1) 1-2-3 Sequence (Conceptual sequencing) 

Teaching all traditional school subjects, such as mathematics, science, history, and geography, follows a specific order or sequence. This ‘sequencing’ of concepts is helpful for learning. We know more or less where we have been and where we are going. Subject teachers working in CLIL have no particular problems with the idea of sequencing. Still, they must understand how the language of each unit progresses, repeats, recycles, and grows in complexity. 

No task in CLIL exists in isolation. There is always a ‘before’ and an ‘after’. For example, if the teacher introduces the topic ‘The discovery of the Americas by Columbus, ’ the students may have heard the term ‘discovery’ and know what ‘the Americas’ is. 

2) Concept > language (Conceptual fronting) 

The priority of CLIL is the content. As such, it will always dictate the language to be used. This will be true not only in terms of the vocabulary but also the language structures and functions. For instance, if we teach the water cycle, the vocabulary items will include ‘precipitation’, ‘evaporation’ and ‘condensation’. The major grammar structures are present tenses, while the language functions need to refer to a cycle, that is, terms like ‘first’, ‘next’ and ‘then’. 

3) Task > language (Task as priority, language as vehicle) 

The task dictates the language, as the language is not a goal but a vehicle for learning the content. For instance, if students need to research the progress of an invention over time and then communicate their findings, they will use specific time expressions, such as ‘first’, ‘then’, ‘ten years later’, ‘in the 19th century’, ‘in the early 20th century’, ‘in 1961’, ‘finally’, etc. They should also use past tenses and appropriate vocabulary. So, the language depends on the concept and the specific procedure we choose. 

4) Guided multimedia input (Guiding multimedia input) 

Input means all the information directed at the students. As such, it needs to be carefully designed and delivered. It also should be ‘chopped’ into smaller bits rather than delivered to students in large chunks. After every input instance, the teacher should stop and check understanding using appropriate concept-check questions before moving on. The word ‘multimedia’ clearly delivers the message - many, mainly visual, tools should accompany the content. Although modern classrooms often use multimedia, in a CLIL setting, it becomes even more critical. Mini-films with appropriate commentary would help students understand concepts better than a dry textbook description of the same process. Last but not least, this multimedia input should be guided. In this regard, teachers need to design pre-, while- and post-watching tasks to ensure that the students do not just sit idly watching a video but have support in the form of a handout to refer to. 

5) 3 dimensions (CLIL in three dimensions) 

Besides the content and the language, every CLIL lesson includes some procedures, that is, the technicalities of what needs to be done with the content using the language as a vehicle. Before the lesson, the teacher must decide which of those three elements, content, language or procedure, poses the most significant difficulty for the students. If this is the content itself, it needs special attention and support. In another instance, this might be the language needed to describe a process. The vocabulary thus would require extra work on pronunciation, spelling and meaning. The last element in this trio is a procedure. This may mean reading the text on similarities and differences, such as the Arctic and Antarctica, and transferring the information into a two-circle Venn diagram. The procedure might require extra time and careful explanation if the students have never seen or made such a graphic organiser. 

6) Key language (Making key language salient)  

Key language items need to be highlighted and made salient. Students can only discuss the studied concepts if they understand and can write and pronounce the necessary vocabulary. This language support means scaffolding (explicitly providing it) or embedding it into the text. Moreover, the language should be displayed in the classroom and provided as handouts.  

7) Careful! Instructions (The text-task relationship) 

The relationship between the text the students are to read, or the video they need to watch and the task they are to do is based on what lies in between, that is, instructions. To be effective, instructions should be carefully planned and staged to avoid adding to the burden of understanding the text/video and doing the task. In short, ensuring the students know what to do is crucial. A simple question: Do you know what to do? is not going to prevent problems. Some students find it challenging to acknowledge that they do not understand the task. Thus, the teacher should ask more detailed instruction-check questions, like: How many pieces of information do you need to find? or What are you going to do when you finish the task? 

8) Student-student interaction (Enhancing peer communication) 

A well-designed lesson should allow students to interact in pairs or groups. In CLIL, it is the time to check the understanding of the content and the correctness of the language the students need to express the studied concept. It is the time to rehearse the answer to the task before it can be given to the class. This postponed answer to the teacher’s question or the written task is essential. It can be achieved using various strategies, such as thinking routines (e.g. Think-Pair-Share) or information gap activities. Student-student interaction is also tightly connected to peer-to-peer learning. 

9) Supported output (Supporting student output) 

Besides guiding student input, CLIL teachers need to support student output. This ‘output’ is speaking and writing and may be preceded by other presentation forms, such as posters, models or graphs. By producing the language, students show themselves and their teachers that they are learning. Subject teachers should be aware that various output forms need different linguistic tools. Expressing an opinion differs from describing data, and expressing an opinion to a peer in pair work varies significantly from expressing an opinion through a PowerPoint presentation to the whole class. Similarly, in writing, a report on an experiment in science is different from writing an essay on Marxism. Thus, teachers must know the output-supporting strategies in relation to the specific requirements of their subject. For instance, writing can be supported through the use of writing frames. 

10) Thinking (Supporting thinking skills) 

The fact that the students learn non-linguistic content through a foreign language does not mean the teacher needs to simplify knowledge or spoon-feed the students. On the contrary, students must be challenged to ensure they grasp the concepts to be learnt. They need to be physically active and/or mentally involved in learning. As the world's complexity grows, students need various skills and competencies, such as problem-solving, intercultural awareness, creativity, and initiative. 

Parameter

Comments

Parameter

Comments

The CLIL Wheel Worksheet

Pre-reading 

Task 1 

Before you read the texts, note down your prior knowledge of the 4Cs of CLIL.

While-reading  

Task 1

Skim your text to note down the position of the 4Cs of CLIL in the first stage of the CLIL Wheel construction.     

Task 2

Now, order the 10 CLIL parameters as presented in the text. The first example has been done for you.   

Task 3

Read the text in detail to learn more about the CLIL Wheel. Use the sentence starters given below to complete the text. 

Task 4

read your text in detail to find more information about the CLIL parameters. In the table, write their names in the CLIL Wheel and add 3-5 words or expressions that you find most important for the given parameter.  

Post-reading  

Task 1 

Note down your reflections on the CLIL Wheel as a concept. Use the sentence starters in the box. Make sure you explain your choice and write 3-4 sentences to every point.      

Task 2 

Share your reflections with colleagues involved in CLIL.