Thursday, January 3, 2019

Using CLIL with low levels!!!

        CLIL is an abbreviation for content and language integrated learning. It is the most recent and popular approach where schools all over the world are trying to apply. It is an approach for learning content through an additional language, thus teaching both the subject and the language. The public schools in Lebanon, have been applying CLIL starting from grade six; however this year, it has been decided to start using CLIL with lower levels.
 
     As for students who learned in private schools, CLIL as a concept is not new for us. Mostly all of us has learned the other basic subjects like math and science in English. Talking from my own perspective and based on my experience, I believe learning in the shadow of  this approach was not hard at all and of course this is due to several factors. First of all, we all come from a literate background were we have been introduced to English in our homes, through watching TV or listening to and reading stories.... And through the first years in the kindergarten, all what we have been introduced to is the target language in order to be able to get used to it, understand it and be able to use it in class conversations from K3 and G1. All these factors and few others held our hands to learn through the CLIL approach and succeed in our education; though our schools didn't apply the all the aspects that go under the CLIL approach.

    In my humble opinion, I believe that the Lebanese Ministry of Education made a mistake or if one can say, it took an unwise decision in trying to apply the CLIL approach from G1 in public schools. It is not a secret that most of the students who learn in in the public schools in Lebanon come from poor families which has little education and no introduction to the target language before. I believe that the students are being forced into an unfair situation were they have to learn all the subjects in a language in which they know nothing about and the funny thing that they are expected to do well and succeed. How such thing is expected I don't know; do you??

1 comment:

  1. In addition;CLIL understands that in learning any language, errors, guesses and negotiation of meaning are all part of the journey. Although not explicitly stated, mistakes are part of the curriculum

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