Innovations and Challenges in Using Online Communication Technologies in CLIL

Abstract

In content and language integrated learning (CLIL) contexts, online communication technologies have great potential for supporting the development of students’ foreign language skills and intercultural competence, and for increasing understanding of subject matter. One effective way of engaging CLIL students in motivating and innovative online learning is virtual exchange, or telecollaboration. Virtual exchange involves engaging students in online task-based interaction and collaborative exchange projects with partner-classes in other locations under the guidance of their teachers. This article explores in what ways virtual exchange can contribute to CLIL approaches and presents various examples from the literature of how this approach to online learning has been applied in CLIL contexts. Following that, some guidelines for good practice are presented which educators can consider when planning to introduce virtual exchange into their bilingual classrooms.

Additional Resources

1. Dooly, M., & Sadler, R. (2016). Becoming little scientists: Technology-enhanced project-based language learning. Language Learning & Technology, 20, 54–78. http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2016/doolysadler.pdf

This is an excellent example of how Virtual Exchange can be used in primary education through a project-based approach. The article describes a 10- week language project that employed videoconferencing to introduce young language learners (7 to 8 years old) to concepts of good and bad habits related to personal hygiene, physical activities, and eating. Employing a Project-Based approach (PBLL), the students collected new information about the topic, and then used this information to communicate online with international partners in the target language of English in order to resolve problems related to the topic.

2. Furstenberg, G., & Levet, S. (2001). Giving a virtual voice to the silent language of culture: The CULTURA project. Language Learning & Technology, 5, 55–102. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/vol5num1/furstenberg/default.html

This paper presents the CULTURA project – one of the best known approaches to Virtual Exchange in foreign language education and one which could be easily adapted to CLIL contexts. This article explains in detail how the approach works and then reports on learning outcomes from exchanges involving French and American language learners.

3. O’Dowd, R. (2013). Telecollaboration and CALL. In Thomas, M., Reindeers, H. & Warschauer, M. (Ed.), Contemporary computer-assisted language learning (pp. 123–141). London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic.

For those interested in reading in more detail about the history of telecollaboration and Virtual Exchange, this chapter reviews the different models or configurations of online intercultural exchange which have been employed in the foreign language classroom to date and also explores the new options and opportunities which are emerging from Web 2.0 contexts. The chapter outlines the main research findings related to this activity as well as its key contributions to foreign language learning. Finally, it discusses the challenges involving the integration of telecollaboration into formal education.

Additional information

Funding

The research reported in this paper was supported by the project Evaluating and Upscaling Telecollaborative Teacher Education (EVALUATE) (582934-EPP-1-2016-2-ES-EPPKA3-PI-POLICY). This project is funded by Erasmus+ Key Action 3 (EACEA No 34/2015): European policy experimentations in the fields of Education, Training and Youth led by high-level public authorities. The views reflected in this presentation are the authors’ alone and the commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.