Have you ever designed a seemingly perfect CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) lesson, only to find your students struggling to complete even basic tasks? You might provide all the necessary vocabulary – balloon, sticky tape, egg – for a classic egg drop challenge, yet they still can’t label a simple diagram or articulate their design modifications to protect the egg. It’s a common frustration for educators: why does this disconnect happen?
Often, the issue lies in overlooking a crucial aspect of language acquisition: Language For Learning. While subject-specific vocabulary is important, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. To truly support students in CLIL environments, we need to consider the broader linguistic demands of learning activities. The “language triptych” visually represents this multifaceted nature of language in CLIL.
language-tryptich1
This model highlights three distinct but interconnected types of language within a CLIL lesson: language of learning, language for learning, and language through learning. Understanding each component is key to effective CLIL instruction.
Decoding the Language Triptych
Let’s break down each type of language using our egg drop experiment as an example.
Language of Learning: Content Vocabulary
The language of learning is what we traditionally think of as subject-specific vocabulary. In our egg drop scenario, this includes nouns directly related to the science content, such as “balloon,” “sticky tape,” and “egg.” It also encompasses prepositions that describe spatial relationships, like “in,” “on,” and “under,” relevant to designing and describing their egg protection devices. This is the vocabulary directly related to the topic being studied.
Language for Learning: Task-Enabling Language
Crucially, there’s also the language for learning. This category includes the language students need to actually engage with the learning tasks. In the egg drop challenge, this isn’t just about knowing “balloon”; it’s about understanding verbs like “label,” “describe,” “design,” and “modify.” These action words dictate what students are expected to do with their content knowledge. Students might grasp the science concepts, but struggle if they don’t understand the instructional language guiding their activities. Are they asked to classify materials, compare designs, or evaluate the effectiveness of their prototypes? These are all examples of language for learning.
When CLIL lessons falter, it’s frequently because students haven’t mastered the language for learning, not necessarily the subject content itself. They may have performed similar tasks in their native language, but the English vocabulary used to frame the activity presents a barrier. So, how can educators bridge this gap? Strategies include task modeling, providing sentence starters, or even brief explanations in the students’ native language to clarify instructions.
Language through Learning: Spontaneous Language Use
Finally, there is language through learning. This refers to the natural and spontaneous use of newly acquired language. It’s the evidence that learning is taking place and being internalized. In the context of the egg drop lesson, this might manifest as a student excitedly sharing, “I used balloons at my birthday party!” or confidently stating, “I need more sticky tape, please.” This spontaneous language demonstrates a deeper level of language acquisition, as students begin to apply new vocabulary in personal and relevant contexts.
Integrating Language for Learning into Lesson Plans
Consider this sample lesson plan, tailored for the egg drop science activity: CLIL – egg drop-English . (Please note: The original lesson plan and materials can be found and downloaded from here.)
This lesson plan thoughtfully includes a specific vocabulary list, differentiating between language of learning and language for learning. It also strategically revisits these key terms throughout the lesson. This constant reinforcement ensures that teachers remain conscious of potential linguistic hurdles. By proactively addressing both types of language, educators can effectively support students. This might involve modeling the language of learning (demonstrating “balloons” and “sticky tape”) or explicitly teaching the language for learning (practicing phrases like “label the drawing” and “explain your plan”).
By consciously integrating language for learning into our CLIL lesson design and delivery, we empower students to not only grasp the subject matter but also to actively participate and succeed in their learning journey. Remember to explicitly teach and reinforce the language needed to understand instructions and engage with tasks, and you’ll see a significant improvement in student outcomes.
Notes: the original videos and lesson material can be found and downloaded from here: https://languages.dk/clil4u/scenarios/sc33/5c.html
And more CLIL lessons can be found here: https://languages.dk/clil4u/
More information about designing CLIL lessons can be found in this article: https://www.unifg.it/sites/default/files/allegatiparagrafo/20-01-2014/coyle_hood_marsh_clil_toolkit_pp_48-73.pdf
