This document provides an overview of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). It defines CLIL as an educational approach that teaches content and language simultaneously. The document discusses the benefits of CLIL, including that it helps students develop skills for using language in academic contexts. It also notes challenges for teachers in using CLIL, such as needing competence in both the content area and language. Examples of how to structure CLIL lessons and support student learning are provided.

1. Ann Robertson

2. How it all started…

3. Tonight’s presentation
What is CLIL?
How to CLIL (a very quick example!)
 Benefits and challenges
Questions?

4. What is CLIL?
 Content and Language Integrated Learning
(CLIL) is a dual-focused educational approach in
which an additional language is used for the
learning and teaching of both content and
language (Coyle, Hood and Marsh, 2010, p. 1)
 It has dual (integrated) aims:
 learning of the subject matter (content)
 learning of the L2 used as the medium of instruction
for the content.

5.  CLIL encompasses a continuum of approaches in which
some form of specific academic language support is
offered to students in order to facilitate their learning of
the content through another language
 CLIL is not just immersion (teaching in another language)
because language is explicitly taught (Ting 2011)
 CLIL can be ‘hard’ or ‘soft’
 ‘hard’ CLIL – most of the lesson is conducted in the other language
OR content is given primacy
 ‘soft’ CLIL – only some of the lesson is conducted in the other
language OR language is given primacy.
5

6. L2 teaching and subject teaching in L2 compared
Key Features
Second language teaching
Subject teaching in L2 (hard
CLIL?)
Subject teaching through L2
Topic/content-based
Conventional FL immersion
language
teaching
teaching (soft CLIL?)
Priority in
planning:
Language Language Subject Subject
Taught by: Language or class
teacher
Language teacher At higher levels, a subject
teacher who can also teach
language or who can team
teach with a language teacher
Subject teacher
Assessment of: Language Language Subject and language Subject
Teaching focus: Language teaching Language teaching Subject teaching with
language support
Subject teaching
Materials: Language Language/subject Subject and language Subject
Syllabus: Language syllabus:
general purposes
Language syllabus:
CALP
Content syllabus and CALP Subject
Methodology: SL methodologies SL methodologies Language-supported subject-teaching
Subject teaching
Adapted from: Clegg, J (2003) Teaching subjects through a foreign language in the primary school. BC
Germany

7. The 4Cs of CLIL
 According to the 4Cs curriculum (Coyle 1999), a successful CLIL lesson should combine:
 Content
 The knowledge, concepts, and skills of the discipline (e.g. Science, IT, Arts).
 Communication
 The communication of meaning about the knowledge, concepts, and skills being learned (e.g.
stating facts in science, giving instructions on using software, describing emotions in response
to music).
 Cognition
 The thinking skills which make sense of knowledge, experience, and the world around us (e.g.
remembering, understanding, evaluating, critiquing, reflecting, creating – LOT & HOT).
 Culture –
 The interaction and engagement with the world around us:
 social (e.g. social conventions for expressing oneself in the target language),
 pedagogical (e.g. classroom conventions for learning and classroom interaction)
 disciplinary (e.g. scientific conventions for preparing reports to disseminate knowledge).

8. States of matter

9. Lesson stages
1) Warmer –setting the stage
2) Connecting to students’ thoughts, feelings or prior
knowledge
3) Sharing learning outcomes
4) Introducing new vocabulary
5) Introducing new content
6) Reinforcement and reflection on new content
7) Applying new knowledge
8) Evaluation

10. 1.Warmer

11. 2. Connecting with students’ thoughts, feelings or
prior knowledge
solid liquid gas

12. 3. Learning outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Use a particle model to explain the behaviour of
particles in a solid, liquid and gas
 Use a particle model to explain changes of state
 Complete a table of aspects of kinetic theory by reading
an information report
 Write a simple information report on changes produced
by adding or removing heat on states of matter.

13. 4. Introducing key vocabulary
 Pair work – matching

14. Vocabulary matching
kinetic (adj.) having movement
theory (n.) an idea that explains something
to behave (v.) to do something in a particular way
particle (n.) a very small part of something
force (n.) physical energy
to vary (v.) to be different
to vibrate (v.) to shake with quick, small movements
fixed (adj.) not able to move
to roll (v.) to turn smoothly

15. 5. Introducing new content
 Read the information report and update your table:
solid liquid gas
Example
Distance between
particles
Forces between
particles
Movement of
particles

16. solid liquid gas
Example desk water air
Distance between
particles
very small / very
close together
small/ /close
together
large/ far apart
Forces between
particles
strong less strong weak
Movement of
particles
vibrate in fixed
place
roll over one
another
move freely

17. 6. Reflection and reinforcement
Deconstructing genre: The Information
Report
 Purpose and social function
Participants, processes and tense

18. 6. Reflection and reinforcement
Make groups of six to eight.
 At the teacher’s instruction, work with your
team mates to demonstrate a state of matter.

19. 7. Applying new knowledge

20. Language support -nominalisation
Noun Verb (active) Verb (passive)
evaporation
sublimation
condensation
freezing
melting
adding
removing

21. Further language support
 Melting is the process in which a solid turns to a liquid
when heat is added.
 Evaporation is the process through which .....................
..................................... when heat is ........................
 Freezing is the process whereby ......................................
.......................................... when heat is ...........................
 Condensation is the process through which ..................
............................................. when heat is ........................
 Sublimation is the process in which ...............................
................................... when heat is ..................................

22. Scaffold
Substance State Heat/cool Distance
between
particles
New state Name of
change of
state
Coconut oil solid heat increases liquid melting
Water heat
Coconut oil cool
Steam cool
Naphthalene solid heat
Naphthalene gas cool

23. Your turn –writing task
 Read the table from left to right and write a short
explanation e.g.
When coconut oil, a solid, is heated, the distance
between the particles increases and the new state is
liquid coconut oil. The name of the change of state
from a solid to a liquid is called melting.
Homework: Organise your sentences into an
information report on “Creating changes to states of
matter”

24. 8.Evaluation
 Ask students to read some of their sentences aloud.
 Review of homework in the following lesson

25. Why CLIL?
 “in formal educational settings, second languages are
best learned when the focus is on mastery of content
rather than on mastery of language per se” (Richards &
Rodgers, 2001: 209)
 CLIL encompasses “language of, for and through
learning”, which corresponds to:
 the essential vocabulary and grammar related to content
 the language needed to interact and communicate
understanding in the classroom
 new language that emerges through learning (student-directed)
(Coyle et al, 2010: 36-38).

26.  Students need to develop not only “Basic Interpersonal
Communicative Skills” (BICS) i.e. “skills needed for
social, conversational situations” but also “Cognitive
Academic Language Proficiency” (CALP), i.e. the
abstract and formal language needed for academic
study (Cummins, cited in Bentley, 2010: 8)

27. Challenges
 Teacher competencies – content AND language
 Cognitive demands on students may cause anxiety and
demotivation stemming from fear of failure >
 emphasis on short-term learning goals to build student
confidence;
 provision of support within their ZPD (Vygotsky, 1978);
pair and group work;
 role of teacher as facilitator rather than knower
 modification and scaffolding of authentic materials
= HARD WORK FOR TEACHERS

28. So why bother?
‘I found using CLIL
made my students
more active and
interested. They
think now that
learning English
has a real purpose.’

29. References
Bentley, K. (2010). The TKT Course CLIL Module.
Cambridge: CUP
Coyle, D., Hood, P., and Marsh., D. (2010). CLIL: Content
and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: CUP.
Mehisto, P., Frigols, M. & Marsh, D. (2008). Uncovering
CLIL. UK: Macmillan.
Richards, J.C. and Rodgers, T.S.(2001). Approaches and
Methods in Language Teaching (2nd ed.) New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Ting, Y. T. (2011). CLIL… not only not immersion but also
more than the sum of its parts. ELT Journal, 65(3), 314-
317.