Content & Language Integrated Learning
Content & Language Integrated Learning & Immersion Classrooms
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) refers to educational approaches that allow for improved foreign language learning in combination with content learning in a variety of (non-language) subjects, e.g. Geography, History, Sports, Maths. CLIL strongly relates to other contextualized language teaching approaches such as immersion education or content-based language teaching.
The Research Network on CLIL and Immersion Classrooms has been active since 2006, joining over 200 members worldwide. Main research topics of the ReN have been:
- to assess language learning outcomes as revealed in student language proficiency and use;
- to investigate actual classroom discourse of students and teachers communicating on curricular topics in a language other than their L1;
- to examine content and language integrated learning and teaching in terms of ongoing processes in the classroom;
- to analyse CLIL policy development and implementation within and across diverse contexts.
For the 2015-2017 ReN term, the CLIL ReN will make connections to other research and education contexts that focus on the role of language in subject teaching and learning:
- content: subject-specific perspectives on CLIL. We will involve experts in subject-specific pedagogies, such as Science and Social Science;
- integrated teaching and learning: CLIL pedagogy from educational perspectives (e.g. social constructivism, task-based teaching), including collaboration between subject and language teachers;
- language: making connections between the roles of language in CLIL classrooms and in non-CLIL multilingual and monolingual classrooms.
So far, the CLIL ReN has mainly focused on secondary (and, to some extent, tertiary) education, as a consequence of common European educational practice. However, CLIL in primary education is a growing development in many countries as well, which will be taken into account in the next ReN term.
During the 2015-2017 term, the CLIL ReN will organize annual symposia in several parts of the world, including Belgium, Bosnia and Hesegovina, New Zealand and Australia.
For a full account of ReN activities please visit the ReN website: www.clil-ren.org