READING 1: Traditional ELT Versus CLIL: Mind the Gap

READING 1: Traditional ELT Versus CLIL: Mind the Gap

by Salvador Rodríguez Almendros

A CLIL pedagogy is need to improve our students skills in the English language. It is not enought with the 3p's methodology, so we have to practise in order to allow a good CLIL methodology in our classrooms.

Some important point in the article are the following ones:

PEDAGOGY: Systematized learning or instruction concerning principles and methods of teaching.

CLIL: Any activity in which a foreign language is used as a tool in the learning of a non-language subject in which both language and the subject have a joint role. It moves away from the traditional way of teaching. Emphasis is placed on content with its owns linguistic demands, no longer necessary to use controlled input and practice.

"Integration is a powerful pedagogic tool which aims to safeguard the subject being taught whilst promoting language as a medium for learning as well as an objective of the learning process itself" (Coyle, 2002 in Coyle, 2007).

CLIL is mainly focused on fluency rather than accuracy, since teachers provide students with language but they have freedom to make up their own productions spontaneously.

PPP model: Presentation - Practice - Production.

The 4Cs conceptual framework and the linguistic approach

There are four guiding principles strictly linked to the 4Cs upon which CLIL programs can be designed:

·         Content: Meaning progression in acquiring knowledge, skills and understanding.

·         Communication: Meaning involving learners in language use. It has to be efficient for the students to be able to use the language and to use the language to learn.

·         Cognition: Meaning engagement between thinking and understanding.

·         Culture: Meaning to fain self and other awareness.

Content, Communication, Cognition and Culture are integrated as a whole and this is why coherence is implied in the knowledge building process taking place.

Get communication beyond the grammatical system:

·         The language of learning: The language needed to access the basic concepts and skills relating to the subject theme: Key vocabulary and key phrases.

·         The language for learning: The language your pupils will need to carry out the tasks you set: communication structures.

·         The language through learning: language that cannot be controlled or predicted.

The Matrix tools and Bloom's Taxonomy

CLIL matrix means that it is important to make content access through a lower linguistic level gradually working towards highest linguistic demands. Cognitive demanding tasks will have to be designed to promote the development of thinking skills.

It's important that Content, communication and cognition set the environment where CLIL takes place and culture shows intercultural understanding and provides stability.

The fact of contextualizing learning helps learners to use abilities knowledge and skills from other disciplines, that is to say, to use all channels of learning and not just the linguistic one.

Important aspects to take into account in learning process:

·         Zone of proximal development and scaffolding

·         Social learning

·         Language

·         Culture

Scaffolding in CLIL

Scaffolding illustrates the support that teachers give to learners trying to help them with their learning.

·         Theoretical Background: It is with proper scaffolding and expert guidance that an individual learner can be moved forward to become self-independent. Teacher has to present the content in an accurate way in order to adjust it to the student's level of understanding. It's important to move task responsibility from the tutor to the learner (tutor modifies the task until the pupil can manage it).

·         Scaffolding on CLIL: Language and content need to be explicitly and deliberately scaffolded and supported.


In my view, CLIL is a new methodology which we have to learn how to use it. I believe that using CLIL in primary education lessons could be very positive for the students if we manage the lesson correctly, with the appropriate scaffolding and also planning funny and engaging activities which allow the students to use the language in a communicative way. I will be prepared to use CLIL in the future since I think that it is a great tool to improve our students knowledge of the language.