CLIL The acronym CLIL is used as a generic term to describe all types do provision in which a second language (a foreign,

regional or minority language and/or another official state language) is used to teach certain subjects in the curriculum other than the language lessons themselves Eurydice 2006 How CLIL works CLIL refers to situations where subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual focused aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language D. Marsh, Content and Language Integrated Learning: The European DimensionActions, Trends and Foresight Potential

Content: Topic or Subject. Language: The language learning/ the practice goals. Integration: The new fusion of both content and language learning goals. Learning: learning skills required/developed to manage this fusion. CLIL At school: A dual focus education. Team teaching and teamwork. Subject teachers work through the medium of a foreign language. Language teachers bring content into their language content. The many faces of CLIL: CLIL is an umbrella term covering a dozen or more educational approaches (e.g. immersion, bilingual education, multilingual education, language showers and enriched language programmes). What is new about CLIL is that it synthesizes and provides a flexible way of applying the knowledge learned from these various approaches. The flexibility of the approach is, above all, evident in the amount of time devoted to teaching or learning through the second language. CLIL allows for low- to high-

intensity exposure to teaching/learning through a second language. The approach can also be used for short-term high-intensity exposure.

Language showers: Students 4-10 years old. 30-60 min exposure per day. Strategy: total physical response/Songs and stories. (Ex. Bugs World 6, MACMILLAN.) Teacher: speaks in the CLIL language. Goals: being aware of the existence of a different language, and being prepared for language learning. Suggested activities: Routine activities Strategy: repetition, gesturing, pointing, songs to teach new vocabulary, etc. CLIL Camps: For students coming from one school.

Purpose-designed location. Length: 5 days. Organization: students are subdivided into teams, there are rules(mandatory use of CLIL language), could be a system of tokens and fines. Goals: Experience success in living a second language environment, have fun and associate the CLIL language with enjoyable experiences and motivate students to continue second language study, and inspire student to continue CLIL language learning. Suggested activities for children from 9 years old on: hiking and orienteering, a final talent show, and student teaching. Suggested activities for very young children: walkabout in the nature, planning and building birdhouses, and doing competitive and noncompetitive sports. International Projects:

Need to lead to concrete accomplishments and enable students to connect with new ideas, sources and people. School can either join existing projects or create a project of their own. Goals: help students assume responsibility for their learning, motivate students, create opportunity for contact and communication with other speakers of CLIL language, develop skills in communication, information and communication technologies, team work and problem solving, developing critical and creative thinking. Total immersion programs:

Begins at the earliest stages of education (park students). The curriculum is delivered through the medium of the first language. Teacher: speaks the immersion language, puts stress on communication skills (emphasis on fluency rather than on accuracy). Strategies: repetition and gestures. Language: presented systematically and unsystematically. Goals: Functional fluency in a second language, development of their mother tongue. Curriculum expectations in all subjects, an appreciation on their own culture and on the culture of the CLIL language. Shortfalls in CLIL practice:

Grasping the concept and grappling with misconceptions: attitude/Interfering with content acquisition/suitable for the brightest students/just-in-case approach. The shortage of CLIL teachers. Greater load for teachers and shortage of resources and materials. School administrators understanding the implications of CLIL programming.

Importance in context:

Even with English as the main language, other languages are unlikely to disappear. Some countries have strong views regarding the use of other languages within their borders. With increased contact between countries, there will be an increase in the need for communicative skills in a second or third language. Languages will play a key role in curricula across Europe. Attention needs to be given to the training of teachers and the development of frameworks and methods which will improve the quality of language education The European Commission has been looking into the state of bilingualism and language education since the 1990s, and has a clear vision of a multilingual Europe in which people can function in two or three languages.