Welcome to Talking CLIL #8, a newsletter about CLIL aims, and also including other bits and pieces to help you onwards and upwards with your CLIL practice.
In this newsletter:
- two contrasting CLIL lessons and some frustration
- CLIL aims: tips and a handout for you on writing content and language aims
- various CLIL video tips
- news about my courses and workshops in 2023 – also online for international CLIL teachers.
Two CLIL lessons
Last week I watched two very different CLIL teachers: a secondary history teacher (I’ll call him Jamie) and a primary maths teacher (I’ll call her Monica).
History lesson: NOT CLIL
Jamie sat at the front behind his desk and asked students, one by one, to read out a paragraph from a text. He then pointed out the “difficult words”, wrote them on the board, wrote a translation and asked students to write them down.
I was sitting at the back: one student was watching the World Cup on his computer, another was playing chess, another a computer game. Jamie didn’t even notice. But this was NOT CLIL…
I felt so frustrated: so many learning opportunities were missed here.
Maths lesson: SUPER CLIL
Monica, on the other hand, was teaching her primary class about the difference between litres, millilitres, decilitres and centilitres. All her children, aged 10-11, had a mini whiteboard and were obviously used to using them.
She drew, she talked, she asked her learners to draw, to write answers in secret and then “show and tell”, to talk, to pronounce, to think. She accentuated the important language over and over and really checked how far the children were understanding. Her children were all paying attention, engaged,were really struggling with some concepts but were all there. This WAS CLIL.
CLIL aims
“Can you please do more work on CLIL aims?” is a question I often receive from teachers. And if you are a CLIL teacher, it helps to formulate both language and content aims, to share them with your learners and to check at the end of a lesson (series) if you have accomplished those aims.
Lesson aims, or learning outcomes, need to be sharp and clear, understandable and achievable. And teachers of content subjects aren’t used to formulating language aims, so need some support. And whether you call them aims, objectives, learning outcomes or something else: they are important. Here is a CLIL aims handout for you which I hope will help. You can download the pdfs, too, below.
Video and other content for CLIL
- Make your multiple-choice questions more fun and engaging with Monopoly (or homemade) money. Watch this YouTube video from Charlie’s Lessons.
- Sign up to Teachit and liven up your lessons.
- Or sign up to the TES (Times Educational Supplement) for materials made by teachers.
- Practise your vowel pronunciation with this fun video.
Networking: CLIL events and news
Mastering CLIL
A brand new online course, Mastering CLIL, taught in conjunction with CLIL&more, from January to June 2023. Six two-hour evening sessions with time in between for you to work on developing CLIL materials with a CLIL buddy. The course is open to any CLIL teacher, worldwide. More information here and an online application form here.
CLIL coach reunion
I am planning a CLIL coach reunion on Wednesday 11 May, with Karin Holley Coaching. This day is for anyone who has already done a CLIL coach course, with me or elsewhere. We are going to work on your saboteurs and sage, sharpening up your CLIL coaching skills, as well as sharing challenges you are facing. Apply on my news page.
Online coaching
Contact me here for more information about personal online CLIL coaching or (online) courses including observations and/or coaching.
Feeling rusty? New workshop
And another totally new event: a one-day workshop on Wednesday 5 April 2023. in collaboration with Brian Dixon: New CLIL Strategies. More information here and an online application form here.
CLIL Back2Basics
Are you new to CLIL or have you never done a CLIL course? My group is almost full on my five-day thorough Back2Basics CLIL course in 2023, starting in February. More information and an online application form here
Masterclass CLIL in Belgium.
From 10-11 February 2023, I’m going to work with “Masterclass CLIL”, training and coaching teachers in Gent. Join me?
Free book: CLIL Skills
You can download my book CLIL Skills (co-authors Liz Dale and Wibo van der Es) here or by clicking on the image. It’s free to use under a generous Creative Commons licence.