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Looking at the historical underpinnings of language policy, we can say that the evolution of humanity has affected our perception of and attached value to language as a social construct.<\/strong> This evolutionary timeline may be divided into three distinct phases, i.e., premodern, modern, and postmodern (Graddol, 2006), as detailed in the below chart.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”6294″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Language learning became institutionalised in \u2018linguistic modernity\u2019, yet it also became less incidental and a less natural process. This process accelerated in the 20<\/strong><\/span>th century when various language teaching approaches<\/strong> were invented in order to fulfil a certain language-learning purpose.<\/strong> Owing to the fact that paradigms take a long time to shift, ample approaches and views of language govern language teaching, depending on our geographical location and the education system we are a part of.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”different-teaching-contexts”][vc_column] Right at its inception, CLIL meant a novel approach to foreign-language teaching<\/strong> that is rooted in language immersion and content-based instruction (CBI). What distinguishes CLIL from EMI is the integration of certain mother-tongue and target-language practices that facilitates the emergence of a more dynamic language system, as well as the use of a more extensive and varied vocabulary in the classroom.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”highlight-box”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/6″][vc_column_text el_class=”b16strong_blue” css=”.vc_custom_1642588689621{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Due to its uniqueness, CLIL is really hard to define with clear terms. Probably, the greatest benefit of the approach is meant by its potential to prepare students for real-life (professional) interactions within their chosen fields (of interest), all the while English acts as their chief means of communication.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We must, however, distinguish between particular CLIL types in certain cases according to the aims of the course and the students\u2019 needs. Consequently, the terms \u2018hard CLIL\u2019<\/strong> and \u2018soft CLIL\u2019<\/strong> have been coined, with the former one referring to target-language content classes (e.g., the instruction of biology in bilingual education), while the latter one integrates elements of CLIL (especially the \u2018content\u2019 segment) in the foreign-language classroom. Thus, students would have a language lesson on genetics doing various activities<\/strong> (Kelly at al., 2011; Clegg et al., 2015). In summary, we can say that hard CLIL is content-driven as compared to soft CLIL, which appears to be more language-driven.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”10488″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Regarding the role of the teacher, CLIL teachers, in an ideal situation, are capable of utilising a confident level of English of at least level B2(+), yet in bilingual education, the requirements may be well above that (at levels C1\/C2)<\/strong>.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”the-art-of-lesson-planning”][vc_column] The next two steps involve practice:<\/strong> ideally, in the second (\u2018Interaction\u2019) phase, students target (or \u2018drill\u2019) the new content directly through activities<\/strong>. (It is imperative that your learners not only interact with the language through various exercises but also with each other. As language itself is a social construct, it all comes down to how they use it to communicate with their peers, or even the teacher!<\/strong> This is also what most PPP-based classes lack.) <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]What follows in the final (\u2018Internalisation\u2019) segment<\/strong> is the facilitation of free practice so that students can have a contextualised (CLIL) experience working with what they have learnt<\/strong>. This way, their brains will start to create synapses more easily and new information gets retained quicker and in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n To illustrate the above with an example, let us take a look at how the past form of modal verbs could be taught within this framework in an English class:<\/span>[\/vc_column_text] After assigning a book to your students, the application and its teacher dashboard will allow you to track their individual progress<\/strong> and anticipate possible challenges they may have faced while reading at home. When you next meet in class, you can start by discussing some problem areas based on your observations.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text] Based on how effective the initial communication is, you can later decide what to dedicate your class to.<\/strong> Thus, instead of structure, the emphasis will fall on meaningful communication, drawing on the exact communicative needs of your learners. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”highlight-box”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/6″][vc_column_text el_class=”b16strong_blue” css=”.vc_custom_1642589321148{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]In other words, doing TBL will allow you to continuously analyse and respond to your students\u2019 demands by altering the content of your lessons (Anderson, 2021). Although the approach sounds really comforting, it also requires an open-minded and flexible teacher personality that can allow learners (re)write the class. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A task can be as simple as a paired activity where students discuss and agree on something, e.g., <\/span>In pairs, look at the list of 10 possible birthday presents and agree on the TOP 5. You may wish to add further examples on your own. <\/span><\/i>The essence is in meaningful communication.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”10489″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”wrapping-it-all-up”][vc_column] It is needless to say that language teaching has become a booming industry with more and more people sacrificing their time and money to learn a new language, typically for a host of various reasons. Their motivations may range from simply going away on holiday through consuming foreign media to even starting a new life abroad. As a result, language teachers are faced with the constant challenge of catering for various learner needs to help everyone achieve their individual goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":6295,"template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[136,60,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6290","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pedagogy","category-research","category-teaching"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/6290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/6290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11852,"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/6290\/revisions\/11852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookrclass.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Different teaching contexts call for different approaches<\/h2>\n[vc_column_text]In the following chart (Table 2), three different contexts have been outlined with regard to the focus of learning and the social embeddedness of English. Some of these principles have had a profound effect on education policy at a(n inter)national level.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”6293″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Having emerged back in the 1950s, methodologies based on EFL dominated the English Language Teaching (ELT) industry for a long time. Currently, these older approaches seem to be giving way to a merely new orthodoxy that better corresponds with global trends.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”highlight-box”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/6″][vc_column_text el_class=”b16strong_blue” css=”.vc_custom_1642588352122{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]As indicated in the chart, English has become a global language serving as a means to communicate internationally with speakers of other languages. This change has generated a social demand for language teachers to broaden the scope of their courses and overall methodology, allowing learning to go beyond the language itself. Foreign-language communication has become a valuable life skill, and English is being chosen as the second language to learn by many, even as early as kindergarten.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”clil”][vc_column]
Answering the challenges: CLIL<\/h2>\n[vc_column_text]CLIL<\/strong>, or Content and Language Integrated Learning<\/strong>, has been on the European Union\u2019s agenda for a few decades aiming to promote multilingualism and the development of 21<\/strong><\/span>st<\/strong>-century skills<\/strong> (e.g., communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, and collaboration) among its member states. It is undeniably true that these skills and the ability to speak foreign languages will be inevitable for future generations, thus, by drawing on real-life experiences, CLIL seems to be just the right approach to learning. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”10484″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The methodological foundations of CLIL derive from English-Medium Instruction (EMI) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) practices<\/strong>, thus allowing for a more holistic approach to teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n
The art of lesson planning<\/h2>\n[vc_column_text]As intricate it may seem, lesson planning is actually a really simple process, regardless of the language, subject, or type of lesson (e.g., EFL, or CLIL). Below, you can read a few – more or less universal – statements to bear in mind when designing lessons of any kind:<\/span>[\/vc_column_text]
What makes a \u2018(post)modern\u2019 classroom?<\/h2>\n[vc_column_text]In our rapidly changing world, it almost feels as if we were expected to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of our lessons. In order to do so, I can recommend you two strategies to implement:<\/span>[\/vc_column_text]
Wrapping it all up<\/h2>\n[vc_column_text]Instead of repeating what has already been said, I encourage you to reflect on the article by answering the following questions and engaging with the issues raised more actively. I hope you will find the presented strategies and the below reflection questions useful for your professional development.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”10486″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”]