Essay Example on Abstract one of the latest acronyms in the field of ELT is CLIL

Abstract one of the latest acronyms in the field of ELT is CLIL that is Content and Integrated Learning This method has been very popular because of its form and also being cross curricular despite the difficulties and limitations In this article key features of CLIL will be exposed to discussion and also a very important issue that is its efficiency would be discussed and it will help teachers engage more critically with the arguments made about CLIL Introduction First we need a definition of CLIL Content and language integrated learning CLIL refers to any dual focused educational context in which an additional language thus not usually the first language of the learners involved is used as a medium in the teaching and learning of non language content It is dual focused because whereas attention may be predominantly on either subject specific content or language both are always accommodated Marsh 2003 ELC Information Bulletin 9 The main word is dual focused It means in CLIL both language and content will be taught together Teachers often try to teach the linguistic components of language like grammar and language skills but CLIL incorporates a further focus on learning authentic information and skills of any kind Beyond this basic concept of language plus subject knowledge CLIL can be commented and applied in many ways Literature 

Review In the beginning CLIL was used in Europe and United States named Content Based Instruction CBI and the acronym CLIL was defined in 1994 and in 1996 Unicom the university of Jyvaskyla in Finland and the European Platform for Dutch Education released it With the expansion of CLIL in European educational systems this method became very popular among researchers in applied linguistics One of the greatest examples is Language Use and Language Learning in CLIL Classrooms edited by Dalton Puffer Nikula and Smit besides lots of other empirical researches done by researchers in Australia Finland and other countries According to Marsh s definition of CLIL mentioned above CLIL points out teaching the content through language and declares the importance of language in teaching the content This means that teachers and authors have to pay attention to the fact that students learn content through the language and this needs background knowledge It is highly recommended that teachers plan the content of courses in a way that includes the targets of language If they get the meaning of dual focused concept mentioned above CLIL will cover the implication of learning through every foreign language Ball 2006 Also the educational community has to make aware that using another language through teaching content causes language learning since all the components of a language and linguistic features are implicitly taught in this way CLIL implicates teaching a foreign language in a way that pays too much attention to subject Marsh 2003 also says that CLIL entails a procedure if it s implemented correctly For example when students study a specific subject like math or art through a language this foreign language plays the role of a tool for learning so educators should plan integrated content and procedures considering the fact that the content have to be planned in a meaningful way for all students with all proficiency levels 

As a result CLIL could be named an instructional method The variables in CLIL 1 Degree of content For instance a writing lesson that is about the history of World War 1 cannot talk much about the educational achievements in that period of time 2 Depth of content The content must be appropriate for students in terms of difficulty level For example we cannot teach the primary school students the differentials in math or ask them to do hard projects 3 L1 L2 balance Using L1 is not precluded in CLIL specially in lower levels of L2 for very young learners They can use L1 to explain difficult content and to give tasks or in any situation if it's encouraging for them 4 Involvement of subject specialists Teachers are trained just to be teachers They are not supposed to have knowledge in all fields In high levels of CLIL teachers need consultation from specialists in other fields 5 Curriculum fit We can use CLIL in all learning process or just part of it including traditional language lessons CLIL Leading to high levels o MFL Preoccupation with levels of achievement in MFL by learners is a recurrent theme Lazaruk 2007 Lasagabaster and Sierra 2009 Rifkin 2005 CLIL helps to lead to higher levels of proficiency in different ways including extra exposure to input and specially context embedded tasks which help learner to acquire content and language Greenfell 2002 Cummins and Swain 1986 Also CLIL creates a natural environment for learners to learn easier by using communicative context Lightbown and Spada 2006 Moreover CLIL cam make a good and proper analysis of linguistic needs of learners