CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning

'CLIL refers to situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focussed aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language'. (Marsh, 1994)

This approach involves learning subjects such as history, geography or others, through an additional language. It can be very successful in enhancing the learning of languages and other subjects, and developing in the youngsters a positive ‘can do’ attitude towards themselves as language learners. (Marsh, 2000)

I start this article by defining CLIL because this methodology has wide application in Europe even though it is still being tested and not very well-known in our country, yet, it is exactly what Miss Daniela Piñero does when she teaches art to her students.

Daniela and her group have been studying art history and have made some portfolios (we are already thinking how and when to show them to all the community) with the biography and the works of the greatest artists of each period. Of course, this task was done during the English class.

The focus was the investigation and the making of the portfolios rather than the studying of the language, which was used only as a means of communication; a far more attractive way of learning art (and English).

Claudia Pisoni – Daniela Piñero
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