningful way and the most important part is that they can use
language in a real world and in a real context.

Bibliography
Cook, V (2001) Second Language Learning and Language Teaching 3rd edition London:
Arnold

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Commission of The European Communities Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic

Diversity: An Action Paln 2004-2006
Dalton-Puffer, C. Nikula, T. Smit, U. (2010) Language Use and Language Learning in CLIL
Classrooms. John Benjamins Publishing Companies. The Netherlands
Davies, M., & Taronna, A. (2012). New Trends in Early Foreign Language Learning the Age
Factor, CLIL and Languages in Contact. Bridging Research and Good Practices. Newcastle
upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Pub.
Mez, I. (n.d.). CLIL in higher education: Towards a multilingual language policy.
Mez, I. (2008). ESP in European higher education integrating language and content.
Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub.
Novotn, J., & Moraov, H. (n.d.). Cultural and linguistic problems in the use of authentic
textbooks when teaching mathematics in a foreign language. ZDM, 109-115.

Webography
An

ELT

Notebook.

(n.d.).

Retrieved

March

18,

2015,

from

http://eltnotebook.blogspot.com/2011/10/clil-some-problems-and-some-solutions.html
Bachillerato Internacional | Ministerio de Educacin. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from
http://educacion.gob.ec/bachillerato-internacional/
Carmel Mary Coonan: Some issues in implementing CLIL. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015,
from http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~elc/bulletin/9/en/coonan.html
CLIL:

The

approach

for

the

future?

(n.d.).

Retrieved

March

21,

2015,

from

http://www.puertasabiertas.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/numeros/numero-10/clil-the-approach-for-thefuture

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Content and Language Integrated Learning Motivating Learners and Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved
March 18, 2015, from http://www.unifg.it/sites/default/files/allegatiparagrafo/20-012014/coyle_clil_motivating_learners_and_teachers.pdf

Melendy, G. A. (2008). Motivating writers: The power of choice. Asian EFL Journal, 10(3), 187198. Retrieved from http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/September_08_gm.php
Research on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). (n.d.). International Journal of
Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 541-542. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from
http://www.tsi.lv/sites/default/files/editor/science/Publikacii/Aktual/Actual_2011/3_yulia_stukalina
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The 4Cs Of CLIL - Module 1. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://www.slideshare.net/AclePage/the-4cs-of-clil-module-1?next_slideshow=1
The factors that influence the acquisition of a second language. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21,
2015, from http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/factors.htm

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