The 2nd Biennial international conference Cross-curricular Language Learning: Putting CLIL into Practice took place at Sheffield Hallam University last weekend.
The conference welcomed researchers, teachers and trainee teachers and teacher educators interested in using cross curricular language learning techniques to increase motivation, confidence and attainment. Topics included:
- The impact of CLIL and immersion techniques on pupils’ motivation and progress
- CLIL pedagogy in EAL contexts
- Practical ideas for increasing cognitive challenge, motivation and engagement in the primary and secondary classroom
- How cross curricular learning can support pupils who will take England’s new language exams
- What we can learn from other countries.
Presentations and discussions incuded:
- CLIL’s development in Anglophone countries
- Approaches to immersion
- CLIL approaches to EAL, ESP and TESOL
- Transition KS2-3
- Motivation
- Optimal cognitive challenge
- Making classroom language real language
- Age relevant content
- Intercultural awareness.
The event was led by ALL member Dr Kim Bower, Sheffield Hallam University. Kim also featured in last week’s TES article: Learning maths in foreign languages boosts MFL grades.
Also speaking at the conference was ALL Council member Jane Driver. Jane, along with her colleague Virginia Alfaro (ALL Promising Newcomer: Secondary Language Teaching award 2018), delivered a major talk on CLIL for EAL – A Holistic Approach. Jane is Assistant Headteacher at Queen Katherine Academy, Peterborough and will join the ALL Council from September. You can also explore Jane’s article A day in the life of a multilingual school in the latest Languages Today magazine.
ALL member, Nadine Chadier (St. Jerôme bilingual primary school) also delivered a session at the conference where she demonstrated the use of objects, videos, songs and games in CLIL lessons.
The conference also featured a series of poster presentations including an overview of the ALL project ELAPSE. ELAPSE aims to develop primary and secondary language teachers’ awareness of CLIL and soft CLIL methodology. Practical resources and a good practice guide will be developed transnationally in French, German, Spanish, and English. The focus is on the transition between Primary and Secondary phases.
For further details about the project, please explore the project website and the ELAPSE poster.