CLIL implementation in foreign language contexts ...rpltl.eap.gr › images › 2017 › RPLTL-8-2.pdf · CLIL Implementation in Foreign Language Contexts: Exploring Challenges and

CLIL implementation in foreign language contexts: Exploring challenges and perspectives Part II Guest editors: Eleni Griva Angeliki Deligianni

Volume 8, Issue 2 July 2017

Editor-in-chief:NicosSifakis,HellenicOpenUniversity

Assistanteditors:

EleniManolopoulou-Sergi,HellenicOpenUniversityChristineCalfoglou,HellenicOpenUniversity

Specialadvisortotheeditors:SophiaPapaefthymiou-Lytra,UniversityofAthens

Advisoryboard:

GeorgeAndroulakis,UniversityofThessalyMichaelBeaumont,Universityof

ManchesterYaseminBayyurt,BoğaziçiUniversityMaggieCharles,UniversityofOxfordBessieDendrinos,UniversityofAthensZoltanDörnyei,UniversityofNottinghamRichardFay,UniversityofManchesterVassiliaHatzinikita,HellenicOpen

UniversityJenniferJenkins,Universityof

SouthamptonEvangeliaKaga,PedagogicalInstitute,

GreeceEvdokiaKaravas,UniversityofAthensAlexisKokkos,HellenicOpenUniversityAntonisLionarakis,HellenicOpen

University

EnricLlurda,UniversityofLleidaMarinaMattheoudaki-Sayegh,Aristotle

UniversityofThessalonikiBessieMitsikopoulou,UniversityofAthensAnastasiaPapaconstantinou,Universityof

AthensSpirosPapageorgiou,EducationalTesting

ServiceAngelikiPsaltou-Joycey,Aristotle

UniversityofThessalonikiBarbaraSeidlhofer,UniversityofViennaAreti-MariaSougari,AristotleUniversityof

ThessalonikiJulia-AthenaSprinthourakis,Universityof

PatrasDinaTsagari,UniversityofCyprus

Editorialboard:

ThomaiAlexiou,AristotleUniversityofThessaloniki

LedaAntoniou,HellenicOpenUniversityAnastasiaGeorgountzou,HellenicOpen

UniversityEleniGerali-Roussou,HellenicOpen

UniversityMoiraHill,LincolnQatiefFemaleCollege

VasileiaKazamia,AristotleUniversityofThessaloniki

VasilikiRizomilioti,UniversityofPatrasKosmasVlachos,HellenicOpenUniversityVasiliosZorbas,UniversityofAthens�AikateriniZouganeli,EFLTeacherand

TeacherTrainer

2

TableofContentsofVolume8,Issue2,2017

SpecialIssue

CLILImplementationinForeignLanguageContexts:ExploringChallengesandPerspectives

PartII

pp.IntroductiontoSpecialIssue—VolumeIIEleniGrivaandAngelikiDeligianni

4

CLIL in primary education: promoting multicultural citizenship awareness in theforeignlanguageclassroomEleniGrivaandDoraChostelidou

9

The case for geography through CLIL: exploring the linguistic and interculturalpotentialinThraceNellyZafeiriadesandGeorgiaKosma

24

“LetmeintroduceyoutoCrete”:aCLILprojectintheEnglishasaforeignlanguageclassroomEleniKorosidouandAngelikiDeligianni

35

PhysicaleducationthroughCLIL:teachingmovementvocabularytoyounglearnersKyriakiEmmanouilidouandChryssaLaskaridou

51

Implementing CLIL in Greek secondary school setting: a suggestion for goodteachingpracticesMariaChionis,DimitraDertili,IoannaKynigouandEleniXanthakou

63

OnhowcontentmotivatesgrammarChristineCalfoglou

77

AnintegratedapproachtoteachingpoetryinaGreekEFLclassroom.Acasestudy:comparingCafavyandShakespeareMaryMarin

89

IntegratingtheCLILapproach: literatureandwikis intheGreekEFLclassroomasa 103

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meansofpromotinginterculturalawarenessKaterinaVourdanouCanteachingofforcesenforcelanguagelearning?IfigeniaKofouandKostasPhilippides

120

ACLILmodel:teachingscienceatsecondaryeducationKleopatraKalogerakou,MarianthiBakaandMariaLountzi

136

CLIL‘Arena’—Episode1:ReflectiononCLILimplementationinanEFLprimaryschoolclassroomChryssaLaskaridou

149

CLIL‘Arena’—Episode2:ReflectiononCLILimplementationinanEFLprimaryschoolclassroomDespoinaN.Feleki

152

CLIL‘Arena’—Episode3:ReflectiononCLILimplementationinanEFLprimaryschoolclassroomElenaSofroniadou

155

CLIL‘Arena’—Episode4:ReflectiononCLILimplementationinanEFLprimaryschoolclassroomGeorgiaMakrogiorgou

160

CLIL ‘Arena’—Episode 5: Reflection on CLIL implementation in an EFL secondaryschoolclassroomEfthimiosMavrogeorgiadis

162

CLIL ‘Arena’—Episode 6: Reflection on CLIL implementation in an EFL secondaryschoolclassroomPanayiotisDomvros

166

CLIL ‘Arena’—Episode 7: Reflection on CLIL implementation in an EFL secondaryschoolclassroomMelinaKalaitzidou

168

CLIL ‘Arena’—Episode 8: Reflection on CLIL implementation in an EFL secondaryschoolclassroomDoraChostelidou

170

BookReview 175

AllarticlesinthisJournalarepublishedundertheCreativeCommonsLicenseDeed.Attribution3.0Unported(CCBY3.0)

ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearningVol.8,No.2,February2017,4-8ISSN:1792-1244Availableonlineathttp://rpltl.eap.grThisarticleisissuedundertheCreativeCommonsLicenseDeed.Attribution3.0Unported(CCBY3.0)

SpecialIssueon

CLILIMPLEMENTATIONINFOREIGNLANGUAGECONTEXTS:EXPLORINGCHALLENGESANDPERSPECTIVES

VolumeTwo

Introduction

EleniGrivaandAngelikiDeligianniThe secondVolumeofRPLT special issue includesanumberofCLILprojects implementedand researched in theGreek educational context.Dedicated language teachers frombothprimaryand secondaryeducation share their experienceofCLILprojects, designedon thebasisof thedemandsof theirowneducational/teachingsettings.ThecontributorspresentCLIL implementations indiversepopulations inbothprimaryandsecondaryeducationanddiscuss the specificities of CLIL classroom practices in relation to diverse populations andsettings.TheseseparatecasesofflexibleCLILprojectexperimentationconstituteasourceofrelevantexperiencetobeconsideredas theprecursorofofficialCLIL introduction. It is forthis reasonthat thisvolumealso includes teachers’ reflectionson theirCLILexperience, insectionentitled“EpisodesinCLILArena”.The volume provides space for researchers and practitioners to present their efforts onstudies which offer insights into the practical challenges that might be encountered inimplementingCLILprojects.TheauthorsmaintainthatCLILinstructionshouldbeexpandedintheGreekeducationalcontext,andgoodCLILpracticesshouldbedeveloped.Additionally,they highlight their need for training in CLIL approach to acquire and develop thecompetencesrequired.The second Volume of RPLTL special issue on CLIL has been organized in two sections asfollows:

GrivaandDeligianni-Georgakas/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)4-8

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Sectionone:ImplementingCLILprojectsinPrimaryandSecondaryEducationThissectioncomprisesaselectionoftenpaperswiththeaimtodemonstratethatexpertisein CLIL does exist in the Greek educational context although this approach has not beenofficiallyintroducedinGreece.Agrowingnumberofteachers,eitherEFLteachersorteamsofEFLandsubjectteachersinsecondaryeducationorEFLandgeneraleducationteachersinprimaryschools,cananddecidetosupportinnovativeCLILpracticesintheGreekeducationsystemwithpositiveresultsregardingbothlanguageacquisitionandcontentlearninginCLILclassrooms.SectionOnehasbeenorganizedintothefollowingtwosubsectionsrelatedtoCLILprojectsinmainstreamprimaryandsecondaryeducation.Subsection One comprises four articles that focus on introducing CLIL projects in primaryeducationsettings,whereteachersusedEnglishasaforeignlanguage(EFL)asthevehicletoteachcontent.In the first paper of Subsection One entitled “CLIL in Primary Education: promotingmulticulturalcitizenshipawarenessintheforeignlanguageclassroom”,EleniGrivaandDoraChostelidou present a CLIL project that was designed to increase students’ awareness ofculturaland linguisticdiversityanddevelopawarenessof selfandotheralongwith raisingtheirinterestin‘otherness’.Theexperimentalprojectwaspilotedfor6thgradestudentsataprimaryschool,innorthernGreece.Theevaluationofthestudyindicatedthepositiveeffectof CLIL on students’ foreign language (FL) skills development along with significantlyenhancedmulticulturalcitizenshipawareness.The second paper: “The case for Geography through CLIL: Exploring the linguistic andinterculturalpotential inThrace”,authoredbyGeorgiaKosmaandNellyZafeiriades, viewsCLIL as a highly dynamic alternative to current mainstream teaching practices and achallengingapproach. It focusesona lessonplandetailedanalysis, thus justifying itsmainargumentthatCLILhasaroletoplay inshapingfutureflexible,enrichingandempoweringmultifaceted language learning and content learning experiences alike into currentmultilingual/multiculturalcontexts.In about the same line, Eleni Korosidou and Angeliki Deligianni, in their paper: “’Let meintroduce you to Crete’: A CLIL project in the English as a foreign language classroom”,presentaCLILprojectwhichwaspilotedina6thgradeclassroomofaGreekprimaryschool,focusingonCretanhistoryandculture.Languagelearningwasintegratedwiththesubjectsof Geography, History Culture and Art. The findings indicated students’ improvementregardingboththeirreceptiveandproductiveskillsinthetargetlanguage,thedevelopmentofchildren’sculturalawarenessaswellastheirsensitivityandrespecttowardslocalhistory.Inthe lastpaperentitled“PhysicaleducationthroughCLIL:teachingmovementvocabularyto young learners”, Kyriaki Emmanouilidou and Chryssa Laskaridou present a CLILprogramme,whereapartofthe‘movementalphabet’vocabularyofPhysicalEducation(PE)contentwastaughtinaclassofYear2pupilsinaschoolwithanextensiveEnglishlanguagecurriculum.ThePEteacherandtheEnglishlanguageteacherwerebothresponsibleforthedesignandimplementationofthelessons.ThecontentofthePEsyllabusthatwaschosen,theobjectives,thematerialsandexamplesofassessmenttechniquesarepresented,andthedifficultiesencounteredarediscussed.


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SubsectionTwoincludessixarticlesonCLILimplementationinsecondaryeducationsettingsaiming at learning different subject content anddeveloping EFLwith both subject-specificandlanguage-specificobjectives.InthefirstpaperofSubsectionTwo“ImplementingCLILinaGreekSecondaryschoolsetting:a suggestion forgood teachingpractices”, IoannaKynigou,EleniXanthakou,MariaChionisand Dimitra Dertili describe CLILmethod in the setting of a junior high school in Athens,Greece.TheypresentaprovisionalschemeforinformalassessmentofCLILimplementationinanattempttoevaluatethepossibleadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthemethod,bothinterms of cognitive as well as linguistic development, as these have emerged from itsapplication.Provisionalconclusionsaredrawn,andsuggestionsaremadeforfurtherstudiesinordertoassesstheopportunitiespresentedandtheobstaclesanticipatedintheeventofamoregeneralizedimplementationofthemethod.ChristineKalfoglou,inhercontribution“OnhowContentmotivatesGrammar”,drawsontheconception of grammar as a dynamic system that involves thinking, while attempting toshowthat,withinaCLILcontext,formcanbetaughtasemergingnaturallyoutoftheneedsdictated by the specific type of thinking invited by the content selected. She shows it bypresentingaCLILhistoryprojectimplementedwithstudentsinalowersecondaryeducationEFLcontext foranover three-monthperiod in twoconsecutiveyearsand throughtappinglearners’awarenessoftheirgrammarbenefits.MaryMarin adopts CLIL approach to teaching poetry in a high school classroom. In herpaperentitled“AnIntegratedApproachtoTeachingPoetryinaGreekEFLClassroom.ACaseStudy: Comparing Cavafy and Shakespeare”, she presents a case study of comparing twoseemingly different world renowned poets,William Shakespeare and Constantine Cavafy,implemented to junior high school EFL learners. Itwas revealed that through a variety oflinguistic, methodological and motivational elements, the use of poetry in the languageclassroomcanbeapotentiallypowerfulpedagogictool.KaterinaVourdanou,inhercontribution“IntegratingtheCLILapproach:Literatureandwikisin the Greek EFL classroom as a meansofpromotingintercultural awareness”, presents aCLIL project carried out in the 3rd grade of a junior high school aiming to investigate theimpact of the integration of literature and wikis in the EFL classroom on students’interculturalawareness.Thefindingsrevealedtheeffectoftheliterarytextonthelearners’intercultural awareness and the significance of integrating intercultural material whilecombining face-to-face with online instruction in the Greek EFL classroom was reflected.Furthermore, the benefits of applying the CLIL approach in EFL students’ skills wereindicated.Ifigenia Kofou and Kostas Phillipides, in their paper: “Can teaching of forces enforcelanguagelearning?”,presentaCLILprogrammewhichtookplaceataseniorhighschool inThessaloniki aimingat teachingpartof the syllabusofPhysics in English,more specificallythechaptersonforcesandNewton’s laws.Theformativeandsummativeassessmentusedinboththeexperimentalandcontrolgroupsprovedthattheforeignlanguagedidnotaffectthecomprehensionofthesubjectcontent,whileaself-assessmentquestionnaireindicatedthatmoststudentsoftheexperimentalgroupdevelopedalllanguageskills.In the last contribution with the title “A CLIL Model: Teaching Science at SecondaryEducation”, Kleopatra Kalogerakou, Marianthi Baka and Maria Lountzi present theimplementationofCLIL teachingmethod inScienceata juniorhigh schoolofAthens. It is


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aboutasmall-scaleprojectofa12-hourmodulefor1stgradeon‘Theorganizationoflife’inBiology and a 12-hour module for 2nd grade on ‘Consumer Behaviour’ in HomeEconomics.This project belongs to an on-going research project to develop a pedagogicalmodel for CLIL by involving more content areas and more systematic CLIL teachingthroughouttheschoolyear.SectionTwo:ReflectingonCLILimplementationThissection,entitled“EpisodesinCLILArena”,includeseightCLILteacherreflectionsontheirexperience from teaching in a CLIL context. One of the most difficult aspects ofimplementinginnovativeapproachessuchasCLIL istheisolationimposedonpractitioners.There are few opportunities available to observe and learn from other colleagues’experience. To help fill that void especially with regard to CLIL project design andimplementation,eightCLIL teachers reflecton theirCLILexperienceandprovideageneralappreciationoftheirCLILinterventionbydiscussingthethreefollowingissues:• Teacher’sexperiencerelatedtoCLILprojectsThe teachers discuss on how and when they became involved in CLIL and reportproblems/challenges/difficulties they encountered. They finally reflect on the advantagesanddisadvanatagesofCLIL.Accordingtotheirreports,CLILprojectwasimplementedingeography,physics,historyandastrology classes, either by the EFL teacher or in collaboration with subject teachers.Emphasis was placed on authentic teaching material and the construction of authenticlearning environment. In some of the implemented CLIL projects student learning wassupported either by a Moodle-based dynamic learning environment or by using theWebQuestorelectronicplatforms.ItisarguedthatthevarietyofCLILresourcesavailableonlinecanhelpteachersputtogetherandteachaCLILcourseeffectively. Italsoderivesthattheir CLIL experience has offered them the opportunity to become more flexible andresourcefulteacherswithrewardingresultsforboththeteacherandstudent.Onafinal/lastnotetheyhavebeenleftwithaverysatisfyingandpositivefeeling.• LanguageTeachers’roleinCLILprojectsInparticular,theteachershavetoreflectoncertainissuessuchas,whatmakesaneffectiveCLILteacher,howhe/shecopeswithhis/herneedsasaCLILteacher,whetherCLILcontexthelpsstudentsfeelsaferandgivesthemtheopportunitytomakesuggestionsforpreferredlessonstructure.It has been recorded that CLIL teachers realize their role as a facilitatorwhile introducingenjoyableactivitiesaway fromtraditional ratherboringteachingmaterial.Flexibility isoneof the characteristics of their role and code-switching results as a natural communicationstrategy.HoweveritstemsthatlanguageteachersfacetherestraintandsuspiciononthepartoftheircolleaguesandheadteacherswhohavenotbeeninformedaboutCLILasyet.NotrarelyCLILteachersmay be confrontedwith reactions that come from subject teachers and parentswho might worry about the effects of the implementation of an innovative teachingapproachsuchasCLIL.Furthermore,PanayotisDomvros,inhisreport,expresseshisdoubts


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aboutthereadinessoftheGreekeducationalsystemintermsofmodalityandresourcestoadoptCLILasagenerallyacceptedpractice.• TeachertrainingneedsThis issue seems to be teachers’ major concern. As they declare, EFL teachers lack CLILexperienceandtheyareinneedofrelevantteachertrainingcourses.Theyalsoreportthattheyneedtodoalotofstudytomakesurethatthecontentinformationandknowledgetobe taught is appropriate. Their suggestions include the establishment of formal, wellorganized training and relevant legislation that would set the framework within whichteachers could safely initiate and experiment CLIL project implementations. Morespecifically, they wish to have training and consultancy on designing/preparing CLILmaterials.Theyalsoperceivethattheyneedtofamiliarizethemselveswithalternativewaysofbrainstormingandassessmentthroughcomputers.

HavingreachedtheendofthisRPLTLspecialissueonCLIL,includingtwovolumes,wewouldliketoextendoursincerethankstoallcontributors.Asarguedatthebeginningofthisissue,CLIL has emerged as amajor innovative approach to learning sincemid-nineties and canhaveasignificant future inbothEuropeanandGreekeducationalcontextwithremarkableresults.WebelievethatthecontentsofthisRPLTLspecialissue,inbothvolumes,advocateforthisassertion,sendstrongmessagestopolicymakersineducation,highlighttheneedforteachertrainingandraise,atthesametime,importantquestionsaboutthelimitsCLILneedsto have in manifesting itself. We hope that this RPPLT special issue on CLIL becomes aninspiration toall,whowant to strengthenschoolsas spacesofmeaningfulandpurposefullearningtoeffectivelymeetthe21stcenturychallenges.

EleniGriva([email protected]&[email protected])isanAssociateProfessorofAppliedLinguisticsattheDepartmentofPrimaryEducation,UniversityofWesternMacedonia,Greece.Sheisalsothecoordinatorofthe“TestingandAssessmentinLanguageLearning”moduleoftheM.Ed,inTESOLoftheSchoolofHumanitiesoftheHOU.Herresearchinterests

include:L2/FLLearningandTeaching,LanguageLearningStrategies,Bilingualism/Multilingualism,MethodsandMaterialsinBilingual/SL

Education,TeachingGreekaL2/Fl,AssessmentinLanguageLearning.

AngelikiDeligianni-Georgakas([email protected])isatutor-counselorintheTEYLmoduleatHOU’sM.Ed.inTESOLprogram.SheholdsanEdDdegreefromExeterUniversity,UKinTESOLandaMastersdegreefromAUTHin

Pedagogy.ShehasworkedinthepostofEFLSchoolAdvisorandtaughtatAristotleUniversity.ShehasalsoservedonthepostofEducation

CounselorattheGreekEmbassyinLondonandcooperatedwithHellenicPedagogicalInstituteandCouncilofEuropeonanumberofEFLprojects.

Herinterestareasinclude:MetacognitiveStrategiesAwarenessinLanguageLearning,CLIL,Multi/Pluriligualism,AlternativeAssessment.


CLILinPrimaryEducation:PromotingMulticulturalCitizenshipAwarenessintheForeignLanguageClassroom

HμέθοδοςCLILστηνΠρωτοβάθμιαΕκπαίδευση:προώθησητηςεπίγνωσηςτηςπολυπολιτισμικήςπολιτειότηταςστηντάξη

τηςξένηςγλώσσας

EleniGRIVAandDoraCHOSTELIDOUIntoday’sglobalizedworldexposuretoculturallearningcanberegardedashighlybeneficialfordevelopinglanguageandcontent,aswellasforraisingmulticulturalawareness.Itiswiththispurposethat thepresentCLILprojectwasdesignedto increasestudents’awarenessofcultural and linguistic diversity and develop awareness of self and other along withcitizenship.Theproject‘ourculture,yourculture,theirculture’waspilotedfor14weekswith6thgradestudentsataprimaryschool,innorthernGreece.Itsaimwastounfoldthedifferentcountries and diverse cultural contexts of the immigrant students within themulticulturalclassroomandbuildbridgesacross languagesandcultures.Different teachingmodeswereadopted,andeveryeffortwasmadesothattheteachingstrategiesemployedweretailoredto the students’ needs and interests.Gamesand storieswere used to support the culturalcomponent, highlight the relationship between the students’ own and other cultures, andraisetheirinterestin‘otherness’.TheevaluationofthestudyindicatedthepositiveeffectofCLILonthestudents’skillsdevelopment inthetarget language(TL)alongwithsignificantlyenhancedmulticulturalcitizenshipawareness.

�Στησύγχρονηπαγκοσμιοποιημένηκοινωνία,ηέκθεσηστηνπολιτισμικήμάθησημπορείναθεωρηθείως ιδιαίτερααποτελεσματική για την ανάπτυξη τόσο της γλώσσας όσο και τουπεριεχόμενου, αλλά και της πολυπολιτισμικής επίγνωσης των μαθητών. ΄Το παρόν CLILπρόγραμμα σχεδιάστηκε με στόχο να καλλιεργηθεί η επίγνωση των μαθητών για τηνπολιτιστικήκαιγλωσσικήπολυμορφίακαινααναπτυχθείηεπίγνωσητου«εαυτούμουκαιτου άλλου». Το πρόγραμμα «ο πολιτισμός μας, ο πολιτισμός σας, ο πολιτισμός τους»εφαρμόστηκε πιλοτικά για 14 εβδομάδες σε μαθητές της 6ης τάξης ενός δημοτικούσχολείουστηΒόρειαΕλλάδα.Μέσααπότοπρόγραμμαεπιχειρήθηκενα ‘ξεδιπλωθούν’οιδιαφορετικέςχώρεςκαιταποικίλαπολιτισμικάπλαίσιααπόόπουπροέρχονταιοιμαθητέςμε μεταναστευτικό προφίλ, στο περιβάλλον μιας πολυπολιτισμικής τάξη, και να

GrivaandChostelidou/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)9-23

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δημιουργηθούν γέφυρες ανάμεσα σε διάφορες γλώσσες και πολιτισμούς. Υιοθετήθηκανδιαφορετικοί τρόποι διδασκαλίας, και έγινε η κάθε δυνατή προσπάθεια ώστε οιστρατηγικές διδασκαλίας που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν να είναι προσαρμοσμένες στις ανάγκεςκαι τα ενδιαφέροντα των μαθητών. Παιχνίδια και ιστορίες χρησιμοποιήθηκαν ως βασικά‘μέσα’γιαναυποστηρίξουντησχέσημεταξύτωνπολιτισμώνπουφέρουνοιμαθητές,καινααυξήσουν το ενδιαφέρον τους στην «ετερότητα». Η αξιολόγηση του προγράμματοςκατέδειξε τη θετική επίδραση της μεθόδου CLIL στην ανάπτυξη των δεξιοτήτων τωνμαθητώνστηγλώσσα-στόχο,αλλάκαιτησημαντικήκαλλιέργειατηςπολυπολιτισμικήςτουςσυνείδησης.Keywords:CLIL,multiculturalawareness,culturaldiversity,younglearners.1.Introduction1.1 PromotingmulticulturalismandinterculturalcompetenceinCLILContextsModerneducationalcontextsareaplaceofpluralityandcontactamongdiverseculturesandlanguages,bringingtogetherstudentswithdiverselinguisticandculturalrepertoiressinceanumber of them have already developed a language other than the majority languagebefore entering formal education. In suchmulticultural educational contexts, all studentsare inneed to receive trainingsoas todevelopawarenessandacceptanceofdiversity,aswellasrespectoftheculturalmosaic(Porto,2010).Therefore,itisconsideredanobjectiveof primary importance to promote multicultural awareness within the context of themajorityculture,whichinturncanprovidethestudentswiththeopportunitytolearnaboutand respect other ways of living, other beliefs, and customs. What is more, effectiveexposuretomulticulturalismshouldinvolveawarenessofvarioustypesofidentitiesonthepartofthestudentssinceidentity, inessence,entailsanexplorationofthewayindividualsview and think about themselves and the way they are seen by others including theirpersonal,social,andculturalidentity(Barker,2003,pp.220-228).Building on multiculturalism within the frame of education is considered of majorsignificance since as Ruiz-Cecilia and Ojeda (2005, p.71) claim “multiculturalism is thepassport for achieving equality, keeping one’s identity, taking pride in our ancestry, andhavingasenseofbelonging.”Furthermore,buildingonculturalawarenessandacceptance,whichcanbeattainedbymeansofrelatinganindividual’sculturewiththemajorityoneanddrawingonone’sownculturalasset,i.e.knowledge,beliefs,andvalues,canprovideasolidgroundforpromotingefficientinterculturalcommunication(Ho,2009).Afterall,themeritsofdevelopingthestudents’abilitytocopewiththeirculturalcapitalwheninteractingwithpeers fromvariousculturalbackgroundsneedhardlybeargued intheeraofglobalization.Thus, developing intercultural competence which is regarded as critical for mutualunderstandingofdifferentbackgrounds,isnotconfinedtotheabilitytouselanguage;ratheritisalsobelievedtobeabletofosterpluri/multiculturalcitizenship.It shouldbenoted that intercultural competence is among theeight key competences forlifelong learning which are proposed by the European Commission (2012) and include:a)communication inone’sfirst language,b)abilitytocommunicate inforeign languages,c)competence in science and technology d) digital competence (using communication andinformation technology in a critical way), e) “learning to learn”, f) civic and social


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competence,whichinvolvesinterpersonalandinterculturalrelationships,g)havingasenseof entrepreneurship, being able to transform creative ideas into actions h) culturalawarenessandexpression.It goes without saying that given its significance intercultural competence deservesparticularattentionwithintheCLILclassroomwhile itsdevelopmentshouldtakeplaceinastructuredway.Inthisrespect,amodelofinterculturalcompetenceproposedbyByramandZarate (1994, p.15) presents “four sets of skills, attitudes, and knowledge”, which arereferred to as ‘savoirs’ ‘knowings’: knowledge of self and other, ‘knowing how tounderstand’,‘knowinghowtolearn/todo’,‘knowinghowtobe’.1.2CLIL:acompetence-basedteachingapproachContent and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) presents an innovative approach tolanguage learning, involving a threefold role of language: the language of learning; thelanguageforlearning;thelanguagethroughlearning(Coyle,2007).CLILisbothdynamicandmotivatingcomprisingholisticfeaturesbesidesemphasizingmeaningratherthanformandofferinga context forpurposeful languageuse (Dalton-Puffer,2007;Dalton-Puffer&Smit,2007).Moreover, constituting an integrative approach, it overcomes traditional curricularapproaches which involve the teaching of individual subjects in isolation rather “itrepresents a shift towards curricular integration” (Pavesi et al., 2001, p.77). On the sameline, it is believed that CLIL facilitates the achievement of intercultural competence as aneducationalobjective(Griva&Kasvikis,2015;Griva,Chostelidou&Semoglou,2015;Wolff,2007). Inthisvein,the integrativenatureofCLIL lends itself foradopting“notonlyadual-focusedbutatriple-focusedapproach:simultaneouslycombiningforeignlanguagelearning,contentsubjectandinterculturallearning”(Sudhoff,2010,p.36).CLIL environments have proven to promote rather than negatively influence contentlearningbyprovidingoptimalconditions(Zarobe,2007inSpratt,2012),besidesraisingthelearners’ motivation (Wiesemes, 2009, in Drew, 2013) and increasing their involvement(Coyle,2007;Pavesietal.,2001 inSpratt,2011).CLILvirtuallypresentsachallengeforthelearnersbyenablingthemtoprogressbothacademicallyandcognitivelybesidesachievingahighlevelofproficiencyintheTL(Naves,2009).Moreover,CLILpromotescreativethinkingprocesses by engaging the learners in cognitively demanding academic CLIL activitiesintegratingbothcontentandlanguage(ibid).TheimpactofCLILonstudents’gainsintermsof developing cognition and metacognition can be adhered to the fact that the CLILapproachoffers students the chance to usewhat they have learned encouraging them toapply, integrateandtransferthegainedknowledgewhile fosteringcritical thinking(Gravé-Rousseau,2011inEuropeanCommission,2014).CLILprovidesanefficientcontextforallowinglearningtotakeplaceinanaturalisticsetting,while a clear purpose for using the language is also provided (Naves, 2009, p. 25). GiventheirextensiveexposuretotheTL,CLILlearnersessentiallymakeextensiveuseofitanduseit in more complex ways compared to regular mainstream classrooms, while they alsoprocess larger amounts of informationwhich in turn improves their comprehension skills(Anagnostou,Griva&Kasvikis,2016;Drew,2013;Padadopoulos&Griva,2014).Additionally, a further positive feature of CLIL is that the language used derives from thecontent subject (Spratt, 2012). More specifically, CLIL language is characterized bypredominantly subject-related vocabulary; a focus on elements needed to be explored,discussing and writing about subject relatedmatters; the need to employ cognitive skills


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(defining, giving reasons for opinions, evaluating, hypothesizing, drawing conclusions,exemplifying); elements necessary to cope with learning skills (locating information,interpretinginformation,andclassifying)(ibid,p.11).Within the CLIL frame, it has been evidenced that some aspects of language competencetend to be more developed than others (Dalton-Puffer, 2007). Among them are: thereceptiveskills,listeningandreading,ratherthantheproductiveskills,speakingandwriting;themasteryofvocabularyitems;theelementsofcreativityandfluency(Anagnostou,Griva&Kasvikis,2016;Dalton-Puffer,2007).Moreover, itwas found thatCLIL studentsperformequally well or even outperform non-CLIL peers as regards learning of subject content intheir first language (Dalton-Puffer, 2011; Meyer, 2010). Other CLIL studies revealed amismatchbetween the receptiveandproductive skills (JiménezCatalán,RuizdeZarobe&Cenoz, 2006; Ruiz de Zarobe, 2007); better results were attained in the receptive skills.Accordingtootherresearchers(Sylvén,2006;Dalton-Puffer,2011),CLILstudentstendtobemorefluentintheTLandwillingtotakemorerisks,feelingmuchmoreconfidentabouttheirabilitiesthantheirnon-CLILpeers(inRuizdeZarobe,2010).Concluding, despite the demands CLIL poses on the learners, presenting them with anenriched learning environment, which aims at the development of both content andlanguage,canpositivelyaffectmainstreamCLILlearners’performance(Jäppinen,2006).2.Thepilotproject‘ourculture-yourculture-theirculture’2.1ThepurposeoftheprojectIntegrating the 4Cs, thebuildingblocks of CLIL (Coyle, 2005), theprojectwasdesigned tohelp the students understand the diversity of other students’ cultures and developawarenessof ‘selfandother’.Theculturaldimensionwasencompassedtoprovideamorecomprehensive and pluralistic view of foreign cultures (see also Griva & Kasvikis, 2015;Griva, Chostelidou& Semoglou, 2015). Its ultimate purposewas to promotemulticulturalunderstanding, intercultural competence and citizenship awareness. In particular, thefollowingobjectiveswereset:

• developingthestudents’skillsinEFL;• enhancingtheirawarenessofselfandother;• increasingtheirunderstandingofculturalandlinguisticdiversity;• enhancingtheirknowledgeinaspectsofcitizenship.

2.2TheparticipantsThesampleofthestudywere47sixthgradestudents,agedbetween11and12,attendingclassesattwourbanprimaryschoolsinThessaloniki,inNorthernGreece.Ofthe47students,22were immigrantchildrenofAlbanian,Bulgarian,Romanian,RussianandGeorgianoriginwith14ofthemhavingbeenborninGreece.Theother25werenon-immigrantchildrenofGreekorigin.ForsomebilingualchildrenwhoparticipatedinourCLILproject,speakingoneminority language at home, and using another language, themajority language, Greek atschool,Englishwasthethirdlanguagetolearn.MostofthemstartedlearningEFLattheageofeightorninewhile theirexposureto theTLvaried.Thestudents’EFLcompetence levelwas identified as A2 - A2+ (Elementary Level) according to the CEFR (Common EuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages).


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Multiculturalism&Citizenship1.IntroductiontoMulticulturalism&Citizenship 6.Multiculturalism/Citizenship

insociety Developingactivecitizenship Awarenessraisingofrightsand

responsibilities Fosteringconfidenceandself-esteem Buildingtrust BecomingawareofbothIndividualistic

andcollectivistcultures Becomingawareofdifferentvalues,

beliefsandculturalpractices

Multiculturalismasahumanright Multiculturalismandanti-bias

approaches Combatingprejudice&discrimination Acceptanceofdifferences Equalaccesstoservices Developingcriticalthinkingaboutwhat

isfairandunfairinhumanrelationships

2.Humanrights 7.MulticulturalismandDiversityatschool Understandinghumanrights IntroducingtheUniversalDeclaration

ofHumanRights-UDHR GettingtoknowtheUN Recordingthehumanrightsclimatein

theschoolcontext

Establishingasafeandsupportivelearningenvironment

Combatingstereotypesandprejudicialbehavior.

Offeringequitableeducationalopportunities.

Promotingmultipleperspectivesandwaysofthinking.

Creatingclassroomrules3.Children’srights 8.Multiculturalidentity/ties

Introducingchildren’srights(i.e.The

righttochildhood;education;health;fairtreatment;voice)

Whatchildrenneed Promotingchildren’srights

Constructingaknowledgeable,confidentself-identity

Strengtheningculturalconsciousness Developingmulticulturalidentities Becomingawareofculturaldifferences Becomingcompetenttoacceptcultural

differences Developingintercultural

communication/cross-culturalunderstanding

Developingapositiveattitudetowardsculturaldifferences

Developingskillsforcommunicationandinteractionacrosscultures

4.ForeignersandEquality

9&10Experiencingdifferentcustoms/traditions

Confrontingdiscrimination Appreciatingsimilaritiesand

differences Promotingfreedomofthought,

consciousness,religion,opinionandexpression

Experiencingcelebrationsfromdifferentcountries

Knowledgeofdifferentculturalandreligioustraditions

Experiencingdifferenteatingpractice Knowledgeofliteraturefromdifferent

countries Experiencingmusic&(traditional)

dancesfromdifferentcountries

5.Immigrantsneedsandrights

Protectinglife–theroleoftheindividualinsociety

War,peaceandhumanrights Immigrant’srights

Table1.TheThematicModules


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2.3Thedesignoftheproject:integratingcontentandTL2.3.1TheCLILModule:MulticulturalismandCitizenshipThe CLIL module provided the students with the opportunity to develop awareness ofhuman rights and citizenship in modern multicultural societies. Towards this aim, thestudentsweresmoothlyintroducedtomanycontroversialissueswhilebeingencouragedtoengage, think critically, make decisions, recognize and respect different perspectives andstart articulating and defending their views and values. It should be noted that the CLILmodulewasdesignedbasedonsixconcepts:

multiculturalawareness; citizenshipunderstanding; communication; creativity; cooperationandinteraction; activeparticipation.

Ten modules were designed to deliver in an activity-based context (Table 1), whichpresented the students'with a varietyof games includingon-lineones, designingposters,workingonartsandcrafts,doingpuzzles,creatingvideos,takingpartinrole-playing,doingpantomime, learningnewsongs,anddances,deliveringpresentations,andparticipating indebatesamongothers.Theseactivitiesprovidedthestudentswitharichexperienceofreallanguageinuse,stimulatedtheircuriosity,challengedthemtoengageactivelyanddeveloptheircreativity,freeexpressionaswellastheirinteractionskills.2.3.2ThetasksincorporatedinthemodulesTheaimofthetaskswastoenablethestudentstocooperateandcommunicate intheTL,besidesmakingdecisions,solvingproblemsandco-decidingonissuesrelatedtocitizenshipandculturaldiversity.“Whoarewe?”OurClassroomFileWith the aim to provide an introduction tomulticulturalism and citizenship, the studentsweregiventhechancetoworkonanddevelopaclassroomfile(bothpaperande-version)withaclassportraitonthecover.Eachsectionofthefilepresentedaself-portraitofeachclassmember.Asthecoursewenton,theparticipantsaddedpersonaldetails,answeredtoquestionsaboutthemselveswhileinformationaboutculturalelementssuchastheirfavoriteliteratureandauthorsfromtheirhomeculturewerecollected.Byidentifyingdifferencesintheirexternalphysicalappearance,origin, interests, likesanddislikes itwasexpected thattolerancetowardsdiversitywouldbeenhancedandsustained.SettingourclassroomrulesSince active citizenship often involves discussing controversial issues, the students wereaskedtoagreeonasetofruleswhichbesidesthetypicalissuesconcerningtheirbehaviorinclass involved the following issues: The students should feel that theywill be listened to,thattheiropinionisvaluedandthattheywillnotbelaughedat.Theyworkedingroupsoffour, agreed on the rules, presented them to their peers and negotiated the final list ofclassroomrules.Then,individualstudentswereaskedtowritethemonaflipchartwhileallstudentswereexpected tosign thembywayofacontract.The ruleswere thendisplayedpermanentlyintheclassroom.


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SettlementonPlanet“X”Thestudentsweregiventhefollowinginformation:Youareanadventurouspersonwhohasdecidedtosettleonarecentlydiscoveredplanetwhichwillbeinhabitedbyhumansforthefirsttime.Providealistcomprisinghumanrightstobeenforcedthere.Ingroupsof four, theydecidedaboutnamingtheirnewhomelandaswellasdevelopingalist comprising ten rights in total. Then, they presented theirwork to rest of the class todiscussandfinalizethelistofpeople’srightsonPlanet“X”.Finally,theyconsideredwhethertheseparticularrightsarerespectedonplanetearthornot.Also, they thought about what would happen if some fundamental rights were excludedfromtheirlist.SurveyinghumanrightsinyourschoolThe students were given a survey reflecting statements included in The UniversalDeclarationofHumanRights (UDHR)articles,whichwereadaptedto the learners’ leveloflanguage competence aiming to record their school’s human rights climate. The datawasprocessedwhile descriptive statisticswereused tomake generalizations anddiscuss theirfindings. The survey statements including their percentageswere thoroughly discussed inclassaswellaspresentedasaposterpresentation.Thefollowuptaskwastoplayaboardgametobroadenthestudents’knowledgeconcerningtheprinciplesUDHRaimstopromote.MessageinaboxAimingtoprovidethestudentswith theopportunity toestablishasenseof themselvesashumanbeingsandassumesomecertainresponsibilitytohumanity,theywereprovidedwiththefollowing input. Imaginethatafterhavingreceivedsignals fromextraterrestrialbeings,you are among those appointed to decide what kind of information about human beingsshouldbesentbacktothem.Theclassasagroupprovidedtheirsuggestionsregardingtheinformationtobe included inabox, i.e.modelsofpeople,clothing, food,everydayhabits,music, literature, celebrations,whichwere extensivelynegotiated and identifiedprovidingreasons.ProtectingchildrenThe task involveda considerationof children’s rightsalongwithabuseandexploitationoftheserightsassuggestedinthearticlesoftheConventionontheRightsoftheChild(CRC),whichwere exploited in class.Upon the completion of an extensive discussion in class asregards issues ofwhy some children aremore vulnerable compared to others andwhoseresponsibilitytheprotectionofchildrenis,aresearchtaskfollowed. It involvedconductingresearchconcerningchildprotectionintheirareawithafocuson:

• Thechildren’sneedsforprotectioninthecommunity;• Theagentswhoareresponsibleforprovidingprotectiontochildren;• Thestudents’potentialtocontributetothisprotection;• Theneedtoincludechildren’srightsinahumanrightstreaty.• Thefindingsoftheresearchwerepresentedanddiscussedinclass.

Packingyourbag…tofleethecountryThe task aimed to familiarize the students with the issue of the increasing amount ofrefugees inoursociety,whoneedto flee theirhomeland formanyreasons.Amongthem,duetowar,forfearofpersecutionduetohavingexpressedaparticularpoliticalopinion,orbelongingtoacertainrace, religion,nationality,aspecificsocialgroup.Thestudentswereprovidedwiththefollowingtask:Youareindanger,andyoudecideyoumustflee.Packyourbag. Takewith youonly a limited number of itemsandonlywhat you can squeeze into asinglebagwhichyouwill carry yourself. Youdonothavemuch time,only fiveminutes, to


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decidewhich itemsto takewithyouwhileyouareunlikely to returntoyourhomecountryagain.After thestudentshadpreparedtheir listofpersonalbelongings, theyread it inclass.Theoneswhodidnotmakeittocompletetheirlistdiscussedtheexperienceofhavingtomakedecisions under emotional pressure while being in a state of anxiety. Finally, a classdiscussionwasinitiatedconcerningthereasonsforgrantingordenyingasylumtorefugees.ThecaseofrefugeesinGreeceThestudentswereaskedtodescribethesituationofrefugeesinGreeceandwriteareport,includingrelevantfiguresandgraphsanddiagrams.Thetasksetwas:ResearchthecaseofrefugeesinGreecethesedaysintermsof:

- Demographicfeatures,nationality,gender,age,amongothers;- Theareasinwhichthegreatestconcentrationofrefugeescanbeidentified;- Thereasonsforhavingtofleetheirhomecountry;- Theagencieswhoareresponsiblefortakingcareofrefugees.

Whenis“oldenough”?FollowingtheCRC,thechildrenaregiventherighttofreedomofthought,conscience,andreligion, as their maturity grows. However, the point of time when a young person isregarded sufficiently mature to make decisions which are not aligned with the family orculturalbackgroundishighlydebated.Thestudentswerepresentedwiththefollowingcase,whichwasthenfollowedbyaclassdiscussion:

AhuandAnnamet inprimary schoolbut came fromdifferent countriesandhaddifferent social and economic status, so their families objected to themhangingouttogether.However,theirfriendshipcontinuedforsixyearsuntilAhumovedtoanother city. Both promised to keep in touch, but whenever Anna called, Ahu’sparentscutoffthecallandrefusedtoletAhuspeaktoher.Ahuunderstandsherparents’feelingsbutalsothinksthatshecanbeconsideredoldenoughattheageof twelve to choose her friends herself and be entitled to privacy in terms ofcommunicatingwiththem.

ThestudentswereadvisedtoconsultrelevantarticlesanddiscussAhu’srightsaccordingtothe CRC, her parents’ rights and finally, develop a strategy on how this conflictmight beresolved.Identifying“minoritygroups”withinthecommunityAimingtohelpthestudentsdevelopaconceptionanddefinitionofwhata“minoritygroup”actually presents, the students were asked to work in groups and indicate the minoritygroups in theirareaandpresenta listof them.Theywerealsorequestedto identifywhatcircumstancescancreateminoritygroupsinapopulation(i.e.immigrants,migrantworkers,refugees).Moreover,theywereexpectedtoexpresstheiropiniononwhethersuchgroupsexperiencediscriminationandifsoinwhatways.Thestudents’workwasthentransformedintoaposterpresentation.MulticulturalismanddiversityinthesocietyAimingtobuildonthelinkbetweenculturalidentityanddiversity,thestudentswereaskedtoworkingroupsoffour,examinetheirlocalcommunity,andindicatewhether:

- Thereareanyculturalminoritiespresent;- Thereisrespectforminoritycultures;


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- Participationinminorityculturesisfreeandpublicratherthanprivate;- Thereisrespectfortheminorityculturesencouragedbytheschool.

Whentheyhadall thenecessary information,aclassdiscussionfollowedwhichconcernedissuessuchas:

- Theimportanceoftherighttoculturalidentity;- Theimportancetopreserve,developandappreciatedifferentcultures;- Thereasonswhyitisoftenthecasethatdominantculturestendtobeimposed

onminoritygroups.Thefollowupwastoproduceawrittenreportontheissuesinvestigatedanddiscussed.WeareallalikeAimingtopromotecreativeexpression,bothspokenandwritten,thestudentswereaskedtobringanobject,afamilyheirloom,whichreflectsthecultureoftheirhomecountryanddescribe it to the rest of the class. Theywere also expected to present how their familyobtainedtheitem,howsignificantitistothemandhowtheyfeelaboutit.Afterthat,theywereaskedtowritedownthestoryoftheparticularfamilyheirloom.Game:AppreciatingsimilaritiesanddifferencesStudentsdonotalwaysrecognizethevariouswaysinwhichtheyarealike.Therefore,itwastriedtomakethemawareofthisfactbyintroducingagamewhichinvolvesnamingasimpleormorecomplexcategory(e.g.monthofbirth,petkind,favoritesport,toy,hobbyorgame,schoolsubject,spokenlanguages)andaskedthestudentstoformagroupwithotherswhoshared that category with them. After that, the enhanced perception of the students’unrecognizedsimilaritiesanddifferenceswasfurthersustainedbyholdingaclassdiscussion.GainingmulticulturalexperiencesthroughliteratureanddancingStories including fairy tales and fables from around the world take place in multiculturalsettingsandprovideinsightsintotheworldbeyondthestudents’communities.Thestudentswereaskedtosuggestapopulartalereflectingtheirhomeculturewhichwasreadinclass,wasprocessed forbothcontentand language toensurecomprehensionandwas followedby extension activities to account for its cultural dimension and promote multiculturalcompetence.Asafollowuptothistask,thestudentshadtoresearchandidentifyadifferentversionofone of the fables or folk tales across different cultures, which they then compared andcontrasted to indicateculturalelementsandpromote their critical thinkingskills.Thiswaydispellingofstereotypesandobtainingoffactualinformationfromanauthenticsourcewasachieved.After the students hadbeenpresentedwith several stories, theywere asked to chart thesimilaritiesanddifferencesofthemoralandthemajorcharacterinthesestoriesandinthiswayidentifyandconfrontracism,stereotypes,anddiversity.Furthermore, the studentswere introduced to folkmusic and dances of the six countriesrelated to the students’ origin to experience such cultures in amore activeway. Parentswereaskedtovolunteertoteachstudentsthesefolkdancesintheschoolpremisesduringtheregularhourlysessions.ProducingamulticulturalcookbookThestudentswereaskedtoconsulttheirparentsconcerningtraditionalfoodandtasteandbring recipes representative of the food in their home culture, which would be used to


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produce a cookbook. Every classroom session focused on the food culture of a particularcountrywhileallstudentsworkingingroupsoffourwereaskedtowritedowntherecipeinEnglishmakinguseofdictionariesavailableontheinternet.Furthermore,theparents’activecontributionwassoughtonceagain;theywererequestedtocookaconsiderableamountofthetraditionalfoodwhichwasconsumedintheclassroom,andallstudentshadthechanceto taste it.After that, the studentswereasked toexpress themselves commentingon thefoodtheytastedandcompareandcontrastwiththeircuisine.Thisway,by introducinganextensive exchange of views in class, the commonalities and differences between variouscuisines regarding the ingredientsused, thedominant flavors,andmodesofcookingwereidentified.3.ImplementingtheCLILproject3.1Theprocedure3.1.1Pre-stageDuringthepre-stageeveryeffortwasmadetoadoptappropriatemeanssoastomotivatethe students, arouse their interest in the topics at issue and engage them in the learningprocess.Multi-media resources and visualmaterialswere usedwhile teaching techniquessuch as brainstorming alongwithmindmappingwere introducednot only to activate thestudents’backgroundknowledgeasregardsthetopicsof themodulesbutalso inorder todeveloptheircognitiveskills.ItwasduringthisstagethatthestudentswerepreparedtocopewiththedemandsofeachoneofthetaskspresentedtothemwithinthemodulesbutwerealsoequippedwithallskillsconsideredessentialtodealwithorganizingtheActiveCitizenshipWeekandproducingthecampaignprojects.Atthisstage,itwasalsonecessarytoconsidergroupingissuesaswellascooperation rules,which facilitated the students inworking together and attain themostoptimaloutcomesfortheirteamandclass.3.1.2WhilestageDuringthewhile-stagethestudentsweregiventheopportunitytoworkinpairsandgroupsusing authenticmaterials and exploring the concept of citizenship in depth since learningabouttheirrights is integral tocitizenshipeducation.Thematerialsused,aimedathelpingthe learnersacquire thenecessary vocabularyand linguistic structures soas tobeable toexpress their ideas while the thematic units had a clear focus on developing theirinterculturalskillsandcompetenceinasystematic,naturalway.The students were engaged in a variety of inquiry-based activities which called forinvestigating, collaborating interactingand communicatingwitheachotherwhile trying to‘solve the problem’. They were encouraged to get involved in reflecting on culturallydeterminedattitudesandvalues,analyzingthefeelingsofindividualsconfrontinghardshipsanddiscrimination,developingempathy,comparingand/orcontrastingdifferentculturestothemajority culture, exploring and degrading cultural stereotypes, aiming to nurture thestudents’ tolerance and respect for ‘otherness’.Meanwhile, the teacher’s role concernedissuesoforganizationandmanagementtofacilitatethestudents’activity.


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3.1.3Post-stageAtthisstagethestudents’outcomeorendproduct,whetherbasedonpairorgroupwork,waspresentedtotherestoftheclassandwassubjectedtoevaluationonthebasisofclearlyspecified criteria. The students were invited to reflect on: a) their progress through self-assessment,andb) theirwillingnesstoadoptdifferentperspectivestomulticulturalvaluesandcitizenshipissues.3.2EstimatingtheeffectivenessoftheprojectA summative and formative evaluation processwas conducted to record the feasibility oftheprojectbyusingthefollowinginstruments:3.2.1Teacher’sJournalJournalentrieswerekeptbytheresearchersoncompletionofeveryteachingsession.Thestructure of the journal was based largely on the “reflection questions to guide journalentries”providedbyRichardsandLockhart(1994,p.16-17)andfocusedonissuesrelatedtothe objectives of the session, the material used, the teaching aids, the ways ofcommunication,thestudents’attitudeatthebeginning,inthemiddleandattheendofeachactivity,etc.Through a qualitative analysis of the journal entries, it was revealed that employingmultimodal materials, creating a multisensory environment and having the studentsparticipate in cooperative activities promoted extensive communication in the TL andmutualunderstanding.This,inturn,lednotonlytoamorepositiveattitudetowardsEFLonthe part of the students but also enhanced their multicultural understanding. Moreover,through their active participation in multicultural citizenship initiatives, students fromdifferentcultureslearnthowto“livesidebyside”inharmonywithintheschoolcontext.3.2.2Follow-upstructuredinterviewsStructured interviewswereconductedwiththestudentstocollect informationabouttheirattitudestowardstheimplementationoftheCLILprojectaswellastoevaluatethebenefitsofwhattheyhadlearnedthroughthemodule.Thestudentswereencouragedtoreflect inordertoanswerthefollowingquestions:

• -Whatdidyoulikemost?• -Whatwerethemaindifficulties?• -Whatcouldhavetakenplaceinadifferentway?• -Whatdidyoulearnbetter?

Throughaqualitativeanalysisoftheinterviewrecords,itwasrevealedthatthestudentshadthoroughlyenjoyedlearningbybeinginvolvedinmulticulturalactivitiesandwereproudoftheir contribution to the CLIL project. They mostly liked having been involved in variouscreative and cooperative activities. They also showed a particular preference for doingartworks,designingposters,deliveringpowerpointpresentationsalongwithassumingroles.ConcerningthedifficultiesthestudentsencounteredduringtheCLILproject,itwasrevealedthattheyhadfacedparticularproblemswithgeneralandspecificvocabulary itemsrelatedtothethemesof‘citizenship’and‘multiculturalism’.Althoughasignificantnumberofthemshowedsomepreferencefordoingartworksanddesigningposters,acertainnumberofthe


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studentsregardedtakingpartincreatingavideoasaratherchallengingactivity.Regardingthebenefitsof theprojectasperceivedby the students, themajorityof themstated thattheyhadhad theopportunity todevelop ‘content knowledge’ in analternativewaywhilelearningaboutdifferentculturesandbecomingawareofhumanrights.3.2.3ActivecitizenshipWeekDuring the firstweekof June2014, thestudents tookpart inan ‘ActiveCitizenship’week.They were actively engaged in a series of workshops and actions addressing issues ofconcern(Table2). Itwasduringthisweekwhenallstudentsshowedwhattheyhad learntduringtheCLILproject inasettingwhichmadethemexperienceasenseofbelongingtoagroup and offered them the opportunity to understand and experience their rights andresponsibilities.Havingbeencommittedtoworkingwithpeers,thestudentsincreasedtheirawarenessofculturalcommonalitiesanddifferences,aswellasacquiredanappreciationofand respect for their own and other cultures. They also exhibited skills, knowledge andattitudesessentialtoachieveactivemulticulturalcitizenship.Moreover,theyweregiventhechancetocollaborateandempathizewithschoolmatesfromdifferentculturalandlinguisticbackgroundsandbecomefamiliarwithotherculturesandcustoms.Firstday:Actions

Apresentationofthestudents’classroomfile. Activeparticipationingames:Appreciatingsimilaritiesanddifficulties.

Secondday:Actions A poster presentation introducing the new planet to be inhabited along with the list of

humanrightstobeestablishedthere. Students’debate:‘OurCulture-YourCulture’,seekingtofindsomecommonground.

Thirdday:Actions Apowerpointpresentationfortherecordofhumanrightsintheschoolcontext. Apowerpointpresentationfortheimmigrantminoritygroupsinthestudents’communityas

astimulusforstudents’reflectionanddiscussion.

Fourthday:Actions Introducing a ‘protect the children’s rights’ campaign using a video produced by the

students. Aposterpresentation:ThecaseofrefugeesinGreece.

Fifthday:Actions Roleplay: Students assume roles debating: When is ‘old enough’ to make their own

decisions? Readingstorylineswithamoral:respectforothercultures.

Sixthday:Actions Thedayofmeetingforeigncultures:‘Taste,Music,Dancing’.

Parentsareinvitedtoparticipateactively inthatmulticulturalfestival, ‘amulticulturalday’;Aneventopentothepublic.

Table2.AnoutlineoftheActiveCitizenshipWeek


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4.ConcludingremarksThe CLIL project considered was designed with the purpose to promote multiculturalunderstanding,interculturalcompetenceandcitizenshipawarenesswithinEFLteaching.Thefollowing learning outcomes were identified for the particular triple-focused educationalframework which aimed at “combining foreign language learning, content subject andinterculturallearning”(Sudhoff,2010).Outcomes related to cognitive skills, were attained through engaging the students innumerousinquiry-basedactivitiesrequiringtheiractiveinvolvementinproblem-solvinganddecisionmaking. Thus, the project offered them the opportunity to combine academic orcognitive development (see Griva & Kasvikis, 2015). Outcomes related to communicationskills,were attained through role plays, presentations, dramatizations andparticipation indebates, during which the students asked for clarifications, negotiated beliefs andstereotypes and expressed their views on diversity in EFL. The project also created anaturalisticlearningsettingandaclearpurposeforusingtheTL(Naves,2009;Anagnostou,Griva&Kasvikis,2016).Outcomes regarding cultural sensitivity and citizenship awareness, were attained throughengaging the students in content-based activities that enhance understanding of issuesrelatedtomulticulturalcitizenshipanddiversity.Theprojecthadan impacton introducingdifferent cultures, raising awareness of various cultural values and fostering interculturalcompetence.Concluding,theCLILimplementationatissuecanberegardedasadvantageousforthelearnerssinceitsucceededintransformingthelanguageclassroomintoa“culturallysensitive place to learn” (Porto, 2010, p. 47) dismissing racial conflict, establishingacceptancetowardsdiversityanddispellingstereotypes.ReferencesAgolli, R. (2013). ‘A penetrating Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)praxis in

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Barker,Ch.(2003).CulturalStudies:TheoryandPractice.London:SAGEPublications.Byram, M. (2008). From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural

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Competence.Strasbourg:CouncilofEurope.Coyle, D. (2005). Developing CLIL: Towards a Theory of Practice, APAC Monograph 6,

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Drew,I.(2013).‘UsingContentandLanguageIntegratedLearning(CLIL)inthe9thgrade’.InI.Pareliussen, B.B.Moen,A. Reinertsen,& T. Solhaug, (Eds.),Teachingabout the SecondWorld War from a global to local perspective in English lessons. FoU i Praksis 2012conferenceproceedings,AkademikaForlagTrondheim,69-77.

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European Commission (2014). Improving the effectiveness of language learning: CLIL andcomputerassistedlanguagelearning.London:ICFGHK.

Griva, E. & Kasvikis, K. (2015). ‘CLIL in Primary Education: Possibilities and challenges for developing L2/FL skills,historyunderstandingandcultural awareness’. InΝ.Bakić-Mirić & D. Erkinovich Gaipov (Eds.), Current trends and issues in education: aninternationaldialogue.CambridgeScholarsPublishing,125-140.

Griva, E. Chostelidou, D. & Semoglou, K. (2015). ‘“Our Neighbouring Countries”: RaisingMulticulturalAwarenessthroughaCLILProjectforYoungLearners’. InA.Akbarov(Ed.),Thepracticeofforeignlanguageteaching:theoriesandapplications,CambridgeScholarsPublishing,174-184.

Ho,SiT.K. (2010). ‘AddressingCulture inEFLClassrooms:TheChallengeofShifting fromaTraditional toan InterculturalStance’.Electronic JournalofForeignLanguageTeaching,6/1:63-76.

Jäppinen, A. K. (2006). ‘CLIL and future learning’. In S. Bjorklurd, K. Mard-Miettinen, M.Bergstrom & M. Sodergard (Eds.), Exploring dual-focussededucation. Integratinglanguage and content for individual and societal needs.http://www.uwasa.fi/materiaali/pdf/isbn_952-476-149-1.

Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress.

Meyer, O. (2010). ‘Towards quality-CLIL: successful planning and teaching strategies’.Puls,33:11-29.

Navés,T.(2009).‘Effectivecontentandlanguageintegratedlearning(CLIL)programmes’.InY. Ruiz de Zarobe & R. M. Jiménez Catalán (Eds.), Content and language integratedlearning.EvidencefromresearchinEurope.Bristol:MultilingualMatters,22-40.

Papadopoulos,I.&Griva,E.(2014).‘LearninginthetracesofGreekCulture:aCLILprojectforraising cultural awareness and developing L2 skills’. International Journal of Learning,TeachingandEducationalResearch,8:76-92.

Pavesi,M.,Bertochi,D.,Hofmannová,M.,&Kazianka,M.(Eds.).(2001).TeachingThroughaForeignLanguage.AguideforteachersandschoolstousingForeignLanguageinContentTeaching.Milano,Milan:TIECLIL.

Porto,M. (2010): ‘CulturallyResponsive L2Education:AnAwareness-raisingProposal’.ELTJournal,64/1:45-53.

Richards, J. C., & Lockhart, C. (1994). Reflective teaching in second language classrooms.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Ruiz-Cecilia,R.&Guijarro-Ojeda, J.R. (2005). ‘WhatCanMulticultural LiteratureDo for theEFL classroom’. InM. Singhal& J. Liontas (Eds). Proceedings of the Third InternationalOnlineConferenceonSecondandForeignLanguageTeachingandResearch,TheReadingMatrix,69-76.

RuizdeZarobe,Y. (2010). ‘WrittenproductionandCLIL:Anempiricial study’. InCh.DaltonPuffer,T.Nikula&U.Smit(Eds.),LanguageuseandlanguagelearninginCLILclassrooms.Amsterdam:JohnBenjaminsB.V.

Spratt,M.(2012). ‘ComparingCLILandELT’. InR.Popović&V.Savićeds(Eds),ContentandLanguage Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Teaching English to Young Learners. Ebook-ConferenceProceedings,9-20.


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Sudhoff, J. (2010). ‘CLIL and intercultural communicative competence: Foundations andapproachestowardsafusion’.InternationalCLILResearchJournal,1/3:30-37.

Wolff,D.(2007). ‘CLIL:Bridgingthegapbetweenschoolandworkinglife’. InD.Marsh&D.Wolff (Eds.),DiverseContexts–ConvergingGoals:CLIL inEurope.Frankfurt:PeterLang,15–25.

DrEleniGriva([email protected]&[email protected])isanAssociateProfessorofAppliedLinguisticsattheDepartmentofPrimaryEducation,UniversityofWesternMacedonia–Greece.Sheisalsothecoordinatorofthemodule“TestingandAssessmentinLanguageLearning”intheSchoolofHumanitiesoftheHOU.Herresearchinterestsinclude:L2/FLlearningandteaching,languagelearningstrategies,bilingualism/multilingualism,MethodsandMaterialsinBilingual/SLEducation,TeachingGreekaL2/Fl,

Assessmentinlanguagelearning.

DrDoraChostelidou([email protected]&[email protected])isanAdjunctTeachingFellowattheDepartmentofTheoreticalandApplied

Linguistics,SchoolofEnglish,AristotleUniversityofThessaloniki.SheholdsaPh.D.inteachingEnglishforSpecificPurposesfromtheAristotle

UniversityofThessaloniki,GreeceandaM.A.degreeinTEFL.HerresearchinterestsincludeteachingEFL/ESL,languagelearningstrategies,

needs-basedcoursedesign,EnglishforSpecific/AcademicPurposes,testingandevaluation,pluri/multilingualism,andCLIL.


TheCaseforGeographythroughCLIL:ExploringtheLinguisticandInterculturalPotentialinThrace

ΗπερίπτωσητηςμεθόδουCLIL:εξερευνώνταςτηνγλωσσικήκαιδιαπολιτισμικήδυναμικήστηνΘράκη

NellyZAFEIRIADESandGeorgiaKOSMA

ThisarticlefocusesontheCLILapproachasitwasintegratedintotheteachingcurriculumfora complete school year (2014-2015) and implemented with 6th year students at the 1rstExperimental Primary School of Alexandroupolis, Thrace. Driven from the theoreticalprinciples underpinning CLIL, the article argues for Geography as the most appropriatesubject area justified by the students’ linguistic profile and the sociocultural context inThrace. The specific pedagogic experience views CLIL as a highly dynamic alternative tocurrentmainstreamteachingpracticesandachallengingapproach,mutuallybeneficial forboth content and language learning as well as for students’ and teachers’ linguistic andintercultural competence enhancement. The CLIL experiences in the particular educationalcontext offer useful pedagogic insight with regard to a) learners’ active and meaningfulclassroomengagement,b)enhancing learners’cognitiveandmetacognitiveskillsaccordingto Bloom’s revised taxonomy, c) developing a sense of community belonging into theclassroomculture,d)constructingculturaland interculturalawareness inanoncompetitivelearning environment, e) fostering learner empowerment. On the microstrategy level, thearticlefocusesonalessonplandetailedanalysis,thusjustifyingitsmainargumentthatCLILhas a role to play in shaping future flexible, enriching and empowering multifacetedlanguage learning and content learning experiences alike into currentmultilingual/multiculturalcontexts.

�ΤοπαρόνάρθροεστιάζειστηνπροσέγγισηCLIL,όπωςαυτήενσωματώθηκεστοπρόγραμμαδιδασκαλίας και εφαρμόστηκε σε μαθητές της ΣΤ τάξης στο 1ο Πειραματικό ΔημοτικόΣχολείο Αλεξανδρούπολης στην Θράκη το σχολικό έτος 2014-2015. Βασισμένο στιςθεωρητικέςαρχές,οιοποίεςδιέπουντημέθοδοCLIL,τοάρθρουποστηρίζειότιτομάθηματης Γεωγραφίας αποτελεί την πλέον κατάλληλη θεματική, καθώς αυτό εξηγείται από τογλωσσικό προφίλ των μαθητών και το κοινωνικοπολιτισμικό πλαίσιο της Θράκης. Ησυγκεκριμένη παιδαγωγική εμπειρία θεωρεί τη μέθοδο CLIL ως μια ιδιαίτερα δυναμικήεναλλακτική απέναντι στις επικρατούσες διδακτικές πρακτικές και ως μια προκλητική

ZafeiriadisandKosma/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)24-34

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προσέγγιση, αποτελεσματική τόσο στο περιεχόμενο του γνωστικού αντικειμένου και τηνεκμάθηση γλώσσας όσο και στην γλωσσική και διαπολιτισμική ενίσχυση μαθητών καιεκπαιδευτικών. Επίσης προσφέρει χρήσιμα παιδαγωγικά δεδομένα σε σχέση με: α) τηνενεργή και ουσιαστική συμμετοχή των μαθητών, β) την προώθηση της ενίσχυσης τωνγνωστικώνκαιμεταγνωστικώνδεξιοτήτωντουςσύμφωναμετηναναθεωρημένηταξινομίατου Bloom, γ) την ανάπτυξη της αίσθησης της κοινότητας στην κουλτούρα τάξης, δ) τηνοικοδόμηση της πολιτισμικής και διαπολιτισμικής συνείδησης σε ένα μη ανταγωνιστικόμαθησιακόπεριβάλλον.Key words: Geography, language learning, cognitive/metacognitive skills, learnerempowerment,communitybelonging,cultural/interculturalawareness.1.Introduction1.1.CultureinLanguageTeachingandtheCLILpotentialWhile there has been a renewed interest in the ELT practice for the potential of CLIL tofosterstudents’culturalandinterculturalawareness(Dalton-Puffer,2011;Mehisto,Marsh&Frigols, 2008; Perez´ Vidal, 2009; Sudhoff, 2010), it would be useful to think about what‘culture’isandhowitisassociatedwithlanguage.Attemptingadefinitionofcultureisrathera multifaceted issue. Bayurt (2010) highlights the significance of the dynamic nature ofculture and how difficult it is to give a simple definition of it. Kramsch (1998) seeks toexpand the associations of culture with language and its verbal and non-verbal aspects;languageembodiesandsymbolizesculturalreality.Speakersidentifythemselvesandothersthrough their use of language, their language represents a symbol of their social identity.Kramsch also (1998 ) deals with the difficult issue of representation and representativitywhentalkingaboutanotherculture.Whoisentitledtospeakforwhom,torepresentwhomthrough spoken and written language? Who has the authority to select what isrepresentative of a given culture? According to what and whose criteria can a culturalfeaturebecalledrepresentativeofthatculture?(Kramsch,1998,p.9).In the ELT contextwe find Adaskou, Britten and Fahsi’s (1990) characterization of culturemore applicable to our study. Adaskou, Britten and Fahsi (1990) define culture as amultidimensional concept. According to their definition, the four senses of culture can belisted as: (i) the aesthetic sense (media, cinema,music and literature); (ii) the sociologicalsense(family,education,workandleisure,traditions);(iii)thesemanticsense(conceptionsand thought processes); (iv)the pragmatic (or sociolinguistic) sense (“appropriacy” inlanguageuse).Henceforth,whenwerefer toculturewewillbereferringto foursensesof“culture”asdefinedbyAdaskou,BrittenandFahsi(1990).Despite the different definitions of culture the connection of language and culture isundeniable, thus language teaching cannot be separated from culture teaching. Byram(1989)andKramsch(1991)contributingtothisrevisitationandunderstandingoftheplaceofculture in foreign languageteaching,observethat itcannottakeplacewithoutteachingthecultureof itsspeakerssincelanguagereferstotheirknowledgeandperceptionsoftheworld,theconceptsofculture,andcultural learning.Thereforelearningaforeignlanguageinvolvesacquiringtheculturalframesofreferenceofthetargetlanguageculture(Alptekin,


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2002, p.58). Kramsh (1991, p.8) also highlights a third essential layer of culture that of‘imagination’. Members of a culture belong to ‘imagined communities’: language isintimately linked not only to the culture that is and the culture thatwas, but also to thecultureoftheimaginationthatgovernspeople’sdecisionsandactions.

However,theEnglishlanguageisnottiedtoaparticularculture.Themultinationalnatureofthe English speaking community as well as the increasing use of English by nonnativespeakers has turned it into an international language, the current lingua franca, orworldEnglish,whichtoquoteModiano(2001,p.342)“ispublicproperty”and“isusedbyanyonetoexpressanyculturalheritageandanyvaluesystem”(Smith,1987,p.3).WorldEnglish isused by people coming from different cultural backgrounds and it cannot be taught asrelatedonlytoonenativeEnglish-speakingculture(Yoshida,1995,p.98).This‘culturalturn’inthehumanandsocialsciencesinthe1980s,broughtabouttheissueofculturalawarenessas an aftermath of the development of post-modern society. Globalization also withinternational cultural changes and exchanges gave birth to a new interest in culturaldifferencesandtherelationshipwith‘theother’.Newconceptsandissuessuchasreflexivity(Byram2000,2005)allegethatinsightintotheindividual’sculturalunderstandingofselfandone’s own identity is significant to gain insight into the practices of other cultures. Also,discussions on cultural awareness highlighted the ‘translocation’ from ethnocentrism to amore relativisticmodel inwhich the individual transcends thebarrierof the ‘self’ towardstherealizationthattheworldcanbeseenfrommanydifferentperspectives(Byram,1989).Theaboverevisitationsandunderstandingsofculturehadimplicationsinlanguageteaching.AsAdaskouetal(1990,p.5)support“almosteverythinginalanguagecourseiscapableofcarryingacultural loadofsomesort”.However,untilveryrecently intheforeign languageclassroom, culture has been provided in the form of supplementary materials, as thetransmission of information about the people of the target language/country (Kramsch,1993, p. 204) or as a fifth skill supplementing the four language skills (Savignon, 1995, p.141). This is mainly due to the fact that culture was seen as information carried by thelanguageandnotasa featureof language itself (Kramsch,1993 inBintaka,2003).Thus, itbecame important the intercultural component tobe introduced innational curricula.TheCouncil of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) highlights thesignificanceofan interculturalapproachin languageeducation inordertoraiseawarenessof cultural diversity and promote respect for otherness. The potential for interculturallearningisclearlydescribed:

Thelearnerofasecondorforeignlanguageandculturedoesnotceasetobecompetentinhis or her mother tongue and the associated culture. […] The learner does not simplyacquire twodistinct,unrelatedwaysofactingandcommunicating.The language learnerbecomes plurilingual and develops interculturality. The linguistic and culturalcompetences in respect of each language aremodified by knowledge of the other andcontribute to intercultural awareness, skills and know-how. Council of Europe, 2001, p.43).

Theprocessofbecomingplurilingualanddevelopinginterculturalityaswellasthenotionofmerging the “linguistic and cultural competences in respect of each language” showsparallels to Kramsch’ concept of thirdness in foreign language education (Kramsch, 1993).Her metaphor of third space explores the potential for foreign language learners toconstruct an enriched cultural identity – one which is enhanced by the integration andfusionofthevariousculturalinfluencespresentandpresentedwithinthelearningprocess.Subscribing to thepremise thatEnglish is themain linguistic vehicle for international, and


27

thereforeinterculturalcommunication,theteachingofEnglishasaforeignlanguageshoulddevelopgoalandpracticessothatnotonly“membersofoneculturefindwaysofinteractingeffectivelywithminimalmisunderstandinginanotherculture”(Brislin&Pedersen1976,p.1in Bintaka, 2003) but also construct enriched cultural identities. In the light of the aboveconsiderationstheimplementationofCLILapproachesintothelanguageclassroomappearsto be a promising educational potential particularly multilingual/multicultural contexts(Wildhage/Otten,2003;Breidbach,2007inSudhoff,2010).TheinterculturalpotentialofCLILcanalsobeseeninconnectionwithitsengagementwithsubject areas and topics that contribute to the formation of the cultural identity.History,Geography, literature, art, evolution theories, studying the World Wars, learning aboutjudicial or political systems can be seen as examples of schoolmediated additions to theprocess of constructing cultural identity. Undeniably, all school subjects could serve asbuildingblocksinthelearners’processofgrowingintoaculture,i.e.enculturationprocess.However,inCLILclasses,theinterculturaldimensionofteachingisaddedandplaysacentralrole.1.2SchoolsinThrace:thelinguisticandculturalcontextThestudentpopulationinThracevariesfrommonolingualtobilingualandmultilingualones.InschoolscoexistmonolingualstudentswhoseL1(firstlanguage)isGreek,bilingualstudentsofGreekandsomeotherlanguage(s)mainlyRussianandAlbanianandbilingualstudentsoflanguages other than Greek coming from the Muslim community of Thrace whose L1 isTurkish or Pomakish. Students in the multilingual/ multicultural Thrace are of variousreligions, themajority of themOrthodox Christians,Muslims, Armenians and a few Jews.TheculturallydominantcommunityistheGreekChristianOrthodoxwhosevaluesinfluencealltheotherscommunitieslivinginthearea.AccordingtothegoalsandspecificaimsoftheRevised2001CurriculumforEFLteachingEnglishlanguagestateschoolteachersofprimaryandsecondaryschoolsinThraceneedto:

i. Includeaculturalelementintheirlessonsandintegratecultureinstructionintheirteaching;

ii. Demonstrate the international features of English primarily and secondarily theculturalelementsofEnglishspeakingcountries;

iii. Prepare their students to communicate with people from different culturalbackgrounds,inotherwordshelpthemdevelopinterculturalcommunicationskills;

iv. Make their students aware of their own culture and of the other cultures thatcoexistintheareaofThrace.

It becomes clear that the linguistic and culturaldiversity in schoolsof Thrace claimsmorethan anywhere else in Greece the development of a language pedagogy that embracescultural and intercultural awareness and the implementation of teaching approaches andpractices that focus on students’ cultural consciousness and foster interculturalcommunication. CLIL approaches can serve and fulfill the above aims and one of them isdescribedasitwasexperiencedatastateprimaryschoolinthearea.


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2CLILimplementationinThrace2.1‘Lifeindeserts’ThefollowinglessonplanapproachesCLILasateachingpracticethatwasintegratedintotheGeographyteachingcurriculumforoneteachinghourperweekforacompleteschoolyear(2014-2015) and implemented with 6th year students at the 1rst Experimental PrimarySchoolofAlexandroupolis,Thrace.Itsphilosophyliesonfollowingtwobenchmarks:(A) The core integrated components of CLIL (or CLIL pillars, also called the ‘4Cs’ CLILFramework):Content, Communication, Cognition, Culture (Citizenship or Community). The4CsframeworkforCLILstartswithcontent(suchassubjectmatter,themes,cross-curricularapproaches) and focuses on the interrelationship between content (subject matter),communication (language), cognition (thinking) and culture (awareness of self and‘otherness’) to build on the synergies of integrating learning(content and cognition) and language learning (communication and cultures). It uniteslearningtheories,languagelearningtheoriesandinterculturalunderstanding.The 4Cs Framework holds that it is through progression in knowledge, skills andunderstanding of the subject matter, engagement in associated cognitive processing,interaction in a communicative context, developing appropriate language knowledge andskillsaswellasacquiringadeepeninginterculturalawarenessthroughthepositioningofselfand ‘otherness’, that effective CLIL takes place whatever themodel. From this perspective, CLIL involves learning to use languageappropriatelywhilstusinglanguagetolearneffectively(Coyle,2008).In the present lesson plan content concerned the geography topic, communication wasabout the geography language, which learners would communicate during the lesson,cognition referredtothethinkingskills,whichwouldbedemandedof learnersandcultureconcernedtheculturalfocusinthelesson;forinstancewhetherstudentswereencouragedtosharedescriptionsof thephysicalandhumanfeaturesof theirhomeenvironmentsandhelpedtounderstandthereasonsforanydifferences(UniversityofCambridge,2014).(B) Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of higher and lower order thinking skills (Figure 1). Todaythereisinternationalrecognitionthat“educationismorethanjustlearningknowledgeandthinking, it also involves learners’ feelings, beliefs and the cultural environment of theclassroom. Nevertheless, the importance of teaching thinking is an important element inmoderneducation”(Brewster,2009,p.2).The above chart concerns taxonomies of the cognitive domain and goes from simple(bottom of the pyramid) tomore complex and challenging (top of the pyramid) types ofthinking.ThedevelopmentofLOTS(LowerThinkingSkills) isencouragedbyaskinglearnerswhat,when,whereandwhichquestions.ThedevelopmentofHOTS(HigherThinkingSkills)isencouragedby asking learnerswhyandhowquestions. TheTaxonomy intersects andactsupondifferent types and levels of knowledge — factual, conceptual, procedural andmetacognitive. This melding enables teachers to see how they teach atbothknowledgeandcognitiveprocess levels. Using the Taxonomy Table to classifyobjectives, activities, andassessmentsprovides a clear, concise, visual representationof aparticularcourseorunit.Itcanbeusedtoexaminerelativeemphasis,curriculumalignment,and missed educational opportunities. Based on this examination, teachers can decide


29

where and how to improve the planning of curriculum and the delivery of instruction(Anderson&Krathwohl,2001).Theclassificationoflevelsofmentalbehaviourisimportantinlearningforitenablesteachersmeasurestudents’ability.

Figure1:Bloom’sRevisedTaxonomyThespecificlessonplanhadatotaldurationoftwoteachinghours.Thetargetgroup,whichconsisted of twenty two students (six boys and sixteen girls), was a typical example of amixed ability group as it comprised of studentswith different linguistic profile, what Ellis(2003) calls learning style; the more or less consistent way in which a person perceives,conceptualizes, organizes and recalls information, and sociocultural background and fourstudentswithdiverselanguagebackgroundbelongingtotheMuslimminority(twoboysandtwogirls).Thus,forsomestudentsGreekwasthesecondlanguagetobetaughtandEnglishwasthethirdone.Thestagesoflessonplanningthattheclassteacherwentthroughcanbesummarizedinthefollowingfive:

• Identifylearningobjectives;• Identifychallenges;• Breakdownchallenges;• Useamemorablecontext;• Providelanguagesupport.

The teacher’s basic concern was not making any unrealistic assumptions about students’overallabilitysothatlearnerswouldbeencouragedtoparticipateinclassroominteraction.Thus, for instance longer wait time (time teachers wait between asking questions andlearnersanswering them), compared toanEFL (Englishasa foreign language) lesson,wasneeded, so that learners could process new subject concepts in the foreign language.Moreover, the teacherwasboth flexibleand tolerantenoughconsidering theuseof codeswitchingfromL2(secondlanguage)toL1(firstlanguage),whileexplainingandrepeatinginordertocheckunderstanding.Thetasks’typeanddesignwasunderpinnedbyRichardsandRodgers (2001) following assumption: Activities that involve real communication areessential for language learning. Activities in which language is used for carrying outmeaningfultaskspromotelearning.Languagethatismeaningfultothelearnersupportsthelearning process. Tasks involved learners in producing key subject-specific vocabulary and


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structures inmeaningful pair or groupwork activities. The lessonplan formusedwas theBritishCouncilTeachingEnglishCLILEssentialstemplate(2010).2.2OutcomesContent:Learnerscandescribetheearthrelief,faunaandfloraofdeserts.Language: Learners can use the present simple tense to talk about deserts and the dailyactivitiesofdeserttribes.Learningskills:Learnerscanworkingroups/pairscooperatively.Timetablefit:Learnersareworkingonaunitentitled:‘TheEarthasthelivingspaceofman.’The chapters of the unit concern the distribution of people on earth, languages andreligions,lifeindeserts,thepolarzone,rainforests,andtemperateregions.Assumptions: Students are late beginners-pre intermediate English learners. They havealreadyacquiredsomeof thekeyvocabulary todiscussdesertsbut their speaking isweakandthereforeneedswork.PresentSimpletensewillnotbenewtothem.Anticipatedproblemsand solutions: Learnersmaybe slow to start thebrainstormas theymayhavedifficulty inexpressingtheirknowledge inasecondor third language.Thereforethe teacher should expect learners to use some L1 and the translate. Learners may beunsureofsomekeyvocabularyinthevideo;thereforeamatchingdefinitionandwordtaskwillbedonepriortovideowatching.Materials:computer,projector,board,worksheet,A4paper.2.3Procedure1stteachinghour(40minutes)Warmer:Activatepriorknowledge:TeachergiveslearnersA4paper.Learnerswritedownalltheyknowaboutdeserts(names,fauna,flora,tribes)andreportbacktowholeclassafter2minutes.Interaction:groupwork.Outcomes: To explain aims of the lesson. Teacher shows three aims on the board anddiscussesthemwiththeclass(3minutes).Interaction:wholeclass(Teacher-Students,TSS).Vocabulary input: To check understanding of key vocabulary. To prepare for watching avideo about the Sahara desert on https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=mLR0-K2Wpb0.Teacher gives each learner a cardwith either aword or a definition on it (Table 1,Wordbank).Learnersmustfindtheirpartnerwhocanmatchtheirwordanddefinition.Learnersdictatetheirwordsanddefinitionstotheclass(5minutes).Everyonewritesthevocabularydown.Interaction:Student-Student(SS).Content input: To understand the geomorphologic elements and living conditions on theSahara desert. Afterwatching the video learners take down notes individually. Then theycheck their answers in pairs and thenwith a group answer key. Then learnerswatch the


31

video again to check answers (10minutes). Interaction: individualwork, pairwork, groupwork.

precipitationdatepalmcorrosionsanddunesoasisBedouinbreederNomadCaravan

Rainfallχουρμαδιάerosion(διάβρωση)hillsofsandόασηΒεδουίνοςsomeonewhobreeds(keepsinordertoreproduce)animals(κτηνοτρόφος)acommunityofpeoplewholiveindifferentlocations,movingfromoneplacetoanother(Νομάς)καραβάνι

Table1:Wordbank

Languageinput:Topractisepresentsimpletense.LearnerswatchthevideoabouttheGobiDesert on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFa-4Ni_62k. Learners are asked to eitherdrawa T chart or discuss the differences betweenhot and cold deserts in relation to thetribes’dailyactivities(10minutes).Interaction:groupwork.Productionoflanguageandcontent:Learnersformgroups/pairs.Theychooseadesertandeither prepare a Venn diagram about the Sahara and Gobi deserts or talk about / drawpicturesoffaunaandflora,oasis,tribes(10minutes).2ndteachinghour(40minutes)Warmer:Learners fill in thenamesofdeserts inaworksheet (Figure2). Interaction:groupwork.(5minutes).

Figure2:Worksheet


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Content input: Learners watch the video about the Bedouin lifestyle onhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q3uhqv8epM.Next, students are asked to commentonthedeserttribeandtheirdailyactivities(5minutes).Interaction:wholeclass(TSS).Finally,studentsdiscussonaconsolidationmindmap(Figure3)toreactivateawareness(5minutes).Interaction:wholeclass(TSS).

Figure3:Mindmap

Inthislesson,theteacherfocusesentirelyontheproductionofcontentandlanguagestage.Setting as a personal aim to minimize Teacher Talking Time (TTT) and maximize StudentTalkingTime(STT),engagingstudentsbothactivelyandmeaningfullyinthelearningprocess,theteacherorganizeslearnersinmixedabilitygroupsandoffersthemavarietyofactivities(Figure4)accordingtoBloom’sRevisedTaxonomy.Allgroupspresenttheirworktotheclassplenary(25minutes).

Figure4:ActivitiesbasedonBloom’sRevisedTaxonomy3.ConcludingremarksTheoutcomesoftheCLILapproachimplementationintheparticularschoolcontextcanbesummarizedinthefollowing:

• Learners’motivationwasincreased,aslanguagewasseeninreallifesituations,whichconcernedlanguageacquisitionratherthanenforcedlearning.

BecomeaBedouinandactoutyourdaily

ac�vi�es.

Whatadvisewouldyougivetosomeoneconsideringvisi�nga

desert?

Designaques�onnaire/reporttointerviewa

deserttribe.

Keepadiaryasatribemember

WhatarethemostimportantproblemsSaharadeserttribesface?

Makeacollageusingmagazinephotos/drawapicture/makeawordlistaboutdeserts


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• Learners with different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile),accordingtothefourmodalitiesoflearningbyBandlerandGrinder(1979),wereactively engaged in the learning process developing balance between selfrelianceandcooperation.

• Learners’ cognitive skills (mental abilities andprocesses related to knowledge,attention, memory and working memory, judgment, evaluation, reasoning,problem solving, production of language) and metacognitive skills (thinkingaboutthinking,orknowingaboutknowing),knowledgeaboutwhenandhowtouse particular strategies for learning or for problem solving ), according toBloom’srevisedtaxonomy,wereenhanced.

• Learnersconstructedculturaland interculturalawareness inanon-competitivelearning environment bymeans of a comparative exploration of the regional,nationalandglobalenvironment.

• Learnersdevelopedasenseofcommunitybelongingintotheclassroomculture.

Inanutshell,thereisnodoubtthatlearningalanguageandlearningthroughlanguageandculture are concurrent processes. However, implementing CLIL approaches into the EFLclassroom requires rethinking of the traditional concepts and issues bound up with thelanguage classroomand the language teacher. CLIL implementation candevelop students’linguistic skills and social skills, enrich their capital of knowledge, enhance their thinkingskills and also contribute positively towards making the classroom a place of culturalunderstanding, acceptance and multicultural celebration. In a culturally conscious CLILclassroom teachers are required to act not only as reflective practitioners but also astransformativeintellectualsthatcreateenvironmentswherestudentsdevelopholisticallyinaninternationalglobalsocietythroughunderstandingandcommunicatingwiththe‘other’.In the current postmodern multilingual and multicultural societies where culturalunderstandingand interculturalcommunication throughEnglishasa lingua franca,CLILasaneducationalapproachandteachingpracticehasdefinitelyamultifacetedroletoplay.ReferencesAnderson,L.W.&Krathwohl,D.R.(2001).Ataxonomyforlearning,teachingandassessing:

ArevisionofBloom'sTaxonomyofeducationalobjectives.NewYork:Longman.Bandler, R. & Grinder, J. (1979). Frogs into Princes: Neuro-linguistic Programming.Moab,

Utah:RealPeoplePress.Bintaka,E. (2003). ‘Intercultural communication training forEnglishLanguageStateSchool

TeachersinGreece’.UnpublishedMasterDissertation,H.O.U.Brewster, J. (2009). Thinking skills for CLIL. Retrieved from:

http://www.onestopenglish.com/thinking-skills-for-clil/501197.article accessed onJanuary5,2016.

British Council Teaching English Teacher Training Site, athttp://courses.britishcouncil.org/teachertraining/mod/page/view.php?id=954, accessedonJanuary10,2016.

Council of Europe (2001).Modern Languages: Learning,Teaching,Assessment.ACommonEuropeanFrameworkofReference.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Coyle, D. (1999). ‘Theory and planning for effective classrooms: supporting students incontentandlanguageintegratedlearningcontexts’.InJ.Masih(Ed.),LearningthroughaForeignLanguage.London:CILT.


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Coyle,D.(2008).‘CLIL–apedagogicalapproach’.InN.VanDeusen-Scholl,&N.Hornberger(Eds),EncyclopediaofLanguageandEducation,2ndedition.Springer,97-111.

Dalton-Puffer,C.(2011).‘Content-and-LanguageIntegratedLearning:FromPracticetoPrinciples’?AnnualReviewofAppliedLinguistics,31:182–204.

Damen,L.(1987).Culturelearning:Thefifthdimensioninthelanguageclassroom.Reading:AddisonWesleyPublishingCompany.

Devrim,D. Y.,&Bayyurt, Y. (2010). ‘Students’ understandings andpreferencesof the roleandplaceof “culture” in English Language Teaching:A Focus in an EFL context’.TESOLJournal,2/1:4-23.

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress.

Kramsch,C.(1998).Languageandculture.OxfordUniversityPress.Kumaravadivelu, B. (2002).Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for language teaching. Yale

UniversityPress.Mehisto, P., Marsh, D. & Frigols, M. J. (2008).Uncovering CLIL: Content and language

integratedlearninginbilingualandmultilingualeducation.Oxford:Macmillanpbl.Richards, J.C. & Rodgers, T.S. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.

Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Sudhoff, J. (2010) CLIL and Intercultural Communicative Competence: Foundations and

ApproachestowardsaFusionInternationalCLILResearchJournal,1/3:30-37.University of Cambridge Cambridge English Teaching Geography through English Site, at

http://www.unifg.it/sites/default/files/allegatiparagrafo/21-01-2014/teaching_geography_through_clil.pdf,accessed20December2015.

Wittgenstein,L. (2003).Tractatus logigo-philosophicus.Logisch-philosophischeAbhandlung.Frankfurt:Suhrkamp.

GeorgiaKosma([email protected])(MATesol,EdinburghUniversity,PhDcandidateinTheatrePedagogy,DemocritusUniversityofThrace)isastateschoolELTteacher.SheisanevaluatoroftheInstitutionofExcellenceandateachingmaterialevaluatoroftheEducationalPolicyInstituteofGreece.Shehasbeengiventhegoodteachingpracticeaward

bytheUniversityofAthensEYL(EnglishforYoungLearners)program.

NellyZafeiriades(www.zafeiriades.weebly.com)(MAAppliedLinguisticsandELT,UniversityofEastAnglia,MAinLiteratureandCultureofthe

BlackSeaCountries,DemocritusUniversityofThrace,PhDcandidateinInterculturalEducation,DemocritusUniversityofThrace)isastateschool

ELTAdvisorattheprefectureofEasternMacedoniaandThrace.


"LetmeintroduceyoutoCrete”:ACLILProjectintheEnglishasaForeignLanguageClassroom

«ΑςγνωρίσουμετηνΚρήτη»:ΈναπρόγραμμαμετημέθοδοCLILστηνΑγγλικήωςξένηγλώσσα

EleniKOROSIDOUandAngelikiDELIGIANNIThispaperpresentsthedesignandtheimplementationresultsofaCLILprojectinthecontextofGreekprimaryeducation.CLILapproachhasbeenpracticedacrossEuropeforthelasttwodecades, with proven positive effects on the language skills of foreign language learners(Korosidou&Griva,2013;Lasagabaster,2008).Thepresentprojectwaspilotedina6thgradeclassroomof18studentsinRethymno,Crete.Thetopicoftheprojectwas“LetmeintroduceyoutoCrete”.Thepresentprojectwas introducedtoservetheaimofdevelopingstudents’EFL (English as a Foreign Language) receptive and productive skills (reading, listening,speaking, writing) through a project focusing on Cretan history and culture. The thematicareasconsistingthecoreoftheprojectwerethefollowing:1)Geographical featuresoftheCretandistricts, 2)Historyand culture inCrete, 3) TraditionalCretanproductsanddiet, 4)Cretanmusicanddancetraditionand5)TourisminCrete.Languagelearningwasintegratedwith the specific subject matters of Geography, History and culture and Art. For theevaluationoftheproject,thefollowingbasictoolswereused:a)journalskeptbytheteacherand b) interviewswith the students. The findings of project evaluation indicated students’improvementregardingboththeirreceptiveandproductiveskillsinthetargetlanguage,andthedevelopmentof children’s cultural awarenessand their sensitivityand respect towardslocalhistory.

�Η παρούσα εργασία παρουσιάζει το σχεδιασμό και τα αποτελέσματα μιας πιλοτικήςεφαρμογής ενός διαθεματικού project με θέμα «Επιτρέψετε μου να σας ξεναγήσω στηνΚρήτη» με τη μέθοδο Ολοκληρωμένης Εκμάθησης Περιεχομένου και Γλώσσας (CLIL) στηντάξηεκμάθησηςτηςΑγγλικήςως ξένηςγλώσσας.Στησυγκεκριμένηδιδακτικήπρόταση18μαθητές της Στ’ τάξης Δημοτικού Σχολείου του Ρεθύμνου συμμετείχαν σε ποικίλεςδραστηριότητεςμέσασεέναπολυτροπικόκαιπολυαισθητηριακόπεριβάλλονμάθησης,μετη χρήση οπτικών κειμένων, ποστερ, βίντεο και ψηφιακών χαρτών. Ο στόχος τηςπαρέμβασηςήτανδιττός:α)ναενισχυθούνοιπαραγωγικέςδεξιότητεςτωνμαθητώνστηΓ2μέσα από ένα project που εστιάζει στην Κρητική ιστορία, καθώς και β) να αποτιμηθεί η

KorosidouandDeligianni/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)35-50

36

επίδραση της παρέμβασης αναφορικά με τις επιδόσεις των μαθητών στη Γ2. Τααποτελέσματα της παρέμβασης κατέδειξαν ότι η επίδραση του project ήταν ιδιαίτεραθετική, με σημαντικές βελτιώσεις στις παραγωγικές δεξιότητες των μαθητών στη γλώσσαστόχο.Παράλληλα,παρατηρήθηκεότιβελτιώθηκανσημαντικάοιγνώσεις τωνπαιδιώνσεζητήματατοπικήςιστορίαςκαιπολιτισμού.Keywords:CLILapproach,foreignlanguagelearning,younglearners,crosscurricularproject.1.IntroductionAccordingtorecentstudies,ContentandLanguage IntegratedLearning(CLIL) isdefinedas“a dual-focused educational approach in which an additional language is used for thelearningand teachingofboth contentand language” (Coyleetal.2010,1;Mehistoet al.,2008, p. 9). Marsh and Langé also claim that CLIL as a generic term “refers to anyeducational situation in which an additional language […] is used for the teaching andlearningofsubjectsotherthanthelanguageitself”(Marsh&Langé,2000,p.iii).WithregardtoCLIL implementationMarsh (2000) explains that,when implementingCLIL, the learningprocess focuses on both the development of the specific content knowledge and thecommunicative ability in the foreign language to express ideas and aspects related to thesubject(Marsh,2000).More specifically, Coyle et al. (2010 ) maintain that CLIL is “not simply education in anadditional language; it is education through an additional language” integrating fourinterrelated principles for effective classroom practice: 1) ‘content’, referring to subjectmatter,2)‘communication’,focusingonlanguagelearningandlanguageuse,3)‘cognition’,relatedtothedevelopmentoflearningandthinkingprocessesand4)‘culture’,focusingonthe development of intercultural understanding and global citizenship (Coyle et al., 2010,p.12).Theabovementioned,alsoknownas“The4CsFramework”,suggestthatitisthroughprogression in knowledge, skills and understanding of the content, engagement inassociated cognitive processing, interaction in the communicative context, developingappropriate language knowledge and skills as well as acquiring a deepening interculturalawarenessthroughthepositioningofselfand‘otherness’,thateffectiveCLILtakesplace.CLIL is proposed as an innovative, integrated educational approach, aiming to promotemultilingualismandmulticulturalisminEurope(Järvinen,2007).AccordingtoGimeno,etal.(2013), introducing CLIL can be advantageous as i) it builds intercultural knowledge andunderstanding, ii) improves language competence and oral communication skills, iii)develops multilingual interests and attitudes, iv) provides opportunities to study contentthroughdifferentperspectives,v)allowslearnersmorecontactwiththetargetlanguage,vi)does not require extra teaching hours, vii) complements other subjects rather thancompeteswiththem,viii)diversifiesmethodsandformsofclassroompractice,ix)increaseslearners’motivationandconfidenceinboththelanguageandthesubjectbeingtaught”.Inaddition,asTroncale(2002)indicates,CLILapproachprovideslearnerswithopportunitiesfor being exposed in a natural learning environment, therefore enabling them to improvetheir speakingskills.Researchshows thatCLIL studentsseemedtodisplaygreater fluency,quantity and creativity and gradually use foreign language spontaneously for face-to-face


37

interaction(Dalton-Puffer,2007).Furthermore,CLILisproventobeadvantageousinrelationto the lexicon,as learners seemtohave improvedgeneraland subject specific vocabulary(Dalton-Puffer & Smit, 2007; Lasagabaster, 2008; Mattheoudakis, Alexiou & Laskaridou,2014).Vallbona(2009)alsoexaminedtheeffectsofCLILonoverall languageproficiency inprimaryeducation. Itwas indicatedthatCLIL learners ingrade5and6outperformedtheirpeers inthenon-CLILgroup in fluencyand lexicaldiversity.Moreover,students’comparedcompetenceinlistening,readingandwritingofCLILandnon-CLILprimaryschoolstudentsingrades 5 and6 showedhigher performance in favor of CLIL learners (Victori et al., 2010).CLIL approach is also related to expanding students’ cognitive skills and enhancing theirreadingcomprehensionandcriticalthinkingability(Tsai&Shang,2010),aswellasenrichinga learner’sunderstandingandassociationofdifferent concepts, thereforeenablinghim toachieve a more sophisticated level of learning in general (Marsh, 2000). Moreover, CLILseemstobebeneficialintermsofdevelopingculturalawarenessandsensitivity(Korosidou&Griva,2014;Papadopoulos&Griva,2014).

It is, therefore,clearthattheCLILapproachaimsatovercomingthe limitationscreatedbythetraditionalcurriculum,whereeachcontentistaughtseparately.CLILactuallysucceedsinintegratingvariouscontentswithlearningthetargetlanguage.Insuchacontent,planningaCLILlessonfocusesonactivatingstudents’contentschemata,withthegoalofacquiringnewcontentknowledgeanddevelopingforeign languageskills. Itwasfoundthatbrainstormingideas as well as presenting information in amultisensory way andmultimodal classroomenvironment (Griva & Semoglou, 2013), mostly by using the new technologies foreducational purposes such as video clips, power point presentations and interactivematerial, could provide students with ample and stimulating input. Instruction includesinquiry-basedlearningactivities,wherestudentsareprovidedwithopportunitiestodeveloptheir higher order thinking skills in a curricular context by processing and using contextspecific language and participation in problem-solving activities enables learners to uselanguageforcommunication,negotiatingmeaningandinteractinginordertomakechoicesanddecisions.Workinginclassincludesinteractioninpairsorgroupsinordertoaccomplishtasks, such as to role play dialogues, take part in dramatizations, produce written texts,makepostersandpowerpointpresentations,whichtheyconsequentlypresent inclass.AsKelner (1993)points out, roleplay canbe anenjoyablewayof ‘informal’ assessment thatcouldbeusedeffectivelywithinacontent-basedcurriculum.Finally, learnersareevaluatedbydemonstratingtheirknowledgeoflanguageandcontent.Languageisassessedforarealpurpose in a real context, mainly focusing on students’ communicative competence.Assessmentalsoincludesengaginglearnersinselfandpeerassessmentprocesses,aimingtoenhancetheirmetacognitionandtheirlonger-termlearningpotential.2.Theproject2.1.PurposeandobjectivesoftheprojectFocuswasequallyplacedonEnglishlanguageandcontentdevelopment.Therefore,gainsincontent-basedknowledgeasfarastheislandofCreteisconcernedwerealsoestimated.Forthepurposeof theproject, amini-syllabusonCretanhistorywasdesigned,with traditionand culture being at the core of the project. It is worth mentioning that one of theresearcherswasalsotheEnglishlanguageteacheroftheclass.Themaingoaloftheprojectwas todevelop the students’ receptiveandproductive skills inEFL.Therewerealso somefurther objectives, more specifically a) to develop their cognitive skills by engaging in


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problem-solvingsituationsandparticipating in inquiry -basedactivitiesandb) toenhancetheir cultural awareness, by becoming acquainted with Cretan history, tradition andgeography,thereforedevelopingtheirrespectregardinglocalhistoryissues.

2.2.SampleofthestudyTheCLILprojectwaspilotedwith6thprimaryschoolgradestudents(meanage11.5years)inthe school year 2014-2015 in the city of Rethymnon, Crete. In the specific context, thecontentwasused ina foreign language-learningclass.Eighteenstudents, (12boys,6girls)were the sample of this pilot study. All students were Greek-speaking and their EFLcompetency level was A2+ (Elementary Level) according to the CEFR (Common EuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforlanguages).TheyhadbeentaughtEFLasacompulsorysubjectforfiveyears,accordingtotheGreekpilotprimaryschoolcurriculum.3.ProjectProcedure

TheCLILproject lastedforalmost fourmonths,FebruarytoMay,2015.About40teachingsessionstookplace.StudentsweretaughtEnglishasaFLinaCLILframeworkfor3hoursperweek. A mini syllabus was designed after having taken into consideration the students’perceivedneeds(Moon,2000).TheexperimentalCLILsyllabuswasdevelopedonthebasisofcriteria forprovidingsuccessfulCLIL teachingand learning,assuggestedbyCoyle’s4Cs-Framework,while content, communication, cognition and culturewere inextricably linked(Coyleetal.,2010).ResearchersobservethatimplementingaCLILprojectcanbechallengingfor children, especially at the beginning of the learning process, presupposing support,appropriatematerials,scaffoldingdependingonthevarioussubjects,authenticenvironmentandconstructivefeedbackonthepartoftheteacher(Gudjons,2007).Drawingattentiontotheresearchdata,scaffoldinglearningtohelpstudentscopewithinputofallsortsreceivedparticularattentionduringthepresentsmallscalepilotintervention.Furthermore,languagelearningstrategiestraining,alongwithpromotingthedevelopmentofhigherorderthinkingskills – understanding, inferring, connecting new information to already known facts andconcepts, categorizing, aswell as applyingnew information to find solutions toproblems-wereputatthecoreoftheintervention.Therefore,theywereengagedinnumerousinquiry-basedactivities,wheretheywereactivelyinvolvedinproblem-solvingactivitiesanddecisionmakingprocesses.Studentswere providedwith opportunities to express themselves both verbally and non-verballyandparticipateinavarietyofcreativeactivitiesinamultimodalteachingcontext.Inaddition, the provision of multimodal input allowed for the production of highlydifferentiatedmaterialstoaccommodatedifferentlearningstyles.Allinall,theprojectwasimplementedinatask-basedlanguagelearning(TBL)context,whereparticipantsweregivenopportunities to role play andpresent their creativework in class, producing several finalproducts. In such a learning framework game-like activities were also utilized as learningtools, as learners seem to learn more easily in a “relaxed” and pleasant learningenvironment, where they can express themselves creatively (Duong 2008; Griva &Semoglou, 2013; Luong 2009,). Portfolios containing students’ creative and written workwerealsokeptthroughouttheproject(Little&Perclová,2001).


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3.1.TheminisyllabusThe mini-syllabus designed consisted of five broad thematic areas, while each of thethematicareasconsistedofseveralunits,asshownbelow,whichlearnersprocessedinpairsorgroups.a)GeographicalfeaturesoftheCretandistricts

CretanDistrictsPointsofinterestMountains,Beaches,Lakes

b)HistoryandcultureinCreteHistoricaleventsGreatCretanhistoricalpersonalitiesCulturesdevelopedontheislandMuseumsandarchaeologicalsites

c)TraditionalCretanproductsanddietCretanherbsandplantsCretanproductsCretanrecipes

c)CretanmusicanddancetraditionCretanmusicalinstrumentsCretanmusiciansCretantraditionalsongs

d)TourisminCreteTouristicareasTouristicactivitiesTheimportanceoftourismfortheisland.

3.2.ImplementationoftheprojectTheprojectprocedurewentthroughthefollowingbasicstages,implementedforeachoftheunitsofthebroadthematicareasmentionedabove:(a)Pre-stageThe basic purpose of this stage was to activate students’ background knowledge and tointroducethemtothetopicandtaskinamultisensorylearningenvironment.Thestudentswereengagedinactivitiesrelatedtothespecificvocabularyofthetopicandthecontentofthe reading text in amultisensory context. Dörnyei (2001) emphasizes the importance ofpresentingataskinawaythatmotivateslearnersandhealsosuggeststhattaskpreparationshould involve strategies for whetting students’ appetite to perform the task. Therefore,multimodal material was used to arouse their interest (PowerPoint presentations,audiovisualmaterial, PCs, digitalmaps, interactivewhiteboard).Moreover, itwas used tocreateaframeworkwherestudentscouldenhancetheirinterestandparticipation,practicethetargetlanguageandlearnthecontent-aspectsofCretanhistory,traditionandcultureinanaturalway(Shortetal.,1996).Inthepresentproject,studentswereencouragedtowatchrelevantvideos,pictures,maps,guide books, tourist brochures etc. containing information in the target language. Thus, amultimodal and multisensory environment was created, where learners were invited to


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workingroupsinordertobrainstormideasandtakenotesregardingthetopicofeachunit.Therefore, content specific vocabulary to be learnedwas introduced, usually through in -groupexchangeofideas,negotiationofmeaningandwholeclassdiscussion,wherestudentsfamiliarizedwithcontent-specificvocabulary.Scaffoldingonthepartofteacherwasaimedatenablingstudentstoexpressthemselvesinthetargetlanguage.

(b)Task-cycleIn themain stage of the session students were given opportunities to communicate andinteract in order to process multimodal material by working in groups accomplishing acommon task. They were encouraged to help each other, interact and cooperate duringproblem-solving, with the aim of maximizing opportunities for meaningful interactionthough cooperation and inquiry - based learning (Scott & Ytreberg, 1994). Emphasis wasplaced on enabling them to learn and use the FL indirectly through having fun andcommunicating in it. In addition, their oral and written works were the product of theirgroupcooperationandinteraction.Bytakingturns,negotiatingmeaningandlearninghowtocooperateandcommunicateinagroup,theybecameabletoperformawiderangeof languagefunctions,throughagreeingand disagreeing, asking for, giving or repeating information, discussing, reviewing,makingcomparisons, as well as suggesting solutions to problems. In that way they graduallyemployed a number of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. As Willis (1996) suggeststhereshouldbea“naturalconclusionofthetaskcycle”,wherechildrenareencouragedtoorally present a report on how they performed the task or on how they solved the‘problem’.On the part of the teacher attention was paid to support learners in using language forauthenticandcommunicativepurposes.After thecompletionof the task, themembersofeachgroupreportedontheirworkandpresenteditinclass,explainingthevariousaspectsofitinthetargetlanguage.Theteacheralsoencouragedlearnerstoreflectontheirwork,tomonitorandevaluatetheirlearning,thereforeenhancingtheirmetacognitionandmotivatedthem to reflect on how they can improve their performance. All in all, the teacher -researcherwasthefacilitatorandcoordinatorofstudents’work,creatingopportunitiesforstudents’ active participation in a relaxed and playful learning environment and helpingthemovercomeproblemsarisingduringgroupwork(Griva&Semoglou,2013).

Inthepresentprojecttheparticipantsmanagedtocreateandpresentavarietyofproducts.Arepresentativesampleoftheirworkcontainsthefollowing:

- postersandbrochuresmadeofpaper(pictures1,2)- afoammapofCrete,containingpointsofinterest(picture3)- shortwrittentraditionalCretansongs- aguidebook(picture4)- mosaics(pictures5,6).


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Pictures1and2:Maps,brochuresandpostersmadeofpaper.

Picture3:AfoammapofCrete.

Picture4:“Pages”fromthestudents’guidebook.


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Pictures5,6:TheMinotaurandMinoanearringsmosaics.

(c)theLanguageFocusandFeedbackStageDuringthatstagestudentspresentedtheirgroupworkinclass.Inthatwaytheyweregivenopportunities to further practise their oral skills and use the vocabulary acquired. Theyexchangedviews,discussedwhat their classmatespresented, communicated their feelingsandideas.Furthermore,theyparticipatedinavarietyofphysicalactivitiesandgames,suchas:

- Roleplaygamesbetweengroups,whereagroupofstudents-touristsmeetanothergroupoflocals;

- Plantingplantsandherbsintheschool’syard(picture7);- Simulation games during visits to some of the island’s folklore and archaeological

museums(picture8).


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Picture7:Plantingplantsandherbsintheschool’syard.

Picture8:VisitingaFolkloreMuseum.Regardingvisitstoplacesoutsideschool,suchasmuseumsandsites,studentswereengagedin experiential learning activities and used foreign language for authentic andcommunicative purposes,while interacting and cooperatingwith peers (Scott& Ytreberg,1994).Learnerswereaskedtofillintasksheetsaftertheiroutofschoolactivitiesandthenpresent the information in class and share their records and experiences with the othergroups,bothorallyandinwrittenspeech,andingeneraltoreflectontheirlearningandthelearningprocess.

During that stage, the teacher gave feedback on the content and reviewed what waspresented. Learners were also assessed by the teacher through their participation andlanguagecompetenceduringactivities.Inaddition,participantswerealsoaskedtoevaluatepeers as well as themselves, becoming acquaintedwith alternative assessment processessuch as peer/self-assessment. As researchers observe, peer/self - assessment providesteacher with accurate judgments of students' linguistic abilities, weaknesses andimprovement(McNamara&Deane,1995).Studentsportfoliosandthepresentationoftheirworkinclassfacilitatedtherecordingoftheirprogress.Thisprocedure,whichwasdonewiththe teacher’s support,motivated learners to set and achieve their personal learning goalstogetherwiththeaccomplishmentofthegroup’sgoals.

3.3.EvaluationoftheprojectAnevaluationprocess,bothsummativeandformativewithamajorfocusontheformativeprocess, was conducted in order to record the feasibility of the project. The instrumentsusedwerea)ateacher-researcher’sjournalandb)students’interviews.Sincejournaliseasytobeusedandallows forgreat flexibility in theprocessofdocumentingclassroomevents


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and teaching situations (Mackey&Gass, 2005), journal entrieswere kept by the teacher-researcher after the completion of every one of the project’s sessions. Moreover, thestructured interviews offered insights into the students’ attitudes towards theimplementationoftheCLILprojectuponitscompletion.3.3.1.Teacher/researcherjournalrecordsThe journals kept were thought to be central inmonitoring the interventions in the CLILclassroom.Concerning the formof theresearcher’s journal, itwasbasedonthequestionsfor journal keeping offered by Richards and Lockhart (1994), and it was designed aroundthreeaxesofquestionsrelatedto:a)theteachingprocess,b)children’sbehaviorduringtheprojectandc)theresearcher’sreflectionontheproject.Thequalitativeanalysisof the journalentries resulted into four typologies,namelya)CLILProcedure, b) TBL framework, c) teacher’s role and students’ attitude and d) overallreflectionontheproject,eachoneencompassinganumberofcategoriesandsubcategories(Table1),aspresentedbelow:

Typologies Categories SubcategoriesCLILProcedure Teachingcontext i.Task-basedframework

ii.Game-basedframeworkiii.Multimodal/multisensoryenvironment

Methodsandactivities i.Brainstorming

ii.Wholeclassdiscussioniii.Creativeactivitiesiv.Gamesandphysicalactivitiesv.Presentations

i.Posters,maps,guidebooksAids ii.InformationTechnologies

i.Pair/groupworkii.Individualwork

Τask-basedframework Waysofworking iii.Intergroup cooperation andinteractioniv.Cooperationbetweenteacher-classi.CodeswitchingL1/FLii.MainlyFLuse

Language ofCommunication

iii.Nonverbalcommunication

i.Effective cooperation in game-like/physicalactivities

Cooperation andinteraction

ii.Effective cooperation in creativeactivitiesiii.Exchangingideasinfindingsolutionsiv.Negotiatingmeaningv.Elaboratingontheirviewi.Encouragementii.Scaffolding

Teacher’s Role and Provisionof iii.Guidance


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Students’Attitude

Assistance iv.Organizingstudents’workaccordingtotheirinterestsi.Interest in group interaction andcooperationii.Resolvingconflictsinagroup

Students’Behavior

iii.Respectofturntaking

iv.Interestingamesv.Interestinparticipatinginexperientialactivitiesi. Students’ difficulty in specificvocabularyii.Students’ difficulty in understandingcertainconceptsiii.Students’difficultyinreceptiveskills

Overall reflection on theproject

ProblemsEncountered

iv.Students’difficultyinproductiveskills

i.Useoftargetlanguageforcommunicationii.Socialskillsdevelopmentiii.Acquiringcontent-specificvocabulary

LearningOutcomes iv.Developing content-specificknowledgev.Pleasurablelearning

Table1:Typologies,categoriesandsubcategoriesofjournalentries.

The results from the teacher-researcher’s journals indicated that the students had theopportunity towork inavarietyof teachingcontextsandengage inanumberofdifferenttypes of interaction, using the FL for authentic communication. The learning environmentcreated was multimodal, stimulating students’ interest in acquiring both the FL and thecontentspecificknowledge.Students learnedandconsolidatedcontentspecificvocabularythrough purposeful communication in class. During the creative, physical and experientialactivitiestheyweregivenopportunitiestointeractbothverballyandnon-verballyandgroupwork was enhanced. Finally, they developed a positive attitude towards the FL and theirlocalhistoryaswell.

Regarding the teacher-researcher, sheworkedas a facilitator of students’work,providingand organizingmeaningful activities assuming the role of amediator (Williams& Burden,1997).Concerningstudents’behavior, theyseemedtoexperience learningasapleasurableprocess because in this TBL context, FL operated as a means of communication in ameaningful and purposeful way and not as a separate subject in the school curriculum.Therefore students had fun combined with learning at the same time, as they activelyparticipatedinexperientialandgame-likelearningactivities.


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Concerning problems encountered, children seemed to have some problems inunderstanding specific vocabulary or certain contexts but they eventually managed toacquirecontent-specificvocabularyanddevelopcontent-specificknowledge.

3.3.2.Students’interviewsStructured interviews were conducted to collect information about the participants’attitudesinrelationtotheCLILprojectimplementation.Theresearchersaimedatidentifyingthe extent to which the interventions responded to students’ interests and expectations.Thestudentswereencouragedtoanswerthefollowingcategoriesofquestions:

• Whatdidyoulikemostabouttheproject?• Whatwerethemaindifficultiesyouencounteredduringtheproject?• Whatcouldhavebeendoneinadifferentway?• Whatdidyoulearnthatwasnew?

ThequalitativeanalysisofthestudentinterviewdatarevealedagenerallypositiveattitudetowardstheCLILproject.Students’viewsaresummarizedbelow.Question:Whatdidyoulikemostabouttheproject?ThegreatmajorityofthestudentsdeclaredthatworkingonaCLILprojectwasapleasurablelearning process. They mostly liked having learnt about the culture and history of theirisland.Specifically,oneofthemstated:“IlikedlearningaboutCreteinEnglish….Itwasfun!”A great number of students showed preference to the game-like activities as well as theexperientialactivitiesasstatedbytwoofthem:“Ilikedplayinggamesinclass.Ihaveneverdone this before in an English class”; “I liked visiting the Folklore Museum ... It wasinterestingandIcouldtalkaboutthisinEnglish”.Moreover,most of the students showed particular preference to doing artworks, such asmaps,creationsofposters,mosaics.Threestudentscommentedonthisaspectasfollows:“IhaveneverlearntEnglishinthatwaybefore.Ilikedworkinginagroupandlearningtogetherwithmyclassmatesandfriends...”;“Ilearntalotofnewvocabulary..Myclassmateshelpedme understand somewords andweworked together, I liked that, it was easier forme”;“NowIknowsomenewandusefulvocabularythatIcanuse.”Question:Whatwerethemaindifficultiesyouencounteredduringtheproject?ConcerningthedifficultieschildrenencounteredduringtheCLILproject,theyreportedthatthat they faced particular problems with the vocabulary in the authentic texts that theyprocessed.Thisbecomesclear in this selectionof three students’ comments: “ThereweremanywordsthatIdidn’tknowwhenIsearchedforinformationonline…”;“Sometextswerelong and difficult…the words were difficult and unknown”; “It was difficult becauseinformationwastoomuchandIhadtobeverycritical”.Question:Whatcouldhavebeendoneinadifferentway?Thegreatmajorityof theparticipantsexpressed their satisfactionwith theproject. This ispresentedinthefollowingstudent’scomment:“Ilikedprojectwork.Itwasamazing.Iwouldliketoparticipateinsuchaprojectagainnextyear”.


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Asmallnumberofchildrendeclared that theywould like toparticipate inmoregame-likeactivities.Question:Whatdidyoulearnthatwasnew?Mostofthechildrenmentionedthattheylearnedhowtocooperateinagroupandhowtouse the FL for in group interaction. Three of them reported that: “I took part in groupactivities…Ilearnedhowtocooperate”;“WhatwasdifferentwasthatIcouldhavefunandlearn English inmy group”; “Wewere doing together posters andmosaics.. I liked beingcreativetogetherwithmyfriends”.LearningaboutCretantraditionsandculturewasalsocommentedpositivebyanumberofstudents as presentedbyoneof them: “I learneda lot of things aboutCrete that I didn'tknow….Itwasveryinterestingandusefultohavelearntallthisnewstuff”.4.DiscussionThe findings of the current study, coming to agreementwith previous research (Mehisto,Marsh& Frigols, 2008), showed a significant improvement of the students’ FL productiveskills,aswellastheenhancementoftheircontentknowledge.Inotherwords,thestudentsbenefitedfrombeingprovidedwithamultimodalenvironmenttoworkin.Inaddition,multimodalmaterialintheCLILclassstimulatedstudents’interestandhelpedtheteacherinhereffort to cater for the needs of students with multiple intelligences (Amstrong, 1994;Gardner,1999).

Itwas recorded that studentsmainly used the target language for communication duringtheirinteractionsandthepresentationsoftheirworkinclass.Students’oralskillsseemedtobe enhanced, by participating in a variety of inquiry-based, creative and interactive-cooperative activities. More precisely, they became more confident regardingcommunicating in thetarget language.Thesedataare in linewiththe findingsofpreviousstudies having revealed CLIL student’s higher performance in the target language skills(Dalton-Puffer & Smit, 2007; Korosidou & Griva, 2013) confirming that content-basedprojects help to foster students’ positive attitudes towards FL learning (Kemp, 2003;Lasagabaster & Sierra 2009). Additionally, they seem to motivate students to learn thetargetlanguageinreal-lifesettings(Naves,2009).

CreativeandexperientialactivitieswereatthecoreoftheCLILproject,makingthelearningprocess more pleasurable and simultaneously offering opportunities for cooperation.Students used language for purposeful communication, taking part in role-plays, in groupdiscussionsandhadampleopportunitiestonegotiatemeaning inordertosolveproblems.This group interaction contributed to their social skills development (Cameron, 2001).Furthermore previous studies also indicated that activity - based learning favors learners’communicativeabilityasarguedbyGower,PhillipsandWalters(1995).The analysis of journal entries as well as the interview records showed that multimodalmaterialandinformationtechnologiesusedinthelearningprocessmotivatedlearnersandenhancedtheirpositiveattitudetowardsboththetargetlanguageandissuesoflocalhistoryandtradition.Ithasbeenalsoreportedinpreviousstudiesthatusingavarietyofactivitiesand focusing on different topics can foster different learning styles and allow fordifferentiated learning (Enright & McCloskey, 1988). Students were also reinforced to


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employanddevelopanumberofhelpfulstrategies,usefulbothfortheiractiveparticipationintheCLILprojectandtheirlifelonglearning.

Inconclusion,thefindingsprovidedsupportfortheefficacyofCLILandsuggestthatsuchaproject could be extensively introduced in the context of primary education. Therefore,launchingthisCLILprojectonawiderscaleandforalongertimecouldpossiblycontributetofurtherdevelopingchildren’sFLskills.Thus,there istheneedforthespecificprojecttobecontinued in the future, involvingawidersampleof studentsandmultimodalmaterial toconfirmtheresultsobtained.ReferencesCameron,L.(2001).TeachingLanguagestoYoungLearners.Cambridge:UniversityPress.Coyle, D., Hood P. & Marsh D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning.

Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Dalton-Puffer, C. (2007). Discourse in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

Classrooms.Amsterdam/Philadelphia:JohnBenjaminsPublishingCo.Dörnyei, Z. (2001).Motivational strategies in the language classroom. Cambridge:

CambridgeUniversityPress.Duong, N. C. (2008). Do games help students learn vocabulary effectively? Lac Hong

University.Eurydice Report. (2006). Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) at school in

Europe.EuropeanCommission.http://www.eurydice.org/index.shtml.Aug2006.Enright,D.&McCloskey,Μ. (1988). Integrating English:DevelopingEnglish Languageand

LiteracyintheMultilingualClassroom.Reading,Mass:AddisonWesley.Gardner,H. (1999). Intelligence Reframed:Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century.New

York:BasicBooks.Gimeno,A.,ÓDónaill,C.&Zygmantaite,R. (2013).ClilstoreGuidebookforTeachers.Tools

forCLILTeachers.Griva,E.&Semoglou,Κ. (2013).ForeignlanguageandGames:ImplementingPhysicalactivitiesof

creativityatearlyyears(InGreek).Thessaloniki:KyriakidisEditions.Gower,R.,Phillips,D.&Walters,S. (1995).TeachingPracticeHandbook.Oxford:Macmillan

Education.Gudjons,H.(2007).Frontalunterricht–neuentdeckt.IntegrationinoffeneUnterrichtsformen.

BadHeilbrunn:Klinkardt.Järvinen, H. (2007). ‘Language in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)’. In D.

Marsh&D.Wolff (Eds),DiverseContexts–ConvergingGoals.CLIL inEurope.Frankfurt:PeterLang,253-260.

Kelner,L.B.(1993).Thecreativeclassroom:Aguideforusingcreativedramaintheclassroom,PreK-6.Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.

Kemp, K.S. (2003). Simulation and Communicative Language Teaching in theSpanishClassroom.Master’sProject.UniversityofToledo.

Korosidou, E. & Griva, E. (2014). ‘CLIL Approach in Primary Education: Learning aboutByzantine Art and Culture through a Foreign Language’. Studies in English LanguageTeaching,2/2:216-232.

Korosidou, E. & Griva, E.(2013). ‘“My country in Europe”: a Content-based Project forTeachingEnglishasaForeignLanguagetoYoungLearners’.JournalofLanguageTeachingandResearch.AcademyPublisher,Finland,4/2:229-244.


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Lasagabaster,D.(2008).‘ForeignLanguageCompetenceinContentandLanguageIntegratedCourses’.TheOpenAppliedLinguisticsJournal,1:31-42.

Lasagabaster, D. & Sierra, J.M. (2009). ‘Language Attitudes in CLIL and Traditional EFL.’Classes.InternationalCLILResearchJournal,1/2:4-17.

Little,D.&Perclová,R.(2001).EuropeanLanguagePortfolio:guideforteachersandteachertrainers.Strasbourg:CouncilofEurope.

Luong,B.H. (2009).Theapplicationofgames ingrammarreview lessons forsixthgraders.HCM city: M.A thesis at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VietnamNationalUniversity-HCMCity.

Mackey, A. & Gass, S.M.(2005). Foreign language research. Methodology and design.Mahwah,NJ:LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.

Marsh,D. (2000). ‘An introductiontoCLIL forparentsandyoungpeople’. ΙnD.Marsh&G.Lange (Εds.), Using Languages to Learn and Learning to Use Languages. Jyvaskyla:UniversityofJyvaskyla.

Marsh, D. & Langé, G. (2000).Using Languages to Learn and Learning to Use Languages.Jyväskylá,Finland:UniCOM,UniversityofJyväskylä.

Mattheoudakis,M.,Alexiou,T.&Laskaridou,C. (2014). ‘ToCLILornottoCLIL?Thecaseofthe3rdExperimentalPrimarySchool inEvosmos’. InN.Lavidas,T.Alexiou&A.Sougari(Eds),MajorTrends inTheoreticalandAppliedLinguistics:Selectedpapersfromthe20th

Ιnternational Symposium of Theoreticaland Applied Linguistic. De Gruyter VersitaPublications,215-233.

McNamara, M. J. & Deane, D. (1995). ‘Self-assessment activities: Towards autonomy inlanguagelearning’.TESOLJournal,5/1:17-21.

Mehisto, P., Marsh, D. & Frigols, M. (2008).Uncovering CLIL: Content andLanguageIntegratedLearninginBilingualandMultilingualEducation.Macmillan:Oxford.

Moon,J.(2000).ChildrenlearningEnglish.N.Y:Macmillan.Naves,T.(2009).‘EffectiveContentandLanguageIntegratedProgrammes(CLIL)’.InY.RuizdeZarobe&R.M.JimenezCatalan(Eds),ContentandLanguage IntegratedLearning:

EvidencefromResearchinEurope.Bristol:MultilingualMatters,22-40.Papadopoulos, I.&Griva,E. (2014). ‘Learning inthetracesofGreekCulture:aCLILproject

forraisingculturalawarenessanddevelopingL2skills’.InternationalJournalofLearning,TeachingandEducationalResearch,8:76-92.

Richards, J. & Lockhart, C. (1994). Reflective teaching in second languageclassrooms.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Scott,W.&Ytreberg,L.H.(1994).TeachingEnglishtoChildren.London:Longmann.Short,K.G.,Harste,J.C.&Burke,C.L.(1996).Creatingclassroomsforauthorsandinquirers.

Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.Troncale,N. (2002).Content-Based Instruction, Cooperative Learning, andCALP Instruction:

Addressing the Whole Education of 7-12 ESL Students.http://journals.tclibrary.org/index.php/tesol/article/viewFile/19/24.

Tsai, Y. & Shang, H. (2010). The impact of content-based language instruction onEFLstudents'readingperformance.AsianSocialScience,6/3:77-85.

Vallbona,A.(2009).ImplementingCLILMethodologyinPrimaryEducation.ACaseStudy.MAthesis,Bellaterra:UAB.

Victori,M.,Vallbona,A.&Bret,A.(2010).’ImplementingCLILinaPrimarySchool.ResultsandInfluentialFactors’.PaperpresentedattheCLIL2010Conference,Eichstätt.

Williams,M.&Burden,R.L.(1997).PsychologyforLanguageTeachers. Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.


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EleniKorosidou([email protected])isanEFLteacher.ShegraduatedfromtheSchoolofEnglishLanguageandLiterature-Aristotle

UniversityofThessaloniki,in2005.ShereceivedaMastersdegreeinTeachingMethodologyandCurriculumDesign,andisaPhDcandidateat

UniversityofWesternMacedonia.ShehasbeenteachingEnglishasaForeignLanguageinPrimaryandSecondaryEducationforthelasttenyears.HerresearchinterestsincludeForeignLanguageTeachingandLearning,LanguageLearningStrategies,LanguageAssessmentand

ComputerAssistedLanguageLearning.Shehasparticipatedinseveraleducationalconferences.

DrAngelikiDeligianni-Georgakas([email protected])isatutor-counselorin

TEYLmoduleatHOU(M.Ed.)TESOLprogram.SheholdsaPhDdegreefromExeterUniversity,UKinTESOLandaMastersdegreefromAUTHin

Pedagogy.ShehasworkedinthepostofEFLSchoolAdvisorandtaughtatAristotleUniversity,ShehasalsoservedinthepostofEducation

CounselorattheGreekEmbassyinLondonandcooperatedwithHellenicPedagogicalInstituteandCouncilofEuropeonanumberofEFLprojects.

Herinterestareasincludelanguagelearningstrategies,CLIL,multi/pluriligualismandalternativeassessment.


PhysicalEducationthroughCLIL:teachingmovementvocabularytoyounglearners

ΦυσικήΑγωγήμετημέθοδοCLIL:διδασκαλίατουκινητικούλεξιλογίουσεμικρούςμαθητές

KyriakiEMMANOUILIDOUandChryssaLASKARIDOUThepurposeofthispaperistopresenthowapartofthe‘movementalphabet’vocabularyofPhysical Education content has been taught though the CLIL programme. The programmetook place in a class of 25 pupils of Year 2 in a schoolwith an extensive English languagecurriculum,foroneofthefour45-minutePEsessionsperweek.Theteamteachingmodelwasused, thus the PE teacher and the English language teacherwere both responsible for thedesignandimplementationofthelessons.EnglishwastheonlylanguageusedduringtheCLILlessonsbybothteachers.ThecontentofthePhysicalEducationsyllabusthatwaschosen,theobjectives, the strategies, the materials and examples of assessment techniques arepresented here. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered, as well as issues that requirespecialattentionarediscussed.

�Σκοπόςτηςεργασίαςείναιναπαρουσιάσειπώςδιδάχθηκετολεξιλόγιοπουαναφέρεταιστο«κινητικό αλφάβητο» μέσω ενός προγράμματος εφαρμογής του μαθήματος της ΦυσικήςΑγωγήςμετημέθοδοCLIL.Τοπρόγραμμαεφαρμόστηκεσετμήμα25μαθητώντηςΒ’τάξηςδημοτικούσχολείουμε εξειδικευμένοπρόγραμμασπουδώνστηνΑγγλική γλώσσα, γιαμιααπό τις τέσσερις ώρες του εβδομαδιαίουωρολογίου προγράμματος τηςΦυσικής Αγωγής.Εφαρμόστηκετομοντέλοτηςσυνδιδασκαλίαςμετουςδύοεκπαιδευτικούς(ΦυσικήςΑγωγήςκαιΑγγλικήςΓλώσσας)σχεδιάζονταςκαιδιδάσκονταςαπόκοινού,επικοινωνώνταςμετουςμαθητέςμόνοστηνΑγγλικήγλώσσα.ΠαρουσιάζονταιτοπεριερχόμενοτηςΦυσικήςΑγωγήςπου επιλέχθηκε να διδαχθεί, οι στόχοι των μαθημάτων, οι στρατηγικές διδασκαλίας, τουλικόπουχρησιμοποιήθηκεκαιπαραδείγματατεχνικώναξιολόγησης.Επίσηςσυζητούνταιοιδυσκολίεςπουαντιμετωπίστηκανκαιθέματαπουχρήζουνπροσοχήςκατάτηνεφαρμογήτηςμεθόδουστοσυγκεκριμένογνωστικόαντικείμενο.Keywords:PhysicalEducation,CLIL,Englishlanguage.

Emmanouilidou and Laskaridou / Research Papers in Language Teaching and Learning 8/2 (2017) 51-62

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1.IntroductionThe Commission of the European Communities White Paper on Education and Training(1995,p.30)statedthatallEuropeancitizensshoulddevelopproficiencyinthreeEuropeanlanguages. Consequently European countries made appropriate changes to their foreignlanguagecurriculainordertoachievethisobjectiveandinthemajorityofEUmemberstatesEnglishbecamethefirstoftheforeignlanguagespupilsstudiedatprimaryschool.Oneofthereasons for this is that English is considered to be a lingua franca and as Graddol (2006)claimsEnglishisnotsomuchviewedasalanguagetodaybutasacoreskillwhichisneededto study another curricula subject. To provide further practice in the foreign language,Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) was adopted in the mid 90s by theEuropeanNetwork of Administrators, Researchers and Practitioners referring to CLIL “as ageneric umbrella termwhichwould encompass any activity inwhich a foreign language isused as a tool in the learning of a non-language subject in which both language and thesubjecthavea joint curricular role” (Marsh,2002,p.58).Contentand languageare taughtsimultaneously resulting in “using language to learnwhilst learning touse language”.Bothcontentandlanguagehaveanequalrole-emphasisisnotgiventoeither(Marsh,2000).CLILprovides learnerswiththeopportunity tostudyasubject throughthemediumofa foreignlanguage,thereforeallowingforextraexposuretothislanguagewithoutrequiringmoretimeinthecurriculum.Theylearnthesameconceptsandskillsastheywouldhavelearntintheirnative language (Muñoz,2008).Coyle (1999)claims thata successfulCLIL lessonshouldbeplanned according to the 4Cs framework which should combine the following elements:Content (knowledgeandskills relatedto thesubjectmatter),Communication (learningandusinglanguage),Cognition(developinglowandhighorderthinkingskills),Culture(awarenessofselfandothers,pluriculturalunderstanding).Even though Physical Education (PE) is referred to as being among the subjects taughtthroughtheCLILapproach(Ioannou-Georgiou&Pavlou,2011),accordingtoDevos(2016,p.38)“PEthroughCLILisinitsinfancyacrossEuropebothintermsofthenumberofpractisingschoolsandtheextentoftheempiricalresearch”.TheEuropeancountriesinwhichresearchaboutPEthroughCLILhasbeenconductedasfarasweknow,areGermany(e.g.,Rottmann,2007), Spain (e.g., Coral& Lleixà, 2014) and England (e.g., Zindler, 2013). PE has not beenimplemented as a CLIL subject in more European schools basically due to (1) the lack ofspecific methodology (2) the lack of consideration given to PE and also (3) insufficienttrainingof theteachers (Fazio, Isidori&Bartoll,2015).Furthermore,Deegan(1994)arguedthat PE teachers in general, underestimate the importance of language and literacy asimportantaspectsoftheirsubject.However,PEtoday,asitappearsinthecurrentcurricula,includingthatofGreece,hasthedevelopmentofthewholechildthroughmovementas itsmain purpose and not only the development of the physical domain. Therefore, subject-specific academic language should also be taught in order for learners to acquire contentliteracyskillswhich theywillneed tobecome lifelongmovers (Buell&Whittaker,2001). Inaddition, the subject of PE is considered to be a suitable environment for cross-curricularteachingandmanystudieshaveshowntheeffectivenessofPE in the teachingof language(e.g.,Solomon&Murata,2008).Languageacquisitionisverysimilartotheprocesschildrenusedinacquiringfirstandsecondlanguages. It requires meaningful and natural interaction in the target language in whichspeakers are concerned more with the messages they are conveying and understandingrather thanwith the form (Krashen, 1982). CLIL through PE, as in other curricula subjects,provides suchanenvironmentbyallowing thepupils touse the foreign languagenaturallywithout having to focus on language learning but rather on the PE content. The physical


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world of sports, games and physical activities can offer rich opportunities for linguisticinteractioninvolvingbothsocialandacademicaspectsofaforeignlanguage(Bell&Lorenzi,2004).Languageispresentedinreal-lifecontextsinwhichitsnaturaluseingamesandplaycanenhancepupils’motivationtowardslearningtheEnglishlanguage.Manysports,suchasfootball and basketball, are based on the English language providing authentic speechsituationsand furthermore, thevocabulary inphysicaleducation iseverydayvocabulary sothe pupils are used to a lot of words and can implement them in their everyday life(Machunsky,2007).AsRottmann(2007,p.205)stated“PEactuallyoffersrichopportunitiesfor combined movement and language learning through communication and interactionespecially for beginning foreign-language learners due to its action-oriented and content-basedcharacter”.TakingalloftheabovementionedpointsintoconsiderationPEcanbeseenas a subject which is very suitable for CLIL. The aim of this paper is to present themethodology of teaching motor skill and movement concept vocabulary in the EnglishlanguagethroughthePEthroughCLILapproach.

PEgoals “Movementalphabet”objectives Outcomes

Developmentoffundamentalmotorskills

Manipulativeskills

turningahoopwithfoot,dribblingaballwithfeet,kickingastationaryball,passingastationaryball,stoppingarollingball,puntingaballintotheair

Pupilsshouldbeabletodemonstratetheskillsandtheconceptsandknow/understandthenamesandthecues*oftheskillsandtheconcepts

Movementconcepts

Spaceawareness(wherethebodymoves)

locations selfandgeneralspace

directions

up/down,left/right,forward/backward,clockwise,anticlockwise

pathways straight/circle/zig-zag

Effort(Howthebodymoves)

time fast/slow

force strong/light

Relationships

ofbodyparts narrow/wide

withobjectsorpeople

infront/behind,over/under,partners,together

Developmentof Health-related fitnesscomponents

Flexibility Stretchingandbalancing

Cardioendurance

jumping rope,parachuteactivities, aerobicswith theuseof locomotor skills (i.e.,walk, run,hop, skip,gallop, slideetc)

*criticalelementsforthecorrectperformanceofamovementskillTable1:UnitsofthephysicalandcognitivedomainsofthePEsyllabuswhichweretaughtinthePE

throughCLILprogramme.


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CONTENT

PE goals in the physicaldomain

§ Demonstrationcompetencyinmovementskillsandproficiencyinsome.§ Developmentofahealth-relatedfitnesslevel

Unitoutcomes

Pupilsshould…§ beabletojumpcontinuallywithoutlosingaropeturn(byoneselforby

others)§ improvetheircardiovascularendurance,strength,andcoordination

COGNITION

PE goal in cognitivedomain

§ Acquisitionofsportsscienceknowledgeanditseffectiveapplicationduringparticipationinphysicalactivity

Unitoutcomes

Pupilsshould:§ know,understandandapplythecuesofcorrectskills’performanceand

theprinciplesandstrategiesofeffectiveandsafeparticipationinropejumpingactivities

§ knowhowtotakeandreporttheirheartratebefore,duringandafteractivities

Bloom’staxonomy

§ Loworderthinkingskills:remember,understandandapplythecuesofthe individual and team rope jumping and the principles of theseactivities.

§ Highorderthinkingskills:evaluate

COMMUNICATION

Languageoflearning

§ Turn, jump,skip,hop,travel,rope,hoop,forward,backward,over,under,around,in,out,inthemiddleof,clockwise,anticlockwise,together,apart,slow,fast,self-space,generalspace,knees,foot/feet,arms,hands,elbow,bent,stretch,numbers(1-20),rhythm,fingers,pulse

Languageofdefining(thecuesoftheskills):§ turntherope&jump§ Runinaftertheropehitstheground

Languageofrefinement:§ bent&stretchyourknees§ jumpontheballsofyourfeet§ runinaftertheropehitstheground

Languageofexplaining/hypothesizing:e.g.,“Whatwillhappenifyouruninwhentheropeisaboveyou?”

Languageforlearning

§ Answer questions verbally or respond physically to orders, report back (“Howmanytimes…”)

§ Managementprotocols: “Lineup in twos/threes”, “When I saygo/stop…”, “Findyourspace”.“Runinon3,1-2-3”,“Quietplease”

Languagethroughlearning

Rhymesandsongs(e.g.,“Hickety,pickety,pop,howmanytimesbeforeIstop?1,2,3,…”“IlikecoffeeIliketea,Iwant(name)tojumpinwithme”)

CULTURE

PEgoalsintheaffectivedomain

§ Exhibitionofresponsiblepersonalandsocialbehavior§ Respectofselfandothersastheresultofparticipationinphysicalactivity§ Recognition of the value of physical activity for self-expression and/or social


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interaction

Unitoutcomes

Pupilsshould:§ demonstrate respect for the others independently of physical abilities and

responsibility ingroupactivitiesbyhelpingteammatesachievethetargetsofthelessons.

§ followmanagementprotocolsandsafetyrules.

Table2:Thejumpingropeunitaccordingtothe4Cs

2.ContextandParticipantsPE through CLIL was implemented at a Greek Primary School in Thessaloniki which isexperimentalfortheteachingofEnglishasaforeignlanguageandsupervisedbytheSchoolof English at the Aristotle University. This particular school practices a cross-curricularapproach among other innovative ones and had already adopted the CLIL methodologythroughthemediumoftheEnglishlanguageforavarietyofsubjects.Aschoolenvironmentsuch as this opens the door for further experimentation and for teachers to try out newapproachesaccordingtotheirpersonalinterests.ThePEthroughCLILprogrammetookplaceduringtheschoolyear2013-2014inaclassof25Year2pupilsforoneofthefour45-minutesessionsofthePEcurriculumperweek.Theparticipantswereheterogeneouslygrouped,asregards academic/linguistic performance and social/economic status. According to thecurriculumof the school theparticipants studiedEnglish for5 lessonsperweek in Years1and2,not includingthePEthroughCLIL lesson. It isonlyafterhavingbeenexposedtotheEnglish language for 18months through oral work that pupils came into contactwith thewritten formof the language. Itwas the firstexperience that theparticipantsof this studyhadwith the CLIL approach and it provided themwith the opportunity to further benefitfromoneoftheirfavouriteschoolsubjects.The teamteachingmodelwasused, thus thePE teacherandtheEnglish languageteacher,which in the Greek school context are specialist teachers, were both responsible for thedesignandimplementationofthelessons.ThePEteacher,whosecompetenceinEnglishisofC2level,had18years’experienceinteachingPEinaprimaryschoolbutshehadnottaughtCLILbefore.TheEnglishlanguageteacher,whoisanativespeakerofEnglish,had20years’experienceofEFLteachinginaprimaryschoolandhadalreadytaughtCLILforfiveyears inolderclassesbutinasubjectotherthanPE.

3.ContentandlanguageobjectivesEventhoughgeneralliteracyskillsapplyinallcontentareas,contentliteracy-knowinghowandwhentousereading,writingandthinkingskillsinaparticularsubjectarea-willvaryandmustbetaughtexplicitly(Buell&Whittaker,2001,p.32).ContentliteracyinPEincludesbothwhatlearnersshouldknowandbeabletodoinalldomains(physical,cognitiveandaffective)attheendofeachgradeanditisdefinedbythecontentstandardsfortheschoolprogrammein theCurriculum for Elementary PE (2011). Specifically, themost significant outcomes forpupils at the end of Year 2 are competency in the fundamental movement forms,understandingandknowing theskillandconceptvocabulary,knowingand followingsafetyrules,showingrespecttoandcooperatingwithothers.


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ThecoreofPEand themeans toachieve theaimsof thecurriculum ismovement (games,dancing,recreationalandhealth-relatedactivitiesetc).ButasBuschner(1994,p.9)claimed,“In elementary PE, we too have an alphabet that requires mastery. Instead of 26 letters,thereare12movementconceptsand18motorskillsthatshouldbecarefullypractisedandunderstoodbeforesport,game,dance,gymnasticsandexerciseapplications”.Fundamentalmotorskillsareanalogous toverbs (i.e.actionwords) (e.g. run,hop,balance,dribble,etc),whilemovementconceptsareanalogoustoadverbs(i.e.howaskillisperformed)(e.g.self-space, right/left, fast/slow, etc) (Graham, Holt/Hale, & Parker, 2012). According to the PEcurriculum, themastery of the above ‘movement alphabet’ content shouldbe achieved attheendofYear2and it is themaincontentof that level.ThePE throughCLILprogrammeaimedatdevelopingcompetence in someof theabove-mentionedskillswhileat thesametimeaimingat theacquisitionof thenewmovementvocabulary through thepromotionoflisteningandspeakingskillsintheEnglishlanguage.

4. ProcedureBefore the beginning of the school year the PE and the EFL teachers had collaborated inorder to prepare the content, resources and materials that would be needed for theimplementation of the PE through CLIL programme. They discussed and decided on thecontentunitsofthePEsyllabus,thesequenceinwhichunitswouldbetaughtandthetargetlanguageoftheprogramme.AsonlyoneofthefourPElessonswasconductedinEnglish,itwasnecessarytoselectwhichunitscouldbesuitablysimplifiedforpupilstounderstandbutalsonot losethe interestandmotivationthe lessonwouldnormallyarouse.ThecontentofthePEsyllabuswhichwasselectedfortheprogrammeisdepictedinTable1.

The selected units and lessonswere planned according to the 4C’s framework and the PENational Curriculum. Both deal with the development of the whole child and have manyelementsincommon.AnexampleofaunitorganisedwiththeseinmindcanbeseeninTable2.The PE teacher was mainly responsible for selecting the content and the subject specificvocabulary thatpupilsneeded tounderstandand learn.Asseen inTable2,apart fromthemovementskillsandconceptsvocabulary,pupilsshouldbeexposedtolanguageconcerningtherulesofthegames,themanagementprotocolsoftheclass(e.g.protocolsinrelationtotheequipment,selectingpartnersandgroups,enteringandleavingthegym),thebehaviourprotocolsandthecues(thecriticalelements)forthecorrectperformanceofmovementskillswhichwereprovidedverballybytheteachers.The PE teacher also suggested suitable teaching styles and techniques from the Greek PElesson implementation. The EFL teacher presented her ideas based on the EFL teachingprinciplesandtogetherthetwoteacherscameupwithhowtocombinethetwoapproacheswith each complementing and learning from each other. Available materials, strategies,approachesandCLILprincipleswerealltakenintoconsiderationwhenplanningthelessonsandespecially the integrationof theEnglish language into thePE contentand keeping thebalancebetweenthetwo. ItwasveryhelpfulthattheEFLteachertaughtEnglishclassesatthis level andwas thereforewell informedas toboth the language level of thepupils andalso the vocabulary and language they had already acquired. There was no explicit pre-teachingofthevocabularybutratherthenewvocabularywaspresentedinEnglishthroughtheteachingofthenewskills,suchasdribbling,skippingandturningthehoopas‘natural’PElanguage.However, someofwhatwasconsidered tobenewvocabulary forYear2PEhadalready been taught in English lessons during the previous year. Likewise some of the PE


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movement concepts had already been taught in one of the three PE lessons that wereconductedintheGreeklanguageorintheYear1PEclass.Whilepreparing the lessonplansboth teacherskept inmind thepossibledifficultiespupilswouldencounterasthelessonwouldbeconductedinEnglish.Amajorfactorinplanningwastoensure that thesedifficultieswouldnot takeaway fromthe funandexcitement thatPEoffers.

5.MethodologyAsmentioned above, amethodologywhich combined both PE and EFL teaching principleswas adopted. In PE, among the guidelines for effective teaching to beginners is that of“explaininganddemonstratingonenewideaatatime...andthenprovidingfeedbackaboutthewayspupilsaremoving”(Graham,1992,p.65).InthePEthroughCLILprogrammenewlanguagewasintroducedverballyandwasaccompaniedbythedemonstrationofmovementsand skills, and/or visual materials. Τhis strategy is common for both PE (in the mothertongue)andalsoforearlyforeignlanguageteachingwheretheTotalPhysicalResponse(TPR)techniqueisused.AsstatedbyAsher(1966)TPRisconductedbasedonthecoordinationofspoken languageandphysicalmovementhelping learnersdevelop listeningcomprehensionandoralfluency.Whenpupilshadbecomeacquaintedwiththenewlanguageandskills,teachingapproachessuch as Practice and Reciprocal teaching style from the Mosston’s Spectrum of TeachingStylesforPhysicalEducation(Mosston&Ashworth,2008)wereadopted.UsingthePracticeteaching style the learning environmentwas organised into stationswith groups of pupilsalternatingbetweenstationsatthesametimeinordertopractiseavarietyofdifferentskillswhilesimultaneouslybeingofferedfeedback. In theReciprocal teachingstyleaverysimpleformof peer-teaching/assessmentwas implementedwhereone learnerwas thedoerwhoperformedthemovementskillandtheotherlearnerwastheobserverwhoofferedfeedbacktothedoer,usingthelearnedcuesoftheskill.EFLtechniquessuchassongs,rhymes,puppetsaswellasflashcardsweretransferredtothePE through CLIL class. An example of how this was done can be seen from the lesson onstretching. In a regular PE lesson the teacher would have demonstrated some stretchingexercisesexplainingwhichmusclewasbeingstretchedand thepupilswouldhave imitatedthe action.With the influence of the EFL teacher however, the stretching exercises werepresentedusingatraditionalchildren’sactionsong“Punchinello”.TheEFLteacherbroughtina string puppet namedPunchinellowhichwas used to help pupils understand ‘stretching’.Pupilssang“WhatcanyoudoPunchinello, funnyfellow?”andPunchinellodemonstratedastretching activity. The pupils then sang “We can do it too Punchinello, funny fellow” andimitatingthe“stretching”movement.Theactivitywasrepeatedwithdifferentchildrentakingthepuppet’s(Punchinello’s)placeanddemonstratinga‘stretching’movementwhichtherestoftheclasshadtoperformwhilesingingthelyrics(seebelow)andactingout‘Punchinello’song. During the whole process the PE teacher checked and gave individual feedbackregardingthequalityofthemovementandtheEFLteachersupervisedtheclasssothattheflowofthelessonwasnotinterrupted.

WhatcanyoudoPunchinello,funnyfellow?WhatcanyoudoPunchinello,funnyyou?WecandoittooPunchinello,funnyfellow


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WecandoittooPunchinello,funnyyouYouchooseoneofusPunchinello,funnyfellowYouchooseoneofusPunchinello,funnyyou

Using these techniqueswhat couldhaveendedupbeingademotivating lessondue to thenewvocabularyandstaticexercisesbecameaverycreativeandexcitinglessonwithlanguagebeinglearntinanaturalPEenvironment.Punchinellowasalsousedforwarmupactivitiesinlaterlessons.Another instanceofwhena traditionalchildren’sactionsongwasused is thatof“Walking,Walking”. This song had been used in the EFL classroom in Year 1 so the learners werefamiliarwithitbutinthePElessonitwasusedforafitnessactivitywiththeparachute.Thepupilsallheldontotheparachuteandmovedaroundinacirclesingingandperformingtheactionsofthesong.

Walking,walkingHop,hop,hopRunning,running,runningNowlet’sstop.

Thisactivitywasexpandedtoincludedirectionmovementconceptvocabulary(totheleft,totheright)andmovementskillsvocabulary (skip/gallop/slideetc).AsalreadymentionedEFLteachersoftenusewell-knownchildren’ssongsbutmaychangethelyricstosuittheneedsofthelesson.ThereforetosuittheneedsofthePEclassandtheparachutelessonthesong‘TheWheelsontheBus’wasusedandthelyricsbecame:

Let’sopenuptheparachuteShakeit,shakeitLet’sopenuptheparachuteInthePEclassTheparachutegoesroundandroundRoundandroundTheparachutegoesroundandroundInthePEclass

Therewasfurthersubstitutionofphrasessuchas“goesupanddown’”,“movesveryslow”,“moves very fast” being included. Various English children’s rhymes for jumping rope alsobecamepartofthePElessonwiththepupilschantingforexample,“HicketyPicketyPop,Howmany times before I stop? 1, 2, 3, 4 . . . .” as they were jumping rope. This was a verysuccessfulmethodastherhythmhelpednotonlywiththedevelopmentofthejumpingropeskill but also with the revision and consolidation of the numbers they had learnt in theEnglish lesson. With the help of the teachers the pupils were encouraged to continuecounting the number of times they jumped rope even when they reached numbers theywerenotfamiliarwith.

6.AssessmentAssessment as an integral part of any learning processwas planned and applied in the PEthrough CLIL programme and focused on achieving the objectives of every lesson. The


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techniques used to assess the acquisition of themovement vocabulary were basically theonesusedinassessingcognitivegoalsinaregularPEclass.Formative assessmentwas carriedout through the lessons using alternative and authentictechniques. Alternative techniques require pupils to use high order thinking skills, such asproblemsolvinganddecisionmakingwhileauthenticassessmentrequirespupilstouseandapplyskillsandknowledgeinreal-lifesituations(Schiemer,2000).Thepurposeofformativeassessment,whichwasembeddedintheactuallesson,wastoprovidepupilswithfeedbackregarding the process and the enhancement of their movement learning and languageunderstanding.Since written tests could not be used, verbal and physical responses were observed forassessmentpurposes.Whenpupilswerenotabletorespondverbally,theywereencouragedto do so non-verbally, by demonstrating. Apart from the live observations, lessons werevideotapedformorepreciseandreliablemonitoringofpupils’progress.Oneof the techniques for theassessmentofvocabularyacquisitionwasquestioning in thebeginning, duringor at theendof every lesson for activatingprior knowledge, confirming,understandingand summarizingaccordingly. Furthermore, small changes to familiargameswere made leading to the practice of productive skills and to the assessment of theacquisitionofmovementskillandconcept terminology.Forexample, in thegame“musicalhoops”(aversionofmusicalchairs)theteachercallsoutaskill(jump)andthepupilshavetomovearoundusingthisskill,thatis,jumpinguntiltheteachersignals‘stop’andtheyhavetofindahooptostandin.Thepupilsthentaketheroleoftheteacherandaretheonestocallouttheskill.Apart from eliciting new language from the pupils the teachers needed to assess theirgeneral understanding of concepts also. An indirect way of doing this was when the EFLteacherpretendednottounderstandtheinstructionssothatthepupilswouldexplainthemtoherand ifnecessary, shewould repeat themusingdifferent language tohelp thepupilswho looked confused. Other alternative techniques of assessment were used such as theteacher performing a newly acquired skill incorrectly and pupils correcting her. This wasmorenaturalwhendonebytheEFLteacherratherthanthePEteacherwhowasaspecialist.ThepupilsimmenselyenjoyedcorrectingtheEFLteacher.At theendofevery lessonaquickassessmentof the contentand language thathadbeentaught was included. An example of this is when the PE teacher asked pupils to performsomethingofthecontentoftheday(e.g.,“Marycanyoushowushowtobalanceonthreepartsofthebody?”).

7.DiscussionAspreviouslymentionedinthispaperthetaskofintegratingcontentandlanguagerequirescarefulplanningandorganisationsoasstrikeabalancebetweenthetwo.Asthemediumofinstruction is the foreign language, language teachers could easily fall into the trap ofteachinglanguageratherthancontent.Teachingasubjectintheforeignlanguageisnotthesameasanintegrationoflanguageandcontentanditisnecessaryforlanguageandsubjectteacherstoworkcloselytogetherinordertofindthewayforrealintegration(Marsh,2002).InthebeginningoftheschoolyeartheteachersinvolvedinthePEthroughCLILprogrammeneededtoexplaintothepupilsthereasonswhythisprogrammewasbeingimplementedand


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whythePElessonswerebeingconductedinEnglish.Somepupilswereinitiallyscepticalandsome reacted negatively as they believed it would be much more difficult for them tounderstand the contentof the lessonand furthermore,because theywouldneed tomakemuchmoreofaneffortthantheywouldhaveiftheclasshadbeenconductedinGreek.Aftera fewweeks, however, their attitudes started changing as they began to feel safer,moreconfidentandmoreaccustomedtousinglanguageforandthroughlearning.AsinanyCLILprogrammeemphasiswasplacedonthepupilsunderstandingofthecontentmatter and the instructions were given as part of the language learning process wherelearnersbeginwithreceptiveunderstandingbeforetheymoveontoproductiveuse.Younglearners,especiallyintheinitialstages,requireinputfromthetargetlanguageuntiltheyarereadytoproduceit(Halliwell,1992).Thisinputcomesfromtheteacherswhoencouragethelearnerstousetheforeignlanguagewhileengagingintheactivities.Carewastakenwiththechoiceofthelanguageusedsoastoensurethatallpupilsweretofirstunderstandandatalaterdateusethenewlanguagetocommunicate.Havingknowledgeoftheschool’sEnglishlanguage syllabus made it possible to use language that pupils were familiar with and tograduallyaddfurthersubjectspecificvocabulary.LearnerswereencouragedtoengageintheactivitiesathandthroughtheuseoftheEnglishlanguage.Theteachers’rolewastosupportandencouragetheminthis.Itissignificanttomentionthatemphasiswasnotonaccuracybutoncommunicationandonhelping pupils perceive that learning is an enjoyable experience. As Marsh (2000, p. 12)claimed“IfthechildenjoystheCLILexperiencethentheextraworkloadwillnotbeseenasaproblem”.Soitwasteachers’responsibilitytoensurethatpupilswereexposedtoafun,safe,enjoyable learningenvironmentandtokeepstresstoaminimum.WhatMarshreferstoas‘theextraworkload’isconsideredheretobetheattemptpupilsmadeinordertounderstandandcommunicateintheEnglishlanguage.There were times when the teachers realised that a pupil may not have understood theinstructions and was just imitating what others were doing. Strategies used to check thisweretheobservationofpupils’physicalresponsestoinstructionsandtheiranswersrelatedto thequestionsabout theactivities.Aswasexpected,even though thepupilsunderstoodthelessonintheEnglishlanguagesomeinitiallyspokeintheirnativelanguage,Greek,totheteachers. Itwasof no surprise that thepupils spokeGreek to the teachers and that therewereinstancesofcodeswitching.TheywerenotreprimandedinanywaywhentheydidthiswiththeteacherscontinuingtospeakinEnglish.Infact,thepupilswereencouragedtouseEnglish but not pressured into doing so until they felt ready. It was the teachers’responsibilitytokeepstresslevelstoaminimumandtoensurethatthepupilsfeltsafeintheCLILenvironment.InterferenceofonelanguagetoanotherisanaturalpartofthelearningprocessaswasthefactthatthenewEnglishvocabularywasusedwithmuchgreatereasethanthevocabularywhich had already been acquired in the Greek language. From the experience of the PEthroughCLILprogrammeitwasrealisedthattobeabletohelplearnersunderstandtheCLILteachers had to have a very good command of the English language and especially ofspeakingskills.Tobeablebringtheforeignlanguagedowntotheleveloftheyounglearnersisverydemandingandrequirestheflexibleuseoftheforeignlanguage.Asbothteachershadanexcellentcommandofthelanguageitwasnotnecessarytousethemothertongueatanytimeduringtheprogramme.


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ThispaperisthefirstpresentationofalongitudinalstudythatbeganwithYear2pupilsandisstillcontinuingtodaywiththesamegroupofpupilsinYear4.Itisnotpossibletogeneralisefrom the outcomes of this study as the school has a special EFL curriculumwhich is verydifferent to that of other Greek primary schools. However, if teachers are looking toimplementaPEthroughCLILprogrammeintheirschoolitispossibletotakethisstudyintoconsiderationandadaptittosuitthelanguagelevelofthepupils.ReferencesAsher, J. J. (1966). ‘The Learning Strategy of the Total Physical Response: A Review’. The

ModernLanguageJournal,50/2:79-84.Bell, N.D.& Lorenzi, D. (2004). ‘Facilitating second language acquisition in elementary and

secondary physical education classes’. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation andDance,75/6:46-51.

Buell,C.&Whittaker,A.(2001).‘EnhancingcontentliteracyinPhysicalEducation’.JournalofPhysicalEducation,RecreationandDance,72/6:32-37.

Buschner,G.A. (1994).Teachingchildrenmovementandskills,Becomingamasterteacher.ChampaignIL:HumanKinetics.

Commission of the European Communities (1995) White Paper: Teaching and LearningTowardstheLearningSociety,ObjectiveIV.CouncilofEurope,Brussels,DGV.

CoralJ.&Lleixà,T. (2014). ‘Physicaleducation incontentand language integrated learning:successful interaction between physical education and English as a foreign language’.International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, athttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2014.977766,accessed9January2015.

Coyle, D. (1999). ‘Theory and planning for effective classrooms: Supporting students incontentandlanguageintegratedlearningcontexts’.InJ.Masih(Ed.),LearningThroughaForeignLanguage.London:CILT.

CurriculumforElementaryPhysicalEducation(2011).MinistryofEducation,LifelongLearningandReligiousAffairs,athttp://ebooks.edu.gr/.Accessed12August2014.

Deegan,D. (1994). ‘Literacy in thecontentareas:Ain’tnoneed to sign theblues’.ReadingImprovement,31/3:177-185.

Devos, N. J. (2016). Peer Interactions in New Content and Language Integrated Settings.EducationalLinguistics.SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland.

Fazio,A.,Isidori,E.,&Bartoll,Ó.C.(2015).‘TeachingPhysicalEducationinEnglishusingCLILMethodology:aCriticalPerspective’.Procedia-SocialandBehavioralSciences,918-926.

Graddol, D. (2006). English Next. London, England: British Council, athttp://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research-english-next.pdf. Accessed 2 August2015.

Graham,G.(1992).TeachingChildrenPhysicalEducation-BecomingaMasterTeacher.HumanKinetics:ChampaignIL.

Graham,G.,Holt/Hale,S.A.,&Parker,M.(2012).ChildrenMoving:AReflectiveApproachtoTeachingPhysicalEducation(9thed.).NewYork,NY:McGraw-Hill.

Halliwell,S.(1992).TeachingEnglishintheprimaryclassroom.Essex:Longman.Ioannou-Georgiou,S.&Pavlou,P.(2011).GuidelinesforCLILImplementationinPrimaryand

Pre-PrimaryEducation.Availableat:http://www.schools.ac.cy/klimakio.Krashen,S.D. (1982).SecondLanguageAcquisitionandSecondLanguageLearning.Oxford:

PergamonPressInc.Machunsky, M. (2007). Developing Material for Physical Education Lessons in CLIL, at

http://www.factworld.info/en/Article-17-3208.Accessed15December2015.


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Marsh,D. (2000). ‘An IntroductiontoCLIL forParentsandYoungPeople’. InD.Marsh&G.Langé(Ed.),Usinglanguagestolearnandlearningtouselanguages,2-16.

Marsh,D.(Ed.)(2002).CLIL/EMILE—TheEuropeanDimension:Actions,TrendsandForesightPotential, Public Services Contract DG EAC, European Commission. Strasbourg. Finland:UniversityofJyväskylä.

Mosston, M., & Ashworth, S. (2008). Teaching Physical Education (1st online ed.), athttp://www.spectrumofteachingstyles.org/pdfs/ebook/Teaching_Physical_Edu_1st_Online_old.pdf.Accessed2July2015.

Muñoz,C.(2008).‘SymmetriesandasymmetriesofageeffectsinnaturalisticandinstructedL2learning’.AppliedLinguistics29:578-596.

Rottmann, B. (2007). ‘Sports in English-Learning opportunities through CLIL in physicaleducation’.InC.Dalton-Puffer&U.Smit,(Εds),EmpiricalPerspectivesonCLILClassroomDiscourse.SpracheimKontext.FrankfurtamMain,DEU:PeterLangAG,205-225.

Schiemer,S.(2000).Assessmentstrategiesforelementaryphysicaleducation.ChampaignIL:HumanKinetics.

Solomon, J. & Murata, N.M. (2008). ‘Physical Education and Language Arts: AnInterdisciplinary Teaching Approach’. Strategies: A Journal for Physical and SportEducators,21/6:19-23.

Zindler, K. (2013). ‘Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) andPE in England:AnExploratoryStudy’.UnpublishedThesisfortheDoctorateofEducation(EdD),UniversityofSheffield.

KyriakiEmmanouilidou([email protected])isaPhysicalEducationteacheratthe3rdExperimentalPrimarySchoolofEvosmos,Thessaloniki.

ShereceivedherMScandPhDdegreesinPhysicalEducationattheDemocritusUniversityofThrace.Herresearchinterestsinvolve

professionaldevelopmentofphysicaleducators,teacherandstudentassessment,andinterdisciplinaryteaching.Forthelastthreeyearsshe

hasbeenimplementingtheCLILapproachinPrimaryPhysicalEducationclasses.

ChryssaLaskaridou([email protected])iscurrentlyanEFLstateschool

advisorinGreece.SheholdsanM.A.inTesolandherdissertationfocusedontheculturalawarenessofEnglishlanguageteachersinGreekprimary

schools.ShetookpartinEuropeanprojects“Oxymoron”and“Hola”whichaimedtoproducematerialsfortrainingofforeignlanguageteachersinprimaryschools.SheimplementedtheCLILapproachforthesubjectsofGeographyandPEatthe3rdExperimentalPrimarySchoolinEvosmos,

Greece.Shehaspublishedarticlesonculturalawareness,teachingyounglearnersandCLILandhaspresentedpapersatlocalandinternational

conferences.


ImplementingCLILinaGreekSecondarySchoolSetting:ASuggestionforGoodTeachingPractices

ΕφαρμόζονταςτημέθοδοCLILσεΣχολείοτηςΔευτεροβάθμιαςεκπαίδευσης:

Μίαπρότασηγιακαλέςδιδακτικέςπρακτικές

MariaCHIONIS,DimitraDERTILI,IoannaKYNIGOUandEleniXANTHAKOU

ThepresentarticleaimsatdescribingtheimplementationofCLILmethodinthesettingofaSecondaryschool inAthens,Greece.Thetheoretical frameworkofthemethod itselfand itspedagogical background will be followed by a specific description of its application inpractice,inavarietyofcognitivefields.Wewillpresentaprovisionalinformalassessmentofthe implementation of CLIL, in an attempt to evaluate the possible advantages anddisadvantagesofthemethod,bothintermsofcognitiveaswellaslinguisticdevelopment,asthese have emerged from its practical application.Wewill highlight the requirements weconsider necessary for a successful implementation of the method and refer to theconstraints set by the existing educational setting. There will also be an attempt tocontextualizethemethodwithinacommonEuropeanapproachtoteachingwhichfocusesonusingtechnologyandinnovativepracticestomeetcognitiveneedsandrequirements.Finally,provisionalconclusionswillbedrawn,asthemethodisstillatapilotstage.Thereisaneedfor further studies (both quantitative and qualitative) in order to assess the opportunitiespresentedandtheobstaclesanticipatedintheeventofamoregeneralizedimplementationofthemethod.

�ΣτόχοςτουπαρόντοςάρθρουείναιναπεριγράψειτηνεφαρμογήτηςμεθόδουCLIL(Contentand Language Integrated Learning/Ολοκληρωμένη Εκμάθηση Περιεχομένου και Γλώσσας)σε ένα δημόσιοΠειραματικό Γυμνάσιο της Αθήνας. Παρουσιάζεται το θεωρητικό πλαίσιοτης μεθόδου καθώς και το παιδαγωγικό της υπόβαθρο και ακολουθεί η περιγραφή τηςπρακτικήςεφαρμογήςτηςμεθόδου,σεποικίλανοηματικάδιδακτικάπεδία.Στόχοςμαςείναινα παρουσιάσουμε μια αρχική εμπειρική και ποιοτική αποτίμηση της εφαρμογής τηςμεθόδου επιχειρώντας την αξιολόγηση τυχόν θετικών και αρνητικών στοιχείων της όσοναφορά στη νοητική αλλά και στη γλωσσική ανάπτυξη των μαθητών. Θα τονίσουμε τις

Chionisetal/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)63-76

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προϋποθέσεις που κρίνουμε απαραίτητες για την επιτυχή εφαρμογή της μεθόδου και θααναφερθούμε στους περιορισμούς που θέτει το παρόν πλαίσιο εφαρμογής. Θαεπιχειρήσουμε επίσης να συνδέσουμε την μέθοδο με την κοινές Ευρωπαϊκές διδακτικέςπρακτικές που εστιάζουν στην χρήση της τεχνολογίας και της καινοτομίας για τηνεκπλήρωσημαθησιακώναναγκών. Τέλος, θαπαρουσιάσουμε κάποια συμπεράσματααπόένα πρώτο, πιλοτικό στάδιο εφαρμογής επισημαίνοντας ότι χρειάζεται περαιτέρω έρευνα(ποιοτική και ποσοτική) για να αξιολογηθούν κατάλληλα οι ευκαιρίες που μπορεί ναπροσφέρει,αλλάκαιταεμπόδιαπουμπορείνασυναντήσειημέθοδοςCLILσεπερίπτωσηευρύτερηςεφαρμογήςτης.Keywords:CLIL,history,music,literature,biology,FLT.1.IntroductionTraditionallyForeignLanguageTeaching inGreekschoolshasbeenbasedoncourse-bookswhich,atbest,areorganizedaroundmainstreamtopicspresumedtobeofinteresttoyoungchildren and teenagers, and which serve as the background to imparting metalinguisticknowledge of grammar rules and vocabulary. The latter is embedded in context, but as aruledisconnectedfromanycognitiveprocess.Thetopics includedhavetobeofverywideappeal, making them predictable and uncontroversial, and therefore often mundane forstudents and teachers alike. The surge of interest in the ‘communicative approach’ tolanguage teaching, which started in Greece in the 80s, was often followed by frustrationwhen it came to classroom practice and occasionally led to a complete return to moretraditional,grammarandsyntaxbasedmethodsofteaching.LanguageLearningTheoryandtheories of cognitive development all placed a big value on studentmotivation, authenticcommunicationand learnerautonomy,andyet (despiteon thewholededicatedandwell-meaning language teachers and teacher trainers), it seems the attraction of reverting totraditional grammar/syntax based methods, enriched with activities targeting thedevelopmentofcommunicativeskills,isstillstrong.In an attempt tomake foreign language instructionmore appealing and, therefore,moreefficient in terms of meeting instruction goals and Curriculum needs, the introduction ofContent and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as a teaching methodology suggests awhollynewapproachto languageteaching,whichseeminglyaddressessomeof the issueswhichthwartcommunication-basedlanguageteaching.2.WhatisCLILCLIL is amethodwhichentails teachingoneof the ‘content’ subjects in the target foreignlanguage.Thetargetlanguagethereforeceasestobethetargetofinstructionandbecomesinsteadthemediumthroughwhichthecontentisconveyed.Tobemorespecific,CLILentailsapproachingacurriculumsubjectthroughalanguagewhichisnottheoneinitiallyintendedtobeused.ItisanewformofContentBasedInstruction(CBI)-alotlikeimmersionwhereyou do not have an ‘English’ class but learn English by studying another topic or subject.According to Genesee (2003), CLIL is a bilingual/immersion content-driven methodologywheremastery of academic objectives is considered as essential as the proficiency in thetargetlanguage.TeachersinvolvedinCLILcanbeeitherspecialistsintheirowndisciplineorlanguageteachersworkingtogetherwithcognitivefieldexpertstodesigncoursesinvarioussubjects.


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2.1WhyuseCLILOn a practical level, course design reflects the 4Cs of CLIL as suggested by Coyle (1999),namely: Content (lesson topic), Communication (Content required language and contentcompatible language), Cognition (HOTS: higherorder thinking skills and LOTS: lowerorderthinking skills), Culture (community or citizenship lesson focus). Based on the EuropeanCommission, CLIL is considered to be highly effective in fostering intercultural awarenessandcommunicationaswellasdeveloping linguisticcompetenceandpragmatic interactionskills. Its efficiency as amethodology lies in its ability to fostermultilingual interests andattitudes offering alternativemeans of curricular subject approach.Moreover, it providesextensive practice in the target language within curricular restrains through a realisticcontextfortargetlanguageuse.Intermsofcurriculumcontent,CLILencouragesdiversityinteaching approach and syllabus design promoting cross-thematic unity and curriculumcohesion.Avarietyofrealistictasksbasedonauthentic/semi-authenticmultimodalstimulusencouragestudentparticipationandclassadvancementbothinthetargetlanguageandthesubjectbeingtaught.To be more specific, students comprehend words, notions and functions related to thecontentfieldunderstudyenrichingtheiractivevocabularyinthetargetlanguage.Theyarepresentedwithbasic terminologyensuringpreciseand sufficientmasteringof thecontentlanguage targeted for various cognitive fields in the curriculum.They interact in authenticcommunication environments-in a task-based framework-developing accuracy and fluencyintheforeignlanguage(seeEllis,2003;Littlewood,2004;Willis,1996).Theyaretrainedtoapply occasional code switch resorting to theirmother tonguewhen content clarificationneedsarise.2.2CLILinEuropeHistoricallyspeaking,CLILhasexistedinEuropesince1994whenagroupofresearchers ineducationalprogrammes fundedby theEuropeanUnion initially introduced the term (seeMarsh,2002).AccordingtoMarsh(2009),CLILwasdefinedasaneducationalapproachwithadualfocusaimduringwhichoneadditionallanguage,otherthantheoneinitiallyintended,is used for learningboth the content and the languageper se.Additionally,Meyer (2010)seems to believe that CLIL is efficient for mastering various cognitive fields as well aslinguistic competency within the curriculum teaching constraints. Nevertheless, the termCLIL is frequentlyusedtorefertoanumberofteachingpracticeswhichallapply languageuse in the frameworkofcross-thematic instruction,suggesting theclearEuropeansupportforthemethodologyasawayleadingtowardsmultilingualism.CLIL has already been applied inmany European schools as it iswidely regarded a highlyefficientmethodologyforalleducationallevels.Inthelasttenyears,ithasmetconsiderablerecognition followed by rapid expansion in various teaching environments. CLIL is widelyaccepted in most European teaching settings as a highly effective method of languagelearning for learners and a means for professional development for teachers (Ioannou-Georgiou,2012).BasedontheEuropeanUnion(2012),allEuropeancountriesappeartobeapplyingCLILwiththeexceptionofGreece,Ireland,DenmarkandTurkey.Thus,nonlinguisticsubjects are taught either in the official language of a country making use of a foreignlanguageor,classesaregivenintheofficial languagemakinguseofanotherminority/locallanguage.


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2.3.CLILinGreeceAsmentioned above, CLIL has not yet beenwidely implemented as an effective teachingpractice in mainstream state educational contexts. There are however emerging methodimplementations in private aswell as in international and/or experimental schools,whichindicateagrowinginterestforCLILinvariouseducationalsettings.However, basedon theNationalCurriculum (ΔΕΠΠΣ/ΑΠΣ), CLIL complieswith theneed toprovide educational settings promoting literacy, multilingualism and multiculturalism.Lessons allow students to develop skills that facilitate real life communication needsapplyinglingual,paralingualor/andextra-lingualoptions.Morespecifically,learnersdeveloporal and written speech making use of every available stimulus. They express opinionreflectingcommunicationstrategiesrequiredtomeetvariousdiscourseneeds.Theyprocesstextsaswellasmultitextsstudyingboththestructuralandtheaestheticaspectofthetargetforeignlanguage.Finally,theydevelopcognitiveandsocialskillswhileadvancingindividualmetacognitiveabilityandcollaborativelearningpractices.Based on the more specified National Syllabus for Foreign Languages (ΕΠΣ-ΞΓ), CLILencourages learners to act as intercultural and interlingual mediators of knowledgefacilitating communication among people of various cognitive, social and culturalenvironments.Studentautonomy ispromotedallowing individuals toapproachknowledgeingroupsaddressingdiversityandindividuallearningprofiles.Decisionmakingandproblemsolving are enhanced allowing for flexibility in linguistic resources when consideringcognitive load required for effective communication needs. New technologies are fullyincorporatedincoursedesignestablishingvarietyinvisualandauditoryeducationalstimuliwhile promoting differentiated learning in a multimodal/ multisensory teachingenvironment.Thus,CLILimplementationfullycomplieswithNationalCurriculumguidelinesthrough the enhancement of holistic learning, cognitive and linguistic skills development,learner involvement and active collaboration as well as confidence in language use(Brewster,1999;Littlewood,2003).3.CLILinthe2ndExperimentalGymnasiumofAthensInthe2ndExperimentalGymnasiumofAthens,CLILhasbeenimplementedinthesubjectsofHistory, Science,Music, and Literature. Implementation has been and still is at a pilotingstage involving different ways of method application, various modes of teachercollaboration,severalapproachestomaterialpresentation/assessmentanddiversehoursofmethod realization. Themethod of implementation in the various cognitive fields will bediscussedinanefforttoprovideinsightintodifferentcontextswhereithasbeenapplied.4.TeachingHistoryUsingCLILThesubjectsofHistoryandEnglishhavebeenapproachedthroughCLILforfiveyearsintheaforementionedschoolunit.Tobemorespecific,as themethod is still atapilotingstage,CLIL has been applied in the History subject of the 3rd class of Gymnasium allowing fordifferent levels of cooperation between the teachers of History and English. Variations inlevels of cooperation and intensity of method application derive from both managerialrestrictions in Curriculum implementation, unrelated to teacher intent and professionalcommitment,andmethodfamiliarizationanddevelopmentdecisions.


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Tobemorespecific,CLILwasoriginallyintroducedintheschoolunitbytheteachers,MariaChionis(English)andYannisAntoniou(History),in2009asanalternativewayofpresentingsubjects using an innovative approach. CLIL was met with enthusiasm by the studentsallowing formethodexpansion in the years to come. The venturewasundertakenby theteachers, Eleni Xanthakou (English) and Yannis Antoniou (History), in the following yearsgiving the opportunity to shift method application from “soft” CLIL to” hard” CLIL (i.e.moderate or intense CLIL application) meeting all aspects of syllabus design, i.e. classresearch, material design, presentation approach, testing techniques and methodassessment.Tobemore specific, introductoryquestionnairesweregivenout tohighlightexpectations,needsandlimitationstobeconsideredwhendesigningthecourse.Closed–typeandopen-ended questions were distributed to the students examining learner viewpoints onindividual performance and potential familiarizationwith the CLILmethod. Studentswereasked to evaluate their language ability and their efficiency in using both receptive andproductive skills in the foreign language.Moreover, theywere asked to identify potentialproblematic areas in languageuseand suggest aspects that theywould like to improve intheirforeignlanguageclassroomsetting.Thepurposewastoinvestigatedemographicdata,language skills and strategies, preferable teaching and learning styles and individualinvolvementandachievementinthefieldsofEnglishasaforeignlanguageandHistoryasaCurriculumsubject.From the very beginning of the implementation of CLIL, lessonswere designed aiming toactivatelearners’contentschemata.Teachersfocusedonwhatthestudentsalreadyknewinordertoengagetheminmoredemandingtasksandconcepts.Informationwaspresentedina multisensory way in a multimodal classroom environment providing learners withsufficient stimulating input. Authentic material was introduced to be processed throughtasksallowingformeaningful, interactiveandcreativelearning.Multimodalmaterialfoundin websites facilitated independent and differentiated learning allowing learners tocomprehendbothcontentandlanguage.Taskswereorganizedintheformofinquirybasedlearningactivitiesdevelopinghighorderthinkingskillsinacurricularcontext.Tobemore specific, aCLILmultidimensionalmini syllabuswasdesignedproviding four tofive CLIL sessions for each Chapter in the 3rd class Gymnasium History Book. The lessonswere organized in the following thematic units: The Enlightenment, The AmericanRevolution, The French Revolution, The Greek Revolution, Inventions/The IndustrialRevolution,HumanRightsand Immigration,TheTheoryofEvolution,TheFirstWorldWar,TheSecondWorldWar,etc.Dependingontheyearofmethodimplementationandtheclassprofile, sessionsweredesigned to includemoreor less input catering for individualabilityand interest levels. Thus, lessons could be considered ‘tailor made’ as they weresupplemented or completely altered to suit particular interests, linguistic and cognitiveneeds.Gameswerealsodesignedasameansofcontentpresentationorsubjectassimilationenhancing interaction (Swain, 1993) while providing opportunities for social skillsdevelopment(Orlick,2006).Learningoutcomesinvolvedthedevelopmentin:

• cognitiveskills,throughinquirybasedactivitiesactivatingmultipleintelligences,problemsolvinganddecisionmaking;

• communication skills, through various tasks requiring collaboration andmeaningnegotiation;

• cultural sensitivityandawareness, throughcontentbasedactivitiespromotingculturalandhistoricalidentity(forlanguageandcultureseeKramsch,1993).


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The English language teacher collaborated closely with the teacher of the history subjectcreatinginnovatoryandappropriateinterdisciplinarywaysinrelationtocontentandspecificlanguage teaching.As the years passed, close cooperation gaveway tomeaningful, cross-thematic collaboration where both experts felt safe to suggest, explore and evaluateinnovative approaches to presenting cognitive load in the safety of expertise guidanceofferedbybothparticipantspecialists.Teachingsessionswereorganizedinthreestages,namely:thepre,whileandpoststage.Inthe pre stage, learners were meant to familiarize themselves with the topic, drawknowledge from content schemata already acquired in previous sessions and organizethemselvesingroupsinordertoapproachlearninginamulti-sensorylearningenvironment.Inthewhilestage,learnerswereaskedtointeractinordertoprocessmultimodalmaterial.Taskcompletionrequiredmeaningful interactionandcollaborativeproblemsolvingaswellasmeaningnegotiation.Inthepoststage,feedbackwasgivenandcontentwasassimilatedthrough tasks that encouraged further work and follow up research. Creativity waspromotedthroughallowingstudentstoselectamongavarietyoftasksbasedonindividualpreferences and level of performance. The teachers’ role was reduced to that of afacilitators and coordinators catering for learner autonomy and group participation.Teachers served as models of the target language resorting to L1 when circumstancesrequired it. They mainly employed scaffolding by exemplifying, paraphrasing, askingquestionsandprovidingvisual/audioaidsasameansoflinguisticdevelopmentandcognitiveexpansion.Learner performance wasmonitored through testing after each unit. Initially, there wereclosed-typequestionsintheL1checkingcontentpresentedthroughCLIL.Gradually,asbothteachersandstudentsbecamemorefamiliarwiththemethod,therewerebothclosed-typeandopen-endedquestionsdealingwiththeCLILsessionstobeansweredinEnglish.Contentwasputbeforelanguageinthecorrectionstagefocusingonthecognitiveloadthatlearnershadmasteredrather thanthe linguisticcompetency that theyhadacquired.The laterwasassessedinseparatetestsdesignedfortheEnglishclasspersefollowingthetypicalNationalSyllabusrestrictions.Finally, method feasibility was monitored through formative and summative assessment.Learnerswere given questionnaires after each Chapter sessions evaluatingmaterial whilemaking suggestions. At the end of the year, students were asked to assess the wholemethodimplementationpracticesmakingcommentsaswellasproposals.4.1.ImplementationdifficultiesAlthoughCLILappearstobeaneffective innovativepractice inmainstreameducation,anypotential method implementation does not necessarily lead to successful teaching andlearning. IneffectiveCLIL implementationmayresult frominappropriateteachertraining inusing a foreign language as a vehicle for teaching content in another cognitive field,restricted methodological resources, limited guidance in material development andinsufficientprovisionofaclearframeworkandreadilyavailableteachingmaterial(Richards&Rogers,2002).Moreover,managerialrestrictionspertainingtotheavailabilityofteacherswhennecessary inorder toco-designandco-presentcross-thematicsessionsofworkmaylead to frustration and implementation problems. Conservative teaching environmentswhichdonotencouragestrongcollaborationamongdisciplinesmayresultinreservationsinapplying the method and hostility towards CLIL realization. Traditional teaching practiceswhichenhancetheteachercenteredmodelofinstructionmayundermineCLILinnovational


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aspectsintermsofmaterialorganization,contentpresentationandclassroommanagement.Finally, restrictions in formative and summative assessment may result in discrepancybetweenwhat is taught andwhat is examined causing themethod to lose credibility andfeasibilityimpetus.5.TeachingMusicUsingCLILTheideaofusingCLILmethodologyinordertoteachasubjectwhichclearlybelongstotheartswas intriguing.Theprogrammeiscurrently in its thirdyearof implementation,havingstartedintheschoolyear2013-14throughthecollaborationofVassilisMitropoulos(Musicteacher) and Ioanna Kynigou (English teacher). The lesson takes place during one of thethreeteachinghoursthatwehaveperweekforEnglishinourschool.Thetargetgroupisathirdyearclass(14year-olds),thecurriculumtaughtisconsistentwiththeguidelinesoftheNationalCurriculumforMusicinthe3rdgradeandtheMusicteacherisanactiveparticipantinclassandco-designerofthecurriculumandteachingmaterials.For reasons of comparability and continuity the students are given an investigativequestionnaireatthebeginningoftheschoolyearandamethodassessmentquestionnaireatthe end. Due to the pilot nature of the programme, each year of its implementation hasdifferedintermsofteachingfocusandthecontentandlengthoftheunitsdesigned.Duringthefirstyearthematerialwasorganized infourunits:symphonicorchestra,rock, jazzandworldmusic.However,althoughintheoryweplannedtospendroughlysimilaramountsoftimeoneachunit,weendedup spendingmuch longer thanexpectedon the secondunit(rockmusic)andasaresulthadnotimeleftforthelastunit(worldmusic).Thesecondyearstarted with an altogether new unit which looked at the human voice box as a musicalinstrument.Thiswasfollowedbytheunitsastheyhadbeendesignedinthepreviousyear.Thistimetheunitonjazzwascoveredingreaterdetailandassignedmoreteachinghours,butthelastunitonworldmusicsufferedagainasaresult.The lessons consist of oral,musical and video presentations followed byworksheetswithactivitieswhichaimatprovidingpracticeofthestudents’skillsandknowledgeinbothmusicand English. The activitiesweremostly groupwork and a special effortwasmade for thestudentstoengageingenuineinteractionwithinthegroups,ratherthantoconductparallelmonologues.Asanexampleofonetypeofactivity,thestudentswereshownavideoonthehistory of jazz (which was tailor made by the Music teacher) and asked to complete amultiplechoicequestionnaire.Eachgroupmemberwasgivenadifferentquestionnaireandstudents were required to combine information in order to recreate a completepresentationoftheinformationincludedinthevideo.Foreachactivityteachinggoalswereclearly set out, separately for the content subject and for the language subject. Studentinitiative and active participation were key elements in the design of lesson plans andworksheets alike. The language of instruction was English and the teaching methodcommunicative.Duetothenatureofthecontentsubject,formalassessmentspecifictotheCLILclasseswasnotreallyapplicable,butasMusicisnotasubjectwhichisincludedinthestudents’ final exams, this did not present a difficulty at this stage of methodimplementation.Oneofthemost importantelementsofourteachingmethodologywasfortheteacherstoactasrolemodelsforlife-longlearningandgoodlearningpractices.Thus,themusicteachercommunicated in English (which, asmentionedwas the language used in the classroom),andtheEnglishteacherparticipatedasanactivelearnerofmusicduringthelesson.Wealsohopefully provided amuchneeded rolemodel for cooperative teaching and learning. The


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frameworkofateachingmethodologysuchasCLILisidealforprovidingthestudentswithagenuine long-termexperienceof thebenefitsand thechallengesofclosecollaboration,aswellasamodeloftheteacherwhoisnolongeromniscient,insteadwhoiswillingtobeanactivelearnerhim/herself.Oneof theadvantagesofusing thesubjectofMusicas thecontentsubject forCLILaswediscovered, was the fact that the practical difficulties concerning teaching groups,curriculum and (asmentioned before) assessment wereminimized, as theMusic teacherinvolved taught thewholeof the3rd gradeand thereforedifferences in groupconsistencydue to streaming in English did not create many problems. Also, unlike subjects such asHistoryorLiterature,therehasbeencontinuityofteachersinvolvedduringthethreeyears,whichobviouslyresultsinmoreefficientcollaborationandlong-termplanning.5.1.ImplementationdifficultiesThe main difficulties encountered were the lack of any timetable concessions forpreparationandjointteachingtime.IneachclassroomteachinghourofCLILboththeMusicteacher and the English teacherwere present, however the lessons took place during anhourwhichisofficiallyassignedtoEnglish.Asaresult,theMusicteacherhadtoaddanextrahourperweekontoanalreadyheavyschedule. Inaddition,thepilotnatureoftheprojectand theamountof lessonplanningandmaterialsdesign involved, requiredmanyhoursofextracurricularplanning.6.TeachingLiterature/AncientGreekDramaUsingCLILFor thepast years CLIL has been implemented as a dual focusededucational approach tolearningEFLmainlyinthethirdyearofthe2ndExperimentalJuniorHighSchoolofAthens.The Idea behind CLIL is to promote plurilingual competency within the European Union.Therefore, it was decided to see how this would work along the lines of diverse schoolsubjects, suchasmusic,history,biologyand Literature/AncientGreekDrama.Accordingly,since CLIL has been adapted to a range of subjects, teachers are flexible considering thevariouscomplexitiesofthisparticularventure.In thecaseofLiterature/AncientGreekDrama lessonsaredeliveredbyMsDimitraDertili.DuringthefirstyearofCLIL'sapplicationinthissetting(2013-14),lessonswereconductedinathirdgradeclassroomwiththecollaborationofacolleagueteachingAncientGreekDramain Greek,Mrs Kallitsaki. Initially, CLILwas employed for the investigation of the historicalassociationsfoundinAncientGreektheatre,ElizabethantheatreandModernGreekPoetry.The goal was to study the successfulness of CLIL as a teaching method that enhancesstudents'(a)cognition,thatistheirabilitytodiscernassociationsamongdifferenthistoricalperiods and genres, (b) communication skills, that is to communicate in both English andGreek,especially regardingdramaterminologyandtranslations, (c)awarenessof languageandculturebyfocusingonculturalandhistoricalaspectsthatinfluencedeachperiod.Thestudylastedapproximatelytwomonths,oneortwohoursperweek,and15hoursinall.Both teachersemployedtraditional teachingmethodsbyusing thecoursebookonAncientGreek Theatre and Drama. However, these methods were accompanied by power pointpresentations, short animated videos created for building up awareness and vocabulary,onlinegamesandworksheets,quizzesandprojects.In Literature/Ancient Greek Drama, the approach consisted of four parts. The first one


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introducedthebasicstructureandelementsofAncientGreekTheatre.IntheendstudentswereabletoidentifytheoriginsandstructureofAncientGreekTheatreinbothGreekandEnglish. They became familiar with Ancient Greek Theatre terms. They were able toappreciatetheideasofAncientGreekdramatistsandplaywrights,andinparticularEuripidesand draw conclusions about the Ancient Greek culture of the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.Student assessment was based on their ability to produce terms and definitions in bothtargetlanguageandsourcelanguage.Theyalsohadtorememberthehistorical linearityofeventsandexpresstheirthoughtsonthem.The second part introduced students to the basic structure and elements of ElizabethanTheatre. Students were given a detailed description of Shakespeare’s life and time and adetailed introduction of the differences and similarities of theAncientGreek Theatre andtheElizabethanTheatre.ThepurposeofthisapproachwastodeterminetheinfluenceoftheclassicsonShakespeare.Also,thegoalwastohelpstudentsunderstandthemainaspectsofthe Elizabethan era in comparison to those of the Dark Ages, to learn about the popularform of entertainment of the 1ate 16th and early 17th century Elizabethan England, torecognisethehistoryandthestructuralframeworkoftheearlyShakespearianTheatrecalledthe Globe Theatre and the Modern Globe Theatre reconstructed in 1997. In addition,presentations helped students become familiar with Elizabethan Theatre terminology,commenton the forceful closingdownofall theatresby thepuritansduring thecivilwar,identify the influence of the Classics on Shakespeare by comparing both theatres andoutliningsimilaritiesanddifferences,understandthedifferentculturalforcesthatdefineartbut also shape society and, finally, evaluate historical events and associations. Studentassessmentwas basedon their ability to incorporate bothmodern and Elizabethan termsand to be able to synthesize and communicate historical information. It also included aprojectwhere students demonstrated the similarities and differences of the structures ofAncientGreekandElizabethanTheatres.Theyhadtosketchatheatrewhosestructurewas50%AncientGreekand50%Elizabethan.Allpartswerenamedineachcase.Thethirdpart involvedanunderstandingof the influenceoftheclassicsonModernGreekpoetsandinparticularGeorgeSeferis.StudentstriedtoidentifytheinfluenceofEuripides’sHelenonGeorgeSeferis’poemHelen.Theycommentedonthemonstrosityofandfutilityofwar in a historical context and evaluated translations from source language to targetlanguage. Students were expected to elaborate on the intertextuality of ancient GreekdramaandModernGreekPoetry.ThefinalpartpresentedthehealingpowerofAncientGreekDrama.Itmainlyinvolvedskillssuch as reading, listening and writing activities based on homemade animated videosthroughwhichstudentswouldreachacriticalunderstandingofthepurposeoftheasclepieiaand their connection to ancient Greek theatres but also their impact on 20th centuryFreudianpsychoanalysis.Compared with traditional teaching methods, the teaching mode of CLIL blends subjectknowledgewith language,making language teachingmore interesting. It, thus, stimulatesthe students’motivation to learn a language, to deepen their understanding of a subjectcontent and enhance their cross-cultural awareness. Students’ cognitive level is improvedsignificantly,andsoistheabilityofspokenlanguage.6.1.ImplementationdifficultiesOne of the challenges was collaborating with other colleagues. During the first year of


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applyingCLILmethodologymostteachersfacednoproblemsastheywereluckyenoughtowork with a collaborator. Members of the CLIL project cooperated by planning commonteachinghoursbeforehand,presentingthemethodviaamodellessontoothercolleaguesinanattempt to inform, trainand support feedbackand informationexchange. Themethodwas also implemented as part of two Conference Workshop projects that took placerespectively on December 7, 2013 andNovember 29, 2014 at the 2nd Experimental HighSchool of Athens. Finally, a reportwas provided regarding the assessment of educationalachievement at the end of each year. During the second and third year, however,collaborationwith other colleagueswas hard to achieve due to the school timetable andoverlappingteachinghoursconcerningteachersof“DramaticPoetry:Euripides’Helen”andHistory. Hence, CLIL was implemented by the respective English teachers, whichunfortunatelyreducedthebilingualdimensionofitsapplication.7.TeachingBiologyUsingCLILMorethan98percentofallscientificarticlespublishedtodayareinEnglish(Engber,2013).Thus, by teachingbiology throughCLIL, students are given a ‘head start’ if theydecide topursueacareerinscience.Eventhosewhowillchoosenottoenterascientificfield,greatlybenefitfromthisexperience.Atthe2ndModelExperimentalGymnasium,teachingbiologyusingCLILwasfirstapplied in2013startingwithstudentsofthefirstgradeofhighschool.Thiswasintentionallydoneinorder to observe the results of implementing CLIL at younger ages. In collaboration withDimitraTsapali, thebiologyteacherandMariaChionis,theEnglishteacher,sectionsoftheGreek biology lesson were taught in English after students were exposed to the samematerial inGreek.Outofthethree-hourweeklyEnglish lesson,onehourwasdedicatedtoCLIL. Topics that were covered included photosynthesis, nutrition, the digestive system,respiratory system and the circulatory system. The course incorporated all four languageskills(listening,reading,speakingandwriting).However,moreskillscanbeaddedtothislist.For example, conducting research in the English language is a skill that greatly preparesstudentsfortheirfutureendeavors.ThefirstCLILclasses involvedthe introductionofbiologyandthe importanceof it intheirdaily lives,using simple lessonplansandvideos foundon the Internet.ThisalleviatedanyanxietyfeltoflearningscientificwordsinEnglish.Furthermore,associatingbiologytofieldssuch as the environment and health created motivation for the students to activelyparticipate in the lesson. Each unit was taught using a variety of interactive methodsincludinggames,theinteractivewhiteboardandgroupwork.Thenextstepwastoteachthestudentshowtoproperlyconductpresentationsbecauseafterbeingtaughtthevocabularyof each unit, theywere divided into groups and had to choose to present a topic. Somethemeschosenbythestudentswerespecificdiseasesassociatedwiththebodysystems,theimportanceofgoodnutritionandhowtoprevent illnesses.After thestudentspracticed infrontoftheirfellowclassmates,theparentswereinvitedtoattend.Inthisway,thechildrengrewaccustomedtopresenting infrontofanaudiencewhich isaskill that isessentialnotonly for the school environment but also in any future profession they choose to follow.Furthermore,thisrequiredthestudentsto learnhowtocollaborate,shareresponsibilities,make deadlines, conduct research without using the ‘copy paste method’ and answerquestionsafterpresenting.Theresultswereahighlevelofenthusiasmandmotivationtolearnmoreaboutbiologyandthe English scientific terminology. The students were asked after their first presentation


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whethertheywouldhavelikedtocontinuedoingthemuponcompletingeachunitandtheyunanimouslyagreed.During theGreekbiology lesson,Ms.Tsapalioccasionallyaskedwhatthe English equivalent was to certain words and they would correctly answer. She alsoincluded an English section in her biology exams and the students did impressively well.DuringtheEnglishcourse,thestudentsactuallyrequestedthatmoretimebespentondoingCLIL in the classroom than the ‘regular’ English lesson. Itwas also observed that childrenwith dyslexia greatly benefitted with CLIL. This was probably due to the audiovisualstimulatinglessonsandthegroupworkwhichentailedallstudentstoparticipateaccordingtotheirindividualabilities.7.1.ImplementationdifficultiesOneof themainchallenges to teaching sciencesusingCLIL is findingcollaborating scienceteachers.Thiswasnotaproblemforthebiologyclassbutenticingacolleaguetocooperateinteachingphysicshasproventobedifficult.Timelimitationisalsoaninhibitingfactorasa45minuteclassissometimestooshorttofinishaninteractivelessonplan.8.SuggestionsforfurtherresearchDespitepresentingvariousmodesofCLIL implementation, it is acknowledged thatamerepresentation cannot constitute solid evidence ofmethod feasibility in diverse educationalsettings. Such a claim should be supported by qualitative and quantitative data reflectingdeeperresearchintotheissueinquestion.Apotentialanalysiswouldrequirefurthertestingin the form of questionnaires, interviews as well as evaluation of employed practices,designedmaterialsandperformancemanifestations.Tobemorespecific,whatneedstobecompared is competence/ performance levels prior and after CLIL implementationinvestigating the extent to which the method contributed to linguistic development andmasteryofcontent.Finally,we strongly believe in the dissemination of information concerning good teachingpractices. Accordingly, our school has organized conferences on CLIL as a teachingmethodologyfortwoyearsrunning.Theconferenceswereheldintheautumnof2014and2015 respectively, under the auspice of DEPPS and with the collaboration of the schooladvisorforELT,DrHadzigiannoglou,anexperimentalPrimaryschoolofAthens,Ralleiaandthe English Departments of the University of Athens and Thessaloniki. Furthermore, theteachers of English in our school have presented the CLIL programmes that have beenimplementedinanumberofconferencesorganizedbyotherinstitutions(PASYKAGA2013,Ziridisschools2014,TheAmericanCollegeofGreece2014).ReferencesBrewster, J. (1999). ‘Teaching English through Content: supporting good practice’. In C.

Kennedy(Ed),InnovationandBestPractices.London:Longman,83-95.Coyle, D. (1999). ‘Theory and planning for effective classrooms: supporting students in

contentandlanguageintegratedlearningcontexts’.InJ.Masih(Ed.),LearningthroughaForeignLanguage.London:CILT.

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress.


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Engber,D. (2013). ‘FYI:Howdid English get to be the International Languageof Science’?Retrieved: http://www.popsci.com/article/science/fyi-how-did-english-get-be-international-language-science

Genesee, F. (2003). ‘What do we know about bilingual education for majority languagestudents?’ In T.K. Bhatia & W. Ritchie (Eds), Handbook of Bilingualism andMulticulturalism.London:Blackwell,547-576.

European Commission (1995). White paper on education and training: Teaching andLearning: towards the learning society. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/white-papers/index_en.htm.

European Commission (2003). Promoting language learning and linguistic diversity: anaction plan 2004-2006. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:c11068.

EuropeanCommission (2005).Anew framework strategy formultilingualism. Available at:http://eur-ex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uriCOM:2005:0596:FIN.

European Commission (2008). Council conclusions on multilingualism.(http://ec.europa.eu/languages/eu-language-policy/policy-documents_en.htm.

European Commission (2012). formal report on language teaching. Availableat:eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/.../143EN.pdf.

Ioannou-Georgiou,S.(2012).‘ReviewingthepuzzleofCLIL’.ELTJournal,66:495-504.Kramsch, C. (1993).Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University

Press.Little,D.(1991).LearnerAutonomy1:Definitions,IssuesandProblems.Dublin:Authentik.Littlewood, W. (2004). ‘The task-based approach: some questions and suggestions’. ELT

Journal,58/4:319-326.Long,M.H.(2011).‘MethodologicalPrinciplesforLanguageTeaching’.InM.H.Long,&C.J.

Doughty (Eds), The Handbook of Language Teaching. Chichester:Wiley-Blackwell, 518-542.

Marsh, D. (2002). CLIL/ EMILE - The European dimension. Action, trends and foresightpotential.ContractDG/EAC:EuropeanCommission.

Marsh,D. (2009). ‘Forward’. In Y.RuizdeZarobe&R. JimenezCatalan (Eds),ContentandLanguage Integrated Learning: Evidence from Research in Europe. Bristol: MultilingualMatters,vii-viii.

Meyer,O. (2010). ‘TowardsqualityCLIL: successfulplanningand teaching strategies’.Puls,33:11-29.

Orlick,T. (2006).CooperativeGamesandSports: JoyfulActivities forEveryone.Champaign,IL:HumanKinetics.

Richards, J.C. & Rogers, T.S. (2002). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Swain,M.(1993).‘Theoutputhypothesis:Justspeakingandwritingaren’tenough’.TheCanadianModernLanguageReview,50:158-164.

Willis,J.(1996).AFrameworkforTasked-BasedLearning.Longman,London.YPEPTH.PedagogicalInstitute(2001).DiathematicoEniaioPlaisioProgrammatosSpoudon.

Athens:O.E.D.B.YPEPTH.Pedagogical Institute(2005).Epimorphosisxolikonsymboulonkaiekpaideutikon in

Diathematico Eniaio Plaisio Programmatos Spoudon. Epimorphotiko yliko. Athens:O.E.D.B.

Weblinks:http://www.cambridge.org/ar/elt/teachers/zones/custom/item5633999/2325595/Applied-

Linguistics-CLIL/?site_locale=es_AR&currentSubjectID=2325595,accessedon3/9/2013


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http://www.cambridge.org/ar/elt/teachers/zones/custom/item6870719/2325595/Applied-Linguistics-CLIL-(2)/?site_locale=es_AR&currentSubjectID=2325595,accessedon3/9/2013

http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/9780521112987c04_p48-73.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=5633692&COLLSPEC_ENT_ID=7,accessedon20/9/2013

http://eltaa.wikispaces.com/eltaa+Booklets,accessedon3/12/2013http://ec.europa.eu/languages/language-teaching/content-and-language-integrated-

learning_en.htm,accessedon30/7/2013http://www.goethe.de/ges/spa/dos/ifs/met/en2747826.htm,accessedon20/9/2013http://www.goethe.de/ges/spa/dos/ifs/ceu/en2751287.htm,accessedon20/9/2013http://www.icrj.eu/,accessedon3/9/2013http://lici.utu.fi/links.htm,accessedon30/9/2013http://lici.utu.fi/summary.htm,accessedon30/9/2013http://www.onestopenglish.com/clil/methodology/the-clil-debate/is-clil-a-passing-fad-

which-will-probably-have-disappeared-within-10-years/500994.article,accessedon30/7/2013

http://primaryclil.org/,accessedon2/9/2013http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/,accessedon1/9/2013http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/interview-keith-kelly,accessedon1/9/2013http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/activities,accessedon3/9/2013http://teachunicef.org/,accessedon3/9/2013www.cilt.org.uk,accessedon10/9/2013www.guardian.co.uk/guardianweekly,accessedon3/9/2013

IoannaKynigou([email protected])hasadegreeinEnglishLanguageandLiterature(NationalKapodistrianUniversityofAthens).Sheholdsan

MPhilandanMLittfromCambridgeUniversity(DepartmentofEducation).ShealsohasaPhDfromtheDepartmentofEnglishStudies

(AthensUniversity).ShehasbeenateacherofEnglishasaForeignLanguageforthepast22yearsinbothPrimaryandSecondaryschools.

EleniXanthakou([email protected])hasadegreeinEnglishLanguageandLiterature(NationalKapodistrianUniversityofAthens).SheholdsanMedfromtheHellenicOpenUniversityandadiplomaintheApplicationofNeurolinguisticProgrammingtoteachingfromtheInternationalNLP

TrainersAssociation.ShehasbeenateacherofEnglishasaForeignLanguageforthepast20yearsinbothStateschoolsandInstitutesof

Foreignlanguages.

MariaChionis([email protected])hasadegreeinEnglishLiterature(ConcordiaUniversity),aMEd(ConcordiaUniversity)andhasrecentlycompletedaMScfromtheMedicalSchoolofAthens.ShealsoteachesMedicalandLegalEnglishTerminologyandCommunicationSkillsatthe

NationalandKapodistrianUniversityofAthens.


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DimitraDertili([email protected])obtainedherBachelor'sdegreeinEnglishLanguageandLiteratureattheUniversityofAthensand

proceededwithherMaster'sdegreesattheUniversityofEssex(EnglishDept.)andRoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon(EnglishDept.).ShereceivedherPh.D.fromtheNationalandKapodistrianUniversityofAthens.Herresearchinterestfocusesontheinternet’simpacton

learning.


OnHowContentMotivatesGrammar

Ηαιτιακήσχέσηπεριεχομένουκαιγραμματικής

ChristineCALFOGLOU

TheLanguageor formcomponentofCLILhasmostlybeendiscussedasa requirement fortheteachingofspecificcontent,aslanguageoforforlearning(cf.Doughty&Varela,1998)andhasdealtwith lexicalgainsprimarily (see,e.g.,Costa,2012; cf. Llinares&Whittaker,2007).WithinanassessmentinCLILcontext,Coyleetal.(2010)considerincluding‘notions’or ‘functions’ ‘or even’ (p.115) ’form-focused’ elements, like ‘the effective use of the pasttense’ among them,which shows that form study ismarginalized.This, however, Iwouldargue,underminestheintegrationcomponent.Drawingontheconceptionofgrammarasadynamic system that involves thinking (Larsen-Freeman, 2003) as well as on the ideaadvanced by cognitive grammarians that “… grammatical forms should be analysed asmotivated by meaning” (Holme, 2012, p.6), the present article attempts to show that,withinaCLILcontext,formcanbetaughtasemergingnaturallyoutoftheneedsdictatedbythespecific typeof thinking invitedby thecontentselected.This isdemonstrated throughthe presentation of a CLIL history project implemented with 98 learners in a lower-secondaryeducationEFL contextovera three-monthperiod in twoconsecutive yearsandthroughtappinglearners’awarenessoftheirgrammarbenefits.

�Η τυπική, γλωσσική παράμετρος της Ολοκληρωμένης Εκμάθησης Περιεχομένου καιΓλώσσας(CLIL)έχεικυρίωςσυζητηθείωςπροϋπόθεσηγιατηδιδασκαλίατουπεριεχομένου(πρβλ. Doughty και Varela, 1998) και έχει επικεντρωθεί σε λεξιλογικά οφέλη (βλ. Costa,2012; πρβλ. Llinares και Whittaker, 2007). Οι Coyle κ.ά. (2010) αναφέρονται στη χρήση«ακόμηκαι»τυπικώνστοιχείων,όπωςη«κατάλληληχρήσηπαρελθοντικώνχρόνων»,στηναξιολόγηση στο πλαίσιο της CLIL, αναδεικνύοντας εμμέσως την περιθωριοποίηση τουγλωσσικού στοιχείου. Όμως αυτό υπονομεύει, κατά την άποψή μου, την ολοκληρωμένηεκμάθηση.Ορμώμενηαπό τηναντίληψη της γραμματικήςως δυναμικούσυστήματοςπουεμπεριέχει σκέψη (Larsen-Freeman, 2003) καθώς και από την άποψη των γνωστικώνγλωσσολόγων για την αιτιακή σχέση νοήματος και γραμματικής (Holme, 2012), ηερευνήτρια, στο παρόν άρθρο, προσπαθεί να αναδείξει την αιτιακή σχέση περιεχομένου-μορφήςστοπλαίσιοτηςCLIL,παρουσιάζονταςμίατρίμηνησειράμαθημάτωνΙστορίαςσταΑγγλικά (CLIL) σε 98 μαθητές Γυμνασίου σε δύο σχολικά έτη, με αναφορά επίσης σε

Calfoglou/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)77-88

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δεδομένα σχετικά με την αντίληψη των μαθητών ως προς τα γλωσσικά οφέλη πουαποκόμισαν.Keywords:CLIL,form,cognitivegrammar,history.1.IntroductionThe language dimension of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has beenbrought to the fore on several occasions (see, e.g., Kelly, 2009) and attention has beendrawntothefactthatthelanguagedimensionandtheconcomitantlanguagechallengeofaCLIL venture needs to be seriously considered, alongside the conceptual one. Generally,however, the form component has been neglected, treated as the poor relation of themethodand,thus,somehowunderminingthe‘synergy’referredtointheliterature(see,e.g.Coyle et al., 2010, p.27). Quite interestingly, in addressing the ‘Language or content’dilemmainCLILassessment,Coyleetal.(ibid.,p.115)suggestthat“Thelanguageobjectivesmay relate simply to communicating the content effectively, or theymay include notions(such as specialist vocabulary from the unit) or functions (such as the ability to discusseffectively) or even be form-focused (for example, concerning effective use of the pasttense)”(emphasismine).Itseemstome,therefore,thatthepredominanceofcontentfocusinCLILprogrammeshasusuallymeantputtinglanguageconsiderationsaside,whichmaybeaseriousfallacy,inthesensethatitunderminestheintegrationidea.Inviewofwhatseemstobeanichethatneedstobefilledin(Swales,1990),IwillproposeincorporatinggrammarwithinahistoryCLILprogrammeinawayillustratinghowgrammarcan bemotivated by the specific type of thinking involved in the content dealtwith. ThespecificcontenttaughtistheEnlightenmentandtheIndustrialRevolutionandthelanguageintegratedisthatofepistemicmodality,andconditionals,which,Iwillargue,originatesfromtheveryessenceofthecontent.TheteachingcontextisthatoflowersecondaryeducationinGreeceandthenumberofstudentsinvolvedamountsto98.Drawingontheconceptionofgrammarasadynamicsystemthatinvolvesthinking(Larsen-Freeman,2003)aswellasonthecognitivegrammarviewthat“…grammaticalformsshouldbeanalysedasmotivatedbymeaning” (Holme, 2012, p.6), I will attempt to show that CLIL paradigms are a greatopportunity todemonstrate theconnectionbetween languageand thinkingaswell as themeaningbasisofgrammar,whichcanbetaughtasrespondingtothespecificneedsarisingfrom focus on specific content. This could form thebasis of a grammar teaching syllabus,whichcanvarywiththechangeofcontent.Datacollectedfromthelearnersregardingtheirawarenessoftheirgrammarbenefitswillalsobeconsidered.The present article is laid out as follows: Section 2 deals with the language/grammarcomponentofCLIL,asthishasbeentreatedsofar,aswellaswiththebroadertheoreticalcontextof thepresentdiscussion.Section3presents theprojectandsection4 focusesonlearnerdata.Section5bringsthearticletoanendintheformofconcludingremarks.2.GrammarintheCLILparadigm:FocusingonlanguagethroughlearningDeeply ingrained in thephilosophicalunderpinningsofCLIL is the idea that “language is amatterofmeaningaswellasofform”(Mohan&vanNaerssen,1997,p.2). Inotherwords,when language is used as a ‘medium’ rather than as the ‘object’ of learning (Coyle et al.,


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2010), its meaningful design becomes clearer. This also suggests that the form-relatedsyllabus followedmay be quite diverse in a CLIL context, depending on the needs of thecontent taught. The diversity of the language syllabus has also been addressed in Coyle’s(2000,2002),Coyleetal.’s (2010,p.36)considerationofthe“CLILvehicular language fromthree interrelated perspectives: language of learning, language for learning and languagethrough learning”; the language needed for the learner to comprehend content, thelanguageskillsinvolvedincooperationovercontentandthelanguageaccomplishedthrougharticulationoflearnerideasinrelationtocontent.Grammarinitsnarrowersenseseemstoberelatedtothefirstperspective,namelylanguageoflearning(cf.Doughty&Varela,1998).Yet,asIwilltrytoshowbelow,whiletheideaofgrammarsequencingbeingdeterminedbytheneedsof thecontent taught isparticularly interestingaswellas fertile land for radicalchanges in grammar teaching, the notion of grammar forms taughtwhen the need arisescontentwisemayberatherrestrictive.InCoyleetal.’sexample,theneedforlearnerstousepastformstotalkaboutascientificexperimentthathasalreadytakenplacemayillustratethemeaningandfunctionofpast formsbut, Iwouldsuggest, there isacertainamountofrandomnessinproceedingalongtheselinesintheteachingoflanguage,pastnessnotbeinga concept specifically associated with scientific experiments.1 The meaningfulness ofgrammarmaythusbeatleastpartiallylost.Eversincefocusonform(see,e.g.,Ellis,2001)helpedgrammarregainatleastsomeoftheglory it had lost during the communicative language teaching era, approaches to theteachingofgrammarhavestressedthesignificanceofcontext.Andyet,theforeignlanguageclass has overwhelmingly involved decontextualised language practice and the completedissociation of grammar and meaning (see also Bielak & Pawlak, 2013 and referencestherein). As Achard (2004, p.185, cited in Llopis-Garcia, 2010, p. 75) very aptly puts it,“grammatical rules traditionallygiven ina languageclassareconsideredapropertyof thesystem,andnottheresultofthespeaker’schoice”.Thisisimposedknowledgeratherthandeeplearning,which“involvesthecriticalanalysisofnewideas,connectingthemtoalready-knownconcepts,andleadstounderstandingandlong-termretentionoftheseconceptssothat they can be used for problem-solving in unfamiliar contexts”. Instead, it is ‘surfacelearning’, namely “the acceptance of information as isolated and unlinked facts (which)leads to superficial retention only” (Coyle et al.,2010, p.39). It ismy contention that suchdeeplearningdoesnotapplytocontent learningalonebut, importantly,totheacquisitionofform,too. Inotherwords,grammarmightwell formpartofthethirdcomponent intheabove language taxonomy, namely language through learning. In producing the requiredform,learnerscouldbearticulatingtheirideasinrelationtothecontentdiscussed,becausetheuseof this form ismotivatedby the specific content.Alternatively, learnerswouldbeproducing the relevant form in articulating their ideas on content. But, of course, all thiswouldnotbedoneimplicitlyalone.Therewouldneedtobeacertainamountofexplicitationinvolved,which,aswillbeillustratedinthepresentationoftheexperimentalsessionsbelow,coulddrawon learners’ intuitions, thuspresentinggrammarasnot justpartofthesystembutas‘theresultofthespeaker’schoice’,too,asnotedabove.That languageissomewhatneglectedintheCLILparadigmandthatfurtherexploitationofform-related issues is needed has already been pointed out. Costa (2012, 2013), forexample,while focusingon lexismostly, argues in favourof “abalancebetween languageand content objectives” (p.43). Interestingly, reference is made to the “difficult(y) (of)1 Instead,discussing theuseof stative forms in sciencediscourse aswell as contrasting stativewithdynamicforms in carrying out a chemical reaction, for instance,may bemuchmore directlymotivated by the type ofdiscourse.


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draw(ing)ademarcation linebetweenactivitiescentredonmeaningandthosecentredonform”(p.43),anargumentalludingtotheform-contentfusionachievedinCLIL.Kelly(2009)commentsontheneedtoaddalanguageaxistotheonesofcognitivechallengeandcontextembedding (cf. Cummins, 2001), thus reducing the challenge created by the lack of therelevantforeignlanguageknowledge.But,asnotedabove,languageisnottobeviewedasadistinctcomponentofCLILinstruction,for,asBall(2013-2014,p.80)aptlyputsit,“languageis indeed content”.The language-content dichotomy could thus be superseded by anapproachwhere, in the scholar’swords, “conceptual and linguistic knowledge function asvehicles for “procedural” knowledge, a notion synonymous with “competence” (ibid.,emphasismine).AssuggestedinClegg(2013-2014,p.85),“cognitiveskills”suchasdefining,classifyingorhypothesizing“arealanguageissue”,whichmeansthatacquisitionofcontentrequires acquisition of the relevant form. I would argue that this point needs to bedevelopedfurtherinthedirectionofshowinghowexactlyspecificinstancesofformarenotonly intertwined with but also motivated by specific instances of content, as will beillustratedinthenextsection.Demonstratingtherelevanceofcause-effectinthecontextofdescribingwhathappenswiththemuscleswhenthebodymoves,asintheveryinterestingexampleof ‘Whenthebicepscontracts, itbendsthearmat theelbow’ (Clegg,2013-2014,p.86),thatishighlightingthelanguageneededtotalkaboutspecificcontentisamajorstepinintegration.However,whatdoesnotseemtohavebeenexploredtodateishowexactlydiscussionofspecificcontentsomehowdeterministicallyinvitestheuseofspecificlanguage;you may need passives to talk about historical events both because history answers the‘whathappened?’question typically inviting theuseofpassive formsandbecausehistoryinvolves not only human action but also human suffering, thus highlighting thepatient/sufferer.2 Similarly, you may perhaps not need epistemic modals to talk aboutEnlightenment issues typically but their use ismotivatedby the rationalist element in theintellectualmovement.Itistherelevanceofthiscriterioninthechoiceofthelanguagetobetaught in CLIL courses that I will attempt to illustrate in the next section. The linking ofthinking skills and language has been discussed a lot in knowledge process theories (e.g.Anderson&Krathwohl,2001)andextremelyimportanttaxonomieshavebeencompiled.Yetthe link to specific content, the language through learningpart of the story has yet to bedeveloped.The proposal made in this article derives its deeper theoretical underpinnings from thecontiguity of form and meaning emphasized in cognitive grammar approaches, the“meaningfulness (of grammatical phenomena) and its conceptual motivation” (Bielak &Pawlak,2013,p.583),thenon-randomnessofformor,putdifferently,grammarasthinking.This is contingent upon the idea of grammar viewed “as a skill rather than as an area ofknowledge”(Larsen-Freeman,2003,p.13)andunderscorestheneedforlearnerstodevelop“anabilitytodosomething,notsimplystoringknowledgeaboutthe languageand itsuse”(ibid.). Research has not been so extensive, so the gains of this approach have not beenfirmly established,3 but it nevertheless seems to be a promising area in the instructionalattempt to counter “the inert knowledge problem” (see Larsen-Freeman, 1992, 2003 anddiscussion therein), namely students’ inability to activate the formal and form-focussedknowledgegainedinclass inreal life,evidentlyattributabletothedissociationofgrammarfromcontent intheclasscontext.CLIL-relatedresearchongrammargainshasbeenratherlimited,oftenwithahighereducationorientationand/orwithalexicalfocus.Whatworkhas

2InCognitiveGrammarterms(Langacker,1991,2008),thiswouldbetheproductoftheincreasedsalienceofthepatientasagainsttheagent,asaconcomitantofadifferentconceptualizationofaspecificsituation.

3SeeHolme(2010)amongothersforapresentationofthepositiveeffectsofthecognitivestancebutalsoBielaketal.(2013)ontheinconclusivenessofsuchevidence.


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beendone in a secondary school context is also generally tippedon the sideof lexis (e.g.Escobar Urmeneta & Sanchez Sola, 2009; Ying, 2013-2014), though Llinares & Whittaker(2007) explore grammar gains in terms of geography and history-specific register andidentifyimportantbenefits.Thisis,then,fertilegroundinneedoffurtherexploration.One final point is in order before embarking on a discussion of the project implemented.Languagebenefits inCLIL settingsmaynothavebeen conclusively establishedbutpart ofwhatunderliesthesebenefits, ifany,maybe learners’awarenessofthepossible languagegainsachieved.Aswillbeshownbelow,itappearsthatspellingoutthesegainsclearlymayhelplearnersseethroughthemethodandintoitslanguageadvantagesbeyondvocabularyandotherskills.3.TheprojectTheCLILprojectpresentedinthisarticleinvolvedtheteachingofHistoryintheEFLclassesofthe3rdgradeoflowersecondaryschooland,morespecifically,theteachingoftheIndustrialRevolutionand,asa flashback, theEnlightenment. Itwas implemented intwoconsecutiveschool years, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, andwas addressed to 46 3rd grade students thefirstyearand52studentsthesecondyear,thatisatotalof98students.4Thesecondyear,thematerialwasenrichedfurther.Theprojectspannedaperiodofthreemonthsandtookplaceinparallelwithothernon-CLILactivities,thoughitwasthedominantfeatureoflearnersessions.Theprocedurefollowedconsistedofthe5stepsdescribedbelow,activitiesbeinggroupedtogetherforthesakeofbrevity.Iwillfirstpresentthecontentworkdoneandthenshowhowgrammarwasfittedin.AnanalyticalstatementoftheoverallaimsofthesessionsappearsinAppendixI.Step1:Studentswerepresentedwithanextractfrom‘DombeyandSon’,byCharlesDickens,and had to perceive the atmosphere of chaos and confusion described therein andgeneratedbytheadventoftherailway.TheywerethenexpectedtotracetheconnectiontotheIndustrialRevolutionwiththehelpoftwopictures.TheIndustrialRevolutionwaschosenasan introductiontotheEnlightenment,because itwasthoughtofasmore ‘tangible’andeasier to perceive in modern times.5 In the spirit of active engagement throughpersonalization,studentsweresubsequentlyrequiredtovisualizethemselvesaslivinginthetimesof theadventof the railwayandas visiting the siteof chaosanddisorderlinessandwritewhat they saw and how they felt. Thiswould also help them revise all the relevantlexis.Step 2: Subsequent to further content activationwith regard to the Industrial Revolution-fillinginblanksinanauthenticdefinitionoftheconcept,doingacrosswordpuzzlerevisionofnewlexisandlisteningtoaBBCradioextractaboutEngels’visittoEnglandinthetimesoftheIndustrialRevolutionaswellasabouttheconceptualunderpinningsandimplicationsofindustrialization-,learners were introduced to the Enlightenment, without which theIndustrialRevolutionmightneverhavetakenplace(see,e.g.,Mokyr,2007).First,studentswere given a handout with three columns -‘What I already know about the topic (theEnlightenment)’, ‘What I would like to know’, ‘What I have learned’- and were asked tocompletethefirst twocolumnsbeforethe implementationoftheprojectandthe lastoneonce theprojectwas completed. Thiswasmeant to activate their prior knowledgeof the

4 Actually, the students addressed were 54 both years, that is a total of 108, but only 98 completed thequestionnairesdistributedattheendoftheproject.5Italsoformedasmoothersequeltothediscussionof‘greed’,whichhadprecededit.


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topic(e.g.Anderson&Pearson,1988),rouseexpectationsinrelationtofurtherexplorationand, finally,help learnersseehowthenew informationgained, ifany,canbe fitted in therelevant slot.6 Then, students watched a video explaining about the Enlightenment byfocusingonthreeofitspillars,namelyreason,skepticismandindividualism,andaskingthemto identify the relevant points and answer some questions to show comprehension andcriticalthinking.Step 3: Learners were now thought to be ready to plunge into the nitty-gritty of theEnlightenment, so they were assigned the task of researching some of the keyEnlightenment thinkers – Kant, Descartes, Locke i.a. and their beliefs. They were thenrequired to watch a video about these Enlightenment thinkers and further enrich theirnotes.Next,theywereaskedtoreadthevideotranscriptintensivelyanddodetailedlexicaland collocational work. They were now supposed to have familiarized themselves withEnlightenmentthoughtandlanguagequiteextensively.Step4: Thenext two tasks involvedan increaseddegreeofpersonalization. First, learnerswereaskedtorole-playsomeEnlightenmentthinkerstatements.TheyhadtoimaginetheywereJohnLocke,forinstance,anddefendaspecificstatementadvancedbyhim,like‘Menareallrationalandcapablepeoplebutmustcompromisesomeoftheirbeliefsintheinterestofformingagovernmentforthepeople’.Therestoftheclassweresupposedtoengageinsomekindofan informaldebate,arguingagainsttheirclassmate’spoint.Second,studentsweregivenanEnlightenmentconceptand,workingingroups,theyhadtocreateadialoguedramatizingtheconceptandgettingtheirfellowstudentstoguessatit.Step5:ThefinalstepintheEnlightenmentinstructionprocesswasassociatingtheconceptsacquiredwiththeGreekRevolutionandconductingasimulationofthebattlebetweenthepenandtheswordtoseewhichofthetwowasmorepotent.Thiswasmeanttobeawayofrelatingcontenttosomethingclosertolearners’experienceasanation.Theactivitiespresentedabovewere interleavedwithgrammar instruction.Asexplained inthetheoreticalsectionearlier,anattemptwasmadetoteachgrammaraslanguagethroughlearning, that is to illustrate how it is motivated by content. Thus, once the keyEnlightenment concepts had been introduced, right after step 2, students were led tomodality and epistemic modals in particular by being asked how Enlightenment thinkersmightarticulatebeliefsandwere invitedtoengage inEnlightenment-relatedthinkingbothbywearingtheapparelofanEnlightenmentthinkerandbycommentingonEnlightenment-related statements. For example, inmaking skepticism- or deism-driven statements, theywereexpectedtocomeupwithsentenceslike:

(1) God must have created the universe but he can’t be the regulator of all thathappensinlife.

6Itshouldbenotedatthispointthatinthefirstyearoftheimplementationofthisproject,notallstudentshadstudied therelevantpoints in theirHistoryclass, so theywereactuallybeing taughtHistory inEnglishwithoutanypriorengagementwiththecontent–except,ofcourse,whattheyalreadyknewfromearlieryearsatschool.Thismayhavemadethingsmorecomplexforthem,thoughthequestionnairedataobtaineddonotpointtoaclearcutdifferencebetweenthetwolearnergroups.Ontheotherhand,itisreallyinterestingtonotethatmostof the learnerswhowentthroughtheprocessthesecondyearreportcleargains inknowledge,bycompletingthe third, ‘whatdidyou learn?’ columngenerously,despite the fact that theyhaddone these lessons in theirHistoryclass.Inanycase,adiscussionoftheseissueswouldbebeyondtheboundsofthepresentarticle.


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Workonthestructurewasthusmotivatedbycontentandwasthe‘speaker’schoice’,asinAchard’s (2004) comment above, not only in the sense thatmodality “has to dowith thedifferentways inwhich a languageuser can intrudeonhermessage, expressing attitudesandjudgementsofvariouskinds”(Eggins,2007,p.172)butalsointhesensethatgrammarisnottreatedas‘apropertyofthesystem’alone.The second grammar point dealtwithwithin the context of the project presented in thissectionwas thatof condition.Onceagain, thiswasmotivatedby rational thinking, deeplyembeddedinEnlightenmentwork,asexplainedtothestudentssystematically.Itwasindeedimpressive that the structure was elicited from the learners most readily as the parexcellenceformtoemploywhenengaginginreasoningprocessesandsyllogisms.Conditionalformsareasinequanoninthelanguageofsyllogismsand,morespecifically,inphrasingthepremises that lead to a specific conclusion. After they had worked on the purely formalproperties of the specific structure, learners were assigned a project entitled ‘TheEnlightenment Ifs’. After being given examples of the implications of an Enlightenmentconcept,asinthecaseofrationalism,illustratedinFigure1below, Rationalism

says‘no’tosuperstitionquestionsblindfaith

sciencehastheupperhandtoday nodogma…

Figure1.IllustratingtheimplicationsofanEnlightenmentconceptlearners were shown how these implications could be translated into a conditional formstatement,asin:

(2) If rationalism had not been there, superstitions would still exist and blind faithmightnothavebeenquestioned.Similarly,sciencewouldn’thavetheupperhandandourworldwouldbeadogmaticone.

Alternatively,theycouldtracetheconnectionbetweentheEnlightenmentandtheIndustrialRevolution,asin:

(3) If scientific investigationhadnot been accepted, the Industrial Revolutionmightneverhavetakenplace.

Theywere thengiven threeoptions, thatofa futureperspective, requiring theuseof thefirstconditional,thatofafutureperspectivebutreducedlikelihood,requiringtheuseofthesecondconditional,andthatofapastperspective,involvingtheuseofeitherthethirdoramixedconditional(seeAppendixIIforanillustration).Thefinaloutputexpectedwasavideoor power-point presentation based on Enlightenment-related conditional statements. The


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CLILprojectfinallyinvolvedassessinglearnerswithinaCLILframework,namelybyselectingcontent-relatedtopicsandplacinggrammarwithinacontent-relatedcontext.7In thenext section I present thedata collected from the learnerswhoparticipated in theaboveproject.4.ThedataAsstatedintheintroductorysection,attheendoftheinstructionprocesslearnershadtofillin a questionnaire focusing on their recognition of the benefits derived. The rationaleunderlyingthedistributionof thequestionnairewastocheckontheirmetacognitiveskills,theirawarenessofwhattheyhadlearntintheirCLILsessionsaswellastheiroverallfeelingsaboutthemandthedifficultiestheymayhaveencountered.InthissectionIwillbefocusingontheirawarenessofgrammargainsspecifically.The questionnaire distributed in the first year of the implementation of the project wasbroaderandaimedatvariouskindsofbenefits,includingthoserelatedtogrammar.Becauseof the low percentages obtained in terms of grammar as against vocabulary benefits, forinstance, the second year I chose to design a questionnaire addressing grammar-focusedissuesmoredirectly,withaviewtoexploringlearners’awarenessofgrammargains,ifany,inamoresystematicway.More specifically, the 46 participants in the first year were given the following multipleresponsequestion,amongothers:8‘ThesessionsbenefitedyouinEnglishintermsof

• vocabulary• listeningcomprehension• readingcomprehension• speaking• writing• grammar’.

Response frequencies were calculated following SPSS routines for multiple set responsesandaredemonstratedinTable1below.AswecanseeinTable1,theoverwhelmingmajorityofbenefitsinvolvedvocabulary,whilelisteningcomprehensioncamesecondandallotherbenefitsfollowed.Grammarwasinthelowerzone,withatotalof11.4%ofresponses.Thispointsinthedirectionofeithergrammargainsbeinghardertodiagnoseorofbeingsubstantiallyreducedcomparedtolexicalgains,for instance.Toseewhetherfurtherexplicitationofpotentialgrammarbenefits intheCLILframeworkwouldactivatemoreresponses,wepresentedour52participantsinthesecondyearoftheprojectimplementationwiththefollowingmultipleresponsequestion,thistimeconcerninggrammaralone:7Anexampleofagrammarquestion isgiving students the sentence ‘I think that the reasonwhyDiderot saidwhathedidaboutart isthathebelieved itcould introduceanewmorality’andexpectingthemtorephrase itusingamodal(‘Thereason…musthavebeen…’).

8ThequestionnairedistributedwasinGreek.


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CLILHistorysessions Percentof

CasesN PercentLanguagebenefits Vocabularybenefits 37 32.5% 80.4%

Listeningbenefits 25 21.9% 54.3%Readingbenefits 14 12.3% 30.4%Speakingbenefits 17 14.9% 37.0%Writingbenefits 8 7.0% 17.4%Grammarbenefits 13 11.4% 28.3%

Total 114 100.0% 247.8%

Table1.LanguagebenefitsderivedfromCLILHistorysessions(1styear):This year you’re being taught English grammar through History. Which of the followingbenefitsdoyouthinkyouderived?

a. Understandingthemeaningandfunctionofgrammaticalstructuresb. Understandingtheconnectionbetweencontentandformc. Understandingcontentbetterd. Understandingthereisnorandomnessinlanguageusee. Understandingthatgrammarissemanticallyloadedf. Understandingthatgrammarisnotmechanicalg. Usinggrammaticalformsandstructuresh. Seeinggrammarassomethinginterestingi. Seeinggrammarassomethingpleasantj. Other.Please,specify.’

TheresultsobtainedappearinTable2: Responses Percentof

CasesN PercentGrammarthroughHistory:Benefitsa

Understandingmeaningandfunctionofgrammarstructures

9 5.7% 18.4%

Understandingconnectionbetweencontentandform

23 14.6% 46.9%

Understandingcontentbetter

17 10.8% 34.7%

Norandomnessinlanguageuse

27 17.1% 55.1%

Grammarcarriesmeaning 12 7.6% 24.5%Grammarisnotmechanical

22 13.9% 44.9%

Helpsintheuseofgrammarstructures

14 8.9% 28.6%

Makesgrammarinteresting

13 8.2% 26.5%

Makesgrammarpleasant 21 13.3% 42.9%Total 158 100.0% 322.4%

Table2:GrammarbenefitsderivedfromCLILsessions(2ndyear)


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Aswecansee,responsesarespreadquiteevenlyoverthewholerangeofpossibleanswersprovided. In other words, we note an active involvement with grammar-related benefits,with no sweeping answers. The non-randomness of language use scored highest amonglearner responses, which suggests that students were able to see the aetiology behindgrammar form. Interestingly, quite a few opted for grammarmade pleasant through CLILsessions,whichmightbeamajorachievementifoneconsiderslearners’generallynegativeattitudetowardsgrammar.Thoughnotdirectlycomparablewiththedataobtainedthefirstyear, these results show that, when presented with an explicit articulation of grammarbenefits,learnersmayengagemoreactively,showingincreasedawareness.95.ConcludingremarksThedatapresentedabovesuggestthatlearnerscanberesponsivetoandactuallyenjoythedeep grammar learning process involved in CLIL sessions. The fact that, when orientedtowards grammar benefits specifically, they opted for a number of responses indicatingtransparencyingrammarformsandtheiruse,inthesenseofaclearerassociationbetweenform and content than is normally the case in EFL grammar instruction, is more than aglimmerofhope.Ontheotherhand,thefactthattheywereratherunwillingtobetestedinthiswayorthatsomeofthemfoundtheprocessabitdemanding,10beingusedtoapurelymechanicaltreatmentofgrammar,mayberelatedtothenoveltyofthemethodandthefactthatgrammarstatementsstudentsworkonareusuallysemanticallyempty (seeCalfoglou,2013,pp.99-100),soaCLILtreatmentofgrammar,especiallyaslanguagethrough learning,asproposedinthisarticle,mightposethedoublechallengeoftacklingcontentandlanguageconcurrently.As inBielak andPawlak’s (2013)case, the increasedcognitivedemandsofacognition-based approach may also require further and more extensive familiarization toyieldclearerbenefits.Inanycase,inorderformorefirmlybasedconclusionswithregardtotheefficacyofthemethodtobedrawn,moreexperimentalworkisneeded.ItwouldthusbeinterestingtocomparegrammarperformanceonthespecificformsinaCLILandastandardgrammar practice context (cf. Llinares&Whittaker, 2007), aswell as explore how lastingtheseeffectsmightbe.Inanycase,CLILseemstoconstituteaparticularlyintriguingcontextforthesystematicaswellastrulyintegratedteachingofbothcontentandform,establishingnewcriteriaforthegrammarinstructionsyllabus.ReferencesAchard,M. (2004). ‘Grammatical instruction in the Natural Approach’. InM. Achard & S.

Niemeier(Eds),CognitiveLinguistics,SecondLanguageAcquisitionandForeignLanguageTeaching.Berlin:MoutondeGruyter,165-194.

Anderson,L.&Krathwohl,D.A. (2001).TaxonomyforLearning,TeachingandAssessing:ARevisionofBloom’sTaxonomyofEducationalObjectives.NewYork:Longman.

Anderson, R.C. & Pearson, P.D. (1988). ‘A schema-theoretic view of basic processes inreadingcomprehension’. InP.Carrell, J.Devine&D.Eskey (Eds), InteractiveApproachestoSecondLanguageReading.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,37-55.

9 However, when askedwhether theywould like to be assessed in language through CLIL, respondentswereprettyreserved.ThisprobablycorrelateswiththelowscoresobtainedintheirassessmentinCLILgrammaritems,asinft.7.Thisis,indeed,anissuethatmeritsfurtherexploration.10Butnote that,of theonesparticipating in thesecondyearof theproject implementation,anoverwhelming55.8%statedtheydidnotfindthisgrammarteachingmethodparticularlydifficulttofollow.


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Ball,P.(2013-2014). ‘CLILandCompetences:Assessment’. InBritishCouncilRegionalPolicyDialogues,76-80.

Ball,P.,Clegg,J.&Kelly,K.(2015).PuttingCLILintoPractice.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.Bielak, J., & Pawlak, M. (2013). Applying Cognitive Grammar in the foreign language

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Llinares,A.&Whittaker,R.(2007).‘TalkingandwritinginaforeignlanguageinCLILcontexts:A linguistic analysis of secondary school learners of Geography and History’. VolumenMonografico,83-91.

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AppendixI

TheoverallaimsoftheCLILprojectpresentedinthisarticlewere:-Toinvitelearnerstoengageinmeaningfulinteractionwithaswellasoversubjectcontent-To demonstrate the range and potential of foreign language development by gettinglearnerstoengagein‘deeplearning’(Coyleetal.2010)-Tocombinelanguageoflearningwithlanguageforlearningandlanguagethroughlearning-To encourage the development of higher-order thinking and invite learners to solveproblems,critiqueandanalyse,thusconnectingL2learningwithL1cognitiveprocesses-Toillustratethefunctionofgrammarinthebuildingofcontentandshedfurtherlightonitsmeaning-To help learners ‘forget’ they are dealingwith a foreign language and bridge the dividebetweencontentandL2learning-Tofamiliarizelearnerswithhistoricalinformation-TofamiliarizelearnerswithkeyEnlightenmentconcepts

AppendixII

ThethreeperspectivesgiventostudentsintheirEnlightenmentIfsproject:a.You’reanEnlightenmentthinkerandsupportyourideaspassionately.ExplainhowthingswillchangeifEnlightenmentideasgainground.b.You’reanEnlightenmentthinkerbutrealiseit’sdifficulttoimplementyourideas.ExplainhowthingswouldchangeifEnlightenmentideasgainedground.c.You’re an Enlightenment thinker and have travelled through time to the present day.Supportyour ideasbyconsideringhow life todaywouldbedifferent if your ideashadnotgainedground.

ChristineCalfoglou([email protected])holdsanMAinTranslationand

TranslationTheoryandaPhDinAppliedLinguisticsfromtheUniversityofAthens.SheiscurrentlyteachingontheMEdprogrammeoftheHellenic

OpenUniversity.Herresearchinterestsandpublishedworkincludegrammar,teachingreadingandwriting,distancelearningmethodology,

semiotics,translationtheory,thetranslationofpoetry.


AnIntegratedApproachtoTeachingPoetryinaGreekEFLClassroom.

ACaseStudy:ComparingCavafyandShakespeare

ΜιασυνδυαστικήπροσέγγισηστηδιδασκαλίαποίησηςστηντάξηΑγγλικών.Μίαμελέτηπερίπτωσης:ΣυγκρίνονταςτονΚαβάφημετονΣαίξπηρ

MaryMARIN

ThispaperpresentstheresultsofanintegratedapproachtoteachingpoetryinaGreekHighschoolclassroom.DrawingonBamford(1984)ontheadvantagesofextensivereadingintheEFL class, on Brumfit (1981) on the criteria for the selection of texts for advancedwork inteaching foreign literatures, on Carter and Long’s (1991) rationale for the use of the threemainapproachestotheteachingofliteratureandfinallyonSavvidou(2004)whoproposesanintegratedapproachtoteachingliterature,thispaperpresentsacasestudyofcomparingtwoseeminglydifferentworldrenownedpoets:WilliamShakespeareandConstantineP.Cavafy.Theparticipantswereeleven thirdgradeGreek JuniorHigh school EFL learners. The coursestructure and classroom procedures are described. The paper also presents learners' owncritical analyses and post-reading activities (poetry-writing, presentation, poster) anddemonstratesthatthroughavarietyoflinguistic,methodologicalandmotivationalelements,theuseofpoetryinthelanguageclassroomcanbeapotentiallypowerfulpedagogictool.

�Σε αυτό το άρθρο παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα μιας μελέτης περίπτωσης στηδιδασκαλία της ποίησης στο πλαίσιο του μαθήματος τωνΑγγλικών σε μία τάξη ελληνικούγυμνασίου. Συνδυάζοντας τα πλεονεκτήματα της εκτενούς ανάγνωσης κειμένων στηδιδασκαλία της αγγλικής (Bamford,1984), λαμβάνοντας υπ’ όψιν τα κριτήρια επιλογήςκειμένων για τη διδασκαλία λογοτεχνίας από το πρωτότυπο (Brumfit,1981) τη χρήση τωντριώνκύριωνπροσεγγίσεωνστηδιδασκαλίατηςλογοτεχνίας (Carter&Long,1991)καιτηνσυνδυαστικήτουςπροσέγγιση(Savvidou,2004)παρουσιάζεταιμίαμελέτηπουσχετίζεταιμετη σύγκριση δυο φαινομενικά ανόμοιων παγκοσμίου φήμης ποιητών, του WilliamShakespeare και του Κωνσταντίνου Π. Καβάφη. Η διδακτική προσέγγιση οδηγεί τουςμαθητές μέσα από στοχευμένες δραστηριότητες να ερμηνεύσουν λέξεις κλειδιά τωνποιημάτων και παράλληλα να «αποκωδικοποιήσουν» ομοιότητες και διαφορές τόσο στοπρωτότυπο όσο και σε μετάφραση, να κάνουν υποθέσεις και να σχηματίσουν άποψη, ναεντοπίσουν κοινά θέματα και μοτίβα, να δημιουργήσουν παραδοσιακά και πολυτροπικά

Marin/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)89-102

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κείμενα (πρωτότυπα ποιήματα, εικονογράφηση, ηλεκτρονική παρουσίαση, αφίσα), καικαταδεικνύειότιηδιδασκαλίατηςποίησηςστηνξένηγλώσσαότανσυνδυάζειπρωτοτυπίακαιενσωματωμένεςδεξιότητεςαποτελείέναισχυρόπαιδαγωγικόεργαλείο.Keywords: EFL extensive reading, teaching poetry in a second language, Shakespeare,sonnets,Cavafy,motifs.1.IntroductionIt is undeniably true that reading has been the skill most emphasized in traditional EFLteaching.However,there isoftenreluctancebyteachersandcoursedesignersto introduceunabridged and authentic texts to the EFL syllabus. There is a general perception thatliterature is particularly complex and inaccessible for the foreign language learner and canevenbedetrimentaltotheprocessof languagelearning(Or,1995).Bamford(1984b,pp.4-7), among others has argued that “reading can be studiedmore effectively and enjoyablywhenstudentsuseeasymaterialthattheycanunderstandandenjoy,insteadofbeingforcedto decode and translate texts hopelessly beyond their abilities”. Indeed, it is difficult toimagineteachingthestylisticfeaturesof literarydiscoursetolearnerswhohavealessthansophisticated grasp of the basic mechanics of English language1. On the other hand, the"intensive reading procedure" which implies close study of short passages, includingsyntactic, semantic, and lexical analyses and translation into the L1 to study meaning is,according to Alderson and Urquhart (1984), not a reading but a language lesson, since itconsists of a series of language points, using texts as points of departure2. I agree withBamford and Day (1997, pp. 6-8) who argue convincingly that extensive reading can beintegrated into the second language curriculum in a variety of ways, from a stand-alonecoursetoanextracurricularclubactivity.Asforpoetry,itencouragesstudentsindevelopingtheir creativitywhileproviding abreak from regular classroom routines.As students studythepoems,theycansimultaneouslydiscoverinterestingideasforcreativewriting.AccordingtoCollieandSlater(1987)"usingpoetry inthelanguageclassroomcanleadnaturallyontofreer and creative written expression" (p.72). Lazar (1996) agrees that poems providestudentswithinsightintodevelopingcross-culturalawarenessandthisinturnwillhelptheminacquiringfluencyinthetargetlanguage(p.75).Isitpossibletobroadenlearners’horizonsthroughexposuretoclassicliterature,letalonepoetry,withpositiveresults?Thisiswhatthisresearchsetsouttoanswer.1.1.SelectionofMaterial:ShakespeareandCavafy,twoPoetsapartBeyond being the most distinguished Greek poet of the twentieth century and the mostwidelytranslatedpoetofmodernGreece,Cavafyisapoetwithwhomahostofotherpoetsworldwide have been ‘conversing’ through their own work for over seventy years. LikeShakespeare,hediedonhisbirthday.HewasbornonApril29,1863anddiedonApril29,1933, so 2013 sawboth the 150th anniversary of his birth and the 80th of his death. TheGreekMinistry of Culture designated 2013 the Year of Constantine Cavafy.Oddly enough,

1 Thisperception is alsoborneoutby research (Akyel&Yalçin,1990:174-180)which shows that thedesire tobroaden learners’ horizons through exposure to classic literature usually has disappointing results. There is aperceptionthattheuseofliterarydiscoursedeflectsfromthestraightforwardbusinessoflanguagelearning,i.e.knowledgeoflanguagestructure,functionsandgeneralcommunication.2ThisviewissupportedbyBrumfit(1984:83)andHyland(1990:14).


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Picture1:MystudentsatTheCavafyexhibitionattheTheoharakiFoundationinDecember2013.

April2014markedthe450thanniversaryofShakespeare’sbirth,thegreatEnglishpoetwho,sincehisdeath,hasinfluencedeverygenerationofwritersandpoets, includingCavafy,andcontinues to have an enormous impact on contemporary culture. On the occasion ofPanarsakeiakoStudentCavafyConference2014,agroupofthirdJuniorHighSchoolgradersstudyingEFLatlevelC1,setouttocomparethesetwogreatpoets.2.AnintegratedapproachDrawing on Carter and Long’s (1991) description of the three main teaching models ofliterature, Savvidou (2004) provides a rationale for an integrated approach to teachingliterature in the language classroom: She suggests combining the traditional approach toteachingliterature, i.e.theCulturalModel,whichrequires learnerstoexploreandinterpretthesocial,political, literaryandhistoricalcontextofaspecifictextandencouragesthemtounderstanddifferentculturesandideologiesinrelationtotheirown,theLanguageModel ,anapproachwhichenables learnerstoaccessatext inasystematicandmethodicalway inorder to exemplify specific linguistic features and the Personal Growth Model whichemphasises the interactionof the readerwith the textandencourages learners toexpresstheir feelings and opinions. As already stated, this paper describes how such an approachwasusedinaGreekhighschoolEFLclassroominawaythatmadeliteraturebothaccessibletolearnersandbeneficialtotheirlinguisticdevelopment.2.1.Stageone:TheCulturalModelTheactivitiesandreadingassignmentsofthefirststagefitmoreintothetraditionalapproachto teaching literature, i.e. the Cultural Model, which requires learners to explore andinterpretthesocial,political,literaryandhistoricalcontextofaspecifictext.2.1.1.MeetingCavafy

My students’ 10-week journey through Cavafy’s poetry started by visiting a Cavafycommemorativeexhibition,whereweadmiredanddiscussedworksofvisualartistsinspiredbyhispoems,mostofwhichwerepresentednexttotheworksofart.Thisvisitgavethemimportant insight into the life and favorite themes of the Alexandrian poet and uponreturning to class, we started reading up on his poetry, particularly focusing on poemsdiscussing love, youthandoldage.We studiedCavafy’s life andbackground.Thedifferentplaceshe lived in,his time inEnglandwherehe studied indepth theBritish literatureandwasgreatlyaffectedbythepoetryofShakespeare,TennysonandBrowning.Wealsotalkedabouthistravelsandpersonalstrugglesthatdeeplyaffectedhisstyleandthemes.


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2.2.Stagetwo:TheLanguageModelAvarietyofmore intensive, teacher-orientedstrategieswereusedfortheLanguageModelwhich enables learners to access a text in a systematic and methodical way in order toexemplifyspecificlinguisticfeatures.

Picture2:AscreenshotfromWorksheet3,activity1–ComparingtranslationsofCavafy’spoem‘ΟΓέρος’

2.2.1.ExploringCavafyAsapoet,Cavafyiscontroversial.Hewroteinaratherstraightforwardmannerwithouttheembellishment of metaphor and other poetic devices, and seems to have aroused theantipathyofotherGreekpoets/writers.Thereasonsforthenegativecriticismwerediverse:Cavafy’s language was not always in agreement with the directives of the ‘demoticist’movement. Instead, he created his own highly artificial poetic language, amixture of twoquitedifferentregistersofthelanguage:demoticGreek,thevernacularspokenbythepeopleand the far more formal Katharevousa, or ‘pure’ Greek, the high language of literature,intellectuallife,andofficialdom,deliberatelyusingarchaismsandcolloquialisms.AlsolikethepoetryoftheancientAlexandrians,Cavafy'sislesstheresultofsuddeninspirationthantheresultofthemostscrupulouscraftsmanship.Itisthepoetryofaverylearned,veryintelligentman.The students were urged to compare various translations of Cavafy’s poems in English inorder to assess the difficulties of preserving his unique style,metric, choice ofwords andmost of all the melancholy conveyed in his poems. They exchanged ideas on which


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translation ‘worked’ for them or ‘touched’ them more, wrote down their thoughts andpresentedtheminclass.Theydiscussedthedifficultiesofcapturingthe‘feeling’ofapoeminadifferent language.Asseen inPicture2, thestudentscomparedtwodifferentversionsofthepoem ‘ΟΓέρος’byKeely-Sherrard3,and JohnCavafyandthreedifferent translationsofthe poem ‘Απ’τες 9’: Edmund Keeley/Philip Sherrard’ 1992 version, Stratis Haviaras’ 2004versionandDanielMendelsohn’smostrecentoneandtheyagreedthat it isJohnCavafy intheformer,andDanielMendelsohn,inthelatter,whoconveyCavafy’sstyleandmelancholymoresuccessfully.AlthoughthesetranslationswerenottheeasiesttounderstandinEnglish,they‘touched’themmore,astheyargued.2.3.Stagethree:ThePersonalGrowthModelThefinalstage,basedontherationale for thePersonalGrowthModel,wasclearly learner-centredsince it focusedon increasingunderstanding,enhancingenjoymentof thetextandenabling students to come to their own personal interpretation of the poems. This wasaccomplishedbyanalyzingthepoemsatadeeperlevelandexploringhowthemessagewasconveyed through rhythm, imagery and word choice. Dramatization techniques were alsoused.2.3.1.InterpretingCavafyAsahomeworktask,studentswereaskedtoreadandunderstandCavafy’spoemΤΑΚΕΡΙΑ.Theywerealsourgedtoillustratethepoembybringingtoclassphotos,orcreatingcollagesor painting their own illustration of the poem thatwould best convey itsmelancholy andsymbolism. In class, theywere asked to translate the poem in English, trying to keep thesentiments and atmosphere of the poet. The aim of the activity was to experience thedifficulty of translating a literary piece to another language. The particular poem wasselectedongroundsofitssimpleyetsymboliccharacter.Itcontainednounknownwordsbutthestudentshadtounderstandwhichtranslationalequivalentwouldbestsuitthefigurativeand/ormelancholicfeelingCavafymighthavewantedtoevoke.Theythenreadtheirpoemsin frontof their classmates,whoprovidedoral feedback.Picture3 (on the followingpage)illustratesthreeoftheseattempts.Thesameintegratedapproachofthethreestages(asdescribedinsections2.1,2.2,2.3)wasfollowedforthestudyofShakespeare.

MeetingShakespeare(Stage1)Asawarm-upactivity,shortexcerptsofShakespeare’sworksadaptedforthescreenwereusedtoremindstudentsoftheconstantpresenceoftheBritishpoetinmoderncultureand‘convince’ them of his diachronic merit. A power point presentation demonstrating howmanyof Shakespeare-madewords have survived in today’s English vocabulary raised theirinterest,familiarizedstudentswithShakespeareanlanguageandmotivatedthemtoreadupon the bard. In line with the Cultural Model, students researched Shakespeare’s life andworkswith particular emphasis on his groundbreakingmaster of the language, his dictionand the characteristics of sonnet writing. With the help of the school’s digital platform

3Keeley(1986:62)whoinpartnershipwithPhilipSherrard,translatedhimin1975,admittedyearslaterthattheyhadfailedtoreproduceCavafy’scomplexandplayfulrhymingofhisfirstpoems.InthelatestrenditionofCavafy’spoems,DanielMendelsohnattemptstocaptureboththetwoquitedifferentregistersoftheAlexandrianpoet’slanguageandhisidiosyncraticuseofwords.


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(wherevideosandarticleswereprovided)andcarefullydesignedworksheets,westudiedindepthsomeofhismostfamoussonnetsbothinEnglishandinGreek.

Picture3:ScreenshotfromthePowerPointpresentationofthestudents’translations.

ExploringShakespeare(Stage2)InthecontextoftheLanguageModel,afteracomprehensivestudyofthecharacteristicsofsonnetwriting,whichcomprisedpowerpointpresentationandgraphicrepresentationofthesonnet, (Activity1),weproceededwithanalyzing someof themost knownShakespeareansonnets. In his sonnets the poet used striking images and numerous figures of speech toallowtheaudiencetocreateabetterunderstandingofthetext.Suchfiguresaremetaphors,personifications, similes, metonymies, synecdoches, hyperbolies, alliterations, antitheses,euphemisms,ironyandsymbolism.Thestudentswereguidedthroughthepoemsinfindingexamplesofeach figureof speechandcompare if the translationpreserved that figurativeimage.WhatfollowsisanexcerptfromaworksheetonSonnet18“ShallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday”,namelyActivity2.1. Thefollowingsentenceshavebeenaccidentallyremovedfromthetranslatedversion.

Canyoufindwhichlinestheycorrespondto?

Όσοέχουνμάτιαοιάνθρωποι,όσοέχουνε Εσύυπερέχειςσεαπαλότητακαιχάρη·

πνοή,

καιτηςχροιάςτουοχρυσόςσυχνάθαμπώνει, σκορπούνταμαγιολούλουδαοιανέμοι,

2. FillinthemissingwordsinthemodernEnglishtranslation


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delicate eventually moderate Live passing experiences fade last

Shall I compare you to a summer’s day? You aremore lovely andmore…………….. : Harshwinds disturb the …………….. buds of May, and summer doesn’t …………….. long enough.Sometimes the sun is toohot, and itsgolden face isoftendimmedbyclouds.Allbeautifulthings……………..becomelessbeautiful,eitherbythe……………..oflifeorbythe……………..oftime.Butyoureternalbeautywon’t……………..norloseanyofitsquality.Andyouwillneverdie,asyouwill……………..oninmyenduringpoetry.Aslongastherearepeoplestillalivetoreadpoemsthissonnetwilllive,andyouwillliveinit.1. Whatseasondoesthepoetcomparehislovedoneto?2. Whatdrawbacksdoesthisseasonhave?3. WhichwordsdoesShakespeareusetodescribe

thesun:…………………………………………………………….theundyinglinesofhispoetry:………………………………………………………..

4. Nowread3differentversionsof thepoemtranslated inGreekand saywhichoneyoupreferandwhy.(Picture2)

5. DoyouthinkitiseasytotranslateasonnetlikethisinGreek?Whatarethedifficulties?6. Discusshowthepoetfeelsaboutbeauty,youth,thepassingoftime,death,poetry.7. Several sonnets use the seasons to symbolize the passage of time and to show that

everythinginnature—fromplantstopeople—ismortal.Findexamplesofthissymbolisminthissonnet.

8. Giveanothertitletothepoem.InterpretingShakespeare(stage3)Inclass,wereaddifferentversionsoftranslationsanddiscussedhowdifficultitistocapturetheemotionalpowerofapoem,whileatthesametimepreservingthemeterandrhymeofthe original. Especially in the case of Shakespeare’s sonnets, we found that it is almostimpossibletoconveythelyricismofthepoemwhilekeepingthestrictformofthesonnet.As the Personal GrowthModel suggests, the studentswere encouraged to go beyond themere understanding of the language and delve deeper into its meaning, relating it toeverydaylife.Withmyguidanceandworksheetsofgradeddifficulty,thestudentsreadandanalyzedseveralsonnets,suchasSonnet73,Sonnet55andSonnet65amongothers.All these sonnetswere carefully selected todepict similar themesandmotifsdealtwith inCavafy’s poems,but the activitiesweredesigned so as to guide the students into realizingthesesimilaritiesforthemselves.Forinstance,inSonnet73ThatTimeOfYearThouMaystInMeBehold,thepostreadingactivitiesincludedthequestions:

• Whattypeofdeathisthepoetpreparinghisyoungfriendfor?• WhatisDeathcomparedto?• Whichline,byitspauses,almostre-createstheblowingawayofthelastresistant

fadingleavesbytheautumnwind?• Whichquatrain reveals that thepoet is speakingnotof his impendingphysical

death,butthedeathofhisyouthandsubsequentlyhisyouthfuldesires?


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Sonnet 55: O! Not Marble, Nor The Gilded Monuments, and Sonnet 65 : Since brass, norstone,nor earth, norboundless sea, on theotherhand,were chosenbecause theydiscussShakespeare’s beliefs about immortality using Time's destruction of great monumentsjuxtaposedwiththeeffectsofageonhumanbeings,aconventionalsoseen inCavafy.Thesonnetssharetheir themewith thatofseveralothers (18,19,81,107,123),whichopposethepowerofversetodeathandTime'scruelknife,andpromiseimmortalitytothebeloved.Oneofthequestionsonworksheet4was,infact,WhatdoesCavafybelieveaboutpoetryinrelationtoimmortality?2.4.Stagefour:Combiningtwomodels–Interpretation&PersonalResponseTheLanguageandPersonalGrowthModelswerecombinedinthecomparativestudyofthetwopoets.Whileworksheets1,2discussedCavafyand3,4ShakespeareandSonnetwriting,worksheets5-8weredesignedtobringforthcommonthemesandmotifs.2.4.1.ComparingCavafyandShakespeareWerereadSonnet18:Shall I comparetheetoaSummer’sDayanddiscussed its themes incomparisontoCavafy’sMorningSeaandtheElegyofFlowers.In the fifthworksheet, the studentswereasked to compareShakespeare’sSonnet1: FromfairestcreatureswedesireincreaseandSonnet2:Whenfortywintersshallbeseigethybrow,whichareadressedtoayoungmanandfocusonthepowerofpoetryandpurelovetodefeatdeathand"allobliviousenmity",withCavafy’spoemsΟιΨυχέςτωνΓερόντωνandΕπιθυμίες:

• Whatwordsareassociatedwithbeauty?o InSonnet1……………………………………………………………………………………o InSonnet2……………………………………………………………………………………

• Whichseasonsareassociatedwithyouth………………………..andoldage………….……?• Whichwordsconveytheimageofoldage?

o InShakespreare………………………………………………………………………………o InCavafy……………………………………………………………………………………..

• Howdooldpeoplefeel?o InShakespreare……………………………………………………………………………….o InCavafy……………………………………………………………………………………..

• Shakespearegiveshopewiththecreationofnewlife.Whichwordsorphrasesshowthat?

o InSonnet1…………………………………………………………….………………………o InSonnet2………………………………………………………………………..……………

• DoesCavafygivehopeinthesameway?Compare.Inthesixthworksheet,studentswereaskedtocompareKavafy’spoemI’vebroughttoArttoShakespeare’s Sonnet 54:O! How Much More Doth Beauty Beauteous Seem,which bothdiscusstheephemeralnatureofbeauty.The seventh worksheet involved comparing Sonnet 77: Thy glass will show thee how thybeauties wear, to Cavafy’s poem:Melancholy of Jason Cleander, Poet in Kommagini, A.D.595,whereuponstudentswereaskedhowTime,OldageandPoetryarerelatedinthesetwopoems.


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The eighth worksheet included excerpts from Cavafy’s Ithaca and The City and urged thestudentstofindotherpoemsandsonnetssimilar inrecurrentmotifsandfill in informationaccordingly.Bythe9thweek,thecommonthemeswereidentifiedandstudents’answersandadditionalremarks(liketherecurrentsymbolsofsightandmirrors)werewritten,discussedinclass(wedevotedoneperiodeveryweektothisproject)gathered,andfinallycategorized.Studentscameupwithfivedifferentthemesandfiveteamsundertooktocollecttheanswersand prepare a paper, a poster and a power point presentation for the 3rd PanarsakeiakoConference2014(Picture4).Iactedasamereobserverandcoordinatorinthefinalphase.Whatfollowsisanexcerptfromthepaperpreparedbystudentsaftergatheringinformationfromallworksheets.“During our careful study we witnessed several similarities between the two poets. BothShakespeare and Cavafy used their native language in an unexpected way, breakingstereotypesinbothgrammarandspelling,givingtheirpoeticcreationsanextremelypersonalyet distinctive and highly recognizable unique style. They both used strong imagery butCavafydidn’tusefigurativelanguagetotheextentthattheElizabethanpoetdid.Finallytheybothwroteandrewrotetheirfirstdrafts,carefullyselectingtheirwordsandadjectives,givingemphasis on punctuation, in order to reach ‘perfection’. More importantly, we observedthat, despite 300 years separating them, Shakespeare and Cavafy shared similar worriesabout life,andusedrecurrentthemessuchasthefleetingnatureofyouthandbeauty, theinevitabilityofoldage,theravagesoftimebutalsoconfidenceintheeternalpowerofpoeticcreation.Yet,theirperspectivewasdifferentandthisiswhatwesetouttoexplore”.


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Picture4:TheposterCavafyandShakespeare:CommonThemesandMotifs3.ICTandtheteachingofpoetryThroughout theproject Iusedseveral ICT tools tomake the lessonsmoremotivatingand Ihighly recommend it toalleducators.Apart fromthe school’sdigitaleducationalplatform,weusedtheInteractivewhiteboardtohighlightimportanttraitsinthepoemsandillustratesonnet-rhyming, we watched film clips downloaded from You-Tube on Shakeapeare’slanguage,documentariesaboutCavafy’slife,SeanConnery’srecitationofIthaca,andothers.WeusedPowerPointforourpresentationandposter,GoogleDriveforsharingnotesandawonderful application called Wordle to enhance linguistic and thematic analysis of thepoems.Wordle isa toy forgenerating“wordclouds”whichgivegreaterprominencetowords thatappearmore frequently.As canbe seen inpicture5, in the first text the studentsput therecurrentthemesofeachpoetandtheworldlehighlightedwhatwehadalreadyestablishedascommon:beauty,youthnature,mirror,temporaryandfleeting.Thesecondwordle isanillustration of the poem Candles. As you can see the most repeated words evoke thedominantfeelingofthepoem:sadnessandregretforthequickpassingoftime.


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Picture5:AscreenshotfromthePowerpointpresentationshowingWordleCreations3.ConclusionWilliam Shakespeare's writings have influenced a large number of notable novelists andpoetsover theyears, includingCavafy, andcontinue to influencenewauthorseven today.Hisimpactcanbeseeninlanguage,vocabularyanddramaallovertheworld.Cavafy’sworkequally transcends the boundaries of place and time and even in translation touches theheartsofpeopleeverywhere.Studentsshouldnotbedeprivedoftheopportunitiesandtheproper guidance to study such great poets in an EFL class, despite the constraints anddifficultiesthisendeavourmayentail.Thethreeapproachestoteachingliteraturedifferintermsoftheirfocusonthetext:firstly,the text is seenasaculturalartefact; secondly, the text isusedasa focus forgrammaticalandstructuralanalysis;andthirdly,thetextisthestimulusforpersonalgrowthactivities.Thispapersetouttoshowthatusinganintegratedapproachaswellasacombinationofaudio-visualaidstoteachpoetry,therearemanybenefitstousingpoetryintheEFLclassroom.Itgave a brief outline of how two seemingly different poets separated by 200 years andlanguagecanbetaughttogetherinanamusingandmotivatingway.Itdescribedthemethodused, the teaching techniques, suggested a variety of reading activities and evaluated theresults of the students’work. Itwasmade clear that apart fromoffering adistinct literaryworldwhichcanwidenlearners’understandingoftheirownandothercultures,poetrycancreate opportunities for personal expression as well as reinforce learners’ knowledge oflexical and grammatical structure.Moreover, an integrated approach to the use of poetryoffers learnersstrategiestoanalyseandinterpret languageincontext inordertorecognizenotonlyhowlanguageismanipulatedbutalsowhy.Theyalsolearnhowtoderivemeaningofa textandformasemanticchain fromthekeywords,examinehow language isusedtodescribeasettingandcreatedesiredeffects,analyzehowtoassessthem,andalsofindoutwaysoftransferringthetextandreconstructingitsspecificandliteralmeaning(Khatibetal.,2011).Thus,withawakenedlanguagesensitivityandimprovedliteraryinsight,theygaintheabilitytoreadapoemcriticallyasacreativeexpressionwithaestheticsensibility.Ihavebeenblessedwiththeopportunitytoworkwithahighly-motivatedclass,whichturnedteachingintosheerjoyandgavemorefeedbackthanIcouldeverhavewishedorhopedfor.


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Thisis,sadly,notalwaysthecase,but,moreoftenthannot,itisworththeextraeffortonthepartoftheteacher.ReferencesAlderson,J.C.,&Urquhart,A.H.(1984). ‘PostscriptonHosenfeld’. InJ.C.Alderson&A.H.

Urquhart(Eds.),ReadinginaForeignLanguage.NewYork:Longman,245-249.Akyel, A., & Yalçin, E. (1990). ‘Literature in the EFL class: A study of goal-achievement

incongruence’.ELTJournal,44/3:174-180.Bamford,J.(1984a).‘Reviewof"Theimportanceofextensivereadinginlanguagelearning.A

presentationbyDamienTunnacliffegivenatJALT'83’.TheLanguageTeacher,8/1:4-5.Bamford, J. (1984b). ‘Extensive readingbymeansofgradedreaders’.Reading inaForeign

Language,2:218-60.Brumfit,C.(1981).’ReadingSkillsand thestudyof Literature inaForeignLanguageSystem’.

Reading:ASymposium,9/1:243-248.Carter,R&Long,M.(1991).TeachingLiterature.Harlow:Longman.Collie, J. & Slater, S. (1987). Literature in the language classroom.Cambridge: Cambridge

UniversityPress.Hyland,I.C.(1990).‘Purposeandstrategy:Teachingextensivereadingskills’.EnglishTeaching

Forum,28/2:14-17.KeeleyE.&Sherrard,Ph.(1975).C.P.Cavafyselectedpoems.Princeton:PrincetonUniversity

Press.Khatib, M., Rezaei, S. & Derakhshan, A. (2011). ‘Literature in EFL/ESL classroom’.English

LanguageTeaching,4/1:201-208.Lazar, G. (1990). ‘Exploring Literary Texts with the Language Learner’. TESOL Quarterly

30s,773-75.Or,WinnieWing-Fung.(1995).‘ReinstatingliteratureintheEFLsyllabus’.InP.Y.KittyWong

& C. F. Green (Eds), Thinking language: issues in the study of language and languagecurriculum renewal. Hong Kong: LanguageCentre,Hong KongUniversity of Science andTechnology.Available:http://repository.ust.hk/retrieve/1190/thinklang12.pdf.

SavvidouC.(2004).‘AnIntegratedApproachtoTeachingLiteratureintheEFLClassroom’.TheInternetTESLJournal,12.Available:http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Savvidou-Literature.html.

APPENDIXExcerptsfromthestudents’finalcollectiveessay:“CavafyandShakespeare:Commonthemesandmotifs”A. THEFLEETINGNATUREOFYOUTHANDBEAUTYIn one of his most famous sonnets, Sonnet 18 ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’,Shakespearecompareshisbelovedtosummer.Summerispersonifiedasthe“eyeofheaven”withits“goldcomplexion”.Animportantthemeofthesonnetisthepowerofthespeaker’spoem to defy time and last forever, carrying the beauty of the beloved down to futuregenerations.C.P.Cavafyalsousesimagesofnaturetoshowthefleetingaspectofyouthandbeauty which are now “memories, those images of sensual pleasure”. In ‘Morning Sea’ /‘ΘάλασσατουΠρωιού’Soon,themorningblueoftheskyandtheyellowoftheseawillgivewaytoothercoloursasthedaygoesby.Anotherpoemthatevokesimagesoftheephemeral


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beauty of nature is ‘The Elegy of Flowers’ /’Η Ελεγεία των Λουλουδιών’. The first threestanzasstartwiththesamerecurrentphrase:“Allexistingflowersbloominthesummer”tostress the fact thatwewant to keepour youthas longaspossible. Slowly yet irreversibly,summer comes but it doesn’t always bring joy, aswe experience the loss of our beloved,sorrowandtiredness.Cavafycomparesthesummerseasontoyouththatfadesawayasthelastmonthofsummer–theendofour lifecomesnear.“ΛησμονημένουAυγούστουκρίνοιμάςστέφουνε,τ’αλλοτεινάμαςχρόνιαγοργάεπιστρέφουνε”andtheshadowsofourearlieryearswavetous.B. THERAVAGESOFTIME,AGINGANDDEATH

Growingolderanddyingareinescapableaspectsofthehumancondition,butShakespeare’ssonnetsgivesuggestionsforhaltingtheprogresstowarddeath.Theideathattheyoungmanhas a duty to have children becomes the dominant motif of the first seventeen sonnets.Shakespeare’s speaker tries to convince theyoungman to cheatdeathbyhaving children.Shakespeare portrays time as an enemy of love. Time destroys love because time causesbeauty to fade, people to age, and life to end.Hepromises immortality through verse.Aslongasreadersreadthepoem,theobjectofthepoem’slovewillremainalive.In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 15 ‘When I consider everything that grows’, the speaker talks ofbeing“inwarwithtime”:timecausestheyoungman’sbeautytofade,butthepoet’sversecankeeptheyoungmanbeautiful.Throughart,natureandbeautyovercometime.Sonnet106‘Wheninthechronicleofwastedtime’portraysthespeakerreadingpoemsfromthepastandrecognizinghisbeloved’sbeautyportrayedthere.ManyofShakespeare’ssonnetshaveacommontheme,especiallythosewhicharededicatedtotheyoungman.Several,likeSonnet2: ‘When forty winters shall besiege thy brow’ have the message that the speaker willpreserve theyouth’syouthful spiritandbeauty forever inverse,evenafter timehas takentheyouth’sbeautyfromhimandturnedhimintoanelderlyman,wrinkledandbentover.In‘TheCity’‘ΗΠόλις’Cavafyreminiscesaboutlostyouth‘Youwillnotfindotherplaces,youwillnotfindotherseas./Thecitywillfollowyou.Allroadsyouwalk/willbetheseroads.Andyouwillageinthesesameneighborhoods;andinthesesamehousesyouwillgogray.”Healsotalksbitterlyaboutoldagein‘Επιθυμίες’:“έτσ’ηεπιθυμίεςμοιάζουνπουεπέρασαν/χωρίς να εκπληρωθούν”, ‘Η Ψυχές των Γερόντων’: “Μες στα παληά τα σώματά των ταφθαρμένα/κάθονταιτωνγερόντωνηψυχές.”‘ΈναςΓέρος’:“Καιμεςτωνάθλιωνγηρατειώντην καταφρόνια/σκέπτεται πόσο λίγο χάρηκε τα χρόνια/που είχε και δύναμι, και λόγο, κ’εμορφιά.”C. THESIGNIFICANCEOFSIGHT–EYESANDMIRRORSShakespeareused imagesof eyes throughout the sonnets to emphasize other themes andmotifs, includingchildrenasanantidotetodeath,art’sstruggletoovercometime,andthepainfulness of love. For instance, in several poems, like inSonnet 77 'ThyGlassWill ShowTheeHowThyBeautiesWear’, the speaker urges the youngman to admire himself in themirror.Noticingandadmiringhisownbeauty,thespeakerargues,willencouragetheyoungman to father a child. More specifically, Shakespeare says that a mirror can reveal thedamage that aging causes to our face, howour beauty iswearing out and remind us thatyouth is fleeting.Othersonnets linkwritingandpaintingwithsight: inSonnet24 ‘Mineeyehathplayed thepainterandhath steeled’, the speaker’s eyebecomesapenorpaintbrush


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that captures the youngman’s beauty and imprints it on the blank page of the speaker’sheart.In Cavafy’s poem “Mirror in the Entrance Hall” “Ο Καθρέπτης στην είσοδο” the perfectbeautyoftheyoungmanmaybeonlytemporary,lastingforafewminutes”butispreservedeternallythroughhisreflectionintheancientmirror.Herethemirrorispersonified.Itfeelsproud to have captured the youth’s fleeting beauty and keep itsmemory for the years tocome: “but the ancient mirror now became elated, inflated with pride, because it hadreceived upon itself perfect beauty, for a few minutes”. “μα ο παλαιός καθρέπτης τώραχαίρονταν,κ’επαίροντανπουείχεδεχθείεπάνωτουτηνάρτιανεμορφιάγιαμερικάλεπτά”.

D. THEJOURNEYTHROUGHLIFE,DESTINYThemaindifferencebetweenthepoetryofCavafyandShakespeare is thatCavafy’spoemsarecharacterizedbypessimism.Forhim,aginganddeathareinevitable.Thereisnorunningaway.Fate, liketruth,huntsyoudownwhereveryouhide.Thebarbariansareatthegates,his heroes cannot escape fate. On the contrary, Shakespeare seems more optimistic; heencourages youngmen to look at the bright side of life, towrite down their thoughts, tocherishbeautifulmemoriesandtocreatea family inordertoachieve immortality.He,too,believesthatwecannotavoidoldage,decayanddeath,buthethinksthatwecanenjoylife.Cavafytalksaboutthejourneythroughlifeoptimisticallyonlyin‘Ithaca’/‘Ιθάκη’.Ithacaactssymbolically as a representation of the achievement of the goals people set in their lives.Ithacaisnotafantastic,unrealisticdestination,butitcanbethoughtaseverybody’squestintheir lives to make their dreams come true. The Laestrygonians, the Cyclopes and angryPoseidonrepresenttheobstaclesthatwefaceinourlivesandthatpreventusfromachievingourgoals.However,whathappens ifwedonotachieveallourgoalswhenwefinallyreachour“Ithaca”?Shouldwebeconsideredunsuccessful?Shouldwefeelthatwehavefailed inourlives?Theanswerisdefinitelynot.Theactualobjective,“…ΟιΙθάκεςτισημαίνουν”,liesinmakingthevoyage itself,andto faceall thosedifficulties; toovercomethedifficulties inlife and gain experiencewhile you areoutmaking the voyage. Therefore, by the time youreach your “Ithaca” you will already have gained so much from the trip that it does notmattersomuchwhetheryoureachedyourgoalsornot.E. THEANALGESICROLEOFARTANDPOETRYBycomparingShakespeare’sSonnet77‘ThyGlassWillShowTheeHowThyBeautiesWear’toCavafy’spoem:‘MelancholyofJasonCleander,PoetinKommagini,A.D.595’,weseethatthedifferentperspectiveofthetwopoetsaboutartandpoetryinrelationtooldageliesinthefactthat,whereasCavafyseestheravageoftimeandthe lossofyouthas inescapableandincurablewounds“Theagingofmybodyandmybeautyisawoundfromamercilessknife”/“Το γήρασμα του σώματος και της μορφής μου είναι πληγή από φρικτό μαχαίρι”,Shakespeareconsidersthemastrongmotivetowardsartistic inspiration. Inreality, though,bothpoets starting from the same cause, that is, thepassingof time, endup in the sameresult,devotiontopoeticcreation,beliefinthehealingpowerofreadingandwritingpoetry.

MaryMarin([email protected])holdsB.A.inEnglish&FrenchLiterature,M.A.inTheoryofLexicography&Applications,PHDca-

ElectronicDictionaries,UniversityofAthens.


IntegratingtheCLILapproach:LiteratureandWikisintheGreekEFLClassroomasaMeansofPromotingInterculturalAwareness

ΕισάγονταςτημέθοδοCLIL:Ηχρήσητηςλογοτεχνίαςκαιτωνwikiστηνελληνικήξενόγλωσσητάξηωςμέσοπροώθησηςτης

διαπολιτισμικήςεπίγνωσης

KaterinaVOURDANOU

This paperpresents theoutcomesof aCLIL project carriedout in the3rd gradeof a JuniorGreek State High School. The purpose of this experimental project was to investigate theimpact of the integration of literature and wikis in the EFL classroom on the learners’intercultural awareness. The findings disclosed the learners’ attitudes on issues of culturalconflict,empathyandtolerance.Overall,thefindingsdefinedtheeffectoftheliterarytextonthe learners’ intercultural awareness and the significance of integrating interculturalmaterialwhilecombiningface-to-facewithonlineinstructionintheGreekEFLclassroomwasreflected. Throughout the project, the English language was used as a medium in theteaching and learning of this subject-specific content, and the results of this educationalprocessdemonstratedthebenefitsofapplyingtheCLILapproachintheGreekEFLclassroom.

�Η εργασία αυτή παρουσιάζει τα αποτελέσματα μιας εφαρμογής της μεθόδου CLIL πουδιεξήχθηστηντρίτητάξηενόςελληνικούδημόσιουΓυμνασίουστοπλαίσιοτηςδιδασκαλίαςτηςΑγγλικήςγλώσσας. Σκοπόςαυτής τηςπειραματικήςεφαρμογήςήτανναδιερευνηθείηεπίδραση της λογοτεχνίας και τωνwikis στην διαπολιτισμική συνείδηση των μαθητών.Tαευρήματα αναδεικνύουν τις απόψεις των μαθητών πάνω σε ζητήματα πολιτισμικήςαντιπαράθεσης,ενσυναίσθησηςκαιανεκτικότητας.Συνολικά,τααποτελέσματακατέδειξαντηνεπίδρασητουλογοτεχνικούκειμένουστηνδιαπολιτισμικήσυνείδησητωνμαθητώνκαικατέδειξαν την σπουδαιότητα της ενσωμάτωσης διαπολιτισμικού υλικού συνδυαστικά μεπαραδοσιακήκαιδιαδικτυακήδιδασκαλία.Κατάτηδιάρκειατηςπειραματικήςεφαρμογής,η Αγγλική γλώσσα χρησιμοποιήθηκε ως μέσο στη διδασκαλία και εκμάθηση αυτού τουγνωστικού αντικειμένου, και τα αποτελέσματα αυτής της εκπαιδευτικής διαδικασίαςκατέδειξαν τα οφέλη της εφαρμογής του CLIL στην ξενόγλωσση τάξη των Αγγλικών στοΕλληνικόΔημόσιοσχολείο.

Vourdanou/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)103-119

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Keywords:Interculturalawareness,CLIL,literarytext,blendedlearning,wikis.1.IntroductionInthenationalCross-ThematicCurriculumFrameworkifortheteachingofforeignlanguagesinGreekschools,theissuesofinterculturalawareness,empathyandacceptanceofdiversityareencompassed in the followingpiece:“oneaimof the teachingof foreign languages inschools is to show learners how to respect and accept the diversity of others through theawareness of their linguistic and cultural diversity, aswell as cultivate theirmulti-culturalconsciousnesssoastodeveloptheirinterculturalcommunicativecompetence”.(PedagogicalInstitute).Therefore, selecting Forster’s “APassage to India” stood to reasondue to its interculturaltheme,whichrevolvesaroundthecoexistenceof IndianandBritish inthecolonial Indiaofthe1920s.ThesecondcomponentisaWeb2.0tool;itsmemberscanquicklyeditit,monitoreach occurring change and reverse it (Leuf & Cunningham, 2001). The cultural andintercultural aspects enriched the classroom environment and facilitated Content andLanguage Integrated Learning. Both quantitative and qualitativemethods were used. Theresearchtookplacethroughapre-projectquestionnaire(quantitative)aimingatidentifyingthelearners’predispositionsconcerningtherelatedissues,followedbythelearners’weeklyjournals(qualitative).Finally,thequalitativemethodwascompletedbytheirinterviews.2.CLIL:abriefoutlineCLILisanacronymreferringtothecontentandlanguageintegratedlearningapproach,thatis “any teaching of a non-language subject through the medium of a second or foreignlanguage”(Pavesietal.,2001,p.77)andinthisteaching“bothlanguageandsubjecthaveajointrole”(Marsh,2002,p.58).TheEurocliciiadoptedthisumbrellaterminthemid-1990s,which was an important move towards distinguishing CLIL from a variety of relatedapproaches, such as bilingual education, immersionor CBI (Content-based instruction), bydefining it as “an umbrella term referring to instructional approaches that make a dual,though not necessarily equal, commitment to language and content-learning objectives”(Stoller,2008,p.59).Apparently, CLILmay share certain characteristicswith thepreviouslymentioned teachingapproachesbutwhatdiffersisthatit“operatesalongthecontinuumoftheforeignlanguageand the non-language content without specifying the importance of one over another”(Coyle,2006,p.2).AlthoughCLILinitiallydevelopedinEurope,ithasbecomeaglobaltrend.ThespreadofCLIL inEurope isnotonly triggeredby theofficialEuropean languagepolicybutalsobyparentsandemployers;thisdemand“isnotsomuchdirectedatmultilingualismpersebutattheinternationallinguafranca,English”(DelPuerto,2011,p.10).Atthesametime, in 2006 the European Parliament and the Council of Europe defined the eight keycompetences for lifelong learning which involve: communication in the mother tongue,communication in foreign languages,mathematical competenceandbasic competences inscienceandtechnology,digitalcompetence,learningtolearn,socialandciviccompetences,


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senseof initiative andentrepreneurship and finally cultural awareness andexpression.AlltheabovecompetencesarereflectedintheCLILframework.According to Coyle, CLIL relies on the 4Cs-Framework, a theoretical and methodologicalfoundationbasedonwhichCLILlessonsandmaterialareplanned.Fourprinciplesunderlieit:content, cognition, communication and culture (Coyle, 2006).Coyle proposes the threefunctions of language: language of learning, language for learning and language throughlearning; in this way, “she represents an example of how an L2 can be used for theconstructionofknowledgeinCLILclassrooms”(Nikulaetal.,2013,p.87).Contentdoesnotsimply refer to the input that the learners receive in class but mainly it focuses on thedevelopment of their own knowledge and skills through scaffolding learning. Cognitionreferstothehighorderthinkingskills that learnersshouldbeenabledtodevelopduringaCLIL lesson; instead of going through the less complex stages of remembering orunderstanding, they will mostly focus on synthesizing, evaluating or creating (Zwiers,2004).Supportive of this, is what Blakemore and Frith (2005) claim referring to brainfunctions and learning: “learning language and subject matter at the same time hasimportantconsequencesforlearningingeneralinthesensethatthebrainisfundamentallyaltered”(ibid,inCraenetal.,2007,p.71).The thirdprinciple is communication; language is important tobe learnt in relation to thelearningcontext.Learnersshouldbemotivatedtousetheirownresources,tostretchtheirlinguistic abilities to the fullest, to reflect on theoutput theyproduce and inventwaysofadaptingtowardsimprovingcomprehensibility,appropriatenessandaccuracy(Swain,1993).Authenticcommunicationwilltakeplacewhentherearesomegaps(information,reasoning,opinionetc.)which the learnerswillbeassigned to fill in.Finally, the fourthcomponent isculture and specifically the relationship among cultures and languages; “culture andinterculturalunderstandinglieatthecoreoftheconceptualframework,offeringthekeytodeeperlearningandpromotingsocialcohesion”(Coyleetal.,2009,p.12).3.Theinterculturaldimension:akeyconceptofCLILAmong the major CLIL goals, preparation for internationalization and developingintercultural communication skills are prevalent (Dalton-Puffer, 2007). These issues arereflectedinEurydiceiii,whereofferingstudentsbetterjobopportunitiesinthegloballabourmarket and conveying to them values of tolerance and respect towards other culturesconstitute essential elements of the CLIL approach (Lasagabaster, 2011). Content-basedlearning is undoubtedly contextualized, culturally-loaded languageworkwhich supports abetterunderstandingoftheforeignlinguisticandculturalcodes(Sudhoff,2010).Thelearnersexperiencetheintegrationandfusionofvariousculturalinfluenceswhichhelpthembecomeplurilingualanddevelopinterculturality.InterculturallearningisanintegralpartofCLIL,asitfocuses on “reconstructing, shifting between and coordinating one’s own and foreignculturalperspectivesonthebasisofcontentsubjecttopics”(Sudhoff,2010,p.35).Intercultural awareness, empathy and acceptance of diversity are encompassed in mostnational curricula. Due to the increase in international interaction, the issues ofglobalization, intercultural awareness and competence have been amajor interest of theeducational world. Undoubtedly, “the modification of monocultural awareness” (Byram,1989,p.137)inEFLreflectsthenotionsthatculturesdonotexistinisolation.Aprerequisitetoacquiring ‘interculturalawareness’andhopefullycompetence is tomaster ‘intercultural


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sensitivity’ (Bhawuk & Brislin,1992) that is to be sensitive and respectful to culturaldifferences.4. Promoting intercultural awareness through literature in the EFLclassroom.Literaturesupportsthelearnerinimprovinghiscriticalthinkingskillsandculturalawareness,together with stimulating empathy by allowing him to delve into the characters’ minds(Carter,2007;Narančić-Kovać&Kaltenbacher,2006).Lazar(1993)admitsthatliteraturecanhelp arouse our students’ imagination, develop their critical abilities and increase theiremotional awareness. West (1994) considers literature valuable in helping learners growintellectually, acquire a certain aesthetic appreciation and understanding of people’s pastandpresentexperiences. When students areprovidedwith interesting textswhich trigger them togenerateoutputand negotiate meaning, literature can contribute efficiently to their language acquisition(Krashen,1985). The multiplicity of meaning can promote the exchange of feelings andopinions,somethingwhichtransforms language learning intoaprocessofresponse(Lazar,1993).CarterandLong(1991)discusshowliteraturecreatesasenseofinvolvementtothestudents by strengthening their affective and emotional domains. Ghosn (2002) viewsliterature as an agent of change which helps learners develop emotionally through thefosteringoftheirinterpersonalandinterculturalattitudes.Reading about others, learners relate to them (interpersonal sensitivity), thus gainingempathy, one important affective factor either in ESL or EFL context. Gardner (1993)emphasizesthatlanguageisnotgrammarspecific,butitisinfluencedbyadditionalvariableswhich,amongothers,includetheaffectivefactorofempathy.EmpathyhasitsoriginintheGreekwordempathius,meaningunderstandingothersbyentering theirworld.Empathy isconsidered to be “the process of reaching beyond the self and understanding and feelingwhat another person is understanding or feeling” through language which “is a primarymeans of empathizing” (Brown,1994, p.143). In this sense, literature contributes to thedevelopment of social sensitivity, effecting constructive change of attitude (behaviouralflexibility).Fleming insists it isessential that foreign languageeducation includes literatureand interculturaleducation,whichshouldbetaughtbyteacherswhohavebeentrained inidentity,humanrightsandcitizenshipeducation(Fleming,2006).Through intercultural reflection we progress towards an understanding of the otherness(cognitive flexibility) adding that “both self-awareness and an element of foreignness arenecessary conditions in readingand in interculturalencounters: toknowwhatanOther isfeeling,thereaderwillneedtosearchmoredeeplyintohis/herskin”(Matos2011,p.7).Theclassroom “constitutes a safe space in terms of intercultural and literary experience: itremains confined to the actors/learners in the classroom implying no immediateconsequenceswhatsoever in the realworld outside” (Matos, 2011, p.7). To this direction,Pulverness(2004)stronglyrecommendstheuseofmaterialwhichrelatetomorethanoneEnglish-speakingculture,inordertoavoidfocusingonlyonBritishorAmericanculture.APassage to IndiawaswrittenduringForster’s secondvisit there; the titlewasborrowedfrom aWaltWhitman’s poemwritten in 1871. The bookwas published in 1923,” a timewhen important politicalmovements were brewing, alliances between the segments ofIndianpopulationsemergingandcollapsing,notionsofloyalty,independence,equality,race,


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religion,nationhood,sovereigntyandthelikewerehotlybeingdebated”(Jafri,2007,p.3).“Itisconcernedwithmatterthatmaygenerateconfusion,susceptibilityanddistinctprejudiceandsettwoindividuals,eventworacesfacetofaceinrelationtobelligerence, intoleranceandprejudice”(Hossain,2012,p.305).

Image1:WaltWhitman(1819-1892),thegreatAmericanpoetwrote“ApassagetoIndia”in1870.

Image2:E.MForster(1879-1970),thegreatBritishnovelistwrote“ApassagetoIndia”in1924.TheissuesofprejudiceandracismpermeateForster’snovelasthecharactersfromdifferentcultural backgrounds are forced to intermix. Studying themisunderstandings and culturaldifferences (hospitality, social properties and the role of religion) will help our learnersacquire intercultural awareness. In other words, “confronting prejudice indirectly byexaminingapieceofliteratureisofteneasierthanhavingstudentsreflectontheirpresentdayprejudices”(Dietrich&Ralph,1995,p.3).5.UsingawikiasanonlineclassplatformThewikiwas our online platformwhich facilitated blended and collaborative learning. In-class activities, such as discussions and listening practices were introduced through it;


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learners used it at home to develop their reading andwriting skills. Apart from the book(uploadedinpdfform),thewikiwasenrichedwithvideosoninterculturallearning,thefilmbasedonthebook(a1984dramafilmwrittenanddirectedbyDavidLean),theaudiobook,Forster’sbiography,filmphotographsandsomeofForster’sfamousquotes.Quinlisk(2003,p.35)highlightstheeffectivenessofincorporatingmediaassertingthat“multiliteracieshavemany implications, one being that students learn to read and understand the dynamicinterplay among their own identities and the texts, images, and cultural stories of massmedia”. The film truly offered the audiovisual stimuli required so that learners grasp theideasthatgoverntheliterarytext.Awiki improves computer skills, activelyengaging students in reading,writingandeditingtheirownmaterial.WangandTurner (2004,p.2) indicate that “wiki collaboration systemsencouragestudent-centeredlearningenvironments,becausetheyencouragestudentstobeco-creators of course content”. According to Osguthorpe and Graham (2003), blendedlearning is instrumental in the EFL classroom because not only does it offer pedagogicalrichnessandeasieraccesstoknowledgebutalsobecauseitfacilitatessocialinteractionandease of revision, as well as it promotes personal agency and cost effectiveness.Correspondingly,throughthewikithelearnersworktowardsthe:

i. developmentinforeignlanguagecompetence,ii. developmentinthecontentarea,iii. developmentofpositiveattitudesconcerningboththeforeignlanguageandcontent

area,iv. developmentofstrategiccompetenceinboththelanguageandcontent,v. development of intercultural awareness and promotion of intercultural education

(Massler,2010).6.Researchdesign6.1.SampleΤhesampleconsistedoffifteenstudents(tengirlsandfiveboys)ofthe3rdgradeofaJuniorHighSchool.Thestudents’ levelwasapproximatelyB2(C.E.F)andtheyallbelongedtotheexpandingcircleofthethreeconcentriccircles(Kachru,1985,inQuirk&Widdowson,1985)(Figure1).

Figure1:Kachru’sthreeconcentriccircles.

Expandingcircle:EFL,Italy,Brazil,Russia,

Greeceetc

OuterCircle:ESL,

India,Philippines

etc

InnerCircle:L1,UK,USA,Australia


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6.2.Theproject6.2.1.PreparatorystageTheprojectevolvedinfourstages:

Figure2:Casestudyprocess.

Initially, three preparatory forty-five-minute sessions took place, whichmeans that, sincestudentsofthe3rdgradeattendEnglishlessonstwiceaweek,thepreparatorystagelastedapproximatelytwoweeks.Duringthisstage,studentsperformedtasksthroughface-to-faceinstruction. They were divided into three groups and culture-themed mind maps werecollaborativelycreatedonthewhiteboard;theycontemplatedonthepositiveandnegativeaspectsof theirowncultureandexploredkey termssuchasempathyanddiversity. Later,they reflected on the differences between one's own culture and that of the targetlanguage; students reflected on cultural elements and stereotypes. Finally, they becameacquaintedwith thewiki,where they founda short text and threevideoson interculturalawarenessinthehomepage.6.2.2.Thepre-projectquestionnaireNext, a pre-project questionnaire consisting of twenty-seven close-ended questions wasdistributed to investigate the participants’ preconceptions concerning literature,interculturalawarenessandtheuseofcomputersintheEFLclassroom.6.2.3.TheprojectThe literary text was presented via the wiki. For the following weeks, the learners wereengaged inboth face-to-faceandonlineactivities.The filmwasdivided into fivepartsandtherelevantquestionsdemandedtheuseofcertainvideoviewingtechniquessuchasfreezeframe,silentviewing,behaviourstudyetc.(Stempleski&Tomalin,1990,p.10-29).Aftereach

STAGE4POST-PROJECTQUESTIONNAIRE

STAGE3PROJECT

STAGE2PRE-PROJECTQUESTIONNAIRE

STAGE1PROJECTPREPARATION


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session,thelearnerswereassignedanessayforhomeworkwhichtheycoulduploadonthewiki(journals).6.2.4.Post-projectquestionnaires/InterviewsEach learnerwasoffered thirteenopen-endedquestions. Someof them inquiredwhetherthe students discovered any intercultural elements, whether they were able to associatepeople's behaviour and attitudes with their cultural backgrounds and whether the texthelpedthemrealizetheirownbehaviourincasesofculturalconflict.Also,theywereaskedwhether the wiki has motivated them and facilitated communication and cooperation.Finally, the studentswere askedwhether the integration of literature and computers hasmadethemmorewillingtoparticipateinsimilarfuturelearningprojects.7.Presentationandinterpretationofresults7.1.Thepre-projectquestionnaireThe learners’ answers clearly revealed that many had never before dealt with prejudice,stereotypesandculturaldifferences(seeGraph1).

Graph1:Thelearners’priorexperienceintheEFLclass.Additionally,whenlearnerswereaskedtoreflectupontheirownabilitytoevaluatecriticallythe elements of their own home culture and other cultures as well, almost half of them(47%)seemedunabletoidentifythisability.Furthermore, it isobviousthatmorethan2/3ofoursample(87%)hadneverusedliterarytextsbefore.Atthispoint,itisimportanttonotethatmorethanhalfofthelearners(60%)trustthattheliterarytextscansupporttheirEFLlearning.Similarly, 87%appears convinced that a literary text is a sourceof amultitudeof culturalinformation(Graph2).

0

2

4

6

8

NEVERSOMETIMESOFTEN ALWAYS

Duringyoureflleassonshaveyoueverdiscussedissuesconcerningstereotypes,prejudiceandlackofunderstandingbetweenpeopleofdifferentcultures.


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Graph2:Thelearners’attitudetowardsliterarytextsThe lastpartof thepre-projectquestionnaire focusesonthe integrationof thewiki.Morethanhalfofthemadmittedthattheyhadneverusedcomputersinclassbefore(Graph3).Inaddition,46%hadnevercooperatedwiththeirclassmatesonline(Graph4).

Graph3:Thelearners’experienceofusingcomputersintheEFLclass.

Graph4:Thelearners’experienceofblendedlearningEFLprojects.

0

5

10

15

YES NO IDONOTKNOW

Quest:doyouthinkthatyoucangetalotofculturalinformasonthroughreadingaliterary

text?

73%

14%13% 0%

Quest:haveyoueverusedacomputerinyoureflclassroom?

NEVER SOMETIMES OFTEN ALWAYS

NEVER46%

SOMETIMES47%

OFTEN0%

ALWAYS7%

Quest:haveyouevercooperatedwithyourclassmatesforaneflprojectduringwhichyouused

acomputer?


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Finally, it is amazing that the vast majority of our students (80%) had a positivepredisposition towards the implementation of a project that combines face-to-face withonlineinstruction.

7.2.Reviewingthelearners’journals.In the firstweek, the initialquestion introducedthekey issueofprejudice.S3commentedthat:“prejudice isdepictedthroughthe isolationofnativepeople”.TheIndians’socialandemotional isolation, identified by the learners, derives from the constant rejection by theBritish. Rejection, confusion and isolation compose the three core experiences of culturalhomelessness(Vivero&Jenkins,1999)thattheIndiansexperience,despitethefactthattheyarethemajorityandtheyliveintheirhomecountry.S4agreedbystatingthat:“theEnglishlooked down on local people and behaved towards them as if they were slaves and it isobviousthatEnglishmenhaveabigself-esteem”.The second week focused on conflict which becomes evident through a perceiveddivergenceofinterestbetweenthetwosidesandaconstantstruggleovervaluesandclaims(Avruch, 1998).S4 linked the perceived idea of conflictwith racismand she continuedbysaying:“IunderstandthatbythewayEnglishmentreatIndianones,theydespisethemandtheybehave to them like theyareslaves. S6 recognized thatunfortunatelyevennowadaysthere areracialincidents; we like to tell that we live in the 21century and that we areeducatedandcultivatedbutonthecontrarywearenotmatureenoughsoastosetapartourdifferencesandtrytoliveinharmony”.

Figure3:Majorculturalcomponentsof“APassagetoIndia”.Asthethirdweekproceeded,thequestionrotatedaroundthecentralcharacter,theIndianDr. Aziz, who we might say is an interesting, though unconventional example ofacculturation.Although he represents the host culture, he desires contactwith the Britishoccasionallyneglectinghisnativeculture(assimilation),unsuccessfullystrivesforintegrationand finally after the trial resists acculturation (separation) and consciously chooses not toidentifywiththeBritishculture(marginalization).S10depictedAziz’sambivalentbehaviourbystating:“Azizhastwofaces:onelooksbacktowardstheIndiaofthepast,theotherturnstowardstheWestcivilizationwhichtheEnglishrepresent”.Also,S6cleverlyobservedthat:“Dr.AzizisaverypolitedoctorthatshowstheutmostrespecttotheEnglishpeople;althoughhe is a doctor and has a social status, he is always scared, stressed and bashful”. At thispoint, the learnerbecameawareof theconflictbetween the social status thatadoctor isconsideredtohaveinasocietyandtheactuallowsocialpositionthatDr.Azizhasduetohisculturalbackground.

LITERARYTEXT

CULTURALDIFFERENCES

CULTURALSTEREOTYPES

CULTURALCONFLICT


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Inthefourthweek,thestudentsfocusedontheprevailingphraseutteredduringAziz’strialthat:“darkerracesareattractedtothefairerbutnotviceversa”.TheyinvestigatedwhetherForster’scharactershavedisplayedsocialcognitionandcognitiveflexibility(Martin&Rubin,1995)thatistosaywhethertheyarewillingtobeflexibleandopentonewideasorsimplyadaptthepredominantsocialbeliefs.In Aziz’s trial, this predominant racist belief collapsed when Adela decided to becomecognitivelyflexibleandrevealthetruthabouttheincidentintheMarabarcavesdespitethesocial outrage that would follow. S7 commented that: “this difference in skin colour hasmadesomepeoplethinkthatfairracesaresuperior,clevererandtheyshouldbetreatedwithmorerespect;this iswhatwecallracism”.S2believesthat:“nowadaysthereisn’tsomuchdiscrimination and people do not believe that their skin colour is important or determineswhoisacriminalornot”.

Figure4:Majorthemesin“APassagetoIndia”.Finally, during the fifthweek, the focus remained onDr. Aziz and the impact of the falseaccusationandthetrialonhim.S6realizedthat:“thisdreadfulexperiencechangedhimalotasaperson.Hebecamemoredynamicandhewasnolongerservile.Healsostartedwearinghis traditional clothes and notsuits”. The issue of culturally sensitive empathy (Chung &Bemak,2002)arisesagainasthe learnerswitnessthechanges intherelationshipbetweenDr. Aziz and Mr. Fielding. S10 observed that “as Aziz and Fielding reunite they come torecognizethatasanEnglishmanandanIndianinBritishIndia,theycannotstayfriends.Theyseemboth changedaspeopleandmore reserved. This is the resultof the conflict the twocultureshad.ThechangeinAziz'sbehaviouristhereasonthatchangedeverythingbetweenthe two friends and the two cultures that they represent the British and the Indian”.Thispessimisticending isthewayForsterusestoportraysocialandspiritualalienation, leavinghisreaderswithanelusivefeelingofmelancholy.7.3.TheInterviewFindingsThepost-projectquestionnaireconsistedofthirteenopen-endedquestionswhichaimedatinvestigatingtheimpactoftheprojectonthelearners.7.3.1.Theimpactofliteratureonthelearners’interculturalawareness.Firstly, all theparticipants reactedpositively stating that thedifferencesbetween the twocultureswerediscernible, therefore recognizing the cultural distancewhich leads them to

RACISM

ISOLATION

PREJUDICE


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cultural friction (Shenkar, Luo & Yeheskel, 2008).S5 stated that: “the British were verydistinctinacrowdfullofIndianpeoplenotonlybecauseoftheirdifferentskincolourbutalsobecause of the way they dress and their behaviour”. S11 admitted that: “the differentcharactersofthenovelwerepresentedwithdetailsthathavetodowiththeireverydaylife(clothes,food,habits,customs)andthishelpedmeseetheculturalelements”.S11pointed:“the textwas very detailed aswell as the filmwhich gaveme the images to think about.These two culturesare verydifferent, their customsand traditionsarenot the sameand Icouldseethatinthebook”.

Also,S10 ingeniouslycommentedthat:“theBritishwerearrogantandselfishbecausetheyfeel like the leadersof theworldandtherepresentativesof theBritishEmpire.The Indiansweremorehumbleandshypeople, something thatcomes fromtheir religionandculture”.This English arrogance, as well as their conservative attitude relating to social behaviour(sexual relationships, marriage etc.) which is oddly combined with a lack of spirituality,impressedthelearners.Ontheotherhand,theyviewedtheIndiansasservileandinsecure,sadremnantsofafallencivilization,who,contrarytotheEnglish,leadalifedefinedbytheirreligious beliefs (prohibition of certain food types, ceremonial traditions etc.) in whichmysticismplaysanimportantrole.

Theseculturalstereotypeswereeasilyrecognizedbythelearnersthroughoutthisproject.Intheinterviews,studentscommentedthat:“theIndiansareabitinsecurebuttheBritisharestrong-minded”(S6),“theEnglisharemoreeducatedandrestricted”(S7),“theBritishseemstrictanddemanding”(S8),“theIndiansarepoor,dirtyanduneducated,theBritisharerich,well-dressed and educated” (S12). Perceiving and evaluating cultural stereotypes helpslearners attain cultural awareness;witnessing these stereotypes interact and collide, theymanagetobreakthemandconstructtheirinterculturalawareness(Carano&Berson,2007).As learnersreflectedupontheirownbehaviour incasesofculturalconflictandconsideredthe impact that the literary text had on them, five students replied negatively, while theother ten students admitted that it influenced their attitude immensely. Additionally, thestudentswhogaveanegativereplycommentedthattheywerenottriggeredbythestudyingofthisliterarytexttorethinktheirbehaviourinsimilarsituations,stressingthefactthattheyhaveneverbeenjudgmentalandprejudicedtowardspeopleofdifferentcolourordifferentcultural background. Concerning the rest of them who replied positively, some disclosedthattheprojectmadethemreconsidertheirbehaviour,theyfelttheneedtoreinstatetheirposition towards such situations because in the past they had been narrow-minded andbiasedtowardspeopleofdifferentraceandculture.

Moving on, triggered by the unjust accusation of the IndianDr. Aziz by the English AdelaQuested, the learnerscontemplatedon the issuesofopen-mindednessand tolerance.S13noted that: “it is sad to see all these negative feelings and hatred between people of adifferentraceandskincolour.Whatisimportantisaperson’scharacter,nothiscolourandcountry”. S3 regarded the situation from a different point of view, saying that: “in somecasesdark-skinnedpeoplehaveactuallycommittedacrimebuttheytrytodeceivepeoplebysayingthattheyhavebeenwronglyaccusedbecauseoftheirraceandculturalbackground”.

LITERARYTEXT

CULTURALDIFFERENCES

CULTURALSTEREOTYPES

CULTURALCONFLICT


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Figure5:Culturalelementsdepictedintheliterarytext.

Finally,threestudents insistedthatthisprojectdidnotchangetheirviewsandattitudesinanyway.S6mentioned:“myattitudetowardspeopleofadifferentcultureispositivesoIdonotthinkthatthisprocesschangedmeasapersonbutithadapositiveinfluenceonmeanditmademe think that I am right to behave like that”. The rest of the students answeredpositively, eloquently explaining the effect that this whole procedure had on them. S11admittedthat:“although‘ApassagetoIndia’talksaboutthepast,itwasveryinterestingtoseethatthesamethingshappeninourdays;personally,thisprojecthelpedmethinkthingsover, consider my own attitude towards people of different race and culture and try toimprove it”.Generally, the keywords usedbymost of the learners in their answerswereacceptance, communication, understanding, togetherness, words that have a positiveconnotation and revolve around the central idea of empathy, a prerequisite for thepromotionofinterculturalawareness.7.3.2.Theimpactofthewikiplatformonthelearners.The received reactions here weremixed, in the sense that almost all students answeredpositively as far as the integration of the wiki into their lesson was concerned especiallyduringthein-classsessions,butseemedabitwaveringastohowoftentheircommunicationandcooperationwiththeirschoolmatesshouldhavebeenbeyondschoolhours.Thiscanbeeasily explained through the fact thatmany students faced practical problems during theproject, such as lack of internet connection at home, issues that will be more explicitlyoutlinedinthelastchapterofthisdissertation.S5characteristicallyexplained:“thewikiwasgreat although at timeswe did not have time in class towork on it. At home I often hadproblemswithmyconnectionintheInternet”.In addition, answering question 11, learners evaluated the wiki for its structure and theguidance it offered to them throughout the project.Here, the learners reactedpositively;S10characterizeditverypractical,S14admitted:“wefoundallweneededuploadedinthewiki and it was very convenient”, S1mentioned that “thewiki was organizedwell by theteacherandIunderstoodwhatIhadtodoineverystep”.

Literarytext

CUSTOMS

TRADITIONSSOCIAL

ATTITUDES


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Figure6:Majorcharacteristicsofthewiki.Movingon,thelearnerscommentedonthewaythewikicontributedtotheimprovementoftheir languageskills.S7notedthat:“itwasgreatbecausewedidnotworrysomuchaboutmakingmistakes,wewroteaboutour ideasandwefelt freetoexpressourselves”andS13admittedthat:“thiswayofwritingwasveryinteresting.Wecouldseeeachother’sworkandcompareit……..youdonotfeelscaredtowritethings,youfeelfreetoexpressyourself”.Also,S1commented: “I feel itwas interesting towriteand readabout issuesdifferent from thelettersoressaysweusuallydo”andS2clearlyexplained:“whatwasgoodaboutthewikiwasthat I did not get stressed about improving my language skills. I enjoyed writing mycommentsandIthinkthatIlearntalotofthings”.Lastly,learnersrepliedveryenthusiasticallystatingthattheywouldliketoengageinsimilarschool projects in the future. S9 mentioned: “I would like to do projects like that withtechnology and other things, like films, songs, poems, etc. This makes the lesson veryinteresting”.Remarkably,S11stated:“Iwouldalsoliketohavemorehoursfortheprojectsowecoulddomorethingsatschool”.8.ImplicationsandsuggestionsImplicationsofusingliteratureandthewikiintheEFLclassroomAnoccurringproblemwhenusingauthenticmaterialinclassconcernsthedifficultiesitmaycausetolearnersduetothecomplexityofitslexicalitemsandstructures.Ofcourse,theCLILapproach contributed positively because through thismethod the students renounced allfeelingsoflinguisticinferiority;theliterarytextwasneverviewedfromalinguisticpointofview. On the contrary, the focus remained on the content and of course the integratedmediahelped immensely towards this direction.Amore serious implication relates to theuseof thewiki.Thebarrierswhich inhibited thepracticeof thiscomputer-assistedprojectconcerned the availability of computer hardware, since the computers available at theschoollabcouldnotsufficeallstudents,sotheyoftenhadtoshareonecomputerandtaketurnsinusingit.Also,thequalityoftheInternetconnectionwasoftenpoor,bothatschoolandat the students’homes, and thiswas time-consuminganda seriousdeterrent for thecompletionofthestudy.Here,itshouldbenotedthatnewtechnologies,especiallyinpublicschoolswherethefinancialaidislimited,areconsideredadd-onexpenses.

wiki

clear steps

clear content

clear purpose


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SuggestionsforfurtherresearchFurther research could be conducted in State Schools throughout the country at a largerscale. Thiswouldhelpusunderstand theeffect of thismethodon the learners’ attitudes,both in Primary and Secondary education. For this purpose, some changes in the schoolsyllabi could be implemented so that the CLIL approach via literary texts and computer-mediatedinstructioncouldbeincludedonaregularbasis.Thisresearchcouldbepilotedinsomesample classes foranextendedperiod so thatwegetmoremeasurable results thatwould leadus tomoreconcreteassumptionsas towhether this formof learningcouldbeincludedmoresystematicallyintheEFLclassoftheGreekStateSchool.ReferencesAlread,G.,Byram,M.&Fleming,M.(2006).Educationforinterculturalcitizenship:Concepts

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iiTheEuropeanNetworkofAdministrators,ResearchersandPractitioners.Availableat:euroclic.net.iiiTheEurydicenetwork.Availableat:http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/index_en.php.

KaterinaVourdanou([email protected]&[email protected])hasbeenworkingasanEFLteacherinGreecefor19years.Forthelast13yearsshehasbeenteachinginGreekState

schools,bothinPrimaryandSecondaryEducation.SheacquiredmyM.Ed.inTESOLin2014fromtheHellenicOpenUniversity.Fortheyear

2015-2016shehasbeenappointedtoworkinthe12thPrimarySchoolofEgaleo,inthewestdistrictofAttica.Herinterestsrevolvearoundthe

integrationofICTtoolsandCLILintheEFLclass.Fortheyear2015-2016,shehadexperimentedontheintegrationoftheCLILapproachinthe6th

grade.SheiscurrentlyaPhDcandidateinAppliedLinguisticsattheEnglishdepartmentofHumboldtUniversityofBerlin.


CanTeachingofForcesEnforceLanguageLearning?

Μπορείηδιδασκαλίατωνδυνάμεωνναβελτιώσειτηνεκμάθησημιαςγλώσσας;

IfigeniaKOFOUandKostasPHILIPPIDESAlignedwith the decisions taken by the Council of Europe and the international trends inlanguagelearningandteaching,theEuropeaneducationalsystemsaremakinggreateffortsto improve students’ command of foreign languages. Following this trend, the Greekeducational system has implemented numerous reforms in order to incorporatemultilingualism,skilldevelopmentandmulti-literaciesintotheforeignlanguagesCurriculum.At thecuttingedgeofeducationand reform inGreece,ExperimentalSchools test teachingmethodsandmaterial, and implement experimental and innovativepractices, suchasCLIL(ContentandLanguage IntegratedLearning),whichattempts todevelop interdisciplinarity,teachers’ collaboration, and students’ linguistic competence and learning strategies. ThispaperpresentsaCLILpracticewhichtookplaceatthe2ndExperimentalSeniorHighSchoolof Thessaloniki in the school year 2014-2015by teachingpart of the syllabusof Physics inEnglish,i.e.,thechaptersonforcesandNewton’slaws,inoneofthetwo1styearclasses.Theformative and summative assessment used in both the experimental and control groupsproved that the foreign languagedidnotaffect the comprehensionof the subject content,whileaself-assessmentquestionnaireprovedthatmoststudentsoftheexperimentalgroupdevelopedalllanguageskills.

�ΕναρμονισμέναμετιςαποφάσειςτουΣυμβουλίουτηςΕυρώπηςκαιτιςδιεθνείςτάσειςστηνεκμάθηση και διδασκαλία της ξένης γλώσσας, τα Ευρωπαϊκά εκπαιδευτικά συστήματαεπιχειρούνναβελτιώσουντηγνώσητηςξένηςγλώσσαςκαιναενσωματώσουντηνανάπτυξηδεξιοτήτων των μαθητών και τους πολυγραμματισμούς στο Αναλυτικό Πρόγραμμα τωνξένων γλωσσών. Στην αιχμή του δόρατος της εκπαίδευσης και της μεταρρύθμισης, ταΠειραματικά Σχολεία εφαρμόζουν πειραματικές και καινοτόμους πρακτικές, όπως ηΟλοκληρωμένηΕκμάθησηΓλώσσαςκαιΠεριεχομένου(CLIL),ηοποίαεπιχειρείνααναπτύξειτη διαθεματικότητα, τη συνεργασία των εκπαιδευτικών, τη γλωσσική ικανότητα και τιςστρατηγικές μάθησης. Η παρούσα εργασία μελετά την εφαρμογή του CLIL στο 2οΠειραματικόΛύκειοΘεσσαλονίκηςτοσχολικόέτος2014-2015στηδιδασκαλίατηςΦυσικήςτης Α΄ Λυκείου. Η διαγνωστική και τελική αξιολόγηση στην πειραματική ομάδα και στην

KofouandPhilippides/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)120-135

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ομάδα ελέγχου κατέδειξε ότι η ξένη γλώσσα δεν επηρέασε αρνητικά την εκμάθηση τουπεριεχομένου,ενώοιαπαντήσειςσταερωτηματολόγιαανέδειξαν τηνανάπτυξηόλωντωνγλωσσικώνδεξιοτήτων.Keywords:CLIL,languageskills,content,physics,communication,assessment.1.IntroductionMajorchangeshavetakenplaceintheGreekeducationalsystemlately,andmuchmoreareabouttobeenforcedsoon.Someofthesechangesrefertoforeignlanguagesteachingandlearning in alignmentwith the guidelines of the EuropeanCommission and theCouncil ofEurope (2006) which supports the development of key competences, such ascommunication in a foreign language, cultural awareness and metacognitive skills(Committee of the European Communities, 2007), in an effort to improve students’commandoflanguagesbeforetheyleavethecompulsoryeducation.Thisisthereasonthatthe Unified Curriculum for Foreign Languages for compulsory education (2011) has beenreformed inGreeceandaimsat creatinga citizenable to: (a) copeeffectively indifferentsocial contexts; (b) act as an intercultural and interlingual mediator to facilitatecommunication between people from different social or cultural groups; (c) use thelanguage inordertoparticipate inactivitiesofthe internationalcommunity; (d)effectivelyuselinguistic,socialandculturalconcepts;(e)usetheacquiredknowledge,experienceandstrategies to communicate with others respecting their differences, or to solve problems(YPEPTH,2011,pp.4-9).SomeotherchangesrefertotherolethatModelandExperimentalSchoolsarecalledtoplayin the educational context, and more specifically, to promote educational research incollaborationwiththeequivalentUniversitySchools,tosupportcreativityandinnovation,toeducate students with special learning abilities and talents, to experimentally implementpractices related to differentiated teaching methods, assessment programmes and thecontentoftheCurricula(Law3966,2011).All the above innovative attempts, together with the globalized significance ofcommunication skills (Block & Cameron, 2002), have gained momentum leading to anexplosionofinterestinContentandLanguageIntegratedLearning(CLIL),asithasaroletoplay in shaping future flexible and multifaceted foreign language experiences in school(Coyle,1999).TheEurydiceReportonEuropeandevelopmentsforCLILstates:

“TheCLILmethodologicalapproachseekingtofosterintegratedlearningoflanguagesandotherareasofcurricularcontent isa fastdevelopingphenomenon inEurope…Awareofthischallenge,nationalpolicymakersare takingagreater interest inCLILandofferingawide variety of initiatives consistent with the different circumstances facing them.”(Eurydice,2006a,p.2).

Consequently,moreandmoreEuropeanschoolsanduniversitiesareofferingcoursestaughtin foreign languages, exposing students to teaching through the medium of a foreignlanguage.Asaresultofthisdesiretoimproveforeignlanguageskills,theimplementationofCLILprogrammesisbecomingcommonplacethroughoutthecontinent,inthebeliefthatthiskind of approach is the best way to improve students’ command of foreign languageswithoutdevotingtoomuchtimetotheirteaching(Lasagabaster,2008).


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2.ContentandLanguageIntegratedLearning(CLIL)In the 90s after the successful implementation of immersion programes in Canada andContent-based Language Teaching in theU.S.A, under the umbrella of bilingual education(Brintonetal.,1989;Cummins&Swain,1986),thenewapproach(CLIL)wasimplementedinalleducationranks.CLILsupportsteachingsubjects,suchasHistoryorPhysicsthroughthemediumof a second/foreign language, other than themain language of the learners, theteachersorthelanguageusedintherestoftheschoolCurriculum(Perez-Vidal,2007),givingemphasisbothonlanguageteachingandonthecontentofthesubject.CLILdiscourseandpracticehavebeengivenrise,since,asvanLier(1996,p.69)setsit,“suchawareness-raisingwork, which turns the classroom from a field of activity into a subject of enquiry, canpromote deep and lasting changes in educational practices.” Economic, political andeducationalfactors,suchastheBolognadeclaration,theWhitePaper,mobility,multilingualand multicultural policies heralded changes in the domain of education in general, andlanguages in particular, and gave way to the implementation of CLIL as a practice ofinnovationandresearch(Craenetal.,2007;Perez-Vidal,2007).Multiplemodels,approachesandmethodsofCLILhavebeenimplementedsofar,which,incontent-centred second language instruction, include (Crandall, 1994): (a) cooperativelearning,withstudentsofdifferentlinguisticandeducationalbackgroundsanddifferentskilllevelsworkingtogetheronacommontaskforacommongoalineitherthelanguageorthecontent classroom; (b) task-based or experiential learning, with students being providedwithappropriatecontexts(suchasscience)fordevelopingthinkingandstudyskillsaswellaslanguage and academic concepts, and carrying out specific tasks; (c) whole languageapproach,congruentwithstudents’needtoexperiencelanguageasanintegratedwhole;(d)graphicorganisers(graphs,realia,tables,maps,flowcharts,timelines,andVenndiagrams),which provide a "means for organising and presenting information so that it can beunderstood,remembered,andapplied"(Crandall,1992).As Banegas (2012) states, both Content-based Instruction (CBI) and CLIL offer multiplemodels and approaches for secondary education, such as dual-school education, bilingualeducation,interdisciplinarymoduleapproach,languagebasedprojects,andspecific-domainvocationalCLI.Theycouldallbeseenasacontinuumwhichgoesfromafocusonforeignorsecondlanguagelearning,atoneend,toagreaterinterestincurricularinstructionthroughan L2, at the other end, showing that that there is no single pedagogy or model forintegrating content and language and confirming that to expect an approach to dealwithcontentandlanguageonequaltermsissimplyanillusion.Calviño(2012)alsosupportsthatthere are many different types of CLIL programs, ranging from full immersion (Canada)through partial immersion, about 50% of the curriculum (parts of Spain), to languageshowersandregular20-30minutesubjectlessonsinthetargetlanguage(partsofGermany).Although the language patterns associatedwith CLIL type provision in Europe are varied,given that several combinations involving foreign, regional and/orminority languages andotherofficialstate languagesarepossible,CLILtypeprovisionispartofmainstreamschooleducation in the great majority of countries at primary and secondary levels (Eurydice,2006b).The2006EurydiceSurveyanalyzesCLILprogrammesin30Europeancountriesandalso comes to the conclusion that different labels are used in different contexts,which iswhy the reader can come across manifold labels for CLIL in literature on the subject(Lasagabaster,2008,p.32).Inanycase,CLILclassroomsarenottypicallanguageclassroomsdue to the fact that language is the medium through which content is “transported”(Katarzyna,2011).


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TheessenceofCLIL,asmentionedabove,isthatcontentsubjectsaretaughtandlearntinalanguagewhich is not themother tongueof the learners. Theway language is learnt andused follows a triptych developed by Coyle (2007): language of learning key words andphrases to access content; language for learning so that students can carry out tasks;language through learning which concerns the language that emerges from the cognitiveprocess. It isbelieved(Larsen-Freeman,2000, inBanegas,2012;Richards&Rodgers,2001)that people learn another language more successfully when they acquire informationthrough it. Thus, knowledge of the language becomes the means of learning content,language is integrated into the broad curriculum, learning is improved through increasedmotivationandthestudyofnaturalcontextualisedlanguage,andtheprincipleof languageacquisition becomes central. Broadly speaking, CLIL provides a practical and sensibleapproach to both content and language learning whilst also improving interculturalunderstanding,andhasnowbeenadoptedasagenerictermcoveringanumberofsimilarapproachestobilingualeducationindiverseeducationalcontexts(Darn,2006).Depending on the educational context of each country, importance is attached to: (a)preparing pupils for life in a more internationalised society and offering them better jobprospectsonthe labourmarket(socio-economicobjectives); (b)conveyingtopupilsvaluesof tolerance and respect vis-a-vis other cultures, through use of the CLIL target language(socio-cultural objectives); (c) enabling pupils to develop: language skillswhich emphasizeeffective communication, motivating pupils to learn languages by using them for realpracticalpurposes(linguisticobjectives);(d)subject-relatedknowledgeandlearningability,stimulating the assimilation of subject matter by means of a different and innovativeapproach(educationalobjectives)(Eurydice,2006a).According to Coyle (1999, 2002) a successful CLIL lesson should combine elements of thefollowingfourprinciples:

• Content: Progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specificelementsofadefinedcurriculum,successfulsubjectlearning,notonlywhattoteachbuthowtoteachit.

• Communication:Usinglanguagetolearnwhilelearningtouselanguageinauthentic,scaffoldedsituations,developingskills,strategies,competences.

• Cognition: Developing thinking skills which link concept formation (abstract andconcrete),understandingandlanguage.

• Culture: Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings whichdeepenawarenessandtoleranceofothernessandself(Darn,2006).

All theaboveelements require teachers tousecertain strategies concerningmeaningandlanguage (Perez-Vidal, 2007, adapted fromBermhardt,1992),which include techniques toconvey the meaning for comprehension; teachers’ adaptation to the learners’ abilities,styles, interests or needs; techniques to help understanding (simplified teacher-talk,repetition,clarificationrequests,scaffolding,visualsandsoon).CLILhasbeenpraisedsince,accordingtostudiesandresearch(Calviño,2012;Lasagabaster,2008;Smit&Dalton-Puffer,2007),itseemstoofferalotofbenefits.Morespecifically,itisbelieved to help prepare students for internationalization, a key word for all educationsystems due to globalization, and prepare them for further studies and work; it is alsobelieved to boost the affective dimension, in the sense that students will feel moremotivated to learn foreign languagesand language isused to fulfill realpurposes to learnthesubstantivematerial; it isthoughttohelpimprovespecificlanguageterminologywhich


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may be difficult otherwise to acquire or even to be exposed to; it is believed to enhancestudents’ intercultural communicative competence as it introduces learners to the widercultural context; it is believed to foster implicit and incidental learning by centering onmeaningandcommunication;itdevelopsapositive‘cando'(alsoseeC.E.F.R.,2001)attitudetowardslearninglanguages,aswellasstudentmultilingualinterestsandattitudes;itcreatesconditions for naturalistic language learning, provides a purpose for language use in theclassroomanddrastically increases theamountofexposure to the target language. Italsotakesintoaccountthelearners’interests,needsandcognitivelevels;itisthoughttotriggerhighlevelsofcommunicationamongteachersandlearners,andamonglearnersthemselves;and,asaresultofallthereasonsmentionedabove,it isbelievedtobemorebeneficialfortheirdevelopmentthantraditionalforeignlanguageteachingapproaches.AsforteachersadoptingaCLILapproach,theadvantagesmayincludetheuseofinnovativemethods,materialsande-learning,individualandinstitutionalnetworkingopportunitiesandprofessionalmobility,thedevelopmentofgoodpracticesthroughcooperationwithteachersinotherdepartments,schoolsandcountries(Calviño,2012).AsnoversionofCLILis‘exportable’(Calviño,2012),theremayariseproblemswhichconcerncustomizationandpersonalizationofsubjectmaterialaccordingtothecountry’scurriculumandculture,thelocalrealityandtheparticularschoolcontext.Otherpossibleproblemsmayarise from the fact that language teachers lack knowledge on the subjects while subjectteacher haveminimal knowledge of foreign languages, from learners’ level of proficiencyandtheirabilitytotransferknowledgefromasecondlanguagetotheirmothertongue,fromthe formof assessment that is going tobeused. Someof theseproblemsdidarise in theparticular implementation of CLIL but we managed to overcome them thanks to goodpreparation,planning,collaborationandflexibilityasshownbelow.3.ResearchMethodologyandResults3.1.ParticipantsTwentysixstudentsparticipatedintheresearch,ofwhom40%weremaleand60%female.As regards their father’seducationalbackground,42.3%areHighSchoolgraduates,30.8%areUniversitygraduates,11.5%holdaMaster,and15.4%aPhDdiploma.Asregardstheirmothers,36%areHighSchoolgraduates,36%areUniversitygraduates,20%holdaMaster,and8%aPhDdiploma.Almosthalfofthestudents(46.2%)areC2levelspeakersofEnglishsince they have got a Proficiency certificate, and a bit fewer (42.3%) B2 level (or moreadvanced)withaFirstCertificate.7.7%of theparticipating studentshavenocertificate intheEnglishlanguage.Mostofthestudents(38.5%)usetheEnglishlanguageforfun, i.e.tolisten to music, watch films or play games; almost 3 out of ten (28.2%) use it tocommunicate or search the internet (23.1%); only one out of ten (10.3%) uses English tostudycontentotherthanthatofthelanguage.3.2.ProcedureThe implementationofCLILunder investigation tookplaceat the2ndExperimentalSeniorHighSchoolofThessaloniki,Greeceforabouttwomonthsfrom16thDecember2014to24thFebruary2015inoneofthetwoclassesofthe1stgradeoftheschool.As“theneedexiststoevaluatebothCLILandnon-CLILgroupsusing the samebenchmarks toascertain languagecompetence precisely and discern which skills a CLIL approach complements most”(Lasagabaster,2008,p.33),thespecificclasswastheexperimentalclass,whereastheother


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1stgradeclassbeingtaughtintheGreeklanguagewasthecontrolclass.TheCLILprogrammeintegrated English and Physics, and demanded collaboration of the teachers of bothsubjects.WedecidedtoteachtwoofthefourchaptersofthePhysicsbookinEnglish,i.e.forcesandNewton’s three laws of motion. The teaching material used was the correspondingInternationalBaccalaureate(IB)teachingmaterial,andspecifically,Tsokos’PhysicsfortheIBDiploma(2008).Inthisrespect,wecustomizedthesubjectmaterialtotheGreekCurriculumandalsoincludedsomeextraexercisestranslatedfromtheGreekbook.OurambitionwastoprovidestudentswithabilingualexperienceasopposedtomerelyaddressingaPhysicsissueintheEnglishclassorteachEnglishPhysicsterminologyinthePhysicsclass.Theexperiencewas a real life experience, in the sense that studentswouldhave to relyon it inorder toachieveacademicoutcomes, i.e. cover theofficial syllabus inPhysics and fare successfullynotonlyonmidtermexamsbutontheendoftheyearsummativeassessmentaswell,whichatthetimewasimplementedthroughthenationaltestbank.Theaimsofthispracticeconcernedknowledge,competencesandattitudes.Atthelevelofknowledge, the studentswereexpectedat theendof the teachingpractice tobeable to:learnaboutdifferentkindsof forces, identify forcesactingonabody, state their formulasandapplications,learnnewEnglishvocabularyrelatedtoforces,computethenetforceandanalyze it in components, learn how to apply Newton’s laws in equilibrium and non-equilibrium situations, etc. At the level of competences, the aims were for students tointegratenewandexistingknowledge,applytheirknowledgeofforcestoeverydaylife,useformulas, make calculations, use the English language to describe a force, practiseinderdisciplinarity, develop language skills (receptive&productive skills,mediation), focusonspecificinformation,produceoralandwrittentext,connectwiththerealworld,developlearning strategies, use a dictionary, think critically, collaborate, develop interpersonalrelations.Atthelevelofattitudes,thepracticeaimedtomotivatestudentstostudyphysics,demystifytheallegeddifficultyofPhysics,adaptteachingandstudentstoCLIL,changetheirinterculturalattitude.Accordingtoliterature(Katarzyna,2011;Masgoret&Gardner,2003),attitudereferstotheindividual’s reaction to anything associated with the immediate context in which thelanguage is taught. Towardbilingual education, it is a very important affective variable toconsiderintheCLILclassroomasitisstronglylinkedtomotivationwhichcanbedefinedasthedrivingforceinanysituation.Therewas also an effort to increasemotivation by using various techniques and teachingaids. The techniques involved brainstorming, pair-work, group-work, class discussion,demonstration and simple experiments, while the teaching aids included videos fromYouTube,PowerPointpresentations,worksheets,realia,thewhiteandinteractiveboard.Asregardstherestoftheproblemsmentionedabove,thestudents’proficiencywasmostlyataB2-C2levelasinthediagnostictestintheEnglishlanguageclassatthebeginningoftheschoolyear,andthesubjectteacher’sknowledgeoflanguagepresentednohindrance,sincehe has acquired his physics PhD in an English speaking environment and had taught thespecificmaterialinEnglishbefore.Someproblemsconcerningconceptsandterminologydidarise but were surpassed by using multimodal material, such as images and videos. Inaddition, formativeassessmenton languageandPhysicsat theendof thesecondweekofteaching helped us spot any difficulties and problems and revise what was not fullyunderstoodor learnt.Anothersimilarbutmoredemandingtestwasgiveninthemiddleof


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the progamme (mentioned here as formative testing or assessment, too) and one morecomprehensiveattheendwiththeaimtoexaminetheeffectivenessoftheCLILapproachinaneducationalenvironment,wheretheteachinglanguageisGreekwithEnglishbearingnoorlittlesocialpresence.Attheendoftheprogramme,aquestionnairewithafiveLikertscalewasalsohandedouttostudents to investigate their attitude toward the programme and its effect. Thequestionnaireof59questionswasconstructed,accordingtoliterature,onthefourCsofCLILi.e., Content (questions 1-20), Communication (questions 21-36), Cognition (questions 37-52) and Culture (questions 53-59). The questionnairewas also examined for its reliability,whichisgoingtobediscussedbelow.3.3.ResultsoftheevaluationoftheimplementationFor the statistical analysis of the data we used the statistical programme SPSS, and theresultsarepresentedbelow.TheunitofcontentAs regards the firstunitofContent (Figure1),ahighpercentageofstudentskepta ratherneutralattitudetoanumberofquestions.Morespecifically,almosthalfoftheparticipatingstudents did not see any difference in: understanding the content of Newton’s laws,applying the laws, understating forces better, describing, explaining and justifying theirchoices, connecting theory to everyday life, using the method of vector addition, orrecognizingsituationsofequilibrium(q1,q2,q3,q8,q10,q13,q14),andtheydonotthinkthatthefocuswasontheformofthelanguage(q20)incontrasttoabout40%whodonotbelievethatthefocuswasonmeaning.However,threequartersoftheparticipantsbelievethattheyimprovedterminology(q4);aboutsixoutoftenthattheydealtwithmorecomplexinformation in the target language (q5),memorized key vocabulary (q6) andwere able tostatethedifferencebetweenmassandweight(q15),recognizethedirectionofacceleration(q16)andapplythesecondlawofmotion(q17);aboutsevenoutoftenthatmemorizedandused key phrases (q7) and performed the activities better (q9); almost half were able toidentifytheforcesactingonabodyanddrawthevectorsrepresentingthem(q11)andalsoidentifypairsof forces that come fromNewton's3rd law (q18); fouroutof ten think thattheycanusetheproperforcelawstocalculatemagnitudes(q12).Cronbach’salpha for theunitofcontentexhibitedhighreliability, specifically0.815,whichshowsgreatagreementtothestudents’answers.Itisalsoobvious(Figure1)thattheareasof content in which the respondents agree that CLIL contributed the most (below 2.5)include the following: dealing with complex information in the foreign language (q5),memorizing and using key phrases (q7), distinguishing between mass and weight (q15),applyingthesecondlawofmotioninpractice(q17).Thereisalsoagreementonthefocusofthepracticeonthelanguageratherthanthecontent(q20).Thisiscongruentnotonlywiththeresponsesprovided inthesecondunitofquestionswhichconcerncommunicationandrevealadevelopmentoflanguageskillsasexplainedbelow,butalsowithpracticewithintheclassenvironment.Thatmeans thatstudentsmanagedtocompetentlyusekeyvocabularyandphrasestotalkaboutforces,explainlaws,useformulasandcommunicatebothwithoneanotherandwiththeirteachers.


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Figure1:Students’answerstotheunitofContent.TheunitofcommunicationAsforthesecondunitofthequestionnaire,thatofcommunication(figure2), theanswersshowhighpercentagesofagreementastoimprovementinthefourskills:69.3%inspeaking(q21);65.4%inlistening(q22);61.6%inreading(q23);50%inwriting;andalsoahigh84.6%invocabulary(q26);40%ingrammar(q28);38.5%inpronunciation(q27).Thestudentsalsoagree that CLIL helped themexplain things (53.9%, q30), justify or present a case (46.2%,q31), dealwith not understanding a presentation (44%, q32), ask questions (53.9%, q33),andusethedictionary(40%,q34).Aratherneutralattitudeappearsintheimprovementoffluency(q25),descriptionofgraphs(q29),andcommunicationwiththeclassmates(q35)andwiththeteacher(q36).Cronbach’s α was even higher for this part of the questionnaire: 0.902 exhibiting evengreateragreement.Themeansinthefigureabove(Figure2)confirmtheagreementwiththestudents’answers.More specifically, this agreement (below 2.5) focuses on the improvement of speaking,listening, reading, fluency, vocabulary (the highest agreement perceived) and givingexplanations(questions21,22,23,25,26,30respectively).TheunitofcognitionThe third unit of the questionnaire, that related to cognition (figure 3), does not showremarkableresults.AboutfourtofiveoutoftenstudentsareoftheopinionthatCLILhelpedthem understand concepts and apply them (q37), make decisions and justify them withreasons (q39), solve problems (q43), improve learning strategies (q44), cooperate (q45),think critically (q46), develop positive attitude to Physics (q50) and build self-esteem andself-confidence(q52).Ontheotherhand,halfofthestudentsappearneutraltoCLILhelpingthemmake informedchoices(q38),transferknowledge(q41),transferkey language(q42),be innovative (q48),developmotivation (q49)anddeveloppositiveattitude to theEnglishlanguage (q51), and about four out of ten appear neutral to CLIL helping them do


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independentresearch(q40)andbecreative(q47).Reliabilitywasalsoveryhigh,specificallyCronbach’sa=0.925.

Figure2:Students’answerstotheunitofCommunication.

Figure3:Students’answerstotheunitofCognition.Students’neutralattitudetocognitionisalsoevidentfromthemeansinfigure3whicharearound3(neitheragreenordisagree).TheunitofcultureAs for the fourth part of the questionnaire, culture (figure 4), four out of ten studentsbelieve that CLIL helpedorwill help them: understand authenticmaterial, such as graphsandvectors(q54),beabletostudyabroad(q56),doapost-graduatecourseinEnglish(q57),be able to work abroad (q58) and communicate with citizens of other countries (q59).


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Rather neutral replies were given to doing a project with students from other countries(q55)andstudyingliteratureinEnglish(q53).Cronbach’s alpha for this unit of questions was above the acceptable limit 0.70, andspecifically0.793.

Figure4:Students’answerstotheunitofCulture.Neutral repliesappear in figure4 fluctuating from2.7 to3.5showingminorCLILeffectonculture,too.The fact,however, is that, as faras language is concerned, the specific studentsexhibitedprogresssincetheaveragefortheformativeassessment,includingmatchinghalf-sentencesandvocabularyexercises,was17,whereas theaverage for the final assessment, includingmatchingexercises,clozeandwriting,was19.Theaverageforthecontrolgroupwas18.Itwas also high, and that may be explained by the high proficiency level in English whichpermitsstudentstocopewithvocabularyandgrammartesting.AnotherexplanationisthatthePhysicsteacherhasexposedthemtosomevocabularyrelatedtotermswhileteachinginGreeksothatthestudentsunderstoodbetterwherethesymbolsinformulasoriginatefrom(i.e.aforacceleration).Regardingthecontentsubjectofphysics,theprocedurewefollowedisoutlinedbelow:Thetwo classes, A1-control group and A2-experimental group, were closely monitored,regarding comprehensionof thephysicsmaterial, throughout the implementationof CLIL,withthree15-minutesmonitoringtestsandafinalsummativeassessment.Thetestsandthesummativeassessmentaswell,wereidenticalinphysicscontent,theironlydifferencebeingthelanguageinwhichtheyweredrafted.Theresultsareshowninthefollowingtable(Table1).Itisevidentthatoverallthetwogroupsfaredalmostidentically.Thishavingbeingsaid,wemust nevertheless not fail to observe that the experimental group does seem to haveexperiencedacultural shockat thebeginningof theprogrammeand thus lowergrades inthe first monitoring test which was given at the end of the second week (4th lesson).


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However, it seems that this obstacle was overcome both in the next two tests and thesummativeassessment,wherethedifferencesingradecanbeseentobenegligible.

Monitoringtests Summativeassessmentgroups 1st 2nd 3rd

A1–controlgroup 18.7 16.5 19.2 17.7A2–experimentalgroup 17.9 16.5 18.8 17.6

Table1:ResultsofPhysicstests.

Wearethussafetodeduct,basedontheabovefacts,thatteachingofthephysicscontentintheEnglish languagedidnothindertheleastthecomprehensionofthesubjectmaterial inPhysicsfortheexperimentalgroup.At the end of the programme, a self-assessment questionnaire (using a Likert five scale:excellent-badly))wasgivenouttotheCLILstudentstoexaminetheirviewsontheimpactofCLILontheirlanguageskills.Thisquestionnairewasalsotestedforitsreliability,whichwashigh(over0.70),andshowsagreementofreplies.ReadingcomprehensionMorespecifically,asregardsreadingcomprehension(figure5),theinvolvedstudentsagreethatCLILhelpedthemalot(verywell-excellent)readatextandanswerquestions(68%),fillinacloze(66.6),matchhalf-sentences(92%)anddovocabularyactivities(64%),butnotfillincrosswords(34.7%),atasktypewhichtheyhaddifficultyin(Figure5).

Figure5:readingcomprehensionresults.Cronbach’s alpha for this unit of questions was above the acceptable limit 0.70, andspecifically0.768.


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WritingCLIL also helped learners develop their writing skills (Figure 6): take notes (80%), write asummary(64%),writeformulas(68%),describeanexperiment(52%),and less (39.1%verywelltoexcellent,34.8%quitewell)writeexamplesoflaws.

Figure5:writingskillsresultsCronbach’s alpha for this unit of questions was above the acceptable limit 0.70, andspecifically0.776.SpeakingTherepliestothespeakingsectionshowedthefollowingresults(Figure6):TheparticipantsallegedthatCLILsignificantlyhelpedthemretellthelawsofmotion(68%),explainformulas(68%), explain experiments (48%, quite well 32%), share information with their partners(60%),providecontentinformation(41.7%,quitewell50%).Cronbach’s alpha for this unit of questions was above the acceptable limit 0.70, andspecifically0.805.ListeningcomprehensionSimilarresultsappearin listeningcomprehension.Inparticular,studentsbelievethat,afterimplementingCLIL,couldsuccessfullydothefollowingtasks:understandthegistofavideo(68%),understandanexperimentonavideo(64%),fill inacloze(56%),matchconceptstoeverydayapplications(64%),dovocabularyactivities(48%,quitewell44%).Cronbach’s alpha for this unit of questions was above the acceptable limit 0.70, andspecifically0.821.


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Figure6:SpeakingskillsresultsFourlanguageskillsAll in all, CLILhelped theparticipants improve their language skills to a greatextent (verywell-excellent): reading comprehension 65.5%, writing production 60.9%, oral production57.3%, listening comprehension 60%. The results are represented in the following figure(Figure 7), which shows themean of the replies received for each language skill with nosignificantdifference.

Figure7:Fourskillsresults.Therefore,itseemsthatCLILcanhelplearnersdevelopcontentknowledgewhileimprovingtheir language skills. On the other hand, the foreign language does not seem to impedeacquisitionofknowledgeinthesubjecttaughtinalanguageotherthanmothertongue.


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4.ConclusionsPilotstudiessuchastheonepresentedinthispaperhaveacrucialroletoplayinhelpingtocreate an evidence base for successful CLIL, contributing to understanding better CLILpedagogiesanddisseminatingmodelsofeffectivepractice.CLIL isateacher-ledmovementdemanding“greaterworkloadforteachers”(Banegas,2012). It isafterallwhathappensinclassroomsandhowthismotivatesbothteachersandlearners,whichisgainingmomentum.AsHolmes(2005)notes:

“AnessentialfeatureofCLIListhatitplacesbothlanguageandthenon-languagecontenton a continuum without implying preference or dominance of one over the other […]recognising curriculum development as part of this continuum has allowed us to beinclusive of a variety of approaches, methods and curriculummodels adapted tomeetneedsofthelearnersandflexibleenoughtomatchthereadinessoftheteachingforcetoprovide appropriate and relevant learning programmes of a sufficiently high quality inbothlanguageandthenon-languagecontentsubject.”(Holmes,2005,inCoyle,2006).

Thepresentstudyshowedthere isa lot for learners togain throughCLIL, suchasdevelopskills and strategies, be involved in authentic speech acts, develop critical thinking, learnnewvocabularyandterminologyandacquireapositiveattitudetothesubjectcontent.Itisalso evident from their performance in tests and the replies to the questions set that alllanguage skills were enhanced. There is of course room for further study and research,basedontheresultspresentedaboveandmoretobedonetochangeattitudesandincreasemotivation, a declared area of research (Smit&Dalton-Puffer, 2007), but also to preparestudentsfortheirfuturestudiesandwork.ReferencesBanegas, D. L. (2012). ‘Integrating content and language in English language teaching in

secondary education: models, benefits, and challenges.’Studies in Second LanguageLearningandTeaching,2/1:111-136.

Block,D.&Cameron,D.(2002).Globalizationandlanguageteaching.London:Routledge.Brinton,D.,Snow,M.A.&Wesche,M.(1989).Content-basedSecondLanguageInstruction.

NewYork:NewburyPress.Calviño, M.A.M. (2012). ‘Content and Language Integrated Learning.’ Tlatemoani-Revista

AcademicadeInvestigacion,19.CommitteeoftheEuropeanCommunities.(2007).TheOfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion

on30December2006/L394,Belgium.Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages:

Learning,Teaching,Assessment.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Coyle, D (1999) ‘Theory and planning for effective classrooms: supporting students in

contentandlanguageintegratedlearningcontexts.’InJ.Masih(Ed),LearningThroughaForeignLanguageLondon:CILT.

Coyle, D. (2002) ‘From little acorns.’ In D. So & G. Jones (Eds.), Education and Society inPlurilingualContexts.Brussels:BrusselsUniversityPress,37-55.

Coyle, D. (2006). ‘Content and language integrated learning: Motivating learners andteachers.’ScottishLanguagesReview,13:1-18.

Coyle,D.(2007).‘TheCLILqualitychallenge.’InD.Marsh&D.Wolff(Eds.),Diversecontexts–converginggoals.CLILinEurope.Frankfurt:PeterLang,47-58.


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Craen,P.,M.Katrien,L.Allain&Y.Gao.(2007).‘WhyandHowCLILWorks.AnOutlineforaCLILTheory’.Views,70/16(3)CLILSPECIALISSUE2WhyandHowCLILWorks.AnOutlinefor a CLIL Theory. Brussels. Accessed athttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/290828891_Why_and_how_CLIL_works_An_outline_for_a_CLIL_theory.

Crandall,J.(1992).‘Content-centeredlearningintheUnitedStates’.AnnualReviewofAppliedLinguistics,13:111-126.

Crandall,J.(1994).‘Content-CenteredLanguageLearning’.ERICClearinghouseonLanguagesand Linguistics Washington DC. ERIC Digest. Accessed athttp://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED367142.pdf

Cummins, J. & Swain,M. (1986).Bilingualism and Education: Aspects of Theory, ResearchandPractice.London:Longman.

Darn, S. (2006). ‘Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): A EuropeanOverview.’Availableat:http://www.eric.ed.gov/#ED490775.

Eurydice (2006a). Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) at School in Europe.EuropeanCommission.

Eurydice (2006b). Report on European developments for CLIL. Available at:http://www.eurydice.org.

Holmes,B(2005).LanguageLearningforthe21stCentury-thenormalisationofContentand

Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)within the curriculum for England.Position Paper:CILT.

Katarzyna,P.(2011).‘Theimpactofstudents’attitudeonCLIL:Astudyconductedinhighereducation.’InstituteofEnglish-UniversityofSilesia,Poland.

Lasagabaster,D.(2008).‘ForeignLanguageCompetenceinContentandLanguageIntegratedCourses.’TheOpenAppliedLinguisticsJournal,1:31-42.

Law 3966, FEK A 118/24-5-2011. Institute of Educational Policy.http://www.iep.edu.gr/images/documents/n3966-Fek118a-11-IEP.pdf.

Masgoret, A. M. & Gardner, R. C. (2003). ‘Attitudes, motivation and second languagelearning: A meta-analysis of studies conducted by Gardner and associates.’ LanguageLearning,53:123–163.

MacIntyre,P.D.,MacMaster,K.&Baker,S.C.(2001).‘Theconvergenceofmultiplemodelsofmotivationforsecondlanguagelearning:Gardner,Pintrich,Kuhl,andMccroskey.’InZ.Dörnyei & R. Schmidt (Eds), Motivation and Second Language Acquisition. Manoa:UniversityofHawai’iatManoa,SecondLanguageTeachingandCurriculumCenter,461-92.

Perez-Vidal, C. (2007). ‘The Need for Focus on Form (FoF) in Content and LanguageIntegratedApproaches:AnExploratoryStudy.’VolumenMonografico,39-54.

Richards, J. & T. S. Rodgers (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.CambridgeUniversityPress.

Smit, U. (2007). ‘ELF (English as a lingua franca) asmedium of instruction – interactionalrepairininternationalhotelmanagementeducation’.InC.Dalton-Puffer&U.Smit(eds.).EmpiricalPerspectivesonCLILClassroomDiscourse.FrankfurtamMain:PeterLang,227-252.

Tsokos,K.A.(2008).PhysicsfortheIBDiploma.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.YPEPTH. (2011). Unified Curriculum for the foreign languages. Athens: Institution of

EducationalPolicy.Van Lier, L (1996). Interaction in the Language Curriculum: Awareness, Autonomy &

Authenticity.NewYork:LongmanGroupLtd.


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IfigeniaKofou([email protected])isagraduateoftheFacultyofEnglishStudies,AristotleUniversityandworksasanEnglishlanguageteacherat

the2ndExperimentalSeniorHighSchoolofThessaloniki,andasatutorattheHellenicOpenUniversity.SheholdsaPhDinlanguageteachingand

languagecommunicationandanMAinthesciencesoflanguageandcommunicationattheneweconomicenvironment(AristotleUniversityof

Thessaloniki).Shehasanumberofparticipationsinconferencesandpublicationsininternationaljournals.Herscientificinterestsinclude

languagelearningandteaching,CLIL,alternativeassessment,researchmethodology,innovationandICTuseineducation.

KostasPhilippides([email protected])isagraduateofthePhysicsDepartmentoftheNationalandKapodistrianUniversityofAthensand

worksasaphysicsteacheratthe2ndExperimentalSeniorHighSchoolofThessaloniki.HeholdsaPhDandanMScinphysicsfromNewYork

UniversityandhehasworkedasapostdoctoralresearchassociateinvariousuniversitiesandresearchcentersinEurope.Hisinitialresearchfocuswasontheoreticalelementaryparticlephysicswheremostofhis

publicationsininternationaljournalsandinternationalconferenceparticipationslie.Hiscurrentscientificinterestsfocusmainlyon

innovativeteachinginthephysicalsciences,ICTuseineducation,CLIL,qualitymanagementineducation,assessmentmethods.


ACLILModel:TeachingScienceatSecondaryEducation

HΜέθοδοςCLIL:ΔιδασκαλίαΘετικώνΜαθημάτωνστηΔευτεροβάθμιαΕκπαίδευση

KleopatraKALOGERAKOU,MarianthiBAKAandMariaLOUNTZITheaimofthisarticleistodescribetheimplementationoftheCLIL(ContentandLanguageIntegrated Learning) teachingmethod in Science at the 1st ExperimentalMiddle School ofAthens. It is about a small-scale project of a 12-hour module for the 1st grade on ‘Theorganization of life’ in Biology and a 12-hour module for the 2nd grade on ‘ConsumerBehaviour’ in Home Economics. The project lasted for three months and involved oneteaching period perweek. All 1st and 2nd graderswere involved in the samemoduleswithdifferentiationbetweenhigherandlowerlevelstudents.Thisprojectbelongstoanon-goingresearch project to develop a pedagogicalmodel for CLIL at the school by involvingmorecontentareasandmoresystematicCLILteachingthroughouttheschoolyear.

�ΣκοπόςτουάρθρουείναιναπεριγράψειτηνεφαρμογήτηςμεθόδουCLILσταμαθήματατηςΒιολογίας και της Οικιακής Οικονομίας, στην 1ηκαι 2ατάξη Γυμνασίου αντίστοιχα, στο1οΠειραματικό Γυμνάσιο Αθηνών. Για την εφαρμογή της μεθόδου, υπήρξε διαθεματικήσυνεργασίαμεταξύτωναγγλικώνκαιτωνδυοπροαναφερθέντωνγνωστικώναντικειμένων.Η εφαρμογή πραγματοποιήθηκε σε συγκεκριμένες ενότητες του ελληνικού σχολικούεγχειριδίου, με τη διδασκαλία των αντίστοιχων ενοτήτων να προηγούνται του αγγλικούμαθήματος,προσδοκώνταςστηνενδυνάμωσητηςαυτοπεποίθησηςτωνμαθητώνκαιστηνδιεύρυνση του γνωσιολογικού τους υποβάθρου. Το μοντέλο περιλαμβάνει αναλυτικέςπληροφορίεςσχετικάμετοσχεδιασμότωνμαθημάτωνσύμφωναμετιςαρχέςτουCLIL,τηφιλοσοφία με την οποία δημιουργήθηκε το υλικό και χρησιμοποιήθηκαν οι αντίστοιχεςπηγές, την αξιολόγηση του προγράμματος καθώς και προβληματισμοί για τη μελλοντικήεφαρμογήτου.Keywords:Content,CLIL,biology,homeeconomics,cognition,collaboration.

Kalogerakouetal/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning8/2(2017)136-148

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1.IntroductionThemodelofCLILinthespecificeducationalcontextismostlywhatCoyle,HoodandMarsh(2007)refertoas‘language-basedprojects’leadingto‘content-basedprojects’sinceitisthelanguage teacher who is responsible for teaching but also involves subject teachers indecidingontheaimsanddeterminingthecontenttobelearnt.Contentelementsaretakendirectlyfromthecurriculumandlanguageandcontentteachersworkcloselyandeffectivelytomakeitamoreformalformofinstruction.Subjectteachersarealsoincontinuouscontactwith the languageteachers,who informthemabout theprogress,difficultiesandsoon inordertomakeanynecessarychanges.Someprojectsassignedtostudents inthe languageclasscanalsobecorrectedordiscussedintheregularclass.SupportbytheschoolprincipalencouragedtheimplementationoftheCLILmethod(seeMehisto,Marsh&Frigols,2008).Themodelhereisdescribedbyprovidinginformationon:a)unitplanningaccordingtotheprinciplesofCLIL,b)therationaleforcreationoradaptationofmaterialsandresources,c)evaluationoflearnerprogressthroughformativeassessmentandobservationofclassroomperformanceand,d)reflectiononitsimplementationforfuturesuccess.TheaimsoftheCLILmodelwerebasedonCoyle’s (2005)4Cs :a)Cognition:howtomovefrom lower-order to higher-order thinking skills b) Culture: how to promote collaborationandrespectwithingroups,c)Content:whataspectsofcontenttofocuson,howtoprovidenatural, understandable content by relating it to previous experience, and d)Communication: how to increase student talk time and support communication by usingscaffoldingtechniquesandincludinggenre-specificlanguageandlanguageoflearning.2.Generalconsiderations

2.1.SubjectareasFor the firstyearofCLIL implementation, subject teacherswhowerewilling toparticipatecameintocontactwiththelanguageteachers.LanguageteacherscollaboratedwithsubjectteacherstoprovidespecifiedunitsfromthecurriculumthroughthemediumoftheEnglishlanguage for a three-month-period at an experimental stage. They closelyworked on theareasofconcepts,languageandskillsandformedaprogrambeforethestartoftheschoolyear,whichtheylateradaptedaccordingtolevelandneeds.TheCLILinstructiontookplacein the language lessonswith occasional presence of the subject teachers and checking ofknowledgeby subject teachers in theirown lessononceamonth. Itwasdecided that thelessons in L1 would precede the lessons in L2 so that learners become familiar with thecontent and feelmore confident in the foreign language instruction. In thisway, learnerswould also consolidate knowledge by repeating it in different time periods in the Englishlanguage. Although more subject areas were involved during the year, the focus in thisarticle will be on Science, which involved my participation as a language teacher in thepreparationofthematerial.2.2.TeachercollaborationA group of teachers was brought together to share ideas and decide how CLIL could beimplementedatour school.One language teacher startedworkingwitha content teacheranddecidinghowtogoaboutwitheachcontentarea. InBiologyandHomeEconomics, itwas decided that part of the curriculum would be delivered to specific classes throughEnglishinstruction.Wesetour‘globalgoal’whichwas:“Tomotivateandchallengelearners


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by delivering the same content in a foreign language apart from that in their nativelanguage. Through a range of authenticmaterial to help learners acquire new knowledgeandskills,boosttheirconfidenceinusingtheEnglishlanguageandconsolidateknowledgeinthespecificcontentarea”.In Appendix II, there is an example of a unit plan taking into consideration Coyle’s 4 Cs(Coyle,2005)tofittheglobalgoalandtheaimsofthespecificunit.2.3.ThelanguageAccording to the Language Triptych (Coyle, Hood & Marsh, 2007), the three types oflanguageweredevelopedasfollows:Language of learning: the language they needed to master the content, the language ofscience.Therewasashiftfromlanguagetogrammarformsforcohesion.Language for learning: the language they needed to use in class or in pair/groupwork inorder to successfully communicate. Speech acts related to the content were consideredusefulinthelearningprocess.Language through learning: the language that emerged in class through exploitation andcommunicationandneededtoberecycledandfurtherdeveloped.2.4.ClassesAsmentionedabove,allclasseswereinvolvedinCLILinstruction.However,sincethefocusinthispaperisonScience,theclassesmentionedwillbefirstandsecondgraders,duringthefirstthree-month-period.Ineachoftheseclasses,therearehigherandlowerlevelstudents.In order to deal with lower level learners, there was differentiated instruction throughsimpler texts, more use of L1 as well as more scaffolding techniques, such as providingconstructive feedback, creating interest, useofwordbanks andglossaries, breakingdowntasks into smaller steps, use of language frames, use of models for the production oflanguageandsoon.2.5.Materials/tasktypesThematerialsweretakenfromvarioussources-theInternet,sciencejournals,ads,andsoon - andwereeitherusedas authenticmaterial or adaptedaccording to level andneeds.Thereweredifferenttechniquesusedtomakelearningmoremotivatingandeffectivesuchas activating prior knowledge, personalization, repetition of key vocabulary, classification,glossaries,visualorganisers,andsoon.The task types varied focusing on both content - such as task-based learning, grouppresentation, jigsaw tasks - and language - such as running dictation, crosswords,competitions/games, quizzes.Most of the activitieswere carried out in pairs or groups inordertoencouragecommunication,reducecognitiveloadandcaterforindividualneeds.2.6.OutcomesCLIL learner outcomeswere specified in termsof content, language and learning skills, asfollows:


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• ContentOutcomes:toboostandenrichtheirknowledgeonsubjectmatter• LanguageOutcomes: to cover grammatical aspects related to content as they

appear,keyvocabularyrelatedtocontent• Learning Skills Outcomes: to develop learning skills such as internet searching

skills,groupwork,makingpresentations,etc.Inordertodealwithcognitivechallenge,followingCummin’sframework(2000),therewasan attempt tomove smoothly from cognitively undemanding/context embedded tasks tocognitivelydemanding/contextreducedtasks.3.CLILProjectinBiology3.1.CurriculumfitIntheplanningstage,itwasdecidedthatwewouldbaseourCLILlessonsonthefirstunitintheBiology syllabus,which is ‘theOrganizationof Life’ and includes ‘the characteristicsofLiving Organisms’, ‘the Cell’, ‘Classification of Living Organisms’ and ‘Interaction andAdaptation’.Biologyisbynatureacognitivelydifficultcontentareaandneededcarefulplanninginordertomakeitmoreinteractiveandscaffoldlearningasmuchaspossible.Accordingto‘social-constructivistapproach’ (seeVygotsky,1978) to learning, learnersneedencouragementtobeactive learners insteadofpassive learnerswho justmemorize termsanddefinitions. Inorder to reduce cognitive load, students were required to collaborate through pair andgroupworkandhelpeachothertocompensateforweaknesses.Learningcontentthroughacommunicativeapproachwastheprimaryaim.Formwasasecondaryaimwhichwasdealtwithaspartofcontentandasitoccurredthroughcontent.AccordingtoBloom’staxonomy,ontheCognitiveProcessDimension(seeKrathwohl,2002),wehad toworkon the lower-order skills of remembering (e.g. recalling information fromthe Greek lesson), understanding (e.g. interpreting and comparing familiar content in aforeignlanguage)andapplying(e.g.puttingnewknowledgeintopractice)beforemovingonto higher-order skills of analyzing (breaking down concepts into manageable chunks),evaluating (checking their newly acquired knowledge) and creating (producing somethingnew in the foreign language). On the Knowledge Dimension, learners needed factualinformation (the basic terms), conceptual knowledge (theory and classification) andproceduralknowledge(procedureofdoingthings).3.2.ProcedureAt the beginning of each unit there was always link to the Greek lesson by using a KWL(know,wanttoknow,learnt)chartorbyaskingstudentswhattheyalreadyknowinordertobuildontheirexistingknowledge.Bygivingdefinitions,vocabularywaselicitedwhichcouldeasilybematchedwith theEnglishequivalents (e.g.eukaryotic,prokaryotic,mitochondria,cell membrane, organelles, cytoplasm e.t.c.). Simple diagramswere usually followedwithpicturesandtermswithdefinitions.PowerPointpresentationsintroducedstudentstotermsandconceptsthroughpicturesanddefinitionswhichwereoftenfollowed,immediatelyafterwardsorasarevisioninafollowingclass, by a worksheet including either word and information completion or drawing andmatching.Videos,whichwerefollowedbyquestionsorworksheets,werealsoanimportant


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feature of the lessons, something that aroused the students’ interest and provided themwith content and language information. Depending on the level, the material ranged indifficulty(e.g.ademandingvideoforadvancedlearnersandaratherundemandingvideoforlessablelearners.Theworksheetsandtheactivitiesweremosttimescompletedinpairsorgroupsforsupportandcollaboration,anintegralpartoftheCLILapproach.Interactiveactivitiesintheformofvocabulary practice (e.g. matching activities through Hot Potatoes or online practice onwww.quizlet.com) or exploration activities (e.g.http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/insideacell/) were of great interest andeducational value.Other features of a lessonwere visual organisers (e.g. a Venn diagrampresenting the similarities and differences between an animal and a plant cell); writtenproduction activities (e.g. write five sentences beginning with ‘The cell …’; memorizingtechniques (e.g. MRS GREN = Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction,Excretion,Nutritionforthesevencharacteristicsof livingthings);experiential learning(e.g.going on a field trip to observe living things and take photos in order to do a project);runningdictationtopracticeallfourlanguageskillsincontent.Readingtextsweretakenfromauthenticsourcesandwereeitheradaptedtothestudents’levelorprovidedwithsupport(e.g.glossaries,wordbanks,e.t.c.).TheiraimwastopromoteContentandLanguage.Example:anextractfromthereadingtexton‘LivingOrganisms’,followedbyaglossary

Respiration Respirationisachemicalreactionthathappenswithincellstoreleaseenergyfromfood.

Nutrition The intake and use ofnutrients. This occurs in very differentwaysindifferentkindsoflivingthings.

Respiration:breathingRelease:toallowasubstancetoflowoutfromsomewhereIntake:theamountofaparticularsubstancethatiseatenordrunkNutrients:anysubstancethatplantsoranimalsneedinordertoliveandgrow

Split readingand information sharingwas commonpractice inReading inorder to reducecognitive load,boostconfidenceandpromotetheelementofCultureandCommunication.For the Production stage, language frames appropriate to the activity were used(http://www.onestopenglish.com/clil/clil-teacher-magazine/your-clil/). In every unit therewasextramaterialinthee-classforthosewhowereinterestedinfindingmoreinformationaboutthesubject.AdetailedlessonplanningofoneoftheBiologyunits(LivingThings)canbefoundat:http://v.gd/RnmEct.Aone-teaching-periodlessonplaninBiologycanbeseeninAppendixI.4.CLILprocessin“ProcessinHomeEconomics”4.1.CurriculumfitAsinBiology,intheplanningstage,itwasdecidedthatwewouldbaseourCLILlessonsonthefourthunit intheHomeEconomicssyllabus,whichisconsumerbehaviourandincludesa) consumer behaviour and b) food labels. Though less demanding than Biology–due to


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more frequent references in a language class and more familiar vocabulary–the sameapproachwasfollowedthroughinteractivelearningandsupportstrategies.4.2.ProcedureBeingmoreadvancedinlevelandcognitionandduetothenatureofthecontentarea,thestudents were involved in more communication and there were more activities in theproduction stage (speaking and writing). Group discussions, class discussions and onlinediscussionswereprevalentinthissubject.Features of these classes were: debates in class and online with the help of online tools(www.tricider.com/admin/2cRpb9w5ZwV/BYwCXxHsdSd); personalization (e.g. factors thatinfluenceourchoiceswithexamples);visualorganisers(e.g.oralandwritteninterpretationof diagrams showing the influences on consumer choices); use of language frames(especially for lower level learners); videos followed by discussion or worksheets(http://www.econedlink.org/tool/209); official sites with guidance and action taking(http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/eu_consumer_policy); group games or online games(http://www.shopsmartgame.ie/ShopSmart.html); group projects (e.g. draw the familyincome – budget); online quizzes and crosswords specially designed for their content andlanguage needs (quiz:file:///F:/CLIL/2nd%20session/Presentation%20material/Consumer%20behaviour%20(Web)/index.html;crossword:file:///F:/CLIL/2nd%20session/Presentation%20material/Crossword-home%20Economics/index.html); interactive glossary (file:///F:/CLIL/2nd%20session/Presentation%20material/CLIL_Glossary/GLOSSARY/index.html).Adetailed lessonplanningofoneof theHomeEconomicsunits (ConsumerBehaviour)canbefoundat:http://v.gd/5h3VVm.5.StudentassessmentThe typeof learner assessmentwhichwasused for the first yearof its implementation isformative assessment. Through short-answer tests, crosswords, quizzes and so on thelearnersprovidedinformationabouthowwellcontentandlanguagehadbeenlearntduringthe course. Observation of classroom performance was another method of assessmentwhich provideduseful information about howwell the students responded to input. Peerassessmentwasalsoausefuland interesting for studentsassessment tool.Anexampleofpeer assessmentwas the use of a gridwhichwas used by students to assess PowerPointpresentations.Finally, technology was used for students’ assessment. Interactive quizzes were preparedusing either iSpring software or Socrative tool and were done either in pairs/groups orindividuallyinthecomputerlab.Socrativefeedback(withpercentageofcorrectanswersandtheindividualresponses)wasreceivedinExcelspreadsheetswhichwereshownontheIWBanddiscussedwiththestudents.Thequizcouldalsobedoneasagamebyusingtheraceactivity option. An example of such a quiz in Biology can be imported athttp://www.socrative.com. Moreover, the use of an e-class at the school setting provedusefulinprovidingvaluableinformationaboutstudents’progress.


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6.EvaluationoftheprogramAt the end of the programme, learners were given a questionnaire to complete. Thequestionnaireincludedtenquestionsintheirnativelanguagesothatitwasclearwhatwasrequiredofthem,especiallyfor lowerlevelstudents.TherewasastatisticalanalysisofthequestionnairesusingSPPS17softwarepackage(statisticalsamplen=26).Theresultsandtheinterpretationofthestatisticalanalysisresultsispresentedbelow:6.1.BiologyprogrammeevaluationQ:HowinterestingwasthesubjectofBiologyinEnglish?Astothe interestthatthesubjectofBiology inEnglishgenerated,themajorityof learnerswassatisfactorilycontentwiththesubject,since43,33%replied‘Quitealot’and30%‘Alot’toquestionE1.Q:HoweasywastocomprehendBiologyinEnglish?A high percentage of students (43,33%) considered the teaching of the subject in English‘Quite easy’, 16,67% considered it ‘Very’ easy and there is even a small percentage whoreplied‘Alot’.Q:Howeasywastocomprehendmodules1-3?Three questions related to the degree of comprehension of the threemodules thatwerecoveredintheprogramme.Itwasthatthevastmajorityofstudentscomprehendedallthreemodulesatasatisfactorydegree.It isworthnotingthattheirrepliesrangedfrom‘enough’(6.67%)to‘much’(40%)and‘verymuch’(53.33%)inthefirstmodule.Inthesameline,thedegreeofcomprehensioninthesecondmodule‘Thecell’rangedfrom‘enough’ (6.67%) to ‘much’ (40%) and ‘very much’ (63.33%). Also the degree ofcomprehension in the thirdmodule ‘Classification’ ranged from ‘enough’ (20%) to ‘much’(40%)and‘verymuch’(40%).BidirectionaleffectandconsolidationTwo questions were closely linked to cognition and the interrelationship of teaching thesamemodulesintheirnativelanguageandthetargetlanguage.Q:HowmuchdidtheGreeksubjecthelpyouintheEnglishlesson?Q:HowmuchdidtheEnglishlessonhelpyouinconsolidatingknowledgeinBiology?Approximately 70% support that the Greek lesson helped them to a great extent in theEnglishlesson,and87%appeartoagreatextentsatisfiedconcerningthecontributionoftheEnglish lessonto theGreekone. It canbeobservedthat therewasapositivebidirectionaleffectontheirknowledgeinbothlanguagesQ:Whichactivitiesdidyoulikemost?


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Students’ answers on the open-ended question related to the activities they liked most,revealed that they learnt best through videos and quizzes (36,67%), interactive activities(33,33%)andgroupwork(30%).6.2.HomeeconomicsprogrammeevaluationQ:HowinterestingwasthesubjectofHomeEconomicsinEnglish?AstotheinterestthatthesubjectofHomeEconomicsinEnglishgenerated,themajorityoftheparticipants found it very interesting, since33,33%replied ‘quitea lot’30% ‘very’and36,67%marked‘alot’.Q:HoweasywastocomprehendHomeEconomicsinEnglish?As to how easy they found it, a high percentage of students (66,67%) considered theteachingofthesubjectinEnglish‘quiteeasy’,and26,67%ofthemconsideredit‘veryeasy’.Q:Howeasywastocomprehendmodule1:‘ConsumerBehaviour’?Two questions related to the degree of comprehension of the two modules that werecovered in the programme. It was that the vast majority of students almost fullycomprehendedthetwomodules.It isworthnotingthattheirrepliesrangedfrom‘enough’(13.33%) to ‘much’ (30%) and ‘very much’ (56.67%) in the first module ‘consumerbehaviour’. In the same line, the degree of comprehension in the second module ‘foodlabels’rangedfrom‘much’(40%)and‘verymuch’(36.67%).BidirectionaleffectandconsolidationRegarding cognition and interrelationship of the two languages, it is obvious that theinteractionofthetwolanguageshelpedthemalotinconsolidatingknowledge.Q:HowmuchdidtheGreeksubjecthelpyouintheEnglishlesson?Q:HowmuchdidtheEnglishsubjecthelpyouintheGreeklesson?Approximately87%support that theGreek lesson lessonhelpedthemtoagreatextent inthe English lesson (ranging from enough 16.67% to much 33.33% and very much 36.67).AboutthesamepercentageappearsconcerningthecontributionoftheEnglishlessontotheGreekone(rangingfromenough33.33%tomuch33.33%andverymuch26.67).Finally, in relation to theactivities the students likedmost, aswithBiology, they reportedthattheylearntbestthroughvideosandquizzes,interactiveactivitiesandgroupwork.7.FutureconsiderationsOn completion of the programme, there was discussion among teachers on the variousissuesraisedthroughout its implementationsuchasthedifficulty indealingwithauthenticmaterialandterminologywithlow-levellearnersandtheparametersofitsimplementationinsmallandlargeclasses.Theprogrammewasconsideredsuccessfulconsideringtheresultsof thestudents’questionnaireswhiletherewasroomforsuggestionsfor improvements inordertomeetallstudents’needsandinterests.Therewasconcernovertheimplementationinlargeclassesduetodifficultyinworkingingroupseffectively.


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Therearevariousvariables toconsidereachschoolyear.Management, teachersavailable,resources and individual learnersmust be taken into consideration before starting a CLILprogramme.Finally,suchaprogramentailsa lotofhardwork for theteachers involved inthepreparationstageaswellastheimplementationstage.ReferencesCoyle,D.(2005).DevelopingCLIL:TowardsaTheoryofPractice.Barcelona:APAC.Coyle, D., Hood, P.& Marsh, D.(2007). Content and Language Integrated Learning.

Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power, and pedagogy: bilingual children in the cross-fire.

Clevedon,UK:MultilingualMattersLtd.Dale, L.& Tanner, R. (2012).CLILActivities:A resource for subject and language teachers.

Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Krathwohl,D.(2002).‘ARevisionofBloom'sTaxonomy:AnOverview’.Theoryintopractice,

41:212-264.Mehisto, P. Marsh, D. & Frigols, M. (2008). Uncovering CLIL: Content and Language

Integrated Learning in Bilingual and Multilingual Education. Oxford: MacmillanPublishers.

Vygotsky,L.S.(1978).Mindinsociety:Thedevelopmentofhigherpsychologicalprocesses.InM.Cole, V, John-Steiner, S. Scribner,& E. Snuberman (Eds.). Cambridge,MA:WarvardUniversityPress.

OnlineMagazinesCLILMagazine.Availableat:http://clilmedia.com/clil-magazine/


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AppendixI

OutcomesContent

Learners can use vocabulary on ‘Parts of the Cell’ and distinguishbetweenanimalandplantcell

LanguageLearnerscanusetheSimplePresenttoaskandansweraboutcellpartsandtheirfunction

LearningskillLearnerscanworkinpairseffectively

Personalaim Tohelplearnersunderstandtermsinafunway;uselessofL1andmoreofL2.

TimetablefitLearners are working on the module of ‘Organisation of life’, unit ‘The Cell’. Thecorresponding unit has preceded in the Greek lesson. In the previous lesson theywatched a video on the differences and similarities of animal and plant cells and thefunctionofeachpart:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHTvqW7CzXYandtheydidanactivityonthevideo.Thislessonisconsolidationofthetermsthroughvariousactivities.Afterthistheywillrevisethecellthroughmorecreativeactivities.

Groupprofile Thereare13learnersinthisclass,7boysand6girls,agegroup12-13.

Time45minutes

AssumptionsLearnersareofA1/A2 level.Theyhaveworked inpairsbeforeand theyarecooperative.They have done ‘running dictation’ and they like moving around the classroom andhaving fun. They have practised the reading skill through short texts and questionsrequiringshortanswers.TheyhavealsopractisedPresentSimpleinthepreviouslessons(inlivingandnon-livingthings).

Anticipatedproblemsandsolutions

Learners have difficulty understanding L2 in teacher talk. Thismeans itwill take sometimetogiveclearinstructionstolearnersandtheremaynotbeenoughtimeforalltheactivities. Time is crucial and learnersmayneedmore time toworkon someactivitiesesp. thosewhose level is lower. In case there is not enough time for all activities, therevisionvideowillbeuploadedinthee-classandcheckednexttime.TherecouldalsobeaproblemwithusingL1whenworking inpairs.Toavoidsuchacase,theteachergoesaround the groupsmonitoring them all the time. Another solution is to help less ablelearners feel more confident. Finally, some less able learners may not participate somuchinactivities.Inordertohelpthem,theteacher,coulduseL1toexplainhowthingsshouldbedonewhendoinganactivity.

Materials Onereadingtext(AnimalandPlantCells);IWB;Handouts;slipsofpaper;A4paper;pens;Internetsites:Revisionvideo:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrSk28YTPOA

Stage Aim Procedure Materials Interaction Time


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Warmer

Toactivatepriorknowledge Torecallpreviouslylearntknowledge

Tasks learnerstorecall informationfromthevideo:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHTvqW7 CzXY) Asks about the differenttypesofcellsandwhateachorganellewascompared to. By repeating theinformation, learners retain informationin memory and are helped to feel moreconfidentwiththeactivitiesthatfollow.

T-SS

5-6min

Reading

ToreadforinformationToprovidesupport

T gives each pair (one group of 3) anadapted text on ‘Animal and Plant Cells’with focus on content and a glossary tosupport students. Ss read the text andanswer the questions that follow. Thequestions focus on understanding thegeneral meaning and require answers inshort formusingSimplePresent. Teachergoes around the class to help withanswers.Theyreportinclass.

ReadingtextGlossary

SS-SST-SS

10-12min

Production oflanguage andcontent

To practise celltermsandPresentSimple

Texplainsthatthereareslipsofpaperondifferent parts of the wall with thesimilarities and differences betweenanimalandplantcells (eachone includesanorganellewithapicture).Theyhavetorun (in pairs) and find them all and stickthem on the boardwhere there are twosheets of paper, one for the similaritiesand one for the differences. When theyfinish, learnershavetocheck if thereareany mistakes. With this fun activity, thecontent is presented in a cognitivelyundemandingway.

Slips ofpaper onthewall

SS-SST-SS

10-12min

Practice To practisevocabulary

T divides the class into two teams andgives one team (Team A) slips of paperwiththevariousorganellesandtheotherteam (Team B) their function. Eachstudent (from teamA) in turn standsup,reads the term aloud and the student(from team B) who has got its functionstands next to him/her and reads thefunction aloud. In this way they practisethe termsand functions throughanotherfunactivityandrecyclevocabulary.

Slips ofpaper

SS-SS 10-12min

Postactivity

Toconsolidateandapplyknowledge

T shows a revision video through whichlearnersgetvisual support toconsolidatewhattheyhavedonesofar.Tpausesthevideo after each organelles is presentedandhelpswithunderstanding.

Internet

T-SS

5-6min


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Nextlesson Twillgiveapictureofthevideoscreenwithjustthetwocellsandaskthemtocompletethetermsandfunctions.Formativeassessmentofunderstandingofcontentwilltakeplace.Thenwiththeuseofplasticine,learnerswillcreateanimalandplantcells.

AppendixIIGlobalGoal:IncreaselearnerengagementUnitTitle:OrganisationofFamilyLife

KleopatraKalogerakou([email protected])holdsaPostgraduateDegreeinTeachingEnglishasaForeignLanguagefromtheHellenicOpenUniversity.ShehasextensiveexperienceinEFLteachingin

secondaryeducationaswellasexperienceinprimaryandtertiaryeducation.Shehascompleted‘CLILEssentials’onlinecoursewiththe

BritishCouncilandhasbeenimplementingCLILatthe1stExperimentalJuniorHighSchoolofAthenswhereshehasbeenteachingEnglishsince

2013.

MarianthiBakaholdsaBachelor’sdegreeinBiologySciencefromtheAristotleUniversityofThessaloniki.SheisaMScholderin"Forest


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ProtectionandNature"fromtheAristotleUniversityofThessalonikiandin"ChemistryTeachingusingICT"fromtheNationalKapodistrian

UniversityofAthens.Shehasexperienceasaresearchassociateandasasecondaryeducationteacher.

MariaLountziholdsaBachelor'sdegreeinHomeEconomicsandEcologySciencefromHarokopioUniversity.Shealsoholdsapostgraduatedegreein"SustainableDevelopment"andaPhd,bothfromHarokopioUniversity

ofAthens.HerPhDthesisisentitled:"Design,development,implementationandevaluationofelectroniceducational(software)hardwarethroughICT".Shehasexperienceinfieldresearchandin

secondaryandtertiaryeducation.


CLIL‘ARENA’—EPISODE1

ReflectiononCLILimplementationinanEFLPrimarySchoolclassroom

ChryssaLASKARIDOU

Hearing about CLIL and also witnessing a lesson at a school in Belgium made me veryenthusiasticabout tryingoutwhat I considered tobean innovativeapproachwhich couldopen up new horizons for the EFL world in Greece. Fortunately, as I had recently beenappointed to the 3rd Experimental Primary School of Evosmos in Thessaloniki, which isunderthesupervisionoftheSchoolofEnglishattheAristotleUniversity,Iwasinapositiontotryoutnewmethodologiesandapproaches.ItaughtthesubjectofgeographyusingtheCLILapproachforfiveyears.Duringthefirstyeartentative steps were made as we were unsure as to how this new approach would bereceivedbythepupilsbutalsobytheparents.ThisisthereasonwhyatfirstCLILwasonlyimplementedinoneoftheYear6geographyclasses.GeographythroughCLILwasplannedaccording to the 4 Cs framework (Coyle, 1999)which combined the elements of content,communication,cognitionandculture.Itwasobviousfromthebeginningthatthepupilswereunsure,andIcouldalsosaya littleafraid,ofwhatthegeographythroughCLILlessonwouldentail,especiallythepupilswhofeltthat their level of Englishwasnot so good. Therefore, tohelp thepupils feel safer in thisenvironment they were given the opportunity to voice their concerns and also to makesuggestionsabouthowtheywouldlikethelessontobeconducted.Suggestionstheymadeincluded the use of computers, games and, in general, ideas which didn’t include thetraditionaluseofthecoursebook.Throughout the school year the pupilswere had the opportunity to give feedback on thelessons.Feedbackisanessentialingredientoflearningandanon-goingtwo-wayprocessinwhich teachers and learners are both sources and receivers of feedback (Skenderis &Laskaridou,2009).Therewasa‘feedback’boxintheclassroomwheretheycouldwriteanycomments theywished and a common decisionwasmade between teacher and learnersthatthecommentswouldbereadoutanddiscussedinclasseverytwoweeks.

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ThesyllabuswasbasedontheNationalCurriculumbutthepupilswerenotgiventhecoursebook for a number of reasons. As themediumof instructionwas English,we didn’twantpupilslookingatthematerialsintheGreeklanguagebeforetheactuallesson.Moreover,itwasagreedwithsomeoftheotherteachersoftheclasstoadoptacross-curricularapproachregarding the subjects of physics, art and music. In general, the geography lesson wasconductedusingtask-based,learner-centeredandholisticapproaches.Learnersweregiventhechancetodiscoverknowledgeforthemselvesanddrawtheirownconclusions.An example of how teachers collaborated can be seenwith the unit on the solar system.Learnersweren’tpresentedwithall the informationabout theplanetsbut rather, throughwatchingvideos,theywereabletorecordinformationregardingthesize,colourandothercharacteristicsof theplanets.Theywere thengivenworksheetswhere theyhad tocolourtheplanets, order themaccording to their position in the solar systemanddescribe theirfavourite planet explaining the reasons they chose this particular planet. Some pupilssuggestedthey invent theirownplanetand indeedtheyweregiventheopportunity todoso.Theresultsofthistaskwereextremelyinteresting.Bydoingsuchanactivitylearnersnotonly expressed their creativity, but also revised and used terminology, concepts, andknowledgewhichhadbeencoveredinthepreviouslessons.Thephysicsteacherwhowasalsotheartteacherhelpedthemuseamathematicalequationtodeterminethesizeoftheplanetsinrelationtoeachother.Theyfurtherwentontocreatetheir own solar system using styrofoam. In this way, a cross-curricular approach to theteaching of geography was adopted with the inclusion of mathematics, physics and art.Whatisimportanttomentionhereisthatthepupilswereunawarethattheywerelearningabout so many subjects as they were concentrating on a ‘theme’ (the solar system) andproducing creative work. When the planets were completed they were hung up in theclassroombythepupilswhosesenseofpridewasimmense.Thewholeclasswasinvolvedinonewayoranother-whetheritwassolvinganequationorpaintingtheplanets.Theyallhadsomethingtocontribute.Wefinishedofftheunitonthesolarsystemwithasongabouttheplanets and the music teacher showed them how to perform the song with the use ofmusicalinstruments.All I can say is that this was one of the most satisfying moments in my experience as ateacherandafterafeedbacksessionwithparents,teachersandpupilswerealisedthattheyhadbeenleftwithaverysatistyingandpositivefeelingaswell.EventhoughIwasunsureofhowtoproceedatfirst,Iwasslowlyabletogetagrasponthings.Thelessonitselfshowedmetheway.Oneof thechallengesaCLIL teacher faces ishowtopresentnewknowledgeusingaforeignlanguageandatthesametimemakingsurethatallthepupilsunderstand.IbelievethatmyexperienceasanEFLteacherwasbeneficialinthisasIdealtwithvocabularyand new concepts as I do in a language class. Preparingmaterials andworksheets is alsoquite demanding as it is necessary to find the balance between language and newknowledge.Experiencing theenthusiasm, theacquisitionofknowledgeanddevelopmentof theclass IfoundteachinggeographythroughCLILextremelyrewardingforbothpupilsandteacher.

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ReferencesCoyle, D. (1999). ‘Theory and planning for effective classrooms: Supporting students in

contentandlanguageintegratedlearningcontexts’.InJ.Masih(Ed.),LearningThroughaForeignLanguage.London:CILT.

SkenderisT.&LaskaridouC.(2009).‘Feedback:ABasicIngredientortheCherryonthetopoftheCake?’InK.VanThienen&R.Baggio(Eds.),ATouchofHola!.Brussels.

ChryssaLaskaridou([email protected])isateacheratthe3rdExperimentalPrimarySchool,Evosmos,Thessaloniki.




DespoinaN.FELEKI

My first and most noteworthy experience with ConBaL took place while I was teachingEnglishataPrimarySchoolinaruralpartofHalkidikiduringtheSchoolyear2013-14.WithinthecontextofFlexibleZone,Iwasassignedtoorganizeandteachatwo-hourweeklycoursetoaclassofsixteen(8boysand8girls)underprivilegedDgraders.Thesubjectofthecourseswasopen,soIdecidedthatithadtobesomehowchallengingtotheparticularstudentsandrelevant to their reality, needs, and concerns. After discussingwith the pupils about theirinterests, and conducting some research about the subjects they had previously beentaught, I organized and carried out a Health Care Program entitled “Getting to KnowmyBody-LivingHealthily”.Theaimofthecoursewastohelptheseyounglearnersgettoknowtheirbodyandhowitrelatedtootherpeopleandtotheworldandstimuliaroundthem.Atthesametime,Iaimedatincreasingmypupils’receptiveskillsaswellastheirunderstandingofandcapacityintheEnglishlanguage.FollowingtheMethodofProjectandorganizingtask-basedactivities (seeWillis,1996),every two-hoursession focusedonadifferentaspectofthedescribedprogram,withspecificaims,procedures,anddesiredresults.Beginningwith physical and psychological awareness,we opened up our investigations toincludenutrition,agriculture,andfarming;weorganizedvisits todoctors, to theAmericanFarm School of Thessaloniki, we invited dieticians and biologists; we also cooked andcollectedolives.AlthoughitwasnotrequiredofmetoteachinEnglishduringthetwo-hourcourse,IdecidedthatthiswasawonderfulchanceformetoexperimentwithContentBasedLearningonasubjectthatIhadnottaughtbeforeand,simultaneously, immersemypupilsinto as much authentic English as possible. I began hesitantly with this three-monthprogram,butsufficeittosay,mystudentswereenjoyingitasmuchasIwassoIdecidedtocontinue exploring the subject and the different paths that were opening up to us in aninterdisciplinarywayduringthewholeschoolyear.Attheendoftheschoolyear,Ihadthechance to present a qualitative (rather than quantitative) description of the approach toPrimary and Secondary teachers of English, assess its benefits, and discuss possibledifficultiesatadayeventorganizedbytheELTSchoolAdvisor,DrAngelikiDeligianni.

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Sincethen,strictprogrammingofGreekschoolshasnotallowedmetoenjoytheprivilegesofteachingwithinthecontextofFlexibleZone(Vygotsky,1987).OnlythisyearIhavebeenassignedaone-hourweeklycoursewithinthecontextsofFlexibleZone,whichIamplanningtodevotetotheteachingofsimplephilosophicalissuestoyounglearnersthroughthetalesof Aesop. After my previous experience with the implementation of ConBaL, I intend toadopttheCLILapproachasIbelievethattheteachingofAesopmythsthroughthemediumof English andwithin a participatory environment is going to helpmypupils in both theircompetenceoftheEnglishlanguageandtheircriticalthinkingskills(seeCoyle,2007;Dalton-Puffer, 2008). I expect that the young learners’ possible prior knowledge of themyths isprobablygoingtofacilitatetheirunderstandingofthestoriesintheEnglishlanguageanditisgoingtoincreasetheircriticalskillsandtheirabilitytomakeconnectionsbetweenthetwolanguages.What is more, I have had very fruitful cooperation and exchange of ideas with themainsubject teacher of the pupils. The main teacher has already worked on philosophy andstorytelling with the particular pupils during the previous year in Greek and is willing tocooperatewithmeonthisgreatendeavor,shareexperiences,ideas,andofferfeedback.Weare going to be in close cooperation with the Greek and ELT School Advisors, acceptingacademic guidance from Dr. Matheoudaki, Assistant Professor in the School of English,AristotleUniversityofThessalonikiaswell.The English Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki has been a hub ofteachingandtrainingactivitiesrelatingtoCLIL.IhavebeenfollowingcloselythemobilityofDr.Mattheoudaki,AssistantProfessorintheAristotleUniversityofThessaloniki,who,inthelasttwoyears,hasbeenlecturingtoteachersofEnglishinGreeceabouttheimplementationofCLILintheEnglish-speakingclassroom.AfterIgotinformedaboutthemethodthroughmypersonalresearchintobibliographyaboutCLIL-andgotoversomemisconceptions-IrealisedthatitsphilosophywasquiteclosetomyexperiencewithConBaLanddecidedthatIwantedtogiveitatry.Ionlyneededthe“space”withintheSchool’sCurriculuminordertobeabletotestthemethod.TheproblemsIhaveexperiencedasalanguageteacher,whowantstoexperimentwiththemethod, are mainly institutional and practical. CLIL involves the teaching of curriculumsubjects ina foreign languagebut therearevery fewschoolsor subject teacherswhoarewilling to experiment and allow a language teacher teach a curriculum subject, such asHistory,Maths,Geographyetc.inEnglish.Duetotheeconomicrecessionthatthecountryisfacing, teachers are facing salary and working-hour shortcuts, literally struggling for theirsurvivalintheGreekSchool.Apartfromsuchpracticalproblems,languageteachersfacetherestraintandsuspicionoftheircolleaguesandheadteacherswhohavenotbeeninformedaboutthemethodyet.Manychallengesmaycomefromsubjectteachersandparentswhomightworryabout theeffectsof the implementationofCLIL.Fortunately,duetoconstantlecturing,teachersaregraduallygettinginformedandseemmoreopentonewchallenges.AsCLILchallengestheneedtotranslateintothelearners’mothertongue,oneofthemostdifficulttasksoftheparticipatinglanguageandsubjectteachersistoexplaintotheparentsthat they need not interfere with the teaching and learning process of the pupils. TheteacherwhodecidestouseCLILasamethodofteachingandESLinstructionneedstoinformtheparentsaboutthecarefulstepstobefollowed.Mostsurprisingly,younglearnersprovetobe less intimidated thananyoneelse. Lessbiasedandadjustablebynature tochangingteachingconditionsandenvironments,theyareopentonewideas. Ifconvincedaboutthetruth of the cause, they are the teacher’s best allies. By building a stress-free English-

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speakingenvironmentforthelearners,theyhavemanymorechancestodeveloplinguisticcompetence in thetarget language,aswellascritical thinkingdueto thecorrelations thatthepupilshavetomakebetweenthemothertongueandthetargetlanguage.Afterfeelingsof inhibition and anxiety are tamed, learners can experiment with the language freely,payingmoreattentiontocontentthantoform.Freefromthe‘tyranny’ofthetextbook,theyhave more chances to bring their knowledge and experience from their life into theclassroom.Through the activities that I havebeenorganizing, the learners canbecomemore flexibleand learn to contribute to participatory teaching and learning environments. Due to thegreatpossibilities that informationandcomputer technologiesoffer,both the teacherandthe learnershavethechancetobring intotheclassroomauthenticmaterial inEnglishandactively contribute to the teaching events. The implementation of themethod, hopefully,will increase their enthusiasm and their active involvement, their inter-culturalunderstanding,andtheircommunicationskillsintheEnglishlanguage.AsIwillnotbedependingontextbooksanymore,Ihavealreadyturnedintoaresearcher,activelyinvolvedinboththeorganizationandtheteachingofthesubject.Ichoosetobeanorchestratorratherthananauthoritativepersoninthelearningenvironment.ThroughmypreviousexperiencewithConBaLandpresentlywithCLIL,Iamhappytoseemyrole as a teacher changing, evolving, helping me grow personally. What drives me is myconstantsearchfornewandeffectivewaysofteachinglearnerswhohavetodealwiththechallengesoftheNewMediaera inaglobalizedshrinkingworld,whereEnglish inthefirstlanguagethattheywillhavetouse.Onthisjourney,IfeelthatIwilldefinitelyneedthehelpandexpertguidanceofmytutors,whosenotonlytheoreticalguidancebutalsopracticaltipsand solutions can prove invaluable. Co-operation, possibly co-teaching, observations, andfeedbackfrommycolleagues,schooladvisors,andtutorsaregoingtobeneeded.ReferencesCoyle,D.(2007).‘Contentandlanguageintegratedlearning:Towardsaconnectedresearch

agenda for CLIL pedagogies’. International Journal of Bilingual Education andBilingualism,10/5:543-562.

Dalton-Puffer, C. (2008). ‘Outcomes and processes in content and language integratedlearning (CLIL): Current research from Europe’. In W. Delanoy & L. Volkmann (Eds.),FutureperspectivesforEnglishlanguageteaching.Heidelberg:CarlWinter,139-157.

Vygotsky,L.S. (1987).ThecollectedworksofL.S.Vygotsky(R.W.RieberandA.S.Carton,translators).NewYork:PlenumPress.

Willis,J.(1996).Aframeworkfortask-basedlearning.Harlow:Longman.

DrDespoinaFeleki([email protected])isateacheratthe1stPrimarySchoolinPlagiari,Thessaloniki,Greece.




ElenaSOFRONIADOU

I am an EFL teacher in the 3rd experimental primary school of Evosmos. My school isexperimentalintheteachingofEnglish,therefore,we,theEFLteachers,havethechancetotestandadoptnewteachingpolicies,inordertoproviderichforeignlanguage(FL)inputtoourlearnersandhencetofacilitatetheircommunicativecompetenceintheFL.CLILhasbeenpartoftheteachingreality inmyschoolforyearsbutIhavebeenactivelyinvolvedin itforthree years. I teach Environmental Studies to the 3rd graders for twohours perweek. Theremainingonehourperweekisusedbythegeneralistteacherfordifferentunitsinthebook.Although now I feel that I am privileged to have such a teaching experience, I was quiteskeptical in thepreviousyears tostartaCLILcourse,because Iwasworriedabout ‘What’ Icouldteachand‘How’.WhileIwashelpingmydaughterstudyenvironmentalstudiesinthe3rd grade, however, I got acquaintedwith the syllabus and I felt that it was ideal, since itservesthe4Cs(seeCoyle,2005), i.e.theprinciplesthatdrivetheCLILmodel.Firstofall,asfar as cognition is concerned, learning in this subject can be built on students’ existingknowledge and experience. Secondly, the content, the learning skills and the languageoutcomesarearticulatedincooperationwiththestudents.Lastbutnotleast,thecontentisclearlylinkedtothecommunitywithinandoutsidetheclassroom.Thestudentscanapplythenewcontentanddeveloprelatedskillsthroughexperientialactivities.Communicationcanbesupported on all types (linguistic, visual and kinaesthetic) through active participation inactivities,classroomdisplaysonthewallsandotheravailableresources.However, thinkingabouthowgoodsomethingcanbe isquitedifferent fromputting it intopractice. CLIL has been one of the greatest challenges in my teaching career for manyreasons:

• I have been an English teacher formore than 20 years butmy orientation had tochangeintothatofasubjectteacher.Ichoseunits2and4fromthestudents’coursebook. Theseunits studyGreece geomorphologically, its fauna and flora, but at thesame time attention is put on the mutual influence between the geographicalfeaturesofaplaceandthepeoplewholivethere.Ichosetheseunitsasthecontent

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was clearly linked to the community of my students and thus the principle ofcognition could be served quite satisfactorily. Communication could also befacilitatedasmystudentscouldshareknowledgeandexperiencesfromplacestheyhadvisited in thepast. In theprocessof teaching,however, Ihad toovercomemyinclination to teach the language and thus had to make sure that the material Icreatedfocusedongeographicalfactsratherthanlinguisticelements.

• I am not in good terms with Geography; and although the subject I teach givesgeneralinformationaboutthedifferentareasinGreeceandwhatwecanseethere,Ihad togoback in timeand learnmanydetailsalloveragain inorder tobeable togive a simple and holistic view of the content. Depending on the topic of eachchapterIhadtosearchtheInternetforlonghoursandfindrelevantphotostomakethelessonmorevividandrealistic. Itgoeswithoutsayingthat Icametoappreciatemy country more through this process and also ‘saw’ places that I had neversuspectedtheyexistedinourpartoftheplanet.

• Ihadtohelpmy8year-oldsunderstandandlearngeographicalterms,likewaterfalls,caves, valleys andplains,mountainousareas, coastal areasbut also terms that arelinked to natural life, like pine, fir and oak trees, burrows, hibernation and free-ranginganimalfarming!Althoughteachingthevocabularyassuchmayresemblethetechniques we use in EFL, as in through pictionaries, matching activities etc, thechallengingpart ishelping learnersusethisvocabulary inadescriptivecontext.Forexample,whenwewere talkingabout themountainousareas,my studentshad towork in pairs and create on paper their ownmountainous area. I printed stickersdepictinganimalsandkindsoftreesalreadyseeninclassandgavethemablackandwhite worksheet picturing a mountain range. I asked them to decide what theirmountain range would look like and stick the pictures they would choose on thepaper.Thentheyhadtopresentthisareatotheclassand inthatcasetheyhadtouseexpressionslike“I/Wecansee…”or“Inmymountainousareathereis/are…”forthe first time. I have to say that I was in doubt whether they would be able todescribetheirpictures.SoIwentonusingthenecessaryformswhenIpresentedthematerialandIrepeatedthesamestructuresoveragainindifferentoccasions.WhatIsaw in my class was the proof of what is suggested widely in literature, i.e. thatlanguageteachingthroughtaskscanbemoreeffectivethanpre-teachingvocabulary.My students picked up the new language after a lot of repetition and they wereeventuallyabletouseitfortheirpresentations.Thereweresomestudentsofcoursewho needed help but they also managed in the end to make successfulpresentations.

• Mystudents’ levelofEnglishwasnothigh,theirskillswere limitedtospeakingandlisteningandthereforeIcouldnotuseanytextforthefirsttwomonths.SoIhadtofindotherways toassessandcheckcomprehensionat thesametime. In thiscase,mypreviousknowledge inEFLhelpedmea lot,because,whenteachingtheFL,wealwaystrytoavoidmuchuseofmothertongueintheclassroomandfindotherwaysthan mere translation to help learners understand. I used a lot of repetition,paraphrasing, facial expressions, visuals and of course, a map of Greece as mystudentshadno ideawhere theplaces theysawon thepowerpointpresentationswereonthemap. In thisway I triedtomakethetopicrelevant tothestudents, tosomehow connect it to their previous knowledge and experience and, hence,visualizethenewconcepts.


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• Ihadtofaceanddealwithmystudents’anxietytocomprehendconceptsnotseenintheEnglishclassuntilthenand,moreover,tobeabletoproducethem.Curiosityandeagernesstoparticipateoftenchangedplaceswithfrustrationfornotbeingabletoremember all the new knowledge. Nevertheless, studentswere eventually able tocope with the new challenge in their curriculum, since the concepts were lessdependent on the language thanon themanner of presentation and the activitiesorganizedtosupportlearning.

Despitethedifficultiesbothmystudentsandmyselfhadfaced,intheend,itwasarewardingexperienceas,ontheonehand,Ibecamemoreflexibleandresourcefulasateacherandonthe other, my students gained confidence in themselves. They knew that after the firstpuzzlement theywould understandwhatever newwas presented and theywould also beabletoputtheirmessageacrosseven if theyhadn’tbeentaughttheforms intheirEnglishclass. They also started thinkingmore flexibly and they worked better in teams. Hence, Istronglybelieve thatCLIL isworth theeffortbecauseof itsdual identity, i.e. you learn thelanguagewithoutrealizing itbecauseyourfocus inoncontent.AsMet(1999,p.48)states,“content serves as a powerful mechanism for promoting communication in the newlanguage”andit ispreciselyincontextswherethefocusisonmeaningandcommunicationthat, as many researchers suggest (Genesse, 1994; Met, 1999), deeper learning of thelanguageandcontentmaytakeplace.

CLIL tunes into thenaturalwaya child learns the first language.But theacquisitionof thefirst languageiseffortlessbecausetheenvironmentisfullofresourcesthatthechildlearnstouseastools.ACLILenvironmentprovidesrichinputandopportunitiesforrichintakeandoutput.Inordertofacilitatetheintakeinsuchayoungage,itisessentialtorememberthatyounglearnersneedpersonalengagementwiththelearningprocess.Philipssuggests“younglearnersrespondtolanguageaccordingtowhat itdoesorwhattheycandowithit”(1993,p.7).Attheageofeight,studentslikedoingthingswiththeirhandsandtheylikesharingtheoutcomeof a taskwith their classmates. The activities have to trigger their imagination inordertotakethemawayfromtheconfinementoftheclassroom.Itriedtousethiselementnotonly inmypowerpointpresentations,butalsowhen Ihad toconsolidateandpractisepreviousknowledge inclass.One instance Iwould like to sharewaswhenwewere talkingabout the mountainous areas at the beginning of the course. We were talking generallyaboutwhatwecanseethere,e.g.rivers,lakes,waterfalls,forests,rockypaths,snowytops.Igavemy students aworksheet in black andwhite and they had to colour it theway theywantedsoastopresenttheirareatotheclass.Therewerefewstudentswhorememberedallthewords.Butsinceallstudentswantedtoshowtheirpictures,theylistenedcarefullytowhat their classmateswere saying soas tobeable toproduce it themselves.Thesewordsneverlefttheirminds,neitherexpressionslike:“Upinthemountainswecansee…”Generallyspeaking,colouringexciteschildren’simaginationandit’sagoodwaytorevisethelessonathome.Butwhatalsohelps ishavinggroupsworking in cut-and-pasteactivities.They shareknowledgeand they feel theycanget immediatehelpby theirpeers.For instance, in laterclasses,theyhadtoworkingroupstocreatetheirownvillageortown.SoIgaveeachgrouptwostickerpapersprintedwithfourdividedsetsofpictures:animalsweseeinGreece,plantsandtrees,jobsandtypesofhousesandIalsogaveeachgroupaworksheetunderthetitle:“Wheredoyoulive?”.Theyhadtodecidewheretheywouldliketolive,i.e.village,townorcityonamountainousarea,coastalarea,nearalake,nearariver,inavalleyoronanisland.Theyhadtogiveanametotheirtownorvillageandtheyhadtodecidewhichanimalswouldlivethere,whatkindsofplantstherewouldbe,whatjobspeoplewoulddoandwhattypesofhousestheywouldhavedependingonthegeographyoftheplace.Thentheyhadtopresenttheir“poster”totheirclassmates.Aftertheirpresentation,therestoftheclassaskedthemquestionstolearnmoredetailsaboutthatplace.Theywereeagertopresenttheircreation


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andthestrongerstudentshelpedtheweakeronestolearnthewordstheyneededtouseintheirpresentation.On thewhole I strongly believe that the advantage of CLIL is that it promotes the holisticdevelopment of learners. They gain needed content and language knowledge and skills. Italsopromotesopportunitiesforcommunicationwiththeother learners.The4Csthatdrivethe CLIL model (cognition, community, content and communication) serve long-termretention of new knowledge and enhance the use of skills in a meaningful context. CLILactivities are academically and cognitively demanding, therefore, they encourage creativethinkingprocesses.TheonlydisadvantageIcanthinkofislackofsufficienttime.TherewerenumerousmomentswhenIwishedformorethan2hoursperweekinordertodomorepair-orgroup-workactivitiesandgivemoreopportunitiesforco-operativelearning.CLIL is a process worth trying for as the advantages in the long run outweigh thedisadvantages not only for the students whose language skills are upgraded but also forteacherswhoseteachingperformancebecomesmoreeffective.Personally,IfeelthatIhavedeveloped as a teacher in that I have experienced a new teaching practice and thus havediscovered new ways of guiding my students into learning paths. Reading articles on theInternetandbooksonCLILhelpedmeunderstandthetheorybetterbutthereisstillalottolearnandcomprehend.Sharingknowledgeandexchanging ideaswithmoreexperienced inCLILcolleaguesatschoolhavebeenprovedequallyvaluableasIhadimmediatefeedbackonthematerial I had created for my students. I also worked with the generalist teachers inordertounderstandbetterthesubjectIwascalledtoteachthroughtheforeignlanguage.Iam lucky tobeanEFL teacherbecausemycommandofEnglishgivesmeanadvantage forCLIL.SomeofmycolleaguesatschoolwhoarenotEFLteachersfeel lessconfidentwhenitcomestouseEnglishfortheirCLILlessonsbutthisdoesnotdiscouragethemastheyalsoseethisexperienceasrewardingandeducationalnotonlyfortheirstudentsbutforthemselvesaswell.Cooperationbetweenteachersisessentialastheycanhelpeachotherondifferentareasandthusmakeabetterjob.Generallyspeaking,IbelievethataneffectiveCLILteachershouldhaveagoodcommandofthe FLbut also goodknowledgeof the content subject. This doesnot imply that a seconddegree is necessary. The school books give a solid basis to work on but they need to beenriched and in many cases more details need to be added in order for the topic of thelessontobeadequatelyanalyzedandlearnt.AnotherpointIkeepinmindinordertoteachCLIL effectively is that my lesson plans need to ensure gradual content and languageprogression.Theageofthestudentsinprimaryeducationcallsforaholisticapproachwhichis action- and content-based and process-oriented. They need hands-on, concreteexperiencesgainedthroughmulti-sensoryactivitieslinkedtothespheresofexperiences.Forthatpurposethelessonsneedtobeplannedwithinthebroaderframeworkofthreeessentialconditions for language acquisition suggested by Willis (1996, p.11): exposure, use andmotivation.Corrective feedbackshouldalsobeprovidedeitherexplicitlyor implicitlywhenmeaningsarewronglyidentified.AsaCLILteacherthereforeIneedtobeflexibleandneverforget that sometimes code-switching is inevitable as a natural communication strategy.Repetition, demonstration, giving cues and using visuals, describing tasks accurately andgiving instructions clearly, sequencing tasks and maintaining learners’ engagement in thetasksareimportantpointstokeepinmind.As Imentionedearlier,CLILhelpsa teacherdevelopprofessionally. Since ‘development’ tomeisanothermeaningfor‘learning’, IbelievethatitwouldbeofgreathelptometohavesomekindofconsultancyontheprofessionalstandardsthatL1teachershavewhentheyaretrained to teach Environmental Studies to the 3rd grade. Moreover, since I believe that


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moderntechnologyisnecessarytomakemylessonsmoreinterestingandchallengingformystudents,Iwouldliketohavesomekindoftrainingonalternativewaysofbrainstormingandassessmentthroughcomputers.ReferencesCoyle,D.(2005).DevelopingCLIL:TowardsaTheoryofPractice.Barcelona:APAC.Genesse,F.(1994).IntegratingLanguageandContent:LessonsfromImmersion.NationalCenterforResearchonCulturalDiversityandSecondLang.Learning.Met, M. (1999). ‘Curriculum Decision-making in Content-based Language Teaching’. In I.

Cenoz & F. Genesse (Eds), Beyond Bilingualism. Multilingualism and MultilingualEducation.Clevelond:Multililngual,35-63.

Philips,S.(1993).YoungLearners.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.Willis,J.(1996).Aframeworkfortask-BasedLearning.Harlow:Longman.

ElenaSofroniadou([email protected])isateacheratthe3rdexperimentalprimaryschoolofEvosmos,Thessaloniki.




GeorgiaMAKROGIORGOUIhavebeenteachingEnglishinPrimaryschoolsfor20yearsandIreceivedin-servicetrainingin CLIL methodology, for two weeks in 2010, in Edinbourgh within the framework ofComeniusactions.Eversince,ItrytoorganizeCLILprojectswithmyclasses.A CLIL event that I distinguish was implemented within the framework of the action‘teachers4europe’intheschoolyear2013-14.Theactionaimedatengagingstudentsofthe6thgradeof the4thPrimary schoolofPefka inhands-onactivities inorder toconceive theideaoftheEU‘unitedindiversity’.TheideawaslinkedtothespecificunitinGeographyofthe sixth grade,which is about Europe and the EuropeanUnion. Simultaneously, the firstunitofthetextbook‘English6thgrade’isaboutcountries,nationalitiesandourmulticulturalworld. To this end, I designed aWebQuest, with the title ‘European Corner’ available at:www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=231686.WebQuests are educational tools that include an authentic task which the studentsimplementusingspecificsourcesfromtheWeb,followingspecificsteps.Thestudentsworkingroupsand they investigate the topic, transforming theacquiredknowledge intoa finalproduct.WebQests consistof an introduction, anexplanationof the task, adescriptionofthe process to be followed, the resources, an evaluation and a conclusion (Dodge, 1995;March,2004).Following this educational tool, 34 students participated in the project, in two sections.Through the WebQuest, the students gathered information about various countries inEurope, their capitals, flags, population, products, climate, foods and languages. Theywatchedvideosandtheydesignedmaps,afairytale,aboardgameandfinallyaEuropeancornerwithallthematerialstheyhadcreated.TheyalsobroughtsouvenirstodecoratetheEuropeancorner.After the creation of the European corner, the project went on with activities aboutEuropeancitizenship. Thus, the childrencreatedposters forabetterworld,withdrawingsand slogans for the environment, friendship against bullying and racism, respect for the

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different.Theactiondevelopedandthenextyear itwastransformedtoaneTwinningandErasmus+projectwiththetitle ‘United indiversitythroughstories inEurope’fortheyears2014-2016.Takingpartinthisaction,ItrytodesignCLILeventscombiningtheaimsofthisEuropeanpartnershipwiththeaimsofthecurriculum.IthinkthatCLILisworththeeffortbecauseitpresupposesdesigningofinterestingtasks.ThestudentsfeelmotivatedandconfidentwithCLILastheactivitiesareorganizedaccordingtotheirlevelandpriorknowledgeaboutspecificareasofthecurriculum.Also,theyexperienceasenseofself-efficacygainingknowledgeaboutsubjectsthroughlanguagelearning.OrganizingCLILactivitiesIconstantlysearchtheInternettofindmotivatingmaterial,videos,worksheets, games, stories, etc. I also cooperate with the teachers of general educationaboutthesubjectareasIinclude.AneffectiveCLILteacherhastosearchalot,becompetentinnewtechnologies,cooperate,beinformedandeagertolearn.Andwithintheclassroom,(s)he has to act as a facilitator, introducing enjoyable activities away from traditionalteaching.ReferencesDodge, B. (1995). ‘Some thoughts about WebQuests’. http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about

webquests.html.Accessedon2March2010.March, T. (2005). ‘WhatWebQuests are’. http://tommarch.com/writings/what-webquests-

are.Accessedon20October2012.

GeorgiaMakrogiorgou([email protected])isateacheratthe1stPrimaryschoolofTriandria,Thessaloniki.



ReflectiononCLILimplementationinanEFLSecondarySchoolclassroom

EfthimiosMAVROGEORGIADISEven though CLIL has spread across Europe and has been incorporated in the schoolcurriculum ofmany countries, there is still no official framework to regulate it in Greece(Mattheoudakis et al., 2014). As education in Greece is tightly controlled and regulatedcentrally,whenevera teacher iswilling to incorporateCLIL inhis/her classesand take theinitiative to teach his/her subjects in a foreign language, s/he would most probably findhim/herself involved in legal proceedings over the compatibility of his/her actions withcurrentschoolpolicies.Thankfully,experimentalschoolshavetheopportunitytobreaknewgroundand introduceinnovations suchasCLILwithin the frameworkof their extracurricular activitiesunder thesupervisionandapprovaloftheirScientificSupervisoryBoards[SSB].AsateacherofEnglishat the Experimental Junior High School of the University of Macedonia, I took thisopportunitytoteachanastronomycoursetothestudentsattendingtheafter-schoolEnglishClub,whichmainly aimed to prepare them for the KPG (National Foreign Language ExamSystem)examsinEnglishattheB1/B2level.ImplementingCLILinthissettingentailslimitedfunding and informal student evaluation but, at the same time, teachers can shape andtailorthecurriculumtotheirstudents’needs.Teachingastronomy to13-year-old juniorhigh school studentsproved tobea challengingendeavornotonly for thestudentsbutalso for the teacherhimself.Normally, students inGreececantakeupastronomyasanoptionalcoursewhilestudyingataseniorhighschool.Approaching the subject in English much earlier allows for a clearer picture to emergeconcerning the effect of CLIL implementation on the students’ cognitive awareness andlanguage skills as students at this age do not normally have a L1-based background onastronomythatcouldsignificantlyaffecttheirperformanceinclass.FortheEnglishteacher,on theotherhand, teachingastronomy requires a substantial time investment toprepareand familiarizehimselfwith the subject that is tobe taught. In this case, the teacherhadgood, solid knowledge of basic astronomical concepts as an amateur astronomer thatallowedhimtoplanandimplementa30-hourlongCLILprojectwithrelativeconfidence.

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Students had the opportunity to learn basic astronomical concepts along with Englishstructures and terminology related to the thematic units taught through a variety ofmethodological approaches and techniques: introductory video sessions, readingcomprehension alongwith consolidation exercises, group and pair work, etc. As studentsprogressed,theyfacedthechallengeofusingthevocabulary,structures,andconceptslearnttocreatetheirownpresentations,conductpracticalexperiments,anduseon-lineresourcesthat helped them come to gripswith difficult aspects of astronomy thatwould otherwiseseem vague or simply incomprehensible. Throughout this journey, student learning wassupportedbyaMoodle-baseddynamiclearningenvironmentthatpresentedeachlessoninaclearlystructuredformatthathelpedthemfocusonthesubjectbeingtaughtwhile,atthesametime,offeringthemavarietyofactivitiesandresourcesfor furtherstudyasoptionalhomework. Complementing in-class work with the online learning experience offered tostudents through Moodle’s active learning environment allows teachers to keep theirstudents engaged in the learning process interactively (Rice, 2008), encouraging bothlanguageproductionandcontentcomprehension.As thegroupofstudents thatparticipated in thisCLILcoursehadbeenselectedthroughaB1-level placement test and were supported throughout the course with parallel Englishlanguage classes that were meant to prepare them to take the B1/B2 level exams, theyformed a more or less homogenous group language-wise, which facilitated the learningprocess.Furthermore,itshouldbepointedoutthatstudentshadnevertakenanastronomycourse in their mother tongue and English was the vehicle through which they came tounderstand astronomical concepts for the first time. As a result, when speaking aboutastronomy they had no option but to think directly in the foreign language and use itnaturally to express concepts learnt within the framework of classwork. This becameobvious a couple of months before the course ended when students from the School ofEnglish, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, expressed interest in attending the club andhelpingwith one of the lessons. At the end of the class, they voiced their surprise at theterminologystudentsseemedtobeabletohandlewitheaseandtheirreadinesstoadapttothedifferenttypesofactivitiesusedinclass.This, of course, does not mean that everything went smoothly. Like every other class inGreece,thiswasjustanothergroupofstudentsthatsharedthesameL1.Eventhoughideallythe languageusedduring student interactions should be the foreign language taught, thecommon language tool students shared often meant that they would resort to Greek tocomplete an activity swiftly (even though they sometimes used Greek with embeddedEnglishastronomical terms),which isnotalways frownedupon inaCLIL context (Deller&Price, 2007). As most of the work done in-class required the use of computers, it soonbecame obvious that one of the main distractors that led students to use their mothertongue was the language of the computer interface. It is believed that switching thecomputer languageand localetoEnglishandUK/USArespectivelywouldallowstudentstoadaptmore easily to using the foreign language in class even though this transition to adifferentlanguage/localeisnotalwaysfeasiblewhenthecomputersarealsousedbymostoftheotherteachersinschool.AnothermajorobstacleonthepathtousingCLILinaGreeksecondaryschoolisthelackofsuitable textbooks and supporting material or the steep prices of those that have beenprepared and made available by privately owned publishing companies (cf. Coyle et al.,2010).Evenifonedecidedtouseoneofthelattertextbooks,itwouldsoonbecomeobviousthattheymainlyfocusonlanguagelearningand,asaresult,seemtomissoneofthetargetsofCLIL, i.e. subject learning.Ontheotherhand,usingmaterial that ispubliclyavailable to


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teachspecificsubjectstostudents inEnglish-speakingcountrieswouldalsobeproblematicsince they need to be pedagogically adapted to the needs of students with differentbackgroundknowledgeand languagecompetence(Mattheoudakisetal.,2014).RelyingonthevarietyofCLILresourcesthatisavailableonlinecouldhelpateacherputtogetherandteach a CLIL course effectively, but the situation can develop into a heavy burden forteacherswhodecidetoimplementCLIL,asasignificantamountoftimeneedstobedevotedto developing and/or adaptingmaterial to one’s teaching situationnomatter its origin orprevioususe.Nevertheless,theresultsseemtoberewardingbothfortheteacherandthestudents.Bothseemed to enjoy teaching/attending the CLIL coursemore than they didwhen theywerestudyingEnglish in theexaminationpreparatory classand theyactually said soevery timethey had the opportunity to express their views on thematter. Even though quite a fewstudentsfoundsomeofthematerialhardtofollow,studentself-confidencewasboostedastheycouldunderstandtextstheywouldbeotherwiseunabletotackle(Coyleetal.,2010).TheuseofL2asameanstoacquireknowledgeonanunfamiliarscientificfieldalsoallowedthemtobe lesshesitantwhenexpressing theirviews inEnglishbothorallyand inwriting.TheresultsoftheB1/B2examinationthatstudentstookattheendofthecoursealsospeakvolumes.All12studentsthatattendedtheCLILcoursewereencouragedtotaketheexaminMay2015.Eventhoughonlyeightofthemdecidedtotaketheplunge,theyallpassedandreceived B2 certification. Of course, the CLIL course alone cannot take credit for theseresults.However,conversationalfeedbackreceivedbythestudentsmadeitobviousthatthefamiliarity students developedwith L2, the techniques theymastered to handle unknownwords,andtheeverydayin-classvocabularytheypracticedmostofthetimeduringtheCLILcoursecertainlyplayedasignificantroleinloweringtheirstresslevelduringtheirexamand,eventually,achievingthelanguagelevelneededtobecertified.Asfarasteachingefficiency isconcerned, lackofexperiencewithCLILprojectsmeantthatnot all activities developed as planned or achieved the expected results. However, goodcommunication with the students allowed for swift adaptation to the feedback received,whichusually entailed fallingback tobackupmaterial thatwas cognitively or linguisticallylesschallenging(Bentley,2010).Thankfully,anintroductorydistance-learningcourseonCLILisregularlyofferedbytheBritishCouncil.Havingtheopportunitytoattendthiscourseandexchange views with the rest of the participating teachers can help improve themethodologyandtechniquesimplementedinclassaswellasdevelopnewideasandinsighton the subject matter and language that is being taught. Moreover, the fact that theaforementionedcoursewasalsoofferedonaMoodleplatformhelpedmovetheAstronomyClub’s Moodle website one step further in terms of organizing group work and studentinteractionbetter.Ofcourse,moreformalandorganizedtrainingandlegislationthatwouldsettheframeworkwithinwhichteacherscouldinnovateandinitiateCLILprojectsisessentialifmoreteachersofEnglishand/orteachersofotherschoolsubjectsaretogetinvolved.Introductorycoursestoschoolsubjectsandforeignlanguagesshouldbeofferedrespectivelytoallowteacherstofamiliarizethemselveswithconceptsandlanguagestructurestheydon’tfeelconfidentusingand/or teaching. Within this framework and depending on teacher interests, universitydepartments could organize intensive courses that would allow teachers to teach basicsubjects at school in a foreign language. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that foreign languageteacherscouldeverteachhigherlevelsubjectsinseniorhighschoolwithoutadegreeonthesubjecttobetaught.


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Apart from training, though, what Greek schools seem to need most is the spirit ofcooperation and the interdisciplinary approach to learning that CLIL is based on. Thelegislation that regulates primary and secondary education in Greece is more likely toencourage antagonistic relations among teachers who try to preserve their rights andpositioninschoolratherthanjointprojectsthatwouldbenefitthestudentsmost.However,eventhoughlegislativechangescouldbeeasilyintroduced,giventhenecessarypoliticalwill,teacherperceptionsandattitudescouldbedifficulttomodify.Asaresult,humanresourcemanagement projects might need to be initiated to promote the behavioral adaptationneeded.ReferencesBentley,K.(2010).TheTKTCourseCLILModule.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Coyle, D., Hood, P. &Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning.

Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Deller, S. & Price, C. (2007) Teaching Other Subjects through English. Oxford: Oxford

UniversityPress.Mattheoudakis,M.,Alexiou,T.&Laskaridou,C.(2014)‘ToCLILornottoCLIL?TheCaseof

the 3rd Experimental Primary School in Evosmos’. InMajor Trends in Theoretical andAppliedLinguistics3:SelectedPapersfromthe20thISTAL,215-234.

Rice,W.(2008).Moodle1.9E-LearningCourseDevelopment:ACompleteGuidetoSuccessfulLearningUsingMoodle1.9.Birmingham,UK:PacktPublishing.

EfthimiosMavrogeorgiadis([email protected])isateacherattheExperimentalJuniorHighSchooloftheUniversityofMacedonia,

Thessaloniki.


6thEPISODEINCLIL‘ARENA’


PanayotisDOMVROS

IamanEFLteacherinajuniorhighschoolinThessaloniki,Greece.IalsoteachHistoryinallthreeclassesofjuniorhighschool.ConsideringthebenefitsofCLIL(seeCoyle,2006;Dalton-Puffer, 2007), I have very often used a cross-curricular approach tomy teaching trying tohighlighttheuseoftheEnglishLanguageasameansratherthananendandthusstressitspivotalfunctioninthelearningprocess.In the past two years I have developed a project with third class students (9th graders)involvingWorldHistoryandWorldWarI,inparticular.TheprojecthasrunfortwoyearsandthisyearIamthinkingofrunningtheprojectwithafellowHistoryteacherinanotherschool.Ichose9thgradersforanumberofreasonsthemostobviousbeingthattheirlevelofEnglishisquiteadvancedbynow,whichmakesfollowingthematerialmucheasier.Additionally,thestate-prescribed textbookdoesnotoffermuchof a challenge to them rendering it almostimperative toseekadditionalmaterial. Finally, theirorganisational skillsandwillingness todo group work has been adequately “groomed” the previous years, making it easier toembarkonahighlycollaborativeproject.WorldWar I was chosen because although it is an event that has changed the course ofmodernhistory it isgivenminimalcoverage inGreekHistorytext-books.Furthermore, it ismaterial thatwouldnotbeextensivelycoveredby theirHistory teachers, thus limiting thepossibilityof“clashes”and“turfwars”betweensubjectsandinstructors.Another important element in the project was TET (Technology Enhanced Teaching). Thewhole project was operated on electronic platforms, with thematerial mounted on webpagesand toolsdevisedbyme.Anadditional goalwas tomake this a “paperless”projectwith students using only their laptops and tablets and no pen or paper. The project wascalled“It’saLongWaytoTipperary–WorldWarI”,anditseffectsonthelivesofthepeopleinvolved. Its causes, its break-out and its fronts through Literature, Art and personalaccountsofthetimeandthestudentsworkedinfourgroupsinvestigatingvariousaspectsofthewar.

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WorkingwithEnglishcamesurprisingnaturaltomystudents.IbelievethatthiswaslargelyduetothefactthattheywerereadinganddiscussingeventsthattookplaceoutsideGreece.It would, perhaps, have seemed more ‘awkward’ for them to be talking about a Greek-specificperiodofHistory,say,theGoldenAgeofPericlesorthePeloponneseWarinEnglish.Authenticity of the material was another key element in their acceptance of the Englishlanguageasameansofnavigatingthroughthematerialandproducingtheirownmaterial.Ofcoursethepreparationofthematerialdemandedalotoftimeonmypartandonemightthinkthatitisimpossibletoaskasinglepersontoputinsomuchworkforjustfourhoursofclassroomtime. Iwillnotdisagree. Ibelieve that theGreekeducational system is very farfrom adopting CLIL as a generally accepted practice. It is both amatter of resources andmentality. Itcouldbean“off-the-books”practiceforsomeEnglish languageteachersbut Ithinkthisisasfarasitcouldgoforanumberofyearstocome.Furthermore,itmightbeapractice that can easily be applied with some subjects such as History, Geography, Art,Music,HomeEconomicsbutIhardlyseeitbeingappliedto“hardcore”subjectslikeMath,Physics,andsoon.Thementalityofbothteachersandstudents/parentsalsocomes intoplay.TherewillbeanumberofpeoplewhowilltalkofthenecessityofdoubledegreeandwhowillquestionthesecondaryskillsoftheteacherswhoimplementCLILpractices.Thereisalreadywidespreaddiscontent and distrust for Language Teacherswho teach History so imaginewhatwouldhappenif,say,HistorybecamethesoleresponsibilityofLanguageteachers.Therewillalsobe ‘purists’ who will argue that the use of the English language will undermine nationalidentity.Evenifallobstaclesareovercome,wearestilllookingataserioustrainingtimeneededforpeoplewhowill be involved in any CLIL implementation. The need of each individualwillvary basedon thedegreeof prior exposure andpersonal knowledge, butwhat remains aconstantisthatitwillhavetobeacarefullyorganizedprocessthatwillleadtosomesortofcertification.Note: Examples of the project that I have mentioned can be found on my webpage(http://www.pdomvros.mysch.gr)inthefollowingsections:http://domvrosww1b.pbworks.com/w/page/89200013/CONTENTS(2014-15)http://domvrosww1.pbworks.com/w/page/76877816/FrontPage(2013-14)References

Coyle, D. (2006). Content and Language Integrated Learning: Motivating learners andteachers.ScottishLanguagesReview.

Dalton-Puffer, C. (2007). Discourse in content and language integrated learning (CLIL)classrooms.Amsterdam:JohnBenjaminsPublishing.

PanayotisDomvros([email protected])isateacheratthe1st

GymnasiumPanorama,Thessaloniki.




MelinaKalaitzidou

Soundseasy?Sureis,ifyou’vegotit!

Working ina juniorhighschoolwherestudentswerenotsetbyability inEnglish languageclassdue to reactionson thepartofotherexpertise teachers,objecting to themethodofsetting students I decided that offering allmy students advanced courses inmixed abilityclasseswouldbebutbeneficial.AtthisadvancedlevelEnglishlanguagewasusedbothinsideandoutsidetheclassroom,evenduringbreak-time.Thiswayamorenaturalenvironmentwascreated,withEnglishbeingthetooltoteachthevery language. The idea of touching upon other subjects emerged from a cross-curricularprojectwithgeography.ThoughIhadonlypracticedCLILfortwoyears,itcameasanaturalcontinuationtomypreviouswork;childrenimmediatelytookalikingtoitbecausetheywereexposedtonewpiecesofinformationthroughEnglishandnotGreek-thecasewiththerestofthesubjects.Thishasnotalwaysbeeneasy-breezy;however,lotsofstudyingneedstobecarriedoutbyan EFL teacher tomake sure the required information to be taught is absolutely correct.Additionally,somechildrenwhomaynotreallyfollowbecauseofpoorerEnglishvocabulary,willalsomissoutonthesubjecttaughtthroughEnglish.Still,childrenlearntoappreciatetheEnglish language because they see a meaning in it, that is learning another subject(Ludbrook,2008).Asaresult,theyarerarelyboredorloseattention;theseverychallenginglessonsofferreallifesituationsforacquiringthelanguage.In my cross-curricular project students were asked to find English songs that containedgeographical terms and reflect on the lyrics, explaining how geography interacted withpossible emotions described. All the talking was initially conducted in Greek (due to thegeography teacher) but it immediately turned into English when I used an English word!Another similar event occurred this year in Project Work class, a school subject newlyintroduced into junior high school curriculum.. The topic was finding out environmental-friendly energy sourcesmainly in Greek.When a student showed us an English video on

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nuclear energy possible benefits, the discussion immediately turned into English! Theseeventsclearlyshowthatthelanguageswitchkidsuse(becausetheyhavebeenexposedtosomeEnglishwords)isanindicationthatreallanguageacquisitionistakingplace.Quiteunderstandably, inorder tobeaneffectiveCLIL teacheryoudefinitelyneed tobeafluentcommunicatorofthemostcomplexideasinEnglish.Thisinevitablyaddressesmainlybilingual or native English teachers or near-natives. Otherwise, the traditional old styleteachercannevercopeinsuchaclasswiththeextraburdenofanothersubjecttobetaughtinEnglish.Inanutshell,ifteacherscomefromtheformerbackground,thesituationcouldbeapiece-of-cake. If theyarepeopleofmultiple interestswhoareopentonewideas,alwaysonthelookout for new progress in scientific settings, CLIL teaching is meaningful and soundslogical. Unless this is so, I personally doubt that a teacher can really be trained in CLILteaching.IfthentheideaofCLILteachingaddresseshighlyspecializedteachersforimplementingandpracticingit intheGreekclassrooms,aseconddegreeofspecializationisreallyneededforanother core subject to be accurately and effectively taught (see Wei & Jieyun, 2015).Alternatively, the Project Work school subject could be assigned by the Ministry ofEducationexclusivelytoEFLteachers,topracticereallifesituationsettingsforteachingthelanguage; it isworthnoting that the teacherwhoundertakes this subjectguides, supportsand supervises kids’ research on a chosen area (see Wolff, 2011 for learning in anautonomoussetting.ReferencesLudbrook,G.(2008).‘CLIL:ThePotentialofMultilingualEducation’.DosAlgarves,17:19-27.Wei, R. & Jieyun, F. (2015). ‘Researching Content and Language Integration in Higher

Education’. In Ch. Williams (Eds), Maastricht:Maastricht University Language Centre.Availableathttp://arno.unimaas.nl/show.cgi?fid=12521.

Wolff, D. (2011). ‘CLIL and Learner Autonomy: Relating Two Educational Concepts’.EducationetSociétésPlurilingues,30:69-80.

Dr.MelinaKalaitzidou([email protected])isateacheratthe13thJuniorhigh-school,Thessaloniki.




DoraCHOSTELIDOU

HavingbeenanEnglish language teacher for20years, Ihavealwaysbeenconcernedwithemploying themost optimal approach to language teaching so as to addressmy learners'needs. I was a Ph.D. student in the field of applied linguistics when I came across theContentandLanguageIntegratedLearningapproachtolanguageteaching,mostcommonlyreferredwiththeacronymCLIL,whichseemedworthtoresearchfurtherandimplementinconsiderationofitspotentialtobringaboutchangesinlanguageeducation.Since then, Ihave tried to in-depthexploreCLILwhile Ihave taken the timeandeffort toorganizeCLILprojectswithmyclasseswhetheratsecondaryorprimaryeducation.However,for the present call I am going to refer to a CLIL project implemented in the context ofvocationaleducation(VE),inwhichIhavebeenemployedonapart-timebasis.ThepresentreflectionfocusesonaCLILcourseconcerningTravel,TourismandHospitalityManagement,withVEstudentsattendingthespecialty‘AdministrativeandFinancialManagementStaffinthe Tourism Sector’ implemented for two semesters. The data presented resulted from aqualitativeanalysisofthereflectivejournalkeptthroughouttheCLILcoursebymyself.The rationale for deciding to implement CLIL in VE stemmed from the fact that practicalexamples of the organization, implementation and development of CLIL courses in suchcontextsare limited inEurope ingeneral (Coyleetal.,2010)andGreece inparticular.Thiswasoneofthereasonsthattheproject“ContentandLanguageIntegratedLearninginGreekVocational Education: Introduction to Tourism & Hospitality” was developed andimplementedduringtheschoolyear2014-2015inthecontextatissue.Moreover, it should not be ignored that both EFL and ESP or EVP instruction have failedmany vocational students in their attempt to respond to the need of educating alinguistically qualifiedworkforcewithin an increasingly internationalized labormarket. Ontheotherhand,CLILbypromotingthelearningofbothlanguageskills,andsubject-specificknowledgecanofferclearadvantagesfortheparticulartargetgroupofstudentsbymeansofencompassingtheirreal-lifeoroccupationalpurposes.

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ItismyfirmbeliefthatstudentsspecializingintheTourismIndustry,needtodevelopbetterEnglishlanguageskillsaswellasknowledgeofsubject-specificskillsandvocabulary,tocopewith thedemandsof their futureworking life,which takesplace in international contexts.Such linguistic demands and possibilities present the language teachers operating in thecontextofVEwithamajorchallenge.The learning objectives of the CLIL course in termsof subject-specific contentwere: a) tointroducestudentstotheprinciplesandpracticeofmoderntourism;andb)toexploreissuesrelated to the Tourism & Hospitality Industry, i.e. classification of hotels, distributionchannels,frontofficestructure,servicesandcommunication.AsregardsthesetobjectivesoftheCLILcourseintermsoflanguageskills,thesecomprised:a)Reading:understandauthentictextsrelatedtospecialismareas(textbooksorweb-basedresources); b) Writing: write detailed specialism-related letters in standard format; c)Listening: understand main ideas and identify relevant information in conversations anddiscussions on specialism-related topics; d) Oral communication (Spoken Interaction -Production):understand,developandcommunicateideasandinformation;respondtomainideasandidentifyrelevant informationinconversationsonsubject-specifictopics;analyze,evaluateanduseinformationfromvarioussources.Theexpectedlearningoutcomeswerelinkedtotheaimsandobjectivesofthesyllabusandcomprised: a) acquiring subject-specific content knowledge; b) promoting language skillsdevelopment. Regarding language proficiency, the anticipated learning outcomes were inaccordancewithlevelC1+oftheCEFR.Intotal,52VEstudentsstreamedintotwogroupsreceived60hoursofinstructionintotal;Their age range was 18-28 years (mean age 21.9) while their level in English was: falsebeginners(10.4%);upperintermediate(51.2%)andadvanced(38.4%).Thestudy followed thequalitative researchparadigm;a reflective journalwaskeptby theteacher-researcher with the aim to provide in-depth information concerning theimplementationoftheexperimentalCLILintervention.Whilerunningthecourse,takingtheroleofa teacher-researcher, I tried toobserveconsciouslyandreflecton theeffectofmyCLIL teaching on the VE students, with a particular focus on the development,implementationandappreciationoftheCLILcourse.Fromtheanalysisoftheextracts,threebasictypologiesemergedwhichreflected:A.theCLILteachingprocess;B.therolesassumedbytheCLILteacher;C.ageneralappreciationoftheCLILteachingintervention.The following qualitative data provide insights into the potential of introducing the CLILparadigmwithinthecontextofVE.AsregardstheCLILteachingprocess, itwasidentifiedthatinordertoaddresstheaimandobjectives set for the CLIL course, a balanced approach to content and language learningwas adopted.Moreover,multimodal input from a variety of sources as well as authenticmaterials integrating all four skills were widely employed to ensure that the learners’interestandmotivationwouldbekeptatthehighestpossiblelevelthroughoutthecourse.Avarietyof task typeswerepresented to the learners,providing themwithadequate input,allowing for processing besides encouraging output as well as establishing cooperativelearningwithintheclassroom.


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Additionally, the experimental CLIL course provided ample opportunities for oralcommunication, both interaction and production. Such productive use of the language isgenerally regardedasmoredemandingsince it requiressufficient linguisticcompetence inthe TL. Nevertheless, establishing the learners’ perceptions of developing in terms offunctional fluency (Juan-Garau & Salazar-Noguera, 2015) rather than opting for accuracyonly,alongwithbeingabletounderstandcomplexcontentthroughtheTL,enabledthemtoincreasetheirconfidenceandmotivationwhilemakinguseofit.Furthermore, sincewillingness to take risks and communicateorally in theTL canonlybeachieved through adequate exposure and practice in it, the students’ aim was largely inconveying their message and maintaining communication rather than being inhibited bymistakes that were inevitably expected to occur during the learning process. Such anapproachoptedforlesspressureforaccuracyintheTLsoastopromotelanguagelearningwithintheCLILcontextbyloweringtheaffectivefilter.Personality traits such as confidence, initiative and motivation influenced the learners’contributionandactivelanguageusewithintheCLILclassroom.Nevertheless,establishingarelaxed and non-threatening atmosphere in the classroom, encouraging VE students tocooperate with their peers besides providing themwith adequate input were themeansadopted so as tohelp themovercomeanypotential reluctance to get actively involved inlearningandusetheTL.AsregardstheuseoftheEnglishlanguagebytheteacher,itincludedthepurposesofgivinginstructions, involving repetition or paraphrasing, as well as providing clarifications andcheckingforunderstandingwheneveritwasnecessary.ConcerningtheuseofL1,Greek,itwasmoreoftenresortedtoonthepartofthestudentsforcommunicationpurposesandmanaginginteractionsatthebeginningofthecoursewhileusing English became graduallymore andmore natural with code-switching between thetwolanguages,beingpresenteventowardstheendofthecourse.Nevertheless,mygeneralimpression is that the lesscompetentof thestudents, falsebeginnersandvery fewupperintermediateones,oftenusedL1onlytomakesurethattheyhadproperlycomprehendedthemessagewhiletheircomprehensionwasatanacceptablelevel.However, despite the popularity CLIL has recently gained, and its undisputed merits itcannotnotbemistakenlyconsideredasanapproacheasytoimplementanddeliver,whichinfactIexperiencedmyself.ThiscanbeprimarilyadheredtothefactthatCLILhasbynaturebroughtaboutachangeinperspective,withtheTLfunctioningasatoolforcontentlearningbesidesbeingasubject in itself. Inevitably, this ‘dual focusofCLIL’ (Coyleetal.,2010)hasbeenidentifiedtoposeaheavyloadonthelanguageteacher,whoassumesmultipleroles,amongthem,therolesofcoursedeveloperandsyllabusdesigner.Ineffect,theCLILteacherneeds to copewithpolicy issuesandbeable toadaptCLIL to theuniquedemandsof thelocalcontextaswellasintegrateitintothecurriculum.AfurtherroleassumedbymyselfasaCLILteacher isthatofthematerialsprovider,whichinvolvedpresentingmy learnerswithavarietymaterials,whichoffered themrich input intermsofbothcontentandlanguage,supportedtheirlearningoutcomes,andwereidentifiedtobeinaccordancewiththeVElearners’needs,besidesconsideringtheirdifferentlearningstyles. Therefore, the CLIL teacher ideally needs to possess adequate knowledge of thesubjectdiscipline(s)aswell.Giventhatthisisnottheruleasonlyafewteacherspossessa


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doubledegree,theamountofcollaborationbetweenthecontentteachersandthelanguageteacherscanprovecriticalindeterminingthesuccessofCLILprogrammes.Nevertheless, getting involved in CLIL projects necessitates considerable awareness as tohowtoperformintheCLILclassroomaswellasimplementandmanagetheCLILprocessduetothesignificantmethodologicalchangesitrequires.Itgoeswithoutsaying,thatinordertooperate effectively in CLIL, EFL teachers need to be able to adapt their teachingmethodology to cater for balanced, integrated learning of both content and language byusingdifferentmethodsappropriatefortheteachingcontextassuggestedbyCLILprinciplesandpractice(see4Cs,Coyleetal.,2010).Inthecontextconsideredtheseentail,amongothers,aconsiderationofaspectssuchastheaffectivesideof learning; theapplicationofan interactivemethodology; thepromotionoflearningskillswithafocusonknowledgeandawarenessofcognitionandmetacognition;thefosteringofculturaland inter-culturalawareness; theprovisionofCLIL-specificassessmentandevaluation(Bertauxetal.,2010,p.5-9).Evidently,theimportanceofpossessingallthesecompetenciescallsfordiversifiedrolesoftheCLILteacherwhichhowever,arenotallCLIL-specific.InanattempttoprovideageneralappreciationoftheCLILteaching intervention, thedataemanated from the records in the reflective CLIL journal revealed the potential of theexperimentalCLILprojectinprovidingVEstudentswithadequateinputintheTL,especiallyinrelationtothesubjectdiscipline,making itpossibleforthemtoexperiencenotonlytherolesoflanguagelearnersbutalsooflanguageusers(Meyer,2010).Thiscanbeadheredtothe fact that having used the TL to teach content had a substantial impact on the VEstudents’ performance; it provided a more intensive exposure to the TL while offeringmeaningfulopportunitiestomakeactiveuseofit.DespitethefactthattheCLILexperiencewasregardedascognitivelydemandingformanyoftheVEstudentsinthecaseconsidered,learningtookplaceinanaturalistic,relativelyanxiety-freeenvironment,whichisbelievedtohave positively influenced their performance in both the TL and the subject discipline(Dalton-Puffer,2007).Additionally,havingbeenpresentedwithcognitivelychallengingtasks,isconsideredtohavehelpedVEstudentstofosterbothhigher-orderandlower-orderthinkingabouttheTLalongwith content and learning skills (Marsh et al., 2010). Moreover, they were offered thechancetodevelopanincreasedabilitytoprocessinput,asameansofpromotingabroadercapacitytothink,whichcouldalsohelpimprovingtheirmeta-cognitiveability(ibid).On thewhole, I believe that theCLIL experiencewasadvantageous for the students,whobenefitedfrombeingprovidedwithrich,meaningfulinput,efficientindevelopingboththeirTLskillsandcontentknowledge.Inparticular,considerableimprovementswereexhibitedintermsofmasteryofbothcontentknowledgeandlanguage(languageskillsandvocabulary)aswellasintermsofinvolvementandmotivation.Nevertheless,thestudents’perspectives,aswellasquantitativedata,wouldbeusefultosubstantiatefurtherthesedata.My experience as a CLIL teacher in VE was highly positive despite the fact that noteverythingwentbythebook.Ifeelthatattimes,Icouldhavefunctioneddifferentlyintermsof copingwith the fixedbeliefs thatadult learners tend tohave in resultof theirpreviouslearningexperiences.Also,IconsiderthatIcouldhavefoundfurtherwaysofsupportingmystudents as regards the cognitive or linguistic demands they faced when dealing withcommunicativesituationsthatthreatenedtolowertheirmotivation.Also,Ithinktherewas


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moretoofferintermsofenhancingtheirself-regulation.Onthesameline,Ithinkthattherewasmoretodointermsofdecreasingcompetitionamongthestudentsandestablishingamore cooperative spirit during group-work. However, as the course progressed, it waspossibleformetoreflect,reconsider,adjustanddealmoreefficientlywithanyCLIL-specificaspects.All in all, my engaging in the particular experimental teaching intervention wasprofessionallyfulfilling,sincenotonlyitmadeitpossibleformetogainexperiencebutalso,gavemethechancetoexploremypracticesandimprovethemsoastogaindeeperinsightsanddevelopfurtherasaCLILteacher.Concluding, thereflectionsbasedonmyobservationsandunderstandingastheteacheroftheparticularVECLILcourseindicatethatdevelopingandimplementingCLILnecessitatesamove away from the traditional roles assumed by language teachers. Given the diverseteacher roles andmethodology in CLIL contexts, the importance of teacher education forCLILshouldbehighlightedtoensurethedevelopmentanddeliveryofeffectiveandefficientCLIL courses. Clearly, the trainingof CLIL teachers should consider theneeds, implicationsandchallengesthatteachingcontentthroughaforeignlanguageentails.Lastbutnotleast,CLILtrainingconstitutesafundamentalpartofteachereducationwhileeveryteachershouldbegiventheopportunitytotrainasaCLILteacher.ReferencesBertaux,P.,Coonan,C.M.,Frigols,M.J.&Mehisto,P.(2010).TheCLILTeacher’sCompetence

Grid.http://lendtrento.eu/convegno/files/mehisto.pdf.Coyle, D., Hood, P. & Marsh, D. (2010). Content and Language Integrated Learning.

Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.Dalton-Puffer,C.(2007).EmpiricalPerspectivesonCLILClassroomDiscourse.Frankfurt:Peter

Lang.Juan-Garau, M. & Salazar-Noguera, J. (2015). Content-based Language Learning in

MultilingualEducationalEnvironments.London:Springer.Marsh,D.,Mehisto,P.,Wolff,D.&FrigolsMartin,M.J.(2010).EuropeanFrameworkforCLIL

TeacherEducation:AframeworkfortheprofessionaldevelopmentofCLILteachers.Graz:EuropeanCentreforModernLanguages.

Meyer,O.(2010). ‘Towardsquality-CLIL:successfulplanningandteachingstrategies’.Pulso33:11-29.

DrDoraChostelidou([email protected]&[email protected])isateacherattheJuniorHighSchoolofM.Panagia,HalkidikiandattheIEK

ofThermi.


BookreviewCross-LanguageMediationinForeignLanguageTeachingandTesting.MariaStathopoulou(2015).Bristol:MultilingualMatters.Stathopoulou’sbookCross-LanguageMediation inForeignLanguageTeachingandTestingaspires to delve into anunderexplored area, namely, crosslanguagemediation,within thecontextofmultilingualandbilingualeducation.Morespecifically, itattemptstoinvestigatethestrategiesthateffectivemediatorsuseintheirstruggletotransferinformationfromonelanguagetoanother.Apart fromdefiningmediationandexploring itsapplication inwrittendiscourse, thisbookattempts to identify whether international language testing institutions which prioritisemonolingualtestingcanadoptthepracticeofassessingthecandidates’cross-languageabil-ity.AlthoughthenotionofmediationwasembracedinCEFR(2001),noguidingdescriptorswere developed. The first testing body to adoptmediation activities was the Greek na-tionalforeignlanguageexaminations(KratikoPistopoiitikoGlossomathias,KPG)rendering,thus,necessarythedesignofrelevantleveleddescriptorsthroughthoroughresearch.In the introduction,Stathopouloustartsbyhighlighting that theminglingof languages inthecontemporarymultilingualsocietyhasattractedforeignlanguage(FL)theorists’inter-est in the terms translanguaging, polylanguaging, crosslanguaging, code-switching andcode-mixing (p.1). Shedescribes the focusof thebook i.e. cross-languageor interlingualmediationthroughwhichmediatorsarerequiredto“bridgecommunicationgapsbetweenspeakersofdifferent languages”(p.1).Stathopoulouacknowledgestwodimensions in in-terlingualmediation: the interactionbetween languagesand the communicativeprocesswhereby themediator selects information fromawritten text in one language in an at-tempttorelayit inanotherlanguagebymeansofthetargettext.Thisinformationtrans-ference entails transformation in the new context or “recontextualisation” (Fairclough,2003, p. 51)which requires specific strategies. Recontextualisation differentiatesmedia-tion from translation, in that certainparts of the text and sourcemeanings (rather thanthewholetextitself)aretransformed(p.3).ReferringtoDendrinos(2006)sheclaimsthatamediatoractsasa linkbetween languagesandcultures(p.4).Shedoesnotexpectthemediator“tobe totally fluent” in the two languagesandcorroborates that themediatorcreatestextscomprisingcomponents from“twotextsandtwo languages” (p.4).Moreo-ver,shesupportsthatacompetentmediatorcapitalisesonbothlinguisticandculturalre-sources(p.4).Stathopoulou’sresearchwasconductedwithintheframeworkofherdoctoralthesis(p.13footnote4)drawing informationfromtheKPGexams.TheKPGwasput ineffect in2003

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following the CEFR (Council of Europe, 2001) specifications. It includes exams in English,French, Italian, Spanish and Turkish and the test papers are designed by experts of theUniversityofAthensandThessaloniki,GreeceundertheauspicesoftheGreekMinistryofEducation. The KPG includes four componentswhich test candidates’ performance in 1)readingcomprehensionandlanguageawareness,2)writingproductionandwrittenmedi-ation,3)listeningcomprehensionand4)speakingproductionandoralmediation.Accord-ingtoDendrinos(2009),thetheoreticalfoundationofthisexambatteryissystemicfunc-tionallinguistics,wherebylanguageisconsideredasameansfordecodingmeaning(Halli-day,1975)aswell asa system formeaningpotential (Halliday,1985). In theKPG frame-work, language exists in context rather than a vacuumand, thus, itmust be taught andtested accordingly (p. 10, 11).More specifically, Stathopoulou investigated two parts oftheKPGexams,namely,writingmediationtasks,whichareinaccordancewiththeguide-linesoftheEuropeanCommissiontoboostmultilingualism.In an attempt to describe the mediation process, Stathopoulou claims that mediationcomprises twodimensions, namely translanguaging fromone language to theother andemploymentofstrategiesappropriatetothespecificcontext.(p.4).Thesestrategiesmayentailcombininginformationfromvarioussourcesi.e.themediator’spriorknowledgeofatopic or the original text, summarizing and synthesizing to mention but a few (p. 5).Stathopoulou (p. 5) regards selection of appropriate linguistic data as a prerequisite forsuccessfulmediation.Thisselectionisaffectedbythesocialmilieuandthe“interpersonalrelationshipsinvolvedwhilemediating”.Animportantissueraisedbytheauthoristhefactthatratherthanbeingcompartmentalised,thetwolanguagesandculturesareinterwoven(p.6).Acompetentmediatortakesintoaccountthecontextofmediation,thatiswhome-diates,forwhatreason,whattheappropriateregisterisandthetypeofboththeoriginalandthetargettext.Itisworthmentioningthatthemediatormayhavetoproduceahybridtextinordertocreateasuccessfultranslanguagedpieceofwriting(p.6).Theauthoruseddataretrievedfromtwosources:thedatabaseofthepastpapersofKPGandtheKPGEnglishcorpuswhichincludesthecandidates’writtenscripts.TheKPGwrittenmediation component requires candidates to extract information from aGreek text andtransferitinEnglish,takingintoaccountcontextualrequirements(p.7).Thefirststageoftheresearchfocusedontaskanalysisanddescriptionsoflinguisticcategorieswithaviewto identifying variations in text features produced by candidates of different proficiencylevels(p.7,8).Thisanalysisresultedinthecreationofrelevantdescriptorsthatcaninformteaching and testing (p. 8). In the second stage, the candidates’ textswere investigatedwith theaimofdetermining theemployed strategies. Theauthor stresses thathermainpreoccupationwas the linguistic and social dimensions of the scripts. The focal point ofthisphasewastheexplorationofstrategyusewhichresultedintheformulationofanin-ventoryofmediationstrategies(IMS)whichisdeemedamajorcontributionbytheauthor(p.8)asnoleveleddescriptorsareincludedintheCEFR(CouncilofEurope,2001).ThisIMScontributedtotheidentificationoftheappliedstrategiesatdifferentlearners’proficiencylevelsandtherelationshipofstrategyusetotaskrequirements.Thequantitativeanalysisofthedatayieldednumericalresultsconcerningstrategiesbutitcouldnotaccountforthevariations traced among different levels. In this sense, qualitative analysiswas also em-ployedtojustifythedifferentiationofstrategicuse“asthelevelincreases”(p.9).Statho-pouloustates(p.9,10)thatthepurposeofherresearchwasnotonlytoproduceanorigi-nal pieceofwork in theunderexplored areasof translanguagingpractices but alsoofferpracticalandpedagogical implicationsas follows:1) itcouldprovidespecificbenchmarksforthecomplementationoftheCEFR,2)itcouldserveasaguideforcurriculum,syllabusandmaterialsdesigners3)itcouldbeusefulforteachersasregardstheselectionofmedi-


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ation tasksandstrategies tobeused inclassroomand4) finally,other theorists, suchassociolinguisticsorcriticaldiscourseanalystsmayexploititfortheir“ownresearchpurpos-es”(p.10).Inchaptertwo,Stathopouloutracestheoriginofthetermmediationintheancientcivili-sationsofPhoenicia,Babylon,GreeceandRome(p.15).AccordingtoDendrinos(2006,pp.11-12)mediationservedasameansofdiplomacy in theMediterreneannations.Theau-thor, then,presentsan inderdisciplinaryoverviewofmediationdiscussing theuseof thetermmediation invariousdisciplines,namelyresolutionstudiesand internationalaffairs,communication studies and technology, philosophy, society and education, translationstudies and foreign language education. Discussing the relationship between mediationand translation, she maintains that in the existing literature (Hatim & Mason, 1990;Federici,2007)mediationandtranslationseemtobeusedinterchangeablywithmediationbeingviewedasadeterminantprerequisiteforsuccessfultranslationwhichinvolvesbothlinguistic and cultural negotiation (pp. 25- 27). Mediation gainedmomentum in foreignlanguageeducationas itwasembraced intheCEFR(2001).Moreover, ithasprevailed inGreekFLTsincetheearly1980’s(Dendrinos,1988,1997,2000,2003)anditwasincorpo-ratedintheIntegratedForeignLanguagesCurriculum(IFLC-2011)(pp.28,29).Importantasmediationmay be in the CEFR (2001), it is considered as synonymous to translation.ThisattituderunscontrarytoStathopoulou’sopinionwhoconsidersmediationandtrans-lationdissimilar.Inanattempttoraisethedifferencesbetweenmediationandtranslation,Stathopoulou,echoingDendinos’position(2014,p.152)that“mediatorsbringintotheendproducttheirownvoice”,statesthatthemediatorselectsonlythosepiecesofinformationfromthesourcetext thatservethecommunicativepurposedeterminedbythetask.Sheconcedes,however,thattranslatorsareallowedtomakesomeculturaladaptationtothesentence level (p. 32). On the contrary, the mediator may use the source text as thespringboardtoproduceapieceofwritingwithdifferentdiscourseandregisterandofdi-versegenredependingonthecommunicativegoalsetbythecontext(p.33).Goingastepfurther,Stathopoulou(p.34)labelsmediationasbothinterlingualandintralingual,provid-ingtheinterventionofadoctorwhointerpretstheresultsofatesttohispatientasanex-ampleofmediationwithinthesamelanguage.Chapter 3 theorises mediation, by stating that it is a social practice meant to repair acommunicationgap(Dendrinos,2006).Morespecifically,shecorroboratesthatthepopu-lationmobilityinrecentyearshasrenderedlanguagesandcultureshybrid(Canagarajah&Said,2010)andresultedintheemergenceofmultilingualsocieties,wherebytheneedformediationarose(p.39)(Shohamy,2006a,p.13).Stathopoulou,then,definestranslanguagingasaprocessofrelaying informationthroughlanguages based on the communicative environment. Her attitude is in alignment withGarciaetal.(2011)(p.40)whodefinetranslanguagingasahybridlanguagepracticemax-imizing the communicative aspect. Rooted in bilingual theories (Garcia & Kano, 2014,p.260),tranlanguaginghasexpandedtomultilingualenvironments(Canagarajah,2011,p.401;Wei,2011,p.1222)(p.40).Discussingtranslanguagingintheclassroom,Lewisetal.,2012,p.655)(p.45)claimthatitenablesstudentstoexploitalllinguisticresourcestoop-timizecommunication.Consequently, it contributes to theenhancementof the learners’cognitive, linguistic and literacy capacity (Garcia et al. 2011, p. 8) (p.46) aswell as theirmetalinguisticabilityandmetacognitiveawareness(Garcia,2009a,p.153)(p.46).Afterprovidingthisbriefhistoryoftranslanguaging,Stathopoulouclaimsthatmediationisawayoftranlanguaging,asitentailsinterplaybetweenlanguages(Stathopoulou,2013).In


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ordertoelaboratemoreonthisissue,sheattemptstoputforwardthatmediationconsti-tutes a form of translanguaging, as it involves language alternation and its theoreticalfoundation liesonthetenetthat, ratherthanbeingseparateentities, languagesandcul-tures are interrelated semiotic systems (p. 47). By considering mediation as a form oftranslanguaging, the emphasis is shifted to theuse, theuser, theprocess aswell as thepurposeandcontextofthecommunication(p.49).ThisviewisinlinewiththeHallidayanattitude of language and reflects the view of the author of the book, implying that lan-guagemust be studied in a context rather than in a vacuum (pp. 49-50). This linkageoflanguagetocontextledStathopouloutothestatementthatmediationisnotonlyatypeoftranslanguagingbutitalsoconstitutesasocialpractice(p.50).Moreover,shesupportstheviewthatbothinoralandwrittendiscourse,mediationresultsinahybridtextdisplayingthetraitsoftwotexts.Moreover,shedifferentiatesmediationfromcode-switching,code-crossing,polylanguaging,intercomprehension,metrolingualismetc.allofwhichpertaintoparallellanguageuse.Polylanguaging is typical of people who draw elements from different languages, eventhough,theircompetenceinonelanguagemaybelimited(Jorgensen,2008,2010)(p.41).Metrolingualism was introduced by Pennycook (2010) to describe the hybrid practiceswherebypeople capitalizeon the linguisticmeansat theirdisposal in specificmilieus (p.42).Code-switchinginvolvesalternationofL1toL2bothineverydaylifeandinclassroom(Canagarajah, 1995) (p.42). Seen in this light, translanguaging is regarded an umbrellaterm encompassing code-switching (Garcia, 2009) (p. 43). Furthermore, code-switchingcaptures language compartmentalisation (Lewis et al., 2012, p. 659), whereas,translanguaging is “part of themetadiscursive regimes that students in the twenty-firstcenturymustperform…”(Garcia,2011,p.147).(p.44)andsignifiesanon-separatistmeth-odologyconcerningtheuseoflanguage.Basedonthetheoreticalframeworkdiscussedinpreviouschapters,Chapter4focusesontheresearchconductedbyStathopoulou.First,shedefinesmediationtasksascognitivelydemandingactivities requiring learners to transfer information fromone languagetoan-otherforaspecificcommunicativepurpose(pp.61-62).Sheclassifiesmediationtasksintothreecategoriesa)summarising,b)extracting informationandc) relayingnumerical intoverbalinformation(p.63).Shestatesthat“thirty-twowrittenmediationtasksdesignedfor14examinationperiods for theB2 level,7 for theB1 leveland11 for theC1 level”wereputunderthelens.Sixparametersweredeterminedinheranalysis,namelytexttype,ge-nericpurpose(toinform,tonarrate,etc),texttopic,discourseenvironment(linguisticcon-textofthetext),communicativepurpose,addressorandaddressee.Thestatisticalanalysiswas carried out through a specially designed electronic database. The findings revealedthatthehighertheproficiencyleveltested,the“greaterthedemandsareintermsoflin-guistic, pragmatic and generic competence” (p. 78). This result led Stathopoulou to theconclusionthatthetopicareasofthetasksshouldcorrespondtostudents’needsandin-terestsactivating,thus,thestoredschematawhichwillempowerthemtodothetasksuc-cessfully.Moreover,sheproducedlevel-specificcan-dostatementsforB1,B2andC1.Fi-nally,guidelinesaregiven to teachers inorder todesignappropriatemediation tasks fortheirstudents.Since theuseof appropriate strategies comprises thebackboneof successfulmediation,chapter5definesmediationstrategiesanddelineatesaninductivemodeloftheiranalysis.Mediation strategies reflect themediator’s techniques or options in his/her attempt totransfer information from one text or language to another (p. 89). Stathopoulou, then,


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introducesthe InventoryofMediationStrategies(IMS)whichcanserveasamodelof in-vestigatingmediationstrategiesinvariouskindsofcorpora(p.93).Theinventoryisdivid-edintotwoTypesofstrategies,TypeA(information-relatedstrategies)andTypeB(lexico-grammatical strategies). She maintains that both types may occur both separately andconcurrently (p. 96). Her research followed two phases: 1) the pilot one, where a fewsamplesofscriptswereanalysedwithaviewtoformulatingacodingscheme;and2)cor-pus analysis resulting in the final coding schemeafter evaluating and refining categories(p.121).Theanalysis,whichwascarriedoutthroughNVivo8,involved600scripts.Chapter6discussestheresultsderivedfromthequantitativeanalysis.Theresearchsoughttotracewhichtypesofstrategieswereemployedindiversetasks.Theaccrueddatapoint-edtothefactthatboththelinguisticandmediatoryspecificationsoftheactivitiesdeter-mine the frequency and variety of mediation strategies applied in various texts. It wasfoundthatTypeAstrategiesaremostlyusedintextswhichrequirepicking-upinformationtasks.Ontheotherhand,thecombinationofTypeAandTypeBstrategiesappearsintextswhich require summarisingwhich constitutesademandingmediatorymeans (p.145). Inthisvein,chapter6disclosedthesignificanceofactivitytypeintheselectionandapplica-tionofmediationstrategies.Chapter7investigatedtheextenttowhichproficiencylevelinfluencestheemploymentofmediation strategies. Moreover, an effort was made to trace any differentiation in theamountof vocabularyusedacross levels. Thedatawere triangulated through theuseofbothquantitativeandqualitativeanalysis.Asregardsthemediationstrategies,thequanti-tativeanalysisyieldedthe followingresults:1) thehigher theproficiency level, themorescripts involved Type A and Type B strategies, 2) the higher the level, the less writtenproductsdisplayedTypeBstrategiessolely,3)thehigherthelevelthemoresophisticatedstrategieswere used (blending, combining and summarising) and 4) a greater variety ofstrategieswereemployed inhigher levels. In relation to vocabularyuse thequantitativeanalysisdisclosedthat inhigher levelsthescripts includedmorewords inordertoattaincreativeblending,summarisingandsyntax-levelparaphrasing(p.153).Theanalysisofvar-iationsinlanguageuseacrosslevelswaspresentedonthebasisof1)sentencesemantics(e.g. how sentences are linked) and 2) sentence-grammar, i.e. the employed vocabularyandgrammar.Theanalysisfocusedonvarious logico-semanticchoiceswhichwereeitherextractedfromtheGreektextorwereignoredduringtheproductionoftheEnglishtext(p.205). Stathopoulou states that these logico-semantic relationsmay be utilised in futureresearch to “predict differences in texts that have resulted from different mediationtasks”,eventhoughsheadmitsthatthelimitednumberofscriptsunderexplorationdoesnotconducetogeneralisations.The twomain researchquestionsaddressed in this studywere: 1) “Which strategies arelinkedtowhichtasks?and2)whichstrategiesdifferentiatescriptsofdifferingproficiencylevels?Anotherdimensionwhichcouldhaveaffordedgreaterscopetothisresearchwouldhavebeentoexploreanycorrelationbetweenstudents’age,their levelandstrategyusealongwiththeproducedtext.Interestingfindingsmighthavearisenregardingtheinterre-lationof age andperformance, namelyolder studentsmight employmore sophisticatedstrategiesduetoaugmentedcognitionandmaturity.Stathopoulou’sbookprovidesevidencethatconfirmsthatmediationisrelatedtocontextand task, putting forward the linkage between the demands ofmediation tasks and theemployedstrategiesaswellasthefinalproduct.ThemajorcontributionofthebookistheInventory of Mediation Strategies and the attempt to develop level-appropriate de-


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scriptors. The book addresses curriculum designers, syllabus and materials writers, andlanguage researchers. It couldalsobehelpful to teacher trainerswhowill train teachersonappropriatewaystoimplementmediationtasksinclassroominordertofostermedia-tionskillsandstrategiestotheirstudentsand,therefore,renderthemefficientmediatorsinourmultilingualsociety.Thisbookcouldserveasaspringboardforfurtherresearch,thatis,besidesexploringme-diationinanexamcontextwecouldtrytoexploreitsapplicationinreallifesituationssothat real students’needscould informclassroompracticeandexams inabottom-upap-proach.ReferencesCanagarajah, A. S. (1995). Functions of code switching in ESL classrooms: Socialising bilin-

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García,O.(2009).Education,multilingualismandtranslanguaginginthe21stcentury.InAjitMohanty,MinatiPanda,RobertPhillipson,ToveSkutnabb-Kangas(eds)MultilingualEdu-cationforSocialJustice:Globalisingthelocal.NewDelhi:OrientBlackswan(formerOri-entLongman),128-145.

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García,O.&Kano,N.(2014).Translanguagingasprocessandpedagogy:DevelopingtheEng-lishwritingof Japanesestudents intheUS. In J.Conteh&G.Meier (eds.),TheMultilin-gual Turn in Languages Education: Opportunities and Challenges. Bristol, United King-dom:MultilingualMatters,292-299.

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Halliday,M.A.K.(1985).Anintroductiontofunctionalgrammar.London:Arnold.Hatim,B.&Mason,I.(1990).Discourseandthetranslator.London /NewYork:Longman.InstituteofEducationalPolicyinGreece(2011).TheIntegratedForeignLanguagesCurricu-

lumIFLC.http://rcel.enl.uoa.gr/xenesglosses/sps.htm(accessed30March2014).Jørgensen, J. N. (2008). Polylingual Languaging Around and Among Children and Adoles-

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ish-Danishgradeschoolstudents,vol.I-II.Copenhagen:UniversityofCopenhagen.Wei, L. (2011). Moment analysis and translanguaging space: Discursive construction of

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sultinginhybridformations.MAthesis,UniversityofAthens.Stathopoulou, M. (2013). Task dependent interlinguistic mediation performance as

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AlexandraAnastasiadou

DrAlexandraAnastasiadou([email protected])isastate

schooladvisorandtutorattheTEFL/TEILPostgraduateprogrammeoftheHellenicOpenUniversity.SheholdsaPostDoc,aPh.D.anM.Ed,an

M.AandtwoB.As.

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