Can “Integrated Learning” with English support science education? A case study in Portugal (original) (raw)
Related papers
Teachers’ View of Language(S) in (Clil) Science Education: A Case Study in Portugal
Problems of Education in the 21st Century
The development of meaningful environments at school for the learning of Science as well as of foreign languages is an educational concern. CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), aimed at the students’ acquisition of both the foreign Language and specific subject Content, is an approach that may promote the learning of English in use during subject classes and could result in the improvement of conditions and practices of Science education. Research, actually, reveals that teaching methodologies aware of language – such as CLIL – and other semiotic modes implied in Science are beneficial for the learning of Science. Studying a CLIL programme (“English Plus” project, EP), in which Science is taught/learnt with/in English, is thus relevant. A case study on the EP project and its participants (English and Science teachers, students involved in different school years) in one lower secondary state school in Portugal was carried out. In the present research, qualitative data col...
Processing Science Through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): A Teacher's Practicum
In the last 40 years , the Italian education system has been swept by a deep reforming process aimed at innovating curricuiar requirements and in-service teacher training provision. In compliance with the latest reform of the upper-secondary school sectori, the Italian national curriculum for high school students now includes dualfocused education that goes by the name of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) aimed at improving the acquisition of subject content through a foreign language. Among the CLIL subjects chosen by the schools the most popular is Science. This is easily explained as many upper secondary schools with a longstanding tradition in Italy are science-based and go by the name of Liceo Scientifico, and those who teach Science in the senior year are required to attend a training course in order to obtain CLIL teaching qualifications.
The language focus of Science education integrated with English learning
2017
Global education demands being directed to scientific literacy and language proficiency, research on the school integration of Science and English and on the language focus for Science education is highly relevant. One educational approach is CLIL, aiming both at learners’ Content and Language acquisition. The main objective of our work – framed in the socio-constructivism and designed as a case study – is to understand what teaching strategies and classroom interactions have been developed and can be promoted in the “English Plus” project in one Portuguese school to support students, when Science education is integrated with English use. Context characterization shows the importance of developing a language-aware teaching approach to improve the subject education and student learning. To foster that, an instrument has been constructed and is presented here.
Review of Science, Mathematics and ICT Education, 2018
Our article deals with a didactic analysis of the teaching of a non-linguistic subject, physics and chemistry, in English, within the framework of "Content and Language Integrated Learning" (CLIL) programs. We describe, from the case study of a science teacher, the articulation between scientific knowledge and language knowledge. From the analysis of video extracts of a lesson about Rutherford's experiment, we produce a description of the asynchronous advance of the different contents at stake. We propose at the end of the article recommendations for the training of teachers who teach in CLIL programs.
Journal of Innovation in Educational and Cultural Research
The study aims to reveal the implementation CLIL approach in improving students’ English language use and learning in the science classroom. A descriptive study was employed where data were collected using observation and interview to two classes at of Private Islamic Boarding in West Sumatera. The students for CLIL Strategy are the first grade of junior high school at science classrooms. The result of the research revealed that the use of the CLIL strategy across the curriculum is an effective strategy to develop English language use and learning. The pedagogical implications of the study for the EFL students in science classrooms include the need for teachers to consider underlying theories of teaching English in EFL context taking into account students’ constraints; a focus on the various types of students’ English ability and consider students’ interest in topic selection; teachers to be aware of the significance of the relationship between their attitude and background in clas...
Porta Linguarum Revista Internacional De Didactica De Las Lenguas Extranjeras, 2009
This paper presents the results of a pre-experimental study into language learning in inclusive Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classrooms at secondary school, in which Science content was taught in English. The pedagogical experience lasted four weeks. The main pedagogical approach followed was the use of learning tasks carried out by students working in dyads. Through the use different indicators extensively employed in the field, the study attempts to measure the gains that students show in fluency and lexical repertoire in a pretest / treatment / post-test research design. The post-test demonstrated significant progress in the assessed indicators. The study also showed that improvements transcend purely formal linguistic aspects and that it is necessary to find other measurement tools which may help us to capture the extent of those improvements. The limited scope of the sample does not allow us to make strong claims about the suitability of pedagogical decisions adopted; however the outcomes encourage us to continue to explore how cooperation among students influences learning in CLIL classrooms.
Experimental teaching of Sciences in the English language (CLIL
The implementation of experimental and creative practices and teaching methods in education, and in Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) in particular, is rendered significant due to the changes made in Curricula, the decisions taken by the Council of Europe, the emergence of the need for language learning and the development of multilingualism and multi-literacy, and finally, in the case of Greece, the decisions taken by the Ministry of Education (Law 3966) for the Model and Experimental Schools. In this context, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) was implemented at the 2nd Experimental Senior High School of Thessaloniki by the teachers of English, Chemistry and Physics, in the units of chemical compounds and reactions for Chemistry and Newton's Laws for Physics during the school year 2015-2016. The summative assessment and the questionnaire, structured on the 4 Cs of CLIL, show that the language does not hinder the understanding of the content; on the contrary it develops students' language skills.
Introducing the Linguistic-Cultural Component in the Science Lesson
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2023
This paper discusses the ways of introducing the linguistic-cultural component in science lessons, particularly for students from diverse cultural backgrounds who speak different languages. It also highlights the opportunity to develop students' language skills and subject matter knowledge through the use of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. The paper also provides an example of how to incorporate the linguistic-cultural component into a science lesson using beans. Incorporating linguistic and cultural activities in lessons can improve language skills and enhance the overall learning experience.
Attending to science language demands in multilingual classrooms: a case study
International Journal of Science Education, 2018
This case study examines how three science teachers in a secondary school attended to the language demands of science through oral interactions in classes of multilingual students with diverse English proficiencies. It specifically unpacks the intricate role of language in science education, where teachers must address disciplinaryspecific language demands as well as build academic language, within a policy environment that stresses English as medium-ofinstruction for science education. Thirty-nine video recordings, comprising three full sets of lessons on the topic Human Circulatory System, were analysed. Instances of whole-class discussion during which an aspect of language (e.g. form, meaning or type) was addressed were the focus of analysis. The analysis shows some common features of language support across teachers, especially in terms of teaching scientific terminology, as well as features that provided additional support from one teacher. These features included unpacking the language demands of science beyond discrete terminology and use of students' language. The article highlights interactions which can contribute to student opportunities for meaningmaking in science.
Lowering the language barrier in learning and teaching science
School Science Review, 1998
For many pupils the greatest barrier to learning science is the language barrier. This article suggests practical ways in which this barrier can be lowered and language can be used to promote the learner's development in science. The language of both learners ...