Clil

Introduction – Definition
The term CLIL, introduced by David Marsh in 1994, stands for Content and Language Integrated Learning. According to D. Marsh, CLIL refers to situations in which non-linguistic disciplines, or parts of them, are taught through a foreign language with two simultaneous purposes: learning the content of the discipline and simultaneously learning a foreign language.

Specifically:
Content – content: the content in CLIL can be a subject, or part of a subject, an interdisciplinary project or a topic. The essential elements of the CLIL approach are adapted to any learning content and at all levels of education.

Language – language:
In CLIL, subject lessons are taught and learned in a foreign language, i.e. a language other than the language of instruction. In this way, the language becomes a tool for learning (language learning) and not a content to be learned (language learning).

Integrated Learning: CLIL lessons are aimed at learning the discipline through the use of the foreign language in context. The language is learned through the non-linguistic discipline and the non-linguistic discipline is learned through the language, together, simultaneously. Thus, CLIL teaching aims to achieve two learning objectives in a single action: the construction of disciplinary skills appropriate to the school level of reference and the construction of language skills in the foreign language. The adjective integrated emphasises an approach that is attentive to the content of the discipline and, at the same time, to the development of linguistic competence in the foreign language.

How to use CLIL in VET
Dieter Wolff, professor of applied psycholinguistics at the Bergische Universitaet Wuppertal, states that CLIL methodology can be applied to all school subjects (Iprase Trento). A recent experience comes from the Generalitat de Catalunya which has started a precise investment in the development of CLIL methodology within the VET context https://projectes.xtec.cat/clil4vet/ starting with the project Boost CLIL for VET, funded by the Erasmus Plus programme (KA2) aimed at the improvement of the competitiveness and employability of vocational students in a global European market. CLIL methodology in VET can be a very useful strategy to:

  • motivate the students, let them increase in self-confidence
  • promote task-based learning, project-based learning and challenge-based learning activities
  • prepare students to an international experience as mobility ore blended exchanges
  • acquire vocational knowledge spendable or a larger and international labour market

Examples we are going to present in this e-Guide are specific in terms of contents but very transversal in terms of methodologies used, so every teacher can adapt the examples to own subject and take inspiration from.

Practical example
Qualification: Graphic Technician

Subject: Art – second half of 19th century to first half of 20th century

CLIL Plan: 20 hours

Methodologic Approach
During the module teachers use these methodological approaches: Task-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning and Cooperative Learning, All the choices and strategies are directed to promote interaction and communication during the lesson involving students, such as: pair work, group work and plenary share and choice of media. Learning activities are connected to expected learning outcomes. The students, during the lesson of the module, have to use ICT technologies in order to develop the competences that the activities consider, and a part of assessment is made according to observation and assessment grids that teachers use through all the lessons.

PLAN

1st Phase: Launching the Avant-Garde movements

2nd Phase: Learning Stations

3rd Phase: Feedbacks and Creation of a final product

4th Phase: Evaluation

1st Phase

1. At the beginning, teacher introduces the module and explains the driving question of all the activities: What does Avant-Garde mean to us? How can we value this important period of artistic production? Teacher and students discuss about these questions and have an interaction about their ideas related to Avant-Garde. 2. Then students listen to the video: “Sothesby’s” (authentic material downloaded – material it’s not online nowadays) and find out more about Avant-Garde. 3. While they are listening this video, they try to catch the general meaning of the video and what it’s really about and write it on post-its. 4. Then they have a plenary check, because they steak their post-its on the wall, in order to create a classroom vocabulary about Avant-Garde terminology. 5. Then, the students write down the main ideas and concepts of the video we have just seen, read and explain them to the whole class. 6. Students answer to these final meta-questions: Did this activity help you understand what Avantgarde really means? Have you learnt something more about Avant Garde in details? The teacher leads a simple interaction among students.

2nd Phase

Teachers and learners organize the Learning Stations. 8 Avant Garde movements are represented in 8 different stations (round tables) where students exchange contents and do laboratorial activities. Every lesson is dedicated to a movement or artist (Cubism, Pablo Picasso, Surrealism, Abstract Art, Futurism, Dadaism, Expressionism, Metaphysical Art).

Stations are done gradually (1 per week or per lesson) so that students have the right time to elaborate the contents.

In every station students analyse pieces of art of specific movements and match the artistic knowledge with the graphic/technical skill.

Activity: in a round activity students describe a piece of art in English and the other students who listen to, have to draw/design what they are hearing from the description.

In the end students have put in practice speaking ability, listening ability, drawing/designing ability.

3rd Phase

In this phase students elaborate feedbacks about each learning station. Usually, they work in groups and elaborate a digital product (poster, infographic, etc…) with learnt lessons from the different movement and characteristics of each one. Every final product is presented to other students and commented as well. Products can be also valorised at school and used in events or other similar projects.

4th Phase

In the very end of the CLIL plan the teacher organizes a test to evaluate the students in terms of learning outcomes acquired. Learning outcomes are related to the knowledge and design technique of avantgarde movements but also on how they have re-elaborated contents. Test in English language.