CLIL in Practice: Focus on the EU

Description

Concept by Sheila Corwin

Have you ever thought about integrating EU matters into your language lessons?

Would you like to explain the European Union (EU) to your students, but you wonder how to do it effectively?

Then this course is for you!

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is a method that integrates specific techniques in the design of second-language learning activities and authentic content (i.e., content from either academic or non-academic subjects) to encourage learning in two areas.

CLIL has been shown to be an effective strategy to engage students and increase motivation by combining content and language learning into classroom lessons.

As a participant in the course, you will learn how to use CLIL effectively to integrate EU-related topics into your curriculum. In particular, the course will illustrate the principles of CLIL, and give time to participants to practice activities and create their own relevant tasks that facilitate learning.

The course is valuable for both teachers of all academic subjects, who would like to introduce appropriate EU content in their lessons, and for foreign language teachers aiming to engage their students with discussion and tasks related to the EU.

Significantly, and although the course will be in English, the CLIL method it proposes is valid in the teaching of any foreign language.

Through individual, pair, group, team, and whole class work and discussion, participants will experience first-hand how CLIL promotes interdisciplinary learning using the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) for non-native speakers of a language at various proficiency levels.

Participants will also learn how to select appropriate and already prepared content for second language learners and gain experience with how to create new content for the classroom with authentic materials about the European Union.

At the end of the course, participants will return to their schools with renewed enthusiasm, ideas, strategies, and ready-to-use activities to integrate into their course curricula for successful and motivating CLIL lessons about the EU.

They will also get useful tips on how to raise awareness of the EU’s impact on the daily lives of its citizens, and how to access and find materials that promote important knowledge about Europe and the European Union in a foreign language.

Notes:

• The course sessions scheduled in Ghent will include a visit to the EU in Brussels;
• The course has been created as a part of the European project EU-TEAM: European Teachers on the Move, co-funded by the European Union. Materials of the course are freely available for school teachers and online users in the Massive Open Online Course.

Suggested English Proficiency Level: ADVANCED

Learning outcomes

The course will help the participants to:

• Enhance students’ learning of a foreign language with real-world content;
• Design learning activities focused on specific learning objectives in language and EU content;
• Elaborate on official documentation to turn it into creative and engaging learning activities;
• Engage students in collaborative and communicative activities appropriate to their level;
• Use stimulating materials from the real world to promote the civic engagement of students;
• Create an inclusive classroom environment where learning is fun and engaging thanks to the relevance of real-life materials;
• Feel at ease with teaching about the European Union in a foreign language (e.g. English).

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Course introduction and getting to know CLIL

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools;
• CLIL challenges from both the academic subject and language teachers;
• Getting started. Sharing knowledge about CLIL and Content-Based course experiences.

Day 2 – What’s the European Union?

• The history of the EU;
• The EU institutions and their functioning;
• Defining citizenship and its influence on EU policy;
• CLIL activities on the EU institutions.

Day 3 – The fundamental principles of EU democracy and rights

• Human rights and democracy;
• Pluralism and equality;
• CLIL activities on the fundamental principles of the EU.

Day 4 – The main challenges for the EU: Sustainability and active citizenship

• Environmental sustainability;
• Civic engagement and media literacy;
• CLIL activities on the main challenges for the EU.

Day 5 – Building lesson plans

• Building lesson plans and curricula for specific populations.

Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.