Content through language.

Language through content

What is CLIL?

Content-Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a principle-based approach to teaching content and language skills at the same time. Its effectiveness is attested to by extensive research and IBI brings years of experience to its application. Learn the skills you need and the language to communicate them.
Benefits of CLIL can include:
Skill knowledge that is as good as, if not better than, that of traditionally trained students
Second language improvements that are often better than those of pure language learners
Better motivation to learn a second language
Extraordinary efficiency—improve in two directions at the same time

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Why It Works

Context.

You learn by connecting what is new to what you already know. The more ways you can connect what you are learning, the better. By attaching new language to non-language skills you are creating new anchor points for both and cultivating a more robust network of knowledge.

Attention

In order to understand a new skill in an unfamiliar language, you have to pay extra attention. Doing so signals to your brain that the object of attention is important and worth retaining. In order to communicate in an unfamiliar language about that new skill, you spend more time considering and reformulating your words. This is all time under tension that contributes to growth in understanding.

Story

People remember stories better than any other kind of information. Listening to stories is one of the most powerful ways to learn both the principles contained within it, and the language used to convey it. A person explaining content they know well uses story and metaphor.

Action

Language is learned faster when it is connected to action. The content portion of CLIL provides opportunities for such action. In a CLIL lesson, when you learn a new word it is attached to a new skill that you are about to practice.

Motivation

Learning a language by itself is like learning the often contradictory, and always arbitrary rules to a game you rarely get a chance to play. It can be difficult to maintain motivation. By pairing language with content, the learner’s interest in the latter provides fuel for pursuing both.

Core Principles of CLIL

Content

is what you are learning about. CLIL lessons are not light on content, but that content is presented such that language will not get in the way of understanding.

Communication

is the language of interaction. The experience is similar to foreign language immersion. Developing content knowledge requires improving language skills.

Cognition

refers to the learning and thinking process being employed. The learner is made to work for the information in a variety of ways. The more work you do to get a piece of information, the better you remember it.

Culture

means the development of intercultural skills. Using a foreign language to interact in an authentic way helps learners develop new lenses through which to see the world and understand others.