Innovations and Challenges in CLIL Materials Design

Abstract

One of the greatest hurdles facing CLIL implementation involves materials provision and design. In this approach to multilingual education, materials can be incorporated from authentic sources, but in practice they tend to be adaptations of existing materials, or originals designed to fit the needs of CLIL learners across the diversity of CLIL contexts. The lack of availability or practicality of CLIL materials has often been documented throughout Europe, together with the absence of clear-cut guidelines for the oftentimes daunting task of original material preparation. This article canvasses some of the innovations on this front, offering several initiatives that have led to the production of specific CLIL materials and describing and analyzing their assets and possible pitfalls. It identifies the chief challenges that are still faced in this arena and provides specific guidelines to tackle them successfully, offering practical orientations for the adaptation and elaboration of materials for CLIL development.