Characterizing CLIL teaching: new insights from a lower secondary classroom

ABSTRACT

As a bilingual teaching method, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is growing in popularity in Europe and research has primarily focused on (language) learning outcomes. Few studies have identified what characterizes teaching in the CLIL classroom in terms of content and language integration. Studying how CLIL is practiced is vital to understanding how it works and how students can benefit from it. In this study, we filmed and observed CLIL lessons in science and mathematics in a 9th grade, Norwegian CLIL class offering subjects in English. The present study uses The Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO) to analyze video-recordings of CLIL lessons in science and mathematics, emphasizing a within-CLIL focus, and compared this with the English language teaching in the same class, as a baseline. Our findings indicate content-driven and intellectually challenging CLIL teaching with clear instructional explanations and systematic language support. English was used as frequently in the CLIL teaching as in the English teaching. Content and language were clearly integrated in the observed CLIL lessons, underscoring that the CLIL teachers successfully conveyed their subject in the target language.

KEYWORDS:

• CLIL teaching
• CLIL pedagogy
• content and language integrated learning
• teaching practices

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor Kirsti Klette for inviting this study into the Linking Instruction and Student Experiences (LISE) project at the Department of Teacher Education and School Research, at the University of Oslo. We would also like to thank Roar Bakken Stovner (PLATO coder in mathematics), and Bjørn Sverre Gulheim (technician) for their invaluable input in the data analysis process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.