Week 1 Brainstorming

MODERATORS of the EVO SESSION 2018

Letizia Cinganotto & Daniela Cuccurullo

The Moodle Platform we are working on is now based in Italy and the two moderators are continuing their long research on Clil.

They have introduced it in the presentation:

CLIL – Content and Language Integrated Learning - is a "dual focus" methodology, fostering the development of language competences and the delivery of subject content at the same time.

Objectives of this week:

• read about and discussed the theory, methodology and practice behind a CLIL approach
• considered how to plan CLIL class activities using the Internet and 2.0 web tools
• considered and discussed teaching and assessing learners studying through a CLIL approach
• reflected upon their awareness of what CLIL is and on how to teach through it.

It is my third time in this interesting course and I am trying to catch. So much information and a lot of documents which are worth rereading.

I have been asked to start writing my Learning Diary: I have decided that it will be a Google Slide and this website. I will decide later about the one I would like to post in the final session of course.

I have joined the FB Group and I have started reading the many documents online which are related to this course:

• http://www.onestopenglish.com/clil/what-is-clil/
• http://www.onestopenglish.com/clil/clil-teacher-magazine/
• http://www.maslibraries.org/Resources/Documents/BloomDigital.pdf
• https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/e484_emi_-_cover_option_3_final_web.pdf
• http://ojs.cimedoc.uniba.it/index.php/glottodidattica/article/view/130/1
• http://www.fupress.net/index.php/formare/article/view/18301
• http://laclil.unisabana.edu.co/index.php/LACLIL/article/view/7177/4410
• http://www.tewtjournal.org/issues/volume-2016/volume-2016-issue-4/
• https://issuu.com/clilmagazine/docs/clil_spring_2016_final_version_enke
• http://www.laricerca.loescher.it/quaderno_18/sorgenti/assets/common/downloads/publication.pdf
• https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/images/0/06/KDL_2017_internet.pdf
• https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/images/0/0d/KDL_Eurydice_Brief_finals.pdf

Reflecting

I have been asked to give my opinion about Clil in my country: here is my short essay

In most Italian secondary schools teachers are learning about CLIL. However, some teachers have poor language skills and this implies that teaching a non linguistic subject in English is or can be very hard.

I teach languages and as a result I have to cope with students and now also teachers who are struggling learners. English is important in many fields but it requires hard work and a lot of exercises.

Clil can be beneficial if schools have developed the right team working on sharing objectives and if teachers are used to using English and reading in English. If you do not have teachers who believe in it, you will have to face problems.

I have taught in different types of schools, I have read widely about Clil and think that if you want to try to implement Clil in your lessons you need to want it. Most of the teachers I have met are a bit worried and sceptical about it.

Ideally Clil is great as it provides plenty of interesting topics and activities, but English language teachers are afraid of it. I have met some good teachers of other subjects who can master the language and thus they could be trained to teach their subject in English but they are not the majority of teachers.

We do need to try it, maybe by starting in the first years and by implementing our methodologies but we will continue facing difficulties as a good competent speaker requires time and lots of efforts. I am wondering about the old teachers, the ones who have never studied abroad. In spite of the many projects you cannot teach CLIL if you are not motivated and you do not master the language. I hate cooking and I would never love doing it at school. I just cook because I do need to eat , that's it. I feel that with Clil we do need to invest on younger teachers and people who have worked and studied abroad. The Erasmus generations may be the ones who will become good Clil teachers.