Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) by Dieter Wolff Translation: Ani Jinpa Lhamo
What Is CLIL?
Interest in alternative methods of language instruction and thus of understanding foreign cultures has been very great at all times in history.
In antiquity the suggestion was made that one learn another language in the language's country of origin, to familiarize oneself with the culture at the same time.
In the Middle Ages many people were multilingual, although it is known that - with the exception of Latin - no language was taught systematically in the monastery schools or in other educational institutions. Foreign languages were learned much as one learned one's native language, through interaction with native speakers, mostly in pursuit of one's own trade or professional interests. Similarly, the governesses employed by aristocratic families and wealthy commoners in the 18th and 19th centuries contributed to their pupils' acquisition of foreign language competences: the governesses used their native tongue, French, to instruct the children. The children thus acquired this language as a foreign, or frequently even as a second language by "natural" means , as they used it to learn the contents of whatever it was they were being taught, whether history, geography, or other subjects. In a certain sense, the basic principle of bilingual subject-matter instruction lies
at the root of this type of linguistic and cultural learning as early as antiquity, but is found
to a greater extent in the 18th and 19th centuries; simultaneous integrated learning of a language and a particular subject by using French as the language of instruction and learning.
Alternative Methods of Learning Curriculum Contents
For a considerable time now, schools exist all over the world in which all school subjects are taught not in the local language, but in one of the world's great cultural languages. German schools abroad, French academic high schools, British boarding schools and for some time now the schools set up by international institutions for the children of their employees are modern examples of alternative methods that depart from traditional curricular instruction and make use of this underlying principle of bilingual instruction, the integration of a foreign language and school subject matter.
But it is conspicuous that the schools mentioned above are almost exclusively élite schools, whereby the term "élite" here not only refers to the high intellectual capabilities of the students, but also to the financial options available to their parents that make it possible for them to send their childen to these schools. This process of selection over a long period of time had led to this decidedly attractive form of learning being available only to a minority of young people. Through the establishment of so-called bilingual branches in normal regular schools (academic high schools and secondary schools), especially in Germany and Austria in the second half of the 20th century, bilingual curricular instruction was made available to students from all levels of society. The language policy of the European Union (every EU citizen is to be able to speak at least two languages of the Union in addition to his native tongue) has resulted in bilingual curricular instruction having gained a high level of acceptance and support in all of Europe.
A Multitude of Concepts
The number of concepts referring to this didactic idea is surprisingly large. The German concept, Bilingualer Sachfachunterricht (i.e bilingual curricular instruction), that is in fact somewhat ambiguous, is also referred to under the formula, Gebrauch der Fremdsprache als Arbeitssprache (i.e. use of a foreign language as the working language), which actually entails a somewhat different perspective on the issue. In the English-language context, concepts such as; Teaching Content through a Foreign Language, Dual Focussed Instruction, Bilingual Content Teaching or even Content Based Language Teaching are used. These terms also make it clear that the basic concept of bilingual learning is interpreted in different ways.
During the past decade a concept has established itself in the English- and French-speaking cultural areas that is being increasingly used to refer to this idea: Content and Language Integrated Learning (abbreviated: CLIL) or (French) Enseignement d'une Matière par l'Integration d'une Language Etrangère (abbreviated: EMILE). Although the concept of Bilingualer Sachfachunterricht (i.e bilingual curricular instruction) continues to be used in the German-speaking cultural area, other attempts to translate the English concept of CLIL into German (for example; Integriertes Fremdsprachen- und Sachfachlernen) exist. It is surely a welcome development that, in spite of the diversity of interpretations of this idea inherent in these concepts, a uniform term is beginning to emerge, one that allows an unbiased perspective on this approach. But this also necessitates a definition that does justice to the diversity inherent in the concepts. Such a definition was already proposed at the start of this century(see Marsh & Langé 2002) and presented in slightly modified form in the Eurydice Report of the European Union (se Eurydice Report, 2006). It runs as follows:
The acronym CLIL is used as a generic term to describe all types of 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: 8)
A Tool for the Promotion of Foreign Languages
The definition emphasizes that in a CLIL school, subject instruction is to be carried out in the foreign language in a series of subjects, not in the instruction in its entirety. This distinguishes it from the schools abroad mentioned above and from the schools of the European Union in which all instruction is carried out in a foreign language. Furthermore, CLIL differs from Canada's "immersion instruction" in which instruction as a whole is also often carried out in a foreign language without assuring the development of the students' foreign language competence. Foreign language instruction does not take place in immersion classes; on the contrary, CLIL instruction is accompanied by normal - in part expanded – foreign language instruction, and in CLIL instruction itself, language instruction does take place, especially if instruction in the subject requires it. This means that CLIL instruction is a truly integrated form of language and subject instruction.
The subjects, which the definition does not specify more exactly, are largely subjects in the areas of the humanities and social sciences, i.e. history, geography, and social studies – this is evidenced in the Euridice Report and in other surveys. But subjects in the areas of the natural sciences and the arts are also taught in another language.
Not Limited to Traditional Foreign Languages
Of major significance in the definition is the fact that the CLIL languages are not limited to traditional foreign languages, but also include minority languages, regional languages, or other officially recognized languages of the country in question. The definition makes it clear that CLIL is not only a language-policy tool for the promotion of foreign languages, especially of English, but can also serve to promote languages that are only spoken by a very few people. Geographically defined minority languages such as Sorbian in Germany or Breton in France fall under minority languages just as do minority languages that are the languages of the majority in bordering countries, such as French in Italy's Aosta valley, or German in Alsace-Lorraine. Socially defined minority languages can also be promoted through CLIL; one example is Turkish in Germany, that is employed in a number of trade schools in teaching subjects like economics. Other official national languages are promoted in Switzerland through CLIL instruction, for example.
The Spectrum of CLIL Instruction
CLIL is thus suited both to the primary and secondary school levels, and the tertiary area. Individual learning areas are being taught in a foreign language as early as the primary school level in a number of European countries. CLIL is mostly to be found at the secondary school level, but is also not limited to the academic high school level in Germany. And many trade schools make use of this didactic tool to connect subject and language instruction with each other. Finally, it must be pointed out that the length of CLIL instruction can vary considerably; some programs last only a few weeks, others extend over a period of up to six years.
In conclusion, one additional aspect remains to be discussed that is not clearly expressed in the definition of CLIL, with ist emphasis on "neutrality." Up until now, the didcatic concept underlying CLIL was largely the "property" of the language teachers. This is not surprising inasmuch as the highly competent acquisition of a foreign language within the framework of this approach has something fascinating about it that somewhat overshadows the acquisition of the subject being taught in it. Until recently school subject didactics had scarcely dealt with the CLIL approach at all, even going so far as to reject it because it apparently brought neither added value to the subjects being taught nor lent itself to serving as a subsidiary tool in foreign language instruction. But in the past few years a change of opinion has taken place, especially because recommendations and guidelines made it clear that bilingual subject instruction is based on the principles of school subject didactics and the acquisition of the contents of a school subject is seen as being of equal importance as the acquisition of competence in a language. In addition, initial empirical studies (such as Lamsfuß-Schenk, 2002) demonstrated that the school subject also benefits from being taught in a foreign language.
The example of CLIL lesson plan
Unit: Interest/opinion Topic: Color P.3
http://www.4shared.com/file/NgOR8bUx/Untitled-1.html
Unit: Travel Topic: Places in the town P.4
http://www.4shared.com/file/YaisQPht/Travel.html
Unit: School Topic: Time P.6
http://www.4shared.com/file/H5uVP9-s/CALL4.html
Unit: Interest/opinion Topic: Fruit P.6
Unit: Weather Topic: Clothing M.1
Unit: Relationship with other people M.2
http://www.4shared.com/file/qEv61SXf/call1.html
Unit: Environment Topic: How to preserve the environment M.4
Unit: Environment Topic: Pollutions and garbage M.4
http://www.4shared.com/dir/VoQZJs1N/sharing.html
Unit: Occupation Topic: Future career M.4
http://www.4shared.com/file/LZO7QhcZ/call.html
Unit: Science and technology Topic: Energy sources M.5
http://www.4shared.com/file/uZ5iMBfY/Untitled-Energy_sources_M5.html
Unit: Health Topic: How to keep fit
http://www.4shared.com/file/QthomOM7/exer2.html
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น