The role of language in content learning.
What is it about?
More than 25 years have passed since CLIL was first introduced in schools all over Europe with objectives, methods and organizational structures that often also vary from one country to another. Time has passed, and still without a precise framework of reference, CLIL shows its great potential as well as its drawbacks. Using data from research conducted in Italy with four CLIL teachers who teach physics through a foreign language, this article aims to highlight the possibility that CLIL can serve to make every teacher, regardless of the subject, aware of the role that language can play in learning. The data collected, which refer to the Italian education system, emphasize the central role of the subject teacher in CLIL implementation. They also draw attention to the need for important changes in the CLIL agenda for the coming years.
Why is it important?
Several research studies compare CLIL classes and EFL classes. In my research I compared what a CLIL teacher of Physics does to enhance the role of language for learning in a CLIL context and when he/she teaches Physics in the language of schooling.