Towards quality

CLIL:successful planning
and teaching strategies
Oliver Meyer
Catholic University of Eichstaett,
Germany

Abstract
HOW to develop a
comprehensive &
integrative CLIL
methodology?
Establish
quality criteria
for sustainable
& successful
CLIL T&L

Introduce a
flexible
planning tool
based on 4Cs
Framework

Insights from
CLIL-Research

Research indicates:

CLIL has
positive
effects on
language skills
(well ahead of
non-CLIL)

Learning of
content does
not suffer this
process, CLIL
students even
outperformed
non- CLIL

CLIL students
are equally/
more successful,
at learning
subject than
students who
learn in L1

Hence,
CLIL is
mutually
beneficial for
both content
& language
subjects

 There are still limited methodological

resources & practical guidance
SO.
The 4Cs Framework (Coyle,1999, 2006)
offers theoretical & methodological
foundation for planning CLIL lessons

4Cs Framework principles:

COGNITION

- Not only acquire

knowledge & skills
- Create own
knowledge &
understanding
- Develop skills
(personalized learning)

- Learning and thinking

- Analyse and interpret
content
- Thinking process need
to be analysed in
terms of linguistic
demands

CONTENT

COMMUNICATION
- Learning through
language
- Interaction in learning
context through the
medium of FL

CULTURE
- Intercultural
awareness is
fundamental of CLIL
- Core of CLIL

Strategies

Strategy No. 1:
StrategyNo.
No.6:3:
2:
Strategy
Strategy
No.
Strategy
No.
5:
Strategy No. 4:
Rich Input
(Inter-)
Scaffolding
Learning
Sustainable
Learning
Rich Interaction
Pushed Output
Make itand
H.O.T
cultural Dimension

Strategy No. 1:

Rich Input
(Meaningful, challenging &
authentic content)

Content: Meaningful
Classroom content focuses on global
problems mankind faces
Connects with daily lives of the students and
their areas of interest
Subject learning through FL works best when:
New topics are
presented when
students can link
new input to prior
knowledge

New topics are

presented when
students are wide
open to accept

Content: Challenging
Video
clips

Flash
animations

Web- quests

Pod-casts

Other
interactive
materials

Sources for designing challenging tasks that foster creative

thinking
Also create opportunities for meaningful language output
Provide opportunities for self- directed learning
Chances for students to:
- prepare for next lesson
- review issues dealt with in class using different
medium of presentation
- work on individual portfolio

Content: Authentic
Actively shows
how to perform
language
operations
A language
role model

Function
of CLIL
teachers

> Analyze &

interpret pictures,
map, images,
video clips
>Verbalize
complex H.O.T
process

Role of teacher
Reevaluate the role of
teacher

Enable teacher to
provide necessary
scaffolding and
motivation

Need an
appropriate balance
of teacher-directed
and learnerdirected activities
Teacher feedback &
systematic error
treatment is crucial
for successful
learning

Selecting materials

Key concept for

selecting materials is
MULTI-MODAL
INPUT

Selecting materials
Promote visual
literacy

Diversified
teaching

Enable deeper
understanding

Various ways of
presenting
subject
(maps,
diagrams)

Illustrate and
clarify complex
matters
presented in
FL

Strategy No. 2:

Scaffolding Learning

Scaffolding
To make sure input becomes intake,
students need ample support
Students need scaffolding to help
them cope with language input
Scaffolding can be reduced as
students language skills advance

Supportive
structuring

Enables students to accomplish a given

task through supportive structuring

Supports
language
production

Helps students to verbalize their thoughts

appropriate to the subject manner
Boost students cognitive academic
language proficiency (CALP)

Helps students understand the content and

language of any given material

Reduce load
of the
content/
input

Purpose of Scaffolding

Strategy No. 3:

Rich Interaction and

Pushed Output

Task-Based Language Teaching

(TBLT)
Offers wide range
of methodological
opportunities

Improve fluency,
accuracy &
complexity of
language production

TBL
T
Bring authentic
communication
into classroom

An integral part
of CLIL teaching

TBLT
* Authentic and meaningful
content is used to create
motivating/ challenging tasks

CLIL
* Authentic
communication
enables greater depth
of content learning

Symbiotic relationship

TBLT vs CLIL

Core feature: 1. gap-principle

Information
gap

Gap
Principl
e

Transfer information
from:
i) A text to table
ii) One pupils to
another

Reasoning
gap

Opinion
gaps

Deduce a teachers
timetable from a set of
class timetables
Work out an optimum
course of action given
different variables

Complete a story and

compare endings

Core feature: 2. Task-Repetition

Pupils read
then repeat it to
other members

Task
Repetitio
n

Efficient for
communication skills

Give students pre-planning

time:
Increase accuracy and
complexity

Multiple-performance Task

Strategy No. 4:

Strategy No. 4:

Adding
(Inter-)cultural
Dimension

Intercultural Dimension
Interaction in globalization
People willing to cooperate better when they
know each other
Aspects of culture:
- view of itself
- perceptions of time
- verbal & non-verbal communication styles
Need to be aware of hidden cultural codes
Communicate w/o offending the partner

Strategy No. 5:

Make it H.O.T

Higher Order Thinking

From 80 000
questions, 80%
are at lowest
level of thinking

Higher Order Thinking

HOT is ability to express complex thought
Systematic language work is important when
teach thinking
How to express thoughts in complex manner

Strategy No. 6:

Sustainable Learning

Sustainable Learning

New knowledge becomes deeply rooted in

students long-term memory

Passive knowledge has to be turned into

active knowledge

Ways to create sustainable

learning
Promote
spiral
learning

Lexical
approach in
teaching

Create connections
with students
attitudes,
experience and
knowledge

Ways to
create
Adopt
translanguaging
approach to
multilingualism

Make the learning

process transparent &
provide clear
structuring

Results of group
work are shared
with all students

Promote
autonomous
learning and
introduce
portfolio work

Introducing CLIL Pyramid

Based on 4Cs Framework
Tool for lesson planning & materials
construction
Hardly incorporated in one single lesson,
must be in sequel lessons in one topic

CLIL Pyramid

CLIL Pyramid Unit Template

Advantages of CLIL Pyramid

Create an
interdisciplinary
progression of
study skills

Intercultural
communicatio
n is taken
seriously

Very flexible

Enables
multifocal lesson
planning (links
4Cs)

Advantage
s

Higher Order
Thinking become
an integral part
of CLIL lessons

Scaffolding,
study skills &
learning
strategies are
essential
parts

Raises awareness for

multi-modal input
(different lessons &
materials

Content

Language

Is needed to transcend
the TRADITIONAL
DUALISME
between

Holistic
methodolog
y

Conclusion

Conclusion
from knowledge transmission
to knowledge creation.
Shift

SHIFT

Knowledge
transmission is:
-understand new
knowledge in L1

Knowledge
creation is:
-construct meaning
using L2/ other
language

Conclusion
Responsibility
towards
excluded
groups
Willingness
to learn from
other
cultures

Develop
values

Teacher
should
FOCUS
on

Cultivate
cosmopolitan
identity which
shows tolerance of
races and genders

Emphasize
emotional and
cognitive
learning
Build
commitment to
group life
(not just shortterm teamwork)

Conclusion
Make study skills and literacy
explicit, it will change about
curriculum planning & ways
to structure classroom
learning in the future