About the webinars
This series of webinars, recorded on 11 November 2020 looks at various aspects of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and its application in secondary education, including how integrated learning happens in classrooms. The webinars will also focus on English Medium Instruction (EMI) in relation to students in their first year at university, as well as during the transition between pre-sessional course and their disciplinary studies. The three sessions form part of our ELTRA series of webinars, presenting award-winning research into English Language Teaching, funded by the British Council.
Secondary school CLIL and EMI at University: Some evidence from research in Italy | Ernesto Macaro
After a brief introduction to CLIL and English Medium Instruction (EMI) this webinar reports on the background, methodology and key findings of the first study to investigate Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English Medium Instruction (EMI) in the same country. Through vocabulary tests, interviews with students and recordings of classes/lectures, we identify the challenges faced and strategies applied by learners in L2-medium education in Italy in the secondary and tertiary educational phases. Specifically, we focus on (i) students in the last year of upper secondary school (aged 17-18) who are studying subjects through the medium of English (via CLIL); and (ii) EMI students in their first year of undergraduate programmes. The study investigated:
- Students’ English vocabulary knowledge
- The potential gap between learning a subject through a school CLIL context and subjects taught through EMI at university
- The nature of classroom interaction in the two settings
- The students’ general approaches to their learning and listening strategies
Watch a recording of Ernesto's presentation
Teacher knowledge and competencies for effective CLIL in multilingual education settings | Dee Rutgers
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become a well-established and popular approach for developing an L2 through other curricular domains. However, whilst much research has been conducted to understand the nature and outcomes of CLIL, there remains a critical need for research into how integrated learning is realised in classrooms, and what teacher knowledge and competencies are required for this. This webinar reports on a collaborative research project involving EAL and EFL teachers from the UK and the Netherlands. A framework of teacher pedagogical knowledge for CLIL will be presented, and practical insights and strategies will be discussed.
Watch a recording of Dee's presentation
Do pre-sessional courses prepare students for their disciplinary studies? | Doris Dippold and Marion Heron
In an EMI context, students may find the expectations for academic speaking challenging, particularly in the recent developments of a more interactive and dialogic pedagogy. In this webinar we will discuss how students are supported in their academic speaking skills in the transition from pre-sessional courses to their disciplinary studies. We will explore the expectations of students, EAP tutors and disciplinary tutors with respect to the different speaking skills required for study and we introduce the Oracy Skills Framework. We conclude by discussing best practice in supporting students in their disciplinary studies.
Watch a recording of Doris and Marion's presentation
About the speakers
Ernesto Macaro is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford and was founding Director of the Centre for Research and Development in English Medium Instruction (EMI Oxford) in the Department of Education. Before becoming a teacher trainer and researcher he was a language teacher in secondary schools in the UK. His research focuses on second language learning strategies and on the interaction between teachers and learners in second language classrooms or in classrooms where English is the Medium of Instruction. He has published widely on these topics.
Dee Rutgers completed a PhD at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge (2014), with a thesis exploring the impact of Dutch-English bilingual education on learning German. She has worked on bi/multilingual education in diverse contexts, including the Netherlands, Ecuador, the US and the UK. She currently works as a Research Associate at Cambridge University, where she has led on research funded by the British Council ELTRA 2018 scheme, investigating teacher knowledge for effective CLIL implementation in multilingual education settings.
Doris Dippold is Senior Lecturer in Intercultural Communication. She has taught in HE in the USA, China, Luxembourg and the UK. Her research interests are in English as a lingua franca, classroom interaction and English as a medium of instruction.
Marion Heron is Senior Lecturer in Higher Education. She has taught students and teachers in Turkey, Dubai and the UK. Her research interests are in the areas of classroom interaction and classroom talk.