Let’s CLIL!

Teaching content and language together

MONTSE IRÚN
ANA OTTO

Working with language assistants

IULIA VESCAN
ANGELA SAUCIUC
The best of both worlds
www.clil.santillana.es
Let's CLIL!
This book is a collective work, conceived,
designed and created by the Primary
Education department at Santillana, under
the supervision of Teresa Grence.

WRITERS
Montse Irún (Universitat de Lleida)
Ana Otto (Universidad de Alcalá)
Angela Sauciuc (Instituto Franklin - UAH)
Iulia Vescan (Instituto Franklin - UAH)

EDITORS
Juan José Castro
Ana Otto

PROOFREADER
Jane Drummond

PROJECT COORDINATOR
Margarita España
CONTENTS

I Teaching content and language

together ........................................................... 5

II Working with language

assistants ..................................................... 59
Teaching content
and language together
MONTSE IRÚN
ANA OTTO
CONTENTS

1 What is CLIL?
The background ...................................................................................... 9
A definition ........................................................................................... 10
CLIL models ......................................................................................... 12
Why does CLIL work? ......................................................................... 13

2 The 4 Cs
Content ................................................................................................. 17
Cognition .............................................................................................. 17
Communication ................................................................................... 19
Culture .................................................................................................. 22

3 Methodologies that best suit CLIL

Planning a CLIL unit ........................................................................... 24

4 Pedagogical principles in CLIL

The language to learn and to communicate:
BICS and CALP ................................................................................... 27
The subject content language .......................................................... 28
Scaffolding ........................................................................................... 28
Types of scaffolding ........................................................................... 29
Language support .............................................................................. 32
How to organise the class ................................................................ 35
 5 Assessment in CLIL
Assessment of content or language? ............................................. 38
Summative assessment .................................................................... 40
Assessment for learning (formative assessment)
and assessment as learning ............................................................. 41
Self-assessment in CLIL .................................................................... 43

6 Resources for CLIL

Books and printed material .............................................................. 45
Digital resources ................................................................................. 46

7 CLIL advantages and challenges

Advantages of CLIL ............................................................................ 48
Challenges of CLIL ............................................................................. 49

8 The role of the family

Parents' concerns ............................................................................... 50
How parents can help ........................................................................ 51

Conclusion .................................................................................................... 52

References .................................................................................................... 53
1.  What is CLIL?

The beginning of wisdom is to call things

by their proper name.

Chinese proverb

9
Before reading the chapter, think

✓  What are the benefits of teaching a non-language

subject in a foreign language?

✓  What are the risks?

In this chapter you will find an introduction to teaching

content through a foreign language.

THE BACKGROUND
Bilingual education is nothing new. In fact, as Edwards (1994)
points out, high-class Romans taught their children in Greek
before formal Latin instruction. This need for bilingual education
has been commonly present throughout history, and has continued
up to now.

Since the 1990s, European institutions (the European Commission

and the Council of Europe), concerned with the construction
of Europe, have been considering language education in member
states. One of their main objectives is to promote a multilingual
Europe in which all citizens can speak at least one foreign
language.
 All EU citizens, by the time they leave compulsory schooling,
should be able to speak two languages other than their mother
tongue.
European Council (1995)

A DEFINITION

The acronym CLIL, coined in Europe in 1994 to promote language

10 learning, stands for Content and Language Integrated Learning.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), in which

pupils learn a subject through the medium of a foreign language,
has a major contribution to make to the Union's language
learning goals.
European Commission (2003)

The essence of CLIL is integration. A CLIL lesson is, therefore,

neither a language lesson nor a subject lesson taught in a foreign
language. CLIL is an educational approach in which both curricular
content — such as Science or Geography — and a foreign language
are taught together.

[CLIL] is a means of teaching curricular subjects through

the medium of a language still being learned, providing the
necessary language support alongside the subject specialism.
Graddol (2006)

As the focus is on both content and language, studying a subject

through a foreign language allows more time to be devoted
to language issues without increasing the time spent at school.
 Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is
a dual‑focused educational approach in which an additional
language is used for the learning and teaching of both content
and language. That is, in the teaching and learning process,
there is a focus not only on content, and not only on language.
Each is interwoven, even if the emphasis is greater on one
or the other at a given time.
Coyle, Hood and Marsh (2010)

11

What do students learn in a CLIL lesson?

Students learn language while they are in content classes

(Natural Science, Social Science, Arts and Crafts, Music,
etc.). Language is the vehicle for understanding and
expressing content knowledge.
Students learn content as the main goal in content
classes. As the foreign language is an added challenge,
teachers need to provide students with strategies to
facilitate content learning.

Students use languages to learn and learn to use languages.

For Ball (2013), this well-known CLIL slogan is a powerful equation,

because it brings school departments together, and it often
results in a potent exchange of skills: content teachers begin to think
about language, and language teachers begin to think about
content.
 CLIL MODELS
Nowadays the term CLIL refers to a whole spectrum of teaching
strategies in which content and language are taught together,
ranging from ‘language showers’ to total immersion. A commonly
shared idea of what CLIL is does not exist, but in all the different
variants there is a founding principle: content and language
are integrated.

There is no one model for CLIL — after all, successful learning

has to take into account all of the contextual variables which
12 impact on different school and community settings.
Coyle (2005)

CLIL may be used in a number of different contexts, from intensive

to extensive courses, and from individual course units to the entire
school year. This flexibility is evident when we analyse the intensity
and the amount of time devoted to teaching content in a foreign
language. CLIL allows high and low intensity exposure to the
foreign language.

Low intensity: the foreign language is only used for a few hours
per week (it may include ‘language showers’ — 20 or 30 minutes
talking per day — or subjects only partially taught in the foreign
language).

High intensity: from total immersion in intensive modules lasting

several months, in which a subject is taught all the time in the
foreign language, to subjects where the instructions are only
partially taught in the foreign language.

CLIL embraces all sectors of education, from pre-primary to adult.

It could involve project work, examination courses, drama,
chemistry experiments or mathematical investigations.

In short, CLIL is flexible and dynamic. Topics and subjects

(foreign-language and non-language subjects) are integrated
naturally so as to provide meaningful input and value-added
educational outcomes for the widest range of learners.
WHY DOES CLIL WORK?

CLIL works because students learn both language and content.

There is some evidence that CLIL learners outperform non-CLIL
learners of the same age (Bret Blasco, 2011).

Research has shown that there are three

essential conditions for learning a language
Long-term exposure to the language

Possibilities of interaction 13

Attention to the content of the message

Long-term exposure to the language. Considerable exposure

to naturally occurring language is necessary for ensuring
a good level of competence in a foreign language. CLIL lessons
contribute to increasing the amount of exposure to the foreign
language.

Acquiring a foreign language is a long process. It requires

the learner to go through necessary stages of ‘imperfect’
knowledge (interlingua) before mastering the foreign language.
Any CLIL approach guarantees a considerable increase in the
amount of exposure to that language.

Possibilities of interaction. Learners need to have the

opportunity for spontaneous speech, preferably in an interactive
context where they can obtain plenty of information on the
structure and function of the foreign language.

As can be seen from schools where CLIL is already in operation,

CLIL calls for interaction. This means that students have
a greater opportunity to participate verbally in the foreign
language by interacting with their teacher and classmates.
In this way, learners can experiment and try out new language.
They are forced to expand their linguistic resources
to cope with the demands of content learning.
 Attention to the content of the message. As Coyle et al. (2010)
remark, CLIL provides plenty of opportunities for incidental
language learning — the kind of learning that occurs when the
learners' attention is focused on communication, i.e. something
different from that which is being taught. Incidental language
learning has been shown to be very effective. It can complement
the intentional language learning that typically occurs in the
traditional language classroom.

However, using a foreign language to grasp cognitive-complex

content requires a process that leads to improved language
acquisition. Thus, with CLIL, students use the language
14 to access content knowledge and solve problems.

When using a foreign language

in a non-language subject, a wide
range of cognitive processes are
activated in the new language.
Children acquire foreign language competence
by learning, thinking and communicating non-language
content. This is what normally occurs in native language
acquisition.

Finally, CLIL relies on intrinsic motivation. This means that

the learners are involved in interesting and meaningful activities
while using the foreign language. When learners are interested
in a topic, they are motivated to acquire language to communicate.
Language learning is connected to what is going on in the
classroom and satisfies immediate needs.

To sum up, CLIL is based on language acquisition rather than

traditional enforced learning. Learning is, therefore, improved
through increased motivation and the practice of language
stuctures in real-life situations.
 Before continuing reading, think

Answer in your notebook:

✓  What do I know about CLIL?
✓  What do I want to know about CLIL?

At the end of the chapter, you will have to think again:

✓  What have I learnt about CLIL? 15

Here are some CLIL concepts

✓  The 4 Cs ✓ CALP
✓  LOTS ✓ Scaffolding
✓  HOTS ✓ TPR
✓  Language triptych ✓  KWL chart
✓  BICS ✓  Venn diagram
 2.  The 4 Cs

The 4 Cs framework (Figure 1) developed by Coyle (1999)

is the starting point for successful CLIL unit and lesson planning.
The 4 Cs refer to content, communication, cognition and culture.
It is the combination of these four elements that enhances
effective content and language learning.

16
communication

content
culture cognition

FIGURE 1. THE 4 CS CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR CLIL (COYLE 1999, 2005)

The 4 Cs is a CLIL planning framework that helps teachers

design effective CLIL units. However, we should not forget that
units are built around content, and it is this that will determine
the learning route to follow.
CONTENT
Content refers to the subject or topic. Subject areas include
Social and Natural Science, Physical Education and Music, among
others. Content, which includes the knowledge, skills and
understanding we want our students to obtain, and not only the
knowledge they are required to obtain, is always the starting point
when planning CLIL lessons. The content may range from that
stipulated by the curriculum (e.g. renewable and non-renewable
energies) to a cross-curricular project (e.g. preparing an exhibition
on recycled musical instruments and an audio guide).

17

Planning for content

When planning the content of our lessons, we need to ask

ourselves: What are the learners' outcomes in this unit?
What will they learn?

COGNITION
Cognition is defined as the mental process of knowing, including
aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning and judgement
(Hansen, 2015). It refers to thinking skills, or the kind of activities
a learner should be able to do. Basic cognitive skills include typical
questions posed by teachers, such as ‘what?’, ‘where?’, ‘when?’,
‘how much?’ or ‘who?’. These questions, which ask the learner
to retrieve specific information, are called ‘display questions‘. They
develop the thinking skills of recalling, understanding and applying.

According to Bloom (1984), these thinking skills can be classified as

lower-order thinking skills (LOTS). By working with LOTS, students
learn to remember and understand information, and also to apply
the information in different situations.

The CLIL approach goes further, as it seeks to pose more abstract

and complex questions. Students will be asked ‘how’, ‘why?’
or ‘what is the evidence?’ As a result, they will learn to analyse,
evaluate or create new information. These activities are classified
 as higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) by Bloom (1984). By working
with HOTS, students learn to investigate and evaluate new
information and to use it to create something new.

REMEMBER
List, match, describe, define, state…

UNDERSTAND
Explain, compare, outline…

18

APPLY
Classify, solve, complete, illustrate…

ANALYSE
Identify, examine, contrast…

EVALUATE
Assess, rate, justify, recommend…

CREATE
Design, build, imagine, invent, plan…

FIGURE 2. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY (1984)

Bloom's taxonomy, which was later adapted by Krathwohl (2002),

is helpful when planning a CLIL unit. As can be seen in Figure 2,
learners remember a concept before they can understand and later
apply it. Learners must also be able to analyse a concept before
they can evaluate it and create something new. HOTS, therefore,
involve LOTS. However, this does not mean that only older or more
capable students can achieve HOTS, but that students need to be
trained on how to move from the first quadrants of Bloom's
taxonomy to last quadrants.

All units must start with LOTS and build to HOTS.

The following table shows how a unit about the solar system
can be broken down into different steps from LOTS to HOTS:

Remember List the names of the planets in our solar system.

Apply Make a model of the planets in our solar system.
19
Evaluate Choose a planet you would like to live on and explain why.
Create Design a game called Space Snap.

FIGURE 3. EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

Planning for cognition

When planning for cognition, we need to ask ourselves:

W
 hat type of activities (LOTS or HOTS) do the materials
offer?

How can I move naturally from LOTS to HOTS?

COMMUNICATION
Communication refers to students using the target language
to communicate their thoughts, opinions, attitudes and discoveries
related to the lesson content (Coyle, Hood & Marsh, 2010). CLIL
is not simply ‘translating’ content learning from the first language
into another language, but being able to understand and express
content knowledge regardless of the students' levels in the target
language.
 CLIL teachers need to give special support for language.
Therefore, they have to plan language input carefully, by
analysing what kind of language learners will use in each
lesson and how this language can be adapted to their needs.

Coyle, Hood and Marsh (2010) created a triptych, in which they

reconceptualised language learning in order to help teachers
to plan language input, and to help learners access the language
and use it.
Language of learning

20

Language for learning Language through learning

FIGURE 4. THE LANGUAGE TRIPTYCH (COYLE, HOOD & MARSH, 2010)

‘Language of’ is the language related to the content. That is, the
grammar, vocabulary, structures or functions that learners need
in order to access basic concepts and skills related to the subject
topic. Genre also plays an important role, as research shows that
this determines the particular type of language (Llinares &
Whittaker, 2006), which differs depending on the subject or
discipline. For example, Natural Science books use present tenses
to describe actions and properties, while Social Science and History
books use more past tenses. CLIL teachers need to be aware of
this content‑obligatory language and think of effective ways
of teaching it.

‘Language for’ is the language related to the task. This classroom

and metacognitive language is the kind of language needed
to operate in a foreign-language classroom environment. For
example, learners need to understand instructions, give opinions,
agree and discuss. The example that follows provides students
with the language needed to explain the expected use of a neolithic
tool.
 keep food.
The sickle
cut grass.

The grinding stone grind grains.

was probably used to cut meat.

The stone axe kill animals.

store cereals. 21
The pottery jar
protect people.

FIGURE 5. EXAMPLE OF ‘LANGUAGE FOR’

‘Language through’ is the unexpected language that occurs

in a class where students interact and talk freely. This language
emerges through the natural use of language, when students build
knowledge and develop cognition and skills. As Coyle, Hood and
Marsh (2010) point out, this emerging language cannot be planned
in advance, but needs to be captured, recycled and developed.

Planning for language

When planning for language, we need to ask ourselves:

What is the content-obligatory language my students
need to learn?

How is this language connected with grammar?

What basic language skills do my students need to be able

to follow the class?
 CULTURE
Culture (sometimes referred to as citizenship or community)
is vital in a plurilingual approach for developing intercultural
understanding and global citizenship. Culture relates to each
of the other 4 Cs. When dealing with culture, three aspects may
be considered:

a) Students deal with real-life habits, traditions and realities

in other places in the world as a way of learning how different
cultures use language (e.g. formality is expressed differently
in English and in Spanish) and express the same content in
a different way (e.g. ‘columna vertebral ’ is translated
22 as ‘backbone’ — informal — or ‘dorsal spine’ — formal —
in English).

b) There is a link to the real world as students can contact people

from a country where the target-language is spoken, as a
means of examining a topic from their perspective (interviewing
people in the country, writing to an institution, etc.). The use
of authentic material can be valuable when integrating
cultural awareness into the CLIL classroom.

c) Our pluricultural and plurilingual world demands tolerance

and understanding. Students can identify principles, make
comparisons, infer attitudes, etc. They can also think
of otherness and self.

Planning for culture

When planning for cultural issues, we need to ask ourselves:

Are there any cultural differences that should be
highlighted?

Is there a link to the real world that students live in?
How can this be promoted?
3.  Methodologies that best suit CLIL

Traditionally, the teacher, considered to be the expert, transmitted

the information to the learner following a teacher-centred
or teacher-led approach. Recently, there has been a shift
to interactive and student-led learning models based on social
constructivism, in which teachers, learners and educational
resources all support learning. This social constructivist approach
involves teachers as facilitators of cognitive challenges that
engage learners actively through motivating tasks. Thus,
the methodologies and approaches that best suit CLIL are those 23
that are learner-centred and competence-based: service learning,
cooperative and group work, project-based and problem-based
learning, experiential learning, and enquiry-based learning shown
in the diagram below.

Pose a question or
make an assertion

Plan an
Form conclusions
investigation

Analyse the data Gather the data

FIGURE 6. THE ENQUIRY APPROACH

Effective content learning has to take account of not only the

defined knowledge and skills within the curriculum or thematic
plan, but also how to apply these through creative thinking,
problem solving and cognitive challenge.
Coyle, Hood and Marsh (2010)
 PLANNING A CLIL UNIT

The first step when planning a CLIL unit is to choose the content
that is going to be learnt, both in terms of learning outcomes
and of teaching objectives or aims.
Coyle (2005)

The teaching objectives are the knowledge and skills that are
intended to be developed. The learning outcomes are the concepts
and tasks that students will be able to deal with at the end of the
unit. For example, ‘to list the planets in the solar system — their
24 order and names’ is a teaching aim, whereas ‘to discuss whether
Pluto is a planet’ is a learning outcome.
Once the learning outcomes are specified, the content is analysed
with a double aim. On the one hand, to think of the tasks and
activities that will best help students learn the content. On the
other hand, to look for the key words, grammatical functions,
and genre patterns that students will need for both content
comprehension and expression.
The next step is to analyse the activities and tasks to find the
language and the content that will enable the learner to operate
effectively in a CLIL setting. This implies scaffolding of both content
and language and it is one of the most crucial stages of CLIL planning,
because it is here that content and language are clearly integrated.
The last step in planning is to ensure that tasks that enable
cognitive development and cultural awareness are made explicit
to learners. By putting tasks and activities at the core, students
use knowledge and skills to apply higher-order thinking skills
(HOTS), and so learning is more effective and meaningful.

task
content analysis
language
scaffolding content
task analysis
scaffolding language
25
cognition
explicitation
culture

FIGURE 7. STEPS IN CLIL PLANNING

The relationship between language and cognition (thinking

and understanding) is complex. Contrary to foreign-language
teaching, the language in CLIL materials is functional and
dictated by the context of the subject. The language is, therefore,
related to the progression of conceptual understanding and
should be approached lexically or pragmatically rather than
grammatically.

Language in CLIL should be treated in terms of vocabulary

and functions rather than grammatical aspects.

In CLIL settings, language has to be cognitively demanding but

it cannot interfere with students' understanding. The CLIL Matrix,
adapted by Coyle, Hood and Mash (2010) from Cummins (1984),
explores the relationship between cognition and language. This
matrix can be used to measure the combination of cognitive
and linguistic levels of the different tasks of a unit. The challenge
for CLIL teachers, therefore, is to develop materials and tasks
that are both linguistically accessible and cognitively demanding
for students of all levels.
 HIGH COGNITIVE DEMANDS
Task Product
Moment in 3 – language
4 + language
Scaffolding is

HIGH LINGUISTIC DEMANDS

LOW LINGUISTIC DEMANDS

which lots + content + content removed.

of input and Language
scaffolding +  input  – output +  output challenge, content
is provided challenge. Similar
processing processing to immersion
of meaning of form programmes.
IDEAL CLIL PATH
Pre-task
2 –
–
language
content 1 +
–
language
content
This context
+  input  – output should be
avoided.
beginning of a clil
26 ≈ english class
session: activating

LOW COGNITIVE DEMANDS

FIGURE 8. CUMMINS' MATRIX, ADAPTED TO CLIL BY COYLE, HOOD AND MASH (2010)

As can be observed in the diagram, the more complex the task,

the more support the student will need through effective input
and scaffolding strategies. Another important aspect of CLIL
planning is the gradual release of responsibility that teachers need
to plan. With very young learners or at initial stages, it is important
for students to first watch how the teacher carries out a task
in class, before they are finally ready to complete the task on their
own. In this way, they are learning by doing.

Before continuing reading, think

What are the teaching objectives and learning outcomes

in my unit?
How can these learning outcomes be connected with
tasks?
How can I scaffold content and language in each task?
4.  Pedagogical principles in CLIL

As we have already observed, in CLIL, language is used both

to learn content and to communicate, and the subject matter
determines the language students need to learn.

There are some other principles that also need consideration.

THE LANGUAGE TO LEARN AND TO COMMUNICATE:

BICS AND CALP
27
In a monolingual lesson, in which a teacher uses the students' first
language, it is assumed that students have relevant basic language
abilities. That is, they can hold a conversation, they can read and
write and they can understand people talking about a topic. This
is survival language, the language we need to live in a community.
Cummins (1991) used the acronym BICS to refer to these basic
interpersonal communicative skills.

According to Cummins, another fact that most teachers can rely

on when teaching in students' first language is cognitive academic
language proficiency or CALP. This is the language children use for
the purposes of learning at school. Even if there are a lot of schools
which teach these skills explicitly, there are still some teachers who
tend to assume that learners acquire them through repeated
exposure.

However, when teaching CLIL, students have limited target

language proficiency and very often, they are learning the basic
language (BICS) at the same time as the teacher is introducing
the subject contents and the language needed for expressing these
concepts (CALP). CLIL teachers know that their students will come
up against several additional problems because of this. For
instance, they will not be able to talk in groups in English without
help, they will find it hard to write sentences without making
mistakes and searching for the right words to use, and they may
have difficulty understanding a reading passage or getting the gist
of a video. More serious issues will arise when students are
confronted with productive skills, i.e. when they have to define,
 classify, hypothesise, search the Internet or take notes when
reading.

Academic skills are hard for CLIL learners, mainly because they
are still developing basic target language abilities.

Because of this, in CLIL programmes it is difficult for subject

teachers to avoid teaching CALP explicitly. The challenge is larger
as learners face the learning of basic language skills, academic
language skills and new subject concepts all at the same time.

28
THE SUBJECT CONTENT LANGUAGE
As students often lack the English proficiency required to cope
with the subject content, teachers cannot assume that students
can deal with CLIL content effectively (Clegg, 2009a). Consequently,
teachers should adjust their methodology to ensure that the
students understand the content.

Adjustment in CLIL entails a reduction in teacher talk, and

consequently an increase in student talk, and an adjustment of
materials to make them more learner-centred and task based.

Additionally, as teachers pay more attention to language, without

disregarding the importance of content, the role that language
and curricular discourse play in the students' learning of content
is enhanced (Gibbons, 2015). This focus on the language of CLIL
contributes to a more effective study of the contents.

SCAFFOLDING
Students usually have some basic knowledge of the content and
language they will learn. CLIL classes introduce new content
and language, building on it from the foundation the students
already have. Through interaction with other learners, with the
teacher, and with multimedia resources and books, students build
their knowledge until they reach proficiency or mastery. Between
the learners' initial level and their proficiency, learners can perform
a range of tasks with the help and guidance of others, but cannot
yet perform these tasks independently. At the same time, they
develop some new knowledge. This intermediate stage of
development of learning is known as ‘the zone of proximal
development’ or ZPD (Vygotsky, 1978).

Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to help learners act

more skilled than they really are. It is important to realise that
this help is only temporary. The help is gradually removed
as learners gain the knowledge to be independent.
Montalto, Walter, Theodorou and Chrysanthou (2016)
29

Out of reach

Zone of proximal
development
Learns through

LEARNING
scaffolding

Current
understanding
Can work
unassisted

FIGURE 9. ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT

TYPES OF SCAFFOLDING
There are four different types of scaffolding: linguistic, content,
cultural and affective scaffolding.
Linguistic scaffolding refers to the support given in terms of
language; that is, helping students with grammatical structures,
lexical items such as specialised vocabulary, and pragmatic uses
or text type conventions.
 The objective of linguistic scaffolding is to make input and
output comprehensible in terms of language so that content
can be understood.

Since language has a key role in all types of learning processes,

several language support strategies will be presented in the next
section.

Cognitive or conceptual scaffolding provides support on cognitive

strategies and metacognitive skills. The aim is to start at the
students' initial level and build on their previous knowledge. Some
30 scaffolding ideas are:

Analyse students' previous knowledge and needs through

an open-class session, or by using a KWL chart.
Start with lower-order thinking skills (e.g. list the parts of the
flower) and then go on to higher-order thinking skills (e.g. why
a flower stem bends down in a vase).
Prepare activities that start in quadrant 2 in Cummins' matrix
and end the lesson in quadrant 4.

Young learners learn best in contextualised and concrete

situations. It is advisable to start with these ‘easy’ tasks and
to move gradually to more abstract concepts. When possible, show
or model what students have to do. Learners need to be engaged
in more significant experiences for learning to be deeply processed
and assimilated. As the main sources of input are listening and
reading tasks, some strategies to help students understand oral
and written texts are also useful for supporting content learning.

Cultural scaffolding helps students understand other cultures and

lifestyles. When dealing with cultural issues, tolerance and
empathy should always be emphasised, but this is sometimes
challenging and needs to be carefully designed.

Affective scaffolding is related to learners' feelings and emotions,

and it is especially important in CLIL, as students may feel
overwhelmed at times. Students need support when they
feel anxious or when they need to improve their self-esteem.
The teacher is responsible for creating a friendly atmosphere
in which students feel at ease, but also one in which they are
willing to take risks. Learners need challenging activities in order
to learn.

Planning for language

Whenever possible, compare different ways of doing things

around the world (the way Americans divide numbers, two
names for some parts of the body, timetables — e.g. ‘billion’ 31
and ‘million’ —, etc.). You can also contact another school
to share opinions, units, project work, etc.

Setting realistic and reachable short-term aims may be crucial

for giving young learners a feeling of success. Giving praise and
encouraging children is a must in a CLIL setting. And always
remember the sandwich technique when giving feedback: start
with a positive comment, follow with something to be improved
and end with another positive comment.
Jacqueline Hunn
(source: http://educanet2.ch/pec/.ws_gen/54/Scaffolding.pdf)

Before continuing reading, think

What type(s) of scaffolding do my students need?

What previous knowledge do they have about the topic?
How can I praise them effectively? What type of feedback
am I giving?
 LANGUAGE SUPPORT
Even if the importance of language in CLIL is usually emphasised,
some teachers may think that it is not their job to deal with all the
language aspects and that their language colleagues know better.
However, most language problems have to be solved within the
CLIL lesson, because otherwise, the learners will not learn the
subject matter. In this section we will look at some support
strategies that can be used to make language a learning facilitator
rather than a hindrance.

CLIL means developing a different quality of teacher-talk,

32 planning a new set of language-scaffolding activities, and using
a variety of forms of interaction.
Meyer (2010)

Support strategies for receptive skills

(listening and reading)
The main sources of input in any lesson are listening to the teacher,
to classmates, to an expert live or on video, and reading a text
in a book, an article in a magazine, or a webpage on the Internet.
The strategies that can help understanding are very similar.
Before students listen or read a text in English, teachers must
prepare them by designing a pre-reading or pre-listening activity.
Showing them a visual and asking questions about it makes
students predict some of the content in the written or oral text.
Highlight subject-specific vocabulary: learners need to be
presented with new vocabulary in topic-related word banks rather
than in alphabetical order, e.g. ‘Universe: spin, planet, orbit, star,
comet, Big Bang’. It is also a good idea to make students familiar
with key words by means of activities that have an information
gap, e.g. information-gap crosswords, content dominos, etc.
We cannot forget that the task is more important than the text.
So even if the text is linguistically complex, we can make it more
easily understandable to students by adequately sequencing the
tasks. Some reading and listening support tasks include a chart
to fill in, a diagram to label, etc.
Adjusting the teacher's talking style is also a good strategy
to facilitate content to students. At speech level, teachers
must modify their English into ‘friendly teacher talk’, similar
to child-directed speech. This type of speech is characterised
by a slower rate of delivery, higher pitch, more varied intonation,
shorter, simpler sentence patterns and stress on key words.
At the text level, teachers should try to facilitate understanding
of the text by numbering points, giving examples, explaining,
summarising, repeating frequently, and paraphrasing more than
they would in their first language (Lightbown & Spada, 2006).

Support strategies for speaking 33

Apart from the strategies mentioned above, there will still be some
learners who struggle with content understanding. One of the first
things that a CLIL teacher needs to decide is whether, or when,
to encourage the learners to use English or their mother tongue.
Although instructions from bilingual programmes advise using
English as the only means of communication, there are times when
the use of the students' mother tongue is more than justified.

English should be the main language in class but there will

be moments when it is easier or advisable to use their students'
language.

Encouraging students is sometimes more important

than being strict about target language use. At other times,
with abstract concepts or when the management of an
activity is very complex, using the students' mother tongue
may facilitate their understanding and, therefore, promote
empathy.

As Cummins and Gibbons (2002) point out, young children are

more at ease with oral language, so they should be encouraged
to speak rather than write. To help students talk in the open-class,
teachers adjust their questions (perhaps asking some cognitively
demanding but short-answer questions); they prompt (for
example, they start learners' responses for them); they provide
 vocabulary, or they may allow some responses in their first
language.

To help students talk in groups, teachers provide support at the

word level by listing key words to use. To help with making
sentences, they can offer supportive task types such as talking
frames, sentence starters or substitution tables. Finally, some
teachers ask students to use their first language when discussing
things together but English when reporting. Another strategy
when learners have to speak in front of the class is to provide them
with short but frequent rehearsal sessions. They can rehearse with
others and help their peers improve not just their pronunciation,
34 but also the way they convey information.

I think the answer is… because…

The answer is… because…

I solved this problem by…

The way I solved this problem was…

The strategy I used was… and so the answer is…

When I was working out the answer, I…

I started by…

FIGURE 10. SPEAKING FRAME

Support strategies for writing

As the linguistic level of CLIL learners is far lower than their
cognitive level, the level of written output is likely to be low, and
the learner will struggle to convey information. Nevertheless,
it is precisely this struggle that will help them, both cognitively
and linguistically. To help them with writing, support can be offered
in the form of glossaries, sentence starters, or a writing frame.
Teachers can also promote class discussion, probably in the
students' first language, before they begin writing.

Below are some examples of clear, structured texts and models

to be used as scaffolding activities.

If a subject teacher can get the following two things right, they
can teach confidently in English.
 Recognising what language problems learners will have
by acknowledging the language demands of lessons.
 Helping learners to deal with language problems by providing
35
support for language and learning.
Cummins and Gibbons (2002)

HOW TO ORGANISE THE CLASS

As Pavesi et al. (2001) stress, in young learners, acquisition of the
target language follows the same patterns as acquisition of their
mother tongue. Therefore, the teacher has to respect the silent
period and, thus, take into consideration that the initial stages
primarily focus on listening, and that spoken production should
not be forced. The CLIL teacher should involve the children
in many listening and responding activities, such as miming,
problem-solving tasks and games. As the methodology that best
suits CLIL is hands-on learning, CLIL seems to prefer inductive
thinking rather than deductive or the traditional PPP approach
(presentation, practice, production).

CLIL seems to prefer an approach that could be defined as

production, practice, presentation.
Ball (2013b)

One of the first things to do in class is to establish learning goals

and present learning objectives accordingly. Students may be more
involved and engaged in their learning if the teacher works with
 each student to plan individual content goals. The unit has to start
with activities that learners can do on their own. They have to be
aware of their strengths and weaknesses, but a good introduction
is always a good way of putting students at ease. Asking
questions, requesting clarification, giving praise, and encouraging
students help them remain focused on their goals and, therefore,
be motivated.

We also have to remember that young learners have very short

concentration spans. Therefore, activities should be short and
motivating. It is important to know when to stop an activity and
move on to the next one. By breaking down the lesson into smaller
36 steps we provide support for slower learners and give them a sense
of success, which enhances their self-esteem and motivation.

Since learning is a social, interactive process, it is always advisable

to include tasks that involve learners in collaborative work. Two
heads are better than one. Additionally, the rate of content
retention is higher when teaching another person.

It is also very effective in terms of students' involvement

to connect learning to learners' lives, and also to the local
community and to the world.

If the lesson or the unit has a link to an event or an action that

happens in the class or near the class, the learning is more
meaningful. Posing a challenge, which students have to solve,
makes them more eager to find the answer and, therefore,
learning is more effective. For example, asking why the flower
in the classroom was straight but is now bent (HOTS) is more
meaningful than simply learning how plants grow (LOTS). And
designing a board game on Ancient Rome for another class to play
is more engaging than handing the game in to the teacher.

Last, but not least, teachers should cater to all sensory learning
styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetic) and integrate them into
the activities.
5.  Assessment in CLIL

Assessment can be defined as collecting information, analysing

it so that a judgement can be made, and taking a decision
based on the data.

Assessment has an inevitable impact, either positive or negative,

on teaching and learning, as students tend to adapt their learning
process to the way they are assessed. For example, if exams
measure the students' ability to name body muscles and bones, 37
they will concentrate on memorising them. On the contrary, if we
ask them to hand in an activity in which they reflect on the way
humans move, they will be forced to activate higher cognitive skills
to explain the process.

Before continuing reading, think

Is assessment in CLIL the same as assessment in the

students' first language?
What do we assess: content, language or both?
Which language do we use to assess?
Which tools are used to assess?
If we assess in English, how can we minimise the effect
of the language in the content assessment?

The aim of assessment varies depending on the moment

and the reason for assessing. If we are interested in checking
what students know about the topic we are about to start,
or the students' English level, initial assessment is carried out.
If the assessment is carried out in order to help our students
to learn better, to improve their performance and, eventually,
to improve the learning process, its function is pedagogical,
 and we call it formative. If the assessment is carried out at the end
of a time period (unit, term or year) in order to see the level of
attainment of the objectives, we are talking about a summative
assessment, whose aim is to find out what the students know.
Although assessment has been traditionally carried out at the
end of instruction, CLIL pedagogies are in line with formative
assessment practices and, therefore, assessment should be
embedded in daily practice from the beginning of instruction.

when reason
Initial At the beginning To see the starting point
38 assessment
Formative During the learning To guide students' learning,
assessment process compensate for difficulties and
improve their competence
Summative At the end of To see how much they have
assessment a period learnt and how competent
they are

FIGURE 11. TYPES OF ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT OF CONTENT OR LANGUAGE?

If in CLIL language and content are naturally integrated, both

aspects should be assessed in an integrated way.

The dual focus of CLIL — content and language — complicates

the assessment process since the additional language might
interfere with the learning of content and skills, making it difficult
to ascertain whether some students' lack of knowledge is due to
a lack of language proficiency. For example, when asking students
to explain recycling processes, those students with a higher level
of English may find it easier to express themselves than those who
have weaker language skills.

In this sense, researchers have raised the question of whether

content can be separated from language and be assessed
independently (Hönig, 2009). There is an ongoing debate between
those in favour of assessing language with content and those who
defend discrete assessment, i.e. considering language and content
separately.

Teachers in CLIL settings have to determine to what extent

language should be graded (if any), and what is the best way
to assess it. However, regardless of teachers' preferences and
the CLIL model, be it more language oriented or more content
oriented, one cannot forget that content is the starting point
of CLIL planning, so CLIL teachers should focus on this when
assessing their students. It is also interesting to consider that
the task-based approach promoted in CLIL lessons suggests the 39
assessment of language with content. For instance, in a unit
dealing with animals and plants, in which students have
to complete a field journal as the final task, language should
be assessed as integrated with the subject knowledge, taking
into account students' English level at this stage.

Assessing both language and content

Assessment can be done through a variety of tools, from


the most formal (e.g. tests) to the most informal
(e.g. class observation).
When necessary, subject knowledge should be assessed

using simple forms of language (e.g. completing
diagrams, matching activities, etc.).

Language should be assessed naturally, i.e. for a real
purpose in a real context.

If we scaffold lessons, we also need to assess what
students can do with support, before they are able
to operate on their own.

If assessment is orally based, preparation time and some
prompting are crucial.
 SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Summative assessment, also called ‘assessment of learning’,

evaluates how well a student has achieved the objectives
of a unit, term or year.

In summative assessment, the teacher identifies the

assessment criteria or standards of assessment and collects
information to see whether the pupil is able to attain the main
learning goals.
40

Examples of assessment criteria

The student can understand information on densities


supported by visuals or gestures.
The student can carry out an experiment to show

the density of some liquids.
The student can explain the results of an experiment

on densities when provided with language support.

Teachers have a wide range of instruments to collect information

on how well the student is able to perform according to the
assessment criteria. Traditionally, tests have been used as the
most common means of recalling data for assessment. But
questions that are asked solely to find out whether a student
has learnt specific information from a lesson are, unfortunately,
from the Remembering quadrant of Bloom’s taxonomy (LOTS).
For example, have they memorised the dates of a particular war?
Or do they know the kings that ruled during specific eras
of European history? The importance of moving up in the cognition
levels of the taxonomy has been pointed out earlier in this guide.
Why do we not try to find some other ways of monitoring our
students' progression for the rest of the cognition skills?
 When moving from LOTS to HOTS, tasks become more
complex and we will need assessment instruments that help
us evaluate the attainment of competence-based objectives.
It is then that we will need to use instruments such as journals
or portfolios.

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING (FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT)

AND ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING

Current pedagogies are more in line with assessment for and 41

assessment as learning. As Hattie (2017) points out, they are
approaches in which the teacher (assessment for learning) or the
students themselves (assessment as learning) assess academic
performance or provide feedback which is then used to improve
student performance.

In assessment as learning, students are involved in the assessment

process. They are, therefore, an active agent, whereas
in assessment for learning, the more active role is that
of the teacher.

what why when instruments

Assessment To check the learning At the end Oral presentations
of learning objectives and of a unit, Tests and exams
competences were term or Rubrics for final
achieved year products
Assessment To facilitate learning Throughout Projects or tasks
for learning while providing the unit or Rubrics
feedback year Projects, portfolios
Assessment To increase At several Self-assessment
as learning awareness of and points
Peer-assessment
reflect upon the within a
Learning diaries
learning process task, lesson
and journals
or unit

FIGURE 12. ASSESSMENT OF, FOR AND AS LEARNING

 Aims for assessment for learning and
assessment as learning


To share the objectives with the students
To anticipate and plan the action to achieve the task

To share the assessment criteria


As can be seen in Figure 13, even if all the instruments can be

42
used to assess learning, some are more apt to be used to assess
in a formative or pedagogical way (assessment for/as learning).

Assessment
Assessment of learning
for learning (quantifying)

Journals, Rubrics Exams,

self-assessment tests

Orientation Tasks
Portfolios
based

FIGURE 13. TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS

Sharing the objectives and the assessment criteria with students

is the best starting point for a CLIL lesson. If children know what
they are expected to do and learn, they learn more efficiently.
Using questions like the ones that follow also helps. The teacher
asks students to list the things that need to be done to perform
the task set. If possible, the teacher should write the suggestions
on the board. They can also ask questions, such as, ‘What about
the language?’, ‘Can we make mistakes?’, ‘Which mistakes will not
be allowed?’ Notice that the guided reflection on their learning will
contribute to making their learning more effective.
 Sharing the assessment criteria is also a way of making
assessment formative. For effective learning, students should
be aware of the success criteria, and this needs to be
expressed in a student-friendly format.

One way of sharing objectives with students is by providing them

with the rubric before they start the unit. A rubric is an assessment
instrument that includes the assessment criteria in the left-hand
column, and a description of each level of attainment. They are not
easy to design, especially with primary pupils, but students can
contribute to them by having the descriptors mixed up and asking
43
them to put them under the correct headings. As can be seen, the
aim is to make students aware of what they need to do in order
to successfully, carry out a task. Before handing in the task,
students are asked to check their work in regard to the rubric and
to improve those aspects that need work. Students can also assess
themselves with the rubric, or they can correct their peers' work.
Rubrics can also be used to assess students summatively.

SELF-ASSESSMENT IN CLIL
Being able to assess oneself, that is, to understand your
own learning process and identify strong and weak points,
is important not just for school but for all stages of life. One
way of encouraging self-assessment, apart from the ones already
mentioned, is to ask students to design a portfolio.

A portfolio is a compilation of the tasks a student would like

to hand in to be assessed.

The portfolio always includes a reflection by students on their

own learning process, and their reasons for adding specific pieces
of work. It also highlights students' opinions and feelings,
so it promotes meaningful learning. As this reflection is difficult,
especially for young learners, teachers need to guide them in the
process. This is why some teachers allow students to use their first
language; others may use a bank of sentences that students can
choose from, as can be seen in Figure 14.
 I worked hard to do it.
I enjoyed working with others (family, friends) when I did it.
I don't have anything else like it in my portfolio.
It's a better version of an earlier work sample.
My teacher suggested it.
I think it's very interesting.
It shows I use English outside the classroom.
It shows my English is getting better.
I like it a lot.

44
FIGURE 14. SUGGESTING REASONS FOR INCLUDING A TASK IN THE PORTFOLIO

A portfolio comprises everything, from a test to a project, or from

class notes to a video with an oral presentation. It can be
presented on paper or as a blog. To assess it, a rubric can be used.
Another way of encouraging self-assessment is by giving out
questionnaires, where students write down or tick what they have
learnt or how well they have done something.

Self-assessment and peer-assessment are essential in order

to foster evaluation for and as learning. If these two types
of assessment are well designed and carried out, learning will
be deeper and, as a result, the level of attainment of the objectives
will also increase.

Before continuing reading, think

Which assessment instruments would I feel most

comfortable with?
How easy is it to integrate content and language with
the instruments provided?
How could I involve my students in their own assessment
process?
6.  Resources for CLIL

During the early years of CLIL implementation, a major concern

for teachers was the lack of resources that suited their needs.
However, there are currently plenty of online and printed resources
available. In addition to this, resources can also be found outside
the school, as our social environment can bring us cultural events
such as exhibitions and performances, etc., that can also be useful
in our daily teaching practice.

Resources can be classified as printed (books, resource books,

45
magazines, booklets, flashcards), realia (real-life objects),
audio-visual (videos, movies) or digital (online).

There are some criteria that the teacher needs to follow in order
to choose materials. The resource has to be motivating and
adapted to students' needs and ages so as to promote experiential
learning. Finally, we should bear in mind that resources need to be
in line with, and support, the methodologies we use in class; only
when the resource is helpful for carrying out an activity, should we
introduce it.

Before continuing reading, think

How do you decide on the resources to use?

What are the main characteristics of good resources?
Make a list of criteria for evaluating a coursebook.

BOOKS AND PRINTED MATERIAL

The coursebook brings colourful activities, useful texts and multiple
tasks. Books are meant to be used as the basis or the starting
point of your lessons. Only you know your students and your school.
You are the only person who can decide what is useful, or not,
 for your class, what motivates your students, or which are the best
activities to create a rich learning experience.

Be selective and critical; do not feel forced to cover all

the activities, just the ones that suit your students' needs.
Supplement them with extra materials, if you like.

DIGITAL RESOURCES
Computers are a must in classes nowadays, as digital competence
46 is one of the key competences that students have to develop.
ICT is taken for granted in many schools, and most units
nowadays include the use of computers in class. Coursebooks
usually come with digital material, which motivates students
to do the work.

Many online resources can be used for communication

purposes. Desktop publishing enables pupils to design pages
or booklets. Digital equipment can be used to create video or
audio recordings. Wikis, webpages and blogs have never been
so easy to design. All these products can be shared with the
whole school community, making learning more real.

Students have to learn to look for information on the Internet.

They must be taught how to do this and how to assess reliable
webpages. This is especially important in CLIL. We need to supply
our students with these pages at early ages, but let them try
to find good webpages on their own when they get older. Telling
them to add ‘for kids’ in their search may help them find webpages
at the right cognition level and with simpler language. Some
favourite webpages for CLIL are:

https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html

http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com
 After reading, think

What type of materials do I need to teach my CLIL

subject?
How can I select/adapt existing materials?
How can online resources complement lessons?

47
 7.  CLIL advantages and challenges

ADVANTAGES OF CLIL

As we have already stated, CLIL provides exposure to the language

without requiring extra time in the curriculum (Marsh, 2002).
In fact, maybe the most important advantage is that, as Ball
(2013a) stresses, CLIL helps learners upgrade their language skills
through a greater number of contact hours with the target
language. Some other advantages are the following:
48
Cultural awareness. CLIL brings to the class the opportunity
to experience a great variety of cultural contexts, and offers
the possibility of presenting other cultural attitudes.

Internationalisation and preparation for both study and

working life. Many schools have improved their profiles
thanks to teaching content in English. Parents see CLIL
as a great opportunity for their children to prepare for
studying or working abroad in the future.

Language competence and skills for life. Learning content

in English is a natural way of learning a language, as students
pay attention to interesting and authentic content rather than
to grammatical features. This type of teaching fosters language
and thinking skills while making learning conditions (the use
of learning strategies and study skills common to both content
and language) more favourable. By integrating content and
language, and through the learners' involvement in academically
and cognitively demanding activities, CLIL encourages creative
thinking processes, and more cognitive effort. Therefore, CLIL
fosters learning to learn.

Increased motivation. CLIL lessons are more complex than those

in the students' first language because teachers have to
consciously pay attention to language. Learners' motivation and
involvement increase as CLIL uses a wider range of task-types
to make sure students understand content. Likewise, through
the interactive and co-operative nature of the work, CLIL helps
boost self-confidence, builds learner independence, gives
 students a feeling of real achievement in their tasks, and
teaches learners organisational skills.

CHALLENGES OF CLIL
While CLIL may be an effective methodology for both content
and language learning, and materials have improved considerably,
teachers still need guidance on how to select and adapt materials,
and how to work in collaboration with fellow teachers (both
language and subject teachers).

Not all members of the bilingual school (staff and parents) see
a need to implement CLIL; some because they lack language 49
proficiency, others because they think the subject content is going
to be ‘dumbed down’. Besides, not all pupils feel motivated to learn
a foreign language, and the fact that the content is in English may
hinder their involvement. However, these challenges may be
overcome by making sure that teachers are trained in CLIL and
that the school has a clear CLIL policy.

Qualified teachers should be able to employ a range of teaching

strategies appropriate to the age, language competence,
general ability, and attainment level of learners, and present
subject content in clear, contextualised language and
in a stimulating and interactive manner.
Pavesi et al. (2001)
 8.  The role of the family

Before reading, think

Do your student’s families support the CLIL programme?

How could they be involved in the school?
Can you ask parents to help you in some way?
50

A parent’s attitude towards language learning is crucial to a child’s

success, according to language teachers and researchers. Children
need support when learning, especially in CLIL programmes,
in which the use of the target language can demotivate them.
It is, therefore, essential that parents take an active interest
in what happens in a bilingual school. The best way for them to do
that is by talking to their children so that they can share successes
and concerns during the CLIL teaching process.

PARENTS' CONCERNS

Parents who prioritise language learning are more likely

to push their child to keep trying and to not give up even
when things seem difficult.

Nevertheless, not all parents feel the same. Some parents might
have concerns regarding their child's progress, achievement and
overall learning in the subject content taught in English. If a child's
family are not fluent in the target language, they may also worry
that they cannot help the child.

An effective way of responding to parental concerns is to keep

families informed during the implementation of the CLIL
programme and whenever doubts arise. Here is a list of possible
ways of helping parents trust CLIL:

Design leaflets with information about bilingual education

in general and the CLIL model at the school.
Design a digital forum where parents can ask questions
or discuss their concerns.
Design a blog where pupils upload their work and photos so that
parents are informed of their children's successes.
Provide parents with a list of objectives and contents that will
be dealt with in class.
Invite parents to watch a CLIL lesson. 51

Invite parents to help in CLIL activities (e.g. school excursions)

or to review children's portfolios or final products.

HOW PARENTS CAN HELP

Maintaining a successful CLIL programme is everybody's job.
Parents have a lot to say, so they must be part of the programme.
Some parents would like to support CLIL classes at their child's
school, but they do not know how to. Here is a list with some ideas
for parents:

Ask your child what they have learnt at school and what they did
in class.
Ask your child to teach you something they did in the CLIL lesson
in English.
Encourage your child by making time to practise and by praising
his/her successes.
Ask the teacher for resources your child can use at home.
Volunteer to do something in the CLIL class.
 Conclusion

In a globalised and changing world, competence-based

methodologies are key for educational success. Students need
to be able to put knowledge and skills into practice in a cross-
curricular and interactive way, in contexts and situations that
require the intervention of different types of knowledge. CLIL
fosters competences and prioritises thinking skills and
communication, two of the basic skills for the 21st century citizen.
Even if CLIL seems to be difficult to implement, students do
52 surprisingly well: they learn subjects and develop language abilities
successfully, and they are very motivated and resilient, which
usually takes them a long way. CLIL has also led teachers to realise
that they must teach differently as they accumulate new
pedagogical strategies and collaborate with other teachers
(Ball, 2013b).

After reading about CLIL, think

How can the CLIL approach change my teaching practice?

Which skills do I need to become an efficient CLIL
teacher?
How easy do I find integrating content and language
in my lessons?

Will you join the CLIL team? We are on the right track!
Let's CLIL !
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http://www.onestopenglish.com/clil/methodology/articles
/articleactivity-types-inclil/500800.article

Ball, P. (2013b). ‘How do you know if you're practising CLIL?’.

Retrieved from http://www.onestopenglish.com/clil
/methodology/articles/article-how-do-you-know-if
-yourepractising-clil/500614.article
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Ball, P., Kelly, K., & Clegg, J. (2015). Putting CLIL into Practice.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bloom, B. (1984).Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Boston:

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.onestopenglish.com/clil/methodology/articles/article-skills
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diversifying language learning and teaching within the education
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57
Working with language
assistants
IULIA VESCAN
ANGELA SAUCIUC
CONTENTS

1 Language assistants in Spain

What is a language assistant? .......................................................... 63

Why do candidates choose Spain? ................................................... 64

2 The role of language assistants

in the school and in the classroom

What are their responsibilities? ....................................................... 65

What are the benefits? ...................................................................... 66

3 Models to incorporate a language assistant

into the classroom

Monitoring model ................................................................................ 69

Complementary/supportive model ................................................. 70

Parallel model ...................................................................................... 71

Differentiated model ......................................................................... 72

Team teaching model ......................................................................... 73

Collaborative model ........................................................................... 74

Activity bank for language assistants ........................................... 75

4 The roles of the teacher and the language assistant

in a cooperative learning environment

Co-planning: teacher and language assistant ............................. 78

Collaboration and lesson planning ................................................. 80

 5 Collaboration: lesson plan outlines
Natural Science ................................................................................... 86
English language ................................................................................. 88
Social Science ...................................................................................... 90
Arts and Crafts ................................................................................... 92
Physical Education ............................................................................. 94

6 General suggestions to ensure

the perfect partnership
Before arrival ....................................................................................... 96
The first day ......................................................................................... 98
During the stay .................................................................................. 100
After the programme ...................................................................... 102

7 Chronological review of activities,

responsibilities and involvement
First days at school .......................................................................... 103
First term ............................................................................................ 104
Second term ....................................................................................... 105
Third term ........................................................................................... 106
End of the school year ..................................................................... 107

References .................................................................................................. 108

1. Language assistants in Spain

If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples,
then you and I will still have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have
an idea, and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.

Bernard Shaw

Before reading the chapter, think

✓ What are the benefits of working with

a language assistant for my students? 63

✓  What are the benefits for me?

✓  Is there a downside?

In this chapter you will find some tips to help you make
the most of your assistant's stay.

WHAT IS A LANGUAGE ASSISTANT?

A language assistant is a native speaker of a foreign language

who supports the school's teachers with conversation
practice. The tasks of a language assistant are different from
a teaching assistant and include encouraging oral practice of
the foreign language; dealing with cultural aspects of their home
country; helping in other subjects such as Science, Arts and
Physical Education; acting as a role model for correct
pronunciation and grammar; and collaborating with teaching
staff in creating teaching materials and planning.
Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (2007)
 Public schools appoint language assistants through the Spanish
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (Ministerio de Educación,
Cultura y Deporte) and the Departments of Education (Consejerías
de Educación) of the different regions of Spain (comunidades
autónomas). Private or charter schools appoint them through
other programmes. Language assistants come from the European
Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Language assistants' applications are evaluated based on a list

of conditions that are indicative of a candidate's potential
for successful participation in the programme. Placements last one
academic year: generally from the beginning of October until the
end of May.

64
What is required to participate?

✓  To be a passport-holder of an English-speaking country.

✓ To be a university graduate (minimum BA or BSc degree
at the end of the academic year preceding the start of the
programme), or be an upcoming Junior or Senior student
at university.
✓ To be in good physical and psychological condition and
to pass a background check.
✓  To have basic communication skills in Spanish.
Adapted from http://www.mecd.gob.es/dctm/ministerio
/educacion/actividad-internacional/consejerias/eeuu
/auxiliaresusa/faq.pdf?documentId=0901e72b8108b1b8

WHY DO CANDIDATES CHOOSE SPAIN?

Language assistants find it rewarding to give classes in their

mother tongue and to spread their culture among Spanish children.
They find Spain to be a historically interesting country that offers
an enjoyable lifestyle.
2. The role of language assistants
in the school and in the classroom

WHAT ARE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES?

Language assistants work under the direction of teachers, who
guide them in choosing activities to undertake, while giving them
the opportunity to develop new activities. Teachers familiarise
language assistants with the language programme offered at their
institution and inform them of various activities organised around
language learning. Working with a language assistant is a perfect
opportunity for students to immerse themselves fully in the
language and to try to communicate with someone in ‘real life’.

According to Spanish regulations, the following are the main roles

65
of language assistants.

The role of language assistants

Language assistants may:

✓  Teach cultural aspects.
✓ Represent their country as a language and culture
ambassador.
✓  Develop the students' oral skills.
✓  Assist teachers in the classroom.
✓ Help maintain the teachers' fluency and update
their vocabulary (up to 2 hours/week).
Adapted from Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte,
Guía del Tutor, 2017-2018
 The role of language assistants

Language assistants may not:

✓  Take complete responsibility for the classroom.
✓  Take responsibility for assessment and grading.
✓  Take responsibility for discipline.
Adapted from Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte,
Guía del Tutor, 2017-2018

66
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
There are several benefits when a language assistant interacts
with a class of students. A language assistant can be:

A cultural resource. Language assistants can share life

experiences from their home country in which the target
language is spoken. By inviting students to compare their
experiences in Spain with those of the target-language country,
language assistants can play a significant role in giving students
an understanding of other cultures. For instance, pen-pal
projects and student exchanges often arise from the need
to communicate with native speakers and to know more about
their culture. The language assistant can include authentic
materials, such as photos of their hometown, family members
or their old school, to use in group conversations. Thus,
by sharing information, students will be able to learn
in a meaningful way, while finding out about the culture
of another country.

A source of spontaneity. The ability to speak with confidence

is emphasised in the curriculum. However, opportunities for
spontaneous talk in the classroom are not always available.
Other than helping students produce, prepare and practise
dialogues, language assistants can help students participate
 in more authentic exchanges. Examples include meeting and
greeting students and participating in classroom activities using
simple expressions in the target language. These exchanges
mean that students get to use the target language for real
communicative purposes, and build their speaking confidence
in the process.

A way to support students individually or in small groups.

Language assistants can participate in small groups
or in one‑to‑one sessions. For students who do not have
the opportunity to go abroad, having a language assistant
in the classroom might be the first opportunity they
have to talk to a native speaker. Assistants might assist
students individually to prepare for their speaking exams,
practising their answers and giving feedback on accuracy
or pronunciation, for example.
67
A source of creativity. Many educators are talking about
WAGOLL (what a good one looks like). This technique uses
sample texts for speaking and writing that help students
identify good features of a text and compare them to their
own. Language assistants are a fantastic source of WAGOLL
materials. For example, they can write and record tailored,
up‑to‑date listening materials and prepare role plays of the
type that interests students. They can come up with new
games, or even design flashcards, board games, fishing games,
bingo or other types of games.

A source of continuing professional development. Contact

with language assistants is not just valuable for students,
but also for teachers. As staff have limited opportunities
for conversation in another language, language assistants
can help maintain teachers' fluency and update their
vocabulary if needed. They can also help staff develop
their knowledge and understanding of cultures in different
countries.
 3. Models to incorporate
a language assistant
into the classroom

Working together to create value

while sharing virtual and physical space.
Rosen

Hibler (2010) mentions that team teaching has grown in recent

decades and has produced positive results for all involved
(e.g. content and language teachers, language assistants and
students). The teacher and the language assistant can
68 collaborate together in different roles when interacting with
the same group of students at the same time. Robinson and
Schaible (1995) identify six models of collaboration in the
classroom.
MONITORING MODEL

FIGURE 1. 
MONITORING MODEL

The teacher takes responsibility for instructing the entire class,

while the language assistant goes around the room and monitors
students' understanding, making sure they stay on task
(Robinson & Schaible, 1995). 69

MONITORING MODEL

If one of you... The other can...

✓  Lectures. ✓ Check for understanding with an individual

student.
✓ Check for engagement — walk around and
support students.
✓ Gather data — record engagement, materials, etc.
✓ Reinforce good behaviour.
✓ Set up for the next activity.
✓ Echo key words.
✓ Use proximity for behaviour management.
✓ Ask clarifying questions to individual students.
✓ Provide kinesthetic tools, hands-on activities,
aids and props.
✓ Manage ICT devices.
✓ Make sure worksheets are being completed.
✓ Speak/Confer individually with students about
progress, etc.
✓ Keep binders or other organisational tools.
 COMPLEMENTARY/SUPPORTIVE MODEL

FIGURE 2. 
COMPLEMENTARY/SUPPORTIVE
MODEL

The teacher is in charge of delivering lesson content and the

70 language assistant is responsible for providing follow-up activities
on related topics or on study language skills.

COMPLEMENTARY/SUPPORTIVE MODEL

If one of you... The other can...

✓ Teaches content. ✓ Clarify, paraphrase, simplify

or record content.

✓ Pre-teaches specific study ✓ Teach the academic content.

or social skills and monitors
students' use of them.

✓ Works with students who ✓ Work with the rest of the

require reteaching of a concept. students on enrichment.
PARALLEL MODEL
In this model,
students are
randomly divided
and both teacher and
language assistant
are in charge
of teaching the
same materials
with their
corresponding
groups.
FIGURE 3.  PARALLEL MODEL

PARALLEL MODEL 71
One of you can... The other can...

✓ Check for understanding. Check for understanding.

✓ 

✓ Prepare for one side Prepare for the opposing side

✓ 
of a debate. of the debate.

✓ Circulate and check for Circulate and checking for

✓ 
comprehension while students comprehension while students
are engaged in their work. are engaged in their work.

✓ Provide instruction Provide instruction

✓ 
or presentation. or presentation.

✓ Review homework and provide Review homework and provide

✓ 
feedback to students. feedback to students.

✓ Reteach or pre-teach. Monitor as they work on practice

✓ 
materials.

✓ Facilitate silent reading. Preview upcoming information.

✓ 

✓ Read a text aloud. Invigilate a text silently.

✓ 

✓ Explain a new concept. Conduct a role play.

✓ 
Model a concept.
✓ 
Ask clarifying questions.
✓ 
 DIFFERENTIATED MODEL

FIGURE 4. 
DIFFERENTIATED MODEL

This model is similar to the parallel model, but students are divided
according to their learning needs, level or other criteria (exam
72
preparation, for example).

DIFFERENTIATED MODEL

If one of you... The other can...

✓ Introduces the new content Lead small group handwriting

✓ 
to the whole class. practice.

✓ Conducts large group Prepare for external exams

✓ 
instruction. with a small group.

✓ Works with the large group. Read with a small group.

✓ 
TEAM TEACHING MODEL

FIGURE 5. 
TEAM TEACHING MODEL

This model refers to the situation in which both teacher and

language assistant actively share instructions. This may also
73
mean that one of them may present the new material to the
students while the other constructs a concept map on the board.

TEAM TEACHING MODEL

If one of you... The other can...

✓ Explains a new Conduct a role play.

✓ 
concept. Ask clarifying questions.
✓ 

✓ Makes last‑minute Review homework.

✓ 
copies. Provide a study or test-taking strategy.
✓ 

✓ Writes on the board. Lecture.

✓ 

✓ Reads aloud. Call on students.

✓ 

✓ Lectures. Model note taking on the board/overhead

✓ 
projector.
Write key points on the board or laptop.
✓ 
Ask clarifying questions.
✓ 
Pull up an online site to support
✓ 
instruction.

✓ Both teacher and language assistant share the reading

of a story/text so that students hear two different voices.
 COLLABORATIVE MODEL

FIGURE 6. 
COLLABORATIVE MODEL

This model is a type of team teaching model in which teacher

and language assistant work together in designing the course and
74
then teach the material together (with both people speaking).
They exchange and discuss ideas in front of the learners. This
is a significant approach in language education, according
to Brinton, Snow and Wesche (1989). It is designed to provide
second‑language learners instruction in content and language.

Before continuing reading, think

✓  Which collaborative model do I usually use?

✓  Which model will I use in my next lesson?
ACTIVITY BANK FOR LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS
Language assistants may need some guidance on how to work
with students. The following table shows some useful activities
that the language assistant can prepare for class, according
to Medgyes (1994).

Speaking practice Writing practice

✓ Presentations (with or without Dictogloss.

✓ 
slides).
Grammar structures
✓ 
✓ Interviews (filling in forms, or vocabulary tasks.
making a note of details,
radio show). Cloze completions.
✓ 

✓ Narrations (stories, events, Sentences (ordering, correcting,

✓ 
experiments). connecting, function,
✓ Informative notes (ask other structuring, translating, etc.). 75
pupils about themselves/the Dictations.
✓ 
topic).
Labelling.
✓ 
✓ Descriptions (picture, object,
person, etc.). Correction of true or false
✓ 
sentences.
✓ Information-gap activities.
✓ Comparisons. Instructions.
✓ 

✓ Role plays. Paragraphs.

✓ 

✓ Problem-solving activities Project work, texts, displays,

✓ 
in pairs or groups. etc.
✓ Discussions/debates (specific Creation of poems, dialogues
✓ 
topics). or stories related to the topic.
✓ Drama activities about a topic.
Information transfer.
✓ 
✓ Games (physical and
Essays, articles, reports,
✓ 
intellectual) about a topic.
projects, Power Point slides,
✓ Expression of opinions.
summary cards, etc.
✓ Radio or TV programme
Letters, postcards, email,
✓ 
productions.
notes, etc., related to the topic.
✓ Explanations/instructions.
Information-gap activities.
✓ 
✓ Reports (experiments, trips,
etc.). Self-assessment activities.
✓ 
 To practise reading and listening skills, the language assistant
can prepare the following activities:

Listening or reading practice

Listen or read to acquire information.

✓ 

Listen or read to make or draw something.

✓ 

Listen or read to state true or false and why.

✓ 

Listen or read to answer multiple-choice questions.

✓ 

Listen or read to answer questions (Wh- or yes/no).

✓ 

Listen or read to complete statements or notes about

✓ 
meaning.
76
Listen or read to identify attitude, formal or informal
✓ 
situation, genre, etc.

Listen or read to identify or compare pictures or photos.

✓ 

Listen or read to correct information.

✓ 

Listen or read to put pictures, instructions, etc., in the

✓ 
right order.

Listen or read to use as a model for production.

✓ 

Listen or read to take notes or summarise.

✓ 

Listen or read to transfer information.

✓ 

Listen or read and label.

✓ 

Listen and follow a written text or dialogue.

✓ 

Listen and check written answers.

✓ 

Listen and react.

✓ 

Read to order words, sentences or cut-up paragraphs.

✓ 
4. The roles of the teacher and the
language assistant in a cooperative
learning environment

For teachers and paraeducators

to act as a team, they need
to communicate clearly and regularly.
Pickett, Vasa and Steckelberg (1993)

The relatively fast growth in the number of language assistants

has raised concerns about their role and its relation to the role
of teachers. All through teacher training, teachers are trained 77
in pedagogical methods, curriculum requirements and practice,
but the skill of managing a language assistant is hardly discussed
at all. In fact, even though introducing another adult into the
classroom brings major benefits for teachers and students 
when handled properly, it also adds another management 
level and complicates the functioning of the classroom
(Morgan & Ashbaker, 2001).

The teamwork of a teacher and a language assistant should

be close to team teaching and should follow a collaborative
approach. Co‑planning is crucial for understanding each other's
role and performing well as a team. It also helps in developing
intercultural skills and a better cultural awareness for both
teacher and language assistant.
In co-planning, the teacher is, thus,
responsible for planning and
teaching content. The language
assistant is primarily asked
to prepare activities and resources
under the direction of the teacher,
and provides follow-up activities
to reinforce correct pronunciation,
appropriate vocabulary and cultural
awareness among students.
 Before continuing reading, think

✓ What cultural components can the language assistant

bring into my lesson?
✓ What problems do my students have with pronunciation?
✓ How can the language assistant reinforce academic
vocabulary?

CO-PLANNING: TEACHER AND LANGUAGE ASSISTANT

78 In order to make an efficient lesson plan, the teacher should:

Establish a regular place and time to meet with the language

assistant.

Use an agenda (see the template on the next page).

Gather available resources, like books and other materials.

Decide what content (objectives from curriculum, books)

will be taught.

Assign specific roles to the language assistant throughout

the lesson: Who? What? How?

Determine how and when students' work will be evaluated.

Inform the assistant about the evaluation goals and procedures.

Consider which collaboration strategies will be used at specific

times during the lesson.

Effective planning teams use a meeting agenda. An agenda

helps partners follow specific procedures, clearly communicate
and build a sense of purpose.
Friend and Cook (2013)
 Co-planning meeting agenda template

Date:               Note taker:              

Timekeeper:                      
Review (20 % of time)
Reflect on teacher's and students' performance.
✓ What worked well?                  
✓ What didn't work?                   

Plan instruction (60 % of time)

✓ Discuss ‘big picture’ challenges first (teachers
and language assistants). 79
✓ Discuss content (teachers and language
assistants).
✓ Plan content delivery (teachers).
✓ Consider variations of collaboration models
in the classroom (teachers).
✓ Plan individual and group evaluation (teachers).
✓ Clarify teaching roles and responsibilities
(teachers).
✓ Write out responsibilities for all involved
(teachers).

✓ Identify necessary materials (teachers

and language assistants).
✓ Design practical activities (language assistants).

Next meeting
Date:                        
Place:                        

Adapted from William & Mary. Training & Technical Assistance Center (2017)
 COLLABORATION AND LESSON PLANNING
These are some suggestions that can be taken into account when
planning with the language assistant:

Pre-planning
All people involved should come prepared to the planning
meeting. There should be an agenda, prepared by the teacher
beforehand, with a list of important issues to be discussed.

The teachers should take books and other relevant materials

to the planning meeting.

Language assistants should take sample activities, current news

or any materials related to the culture of their home countries
that may be incorporated later into planning.
80

During co-planning meeting

The teacher clarifies the content, learning and instructional
objectives for each session.

Both teachers and language assistants brainstorm possible

teaching techniques and activities. They offer alternative
activities adapted to the children's skills and abilities.

Based on students' needs, teachers determine the roles each

will play in class instruction.

After co-planning meeting

Both teacher and language assistant prepare and gather
materials for the lesson.

Both teacher and language assistant deliver instruction during

the co-taught lesson using the selected collaboration models.

Once the collaboration model is implemented and understood,

by both teacher and language assistant, in a face-to-face
session, Friend (2014) recommends using electronic platforms
as effective collaborative planning tools.
Planning time possibilities
If there is no time for a formal planning meeting during the school
schedule, the following options should be considered:

Late-start or early-release day meetups

(Murawski & Dieker, 2004).

Before-school planning breakfast.

After-school ‘walk and talk’.

Agendas and lesson plans posted on school shared drives.

Electronic co-planning templates shared through email.

81
Adapted from William & Mary. Training & Technical Assistance Center (2017)

Before continuing reading, think

When I allocate activities to my language assistant:

✓ Does the activity use the language assistant's skills?
✓ Is the activity challenging?
✓ Is the activity promoting oral skills or facilitating
debates and discussions?
✓ Is the activity student centred? Does the activity
facilitate group interaction?
 The outline below can be used as a template for meetings:

Content Language
Tasks Teacher
and goals assistant

What do I do
before, during
and after the
lesson?

What are the

specific tasks
that I do before
the lesson?

What are the

specific tasks
82 that I do during
the lesson?

What are the

specific tasks
that I do after
the lesson?

Adapted from Villa, Thousand and Nevin (2004)

Finally, it is important to reflect on the type of collaboration

implemented; its strengths and weaknesses. The model on the
following page can be used as a template, but you can also develop
your own.

To check if your collaboration is effective, fill in the following

questionnaire:
 Collaborative planning questionnaire

Place one of the following symbols in front of each statement.

= We already do this. Good for us!

! We need to do this.

? We need information on this to incorporate

it into our practice.

  1. We plan regularly for at least one hour per week.

  2. We plan our teaching roles and responsibilities

for each lesson prior to classroom instruction.
83
  3. We continually evaluate our collaboration
relationship.

  4. We generate strategies to meet individual needs.

  5. We plan to use different collaboration models

in the classroom such as interactive teaching, station
teaching, parallel teaching, or alternative teaching.

  6. We provide a variety of materials for our students.

  7. We feel comfortable taking risks and trying

new techniques.

  8. We plan a content outline for the semester

or year.

  9. We come mentally prepared to our weekly planning

session.

Adapted from DeBoer and Fister (1995)

 5. Collaboration: lesson plan
outlines

Whether you teach several subjects or teach in a specific content

area, lesson plans matter. The quality of your teaching will
determine how class time is used, how much content your students
learn and the effectiveness of your team work.

Before continuing reading, think

When I allocate activities to my language assistant:

84
✓ How important is planning?
✓ Am I used to planning beforehand?
✓ How can I plan together with the language assistant?
Lesson plans are meant to guide your teaching, so you can take full
advantage of your time and your language assistant's time. When
you plan, you should consider which collaborative model to use
for each part of the lesson, bearing in mind that you may alternate
models within one session.

Planning the lesson is important, as it will give you the exact

picture of student grouping and delivery models, and describe
the specific task that each adult will be engaging in at the time.
The following templates are suggested as models for planning
different subjects.

85
 86
LESSON PLAN OUTLINE - NATURAL SCIENCE

NATURAL SCIENCE: BODY PARTS

LEVEL: PRIMARY EDUCATION

Considerations
(may include
adaptations,
Lesson
Model Time Teacher Language assistant differentiation,
outline
accommodation,
or student-specific
needs)

BEGINNING
 Warm-up: Monitoring 5 min Prepare materials Sing the Head, shoulders,
model (computer, flashcards, knees and toes song
etc.). and do actions with
the students.

 Introduction Team teaching 10 min Ask students to name the Draw a body on the board
to the topic: body parts they already and add the words that
know. students dictate.
Model pronunciation.
Ask for choral repetition.
MIDDLE
 Content: Monitoring 10 min Work on the book using Ensure everyone
model the interactive whiteboard is following the tasks
and explaining. Have and doing the activities
the students come from the book.
to the front to go through
the activities in turns.

 Practice Parallel model 15 min Give post-its to students. Give post-its to students. The class will be
activities: Students need to write Students need to write divided into two
the words on the post-its the words on the post-its groups for this
and put the corresponding and put the corresponding activity.
body parts on the body parts on the
teacher's body. teacher's body

END
 Wrap-up: Team teaching 5 min Sing and mime the body Sing and mime the body
parts song (for example, parts song (for example,
One little finger song). One little finger song).

 Assessment: Random questions.

Check for understanding.
87
 88
LESSON PLAN OUTLINE: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE: GENERAL OUTLINE FOR INTRODUCING VOCABULARY

LEVEL: PRIMARY EDUCATION

Considerations
(may include adaptations,
Lesson
Model Time Teacher Language assistant differentiation,
outline
accommodation,
or student-specific needs)

BEGINNING
 Warm-up: Control attendance. Planning board routines:
greetings, date and
weather, schedule
for the day.

 Introduction Monitoring 5 min Ensure students are paying Practise and model
to the topic: model attention to the language pronunciation of Sight
assistant. Words (words students
must be able to read when
they see them).
Choral repetition required.

MIDDLE
 Content: Monitoring 5 min Short listening activity Make sure everybody Language assistant:
model with visual support. is engaged. pay special attention
(contextualization to students X and Y who
of language). tend to daydream and
Draw attention to the Stop and play the get distracted during
image on the poster, ask recording when a signal listening activities.
prediction questions and is given by the teacher.
check for understanding
at the end of the listening.
 Practice Monitoring 10 min Ensure everybody Present new vocabulary
activities: model is engaged. through flashcards and
Monitor the activity. model pronunciation.
Ask students for repetition
(choral repetition).
Conduct a flashcard game
on the board.
Post flashcards.

Monitoring 10 min Model the following Monitor the activity. Language assistant:
model activity with the help Check for understanding. extra attention to those
of a student. students who tend
Make sure all students
Pair practice: point to to speak Spanish during
are engaged and they only
pictures from the book and speaking practice activities.
use English throughout
say: What’s this? It’s a… the activity.
Monitor the activity, check
for understanding.

Monitoring 10 min Make sure everybody Model the following Teacher: extra attention
model is paying attention activity with the interactive and praise to student Z
to the language assistant. whiteboard. (Book, picture who is a really slow worker.
dictionary: match words
and pictures.)

Team Check for understanding. Check for understanding.

teaching Monitor students' work Monitor students' work
(group-tables 3 and 4). (group-tables 1 and 2).

END
 Wrap-up: Monitoring 5 min Wrap-up What have we Write the students'
model learnt today? routine. answers on the board.

 Assessment: Evaluate and grade

students' work.
89
 90
LESSON PLAN OUTLINE: SOCIAL SCIENCE

HISTORY: ANCIENT GREECE

LEVEL: SECONDARY

Considerations
(may include adaptations,
Language
Lesson outline Model Time Teacher differentiation,
assistant
accommodation,
or student-specific needs)

BEGINNING
(may include: Complementary/ 10 min Check the register. Check homework. The assistant should pay
Opening; supportive model Answer questions. attention to the students
Warm-up; Review; in order to get to know
Correct
Anticipatory Set) them.
homework.

MIDDLE
(may include: Complementary/ 15 min Oral explanation Active observation. The assistant should
Instruction; supportive model focusing on the complete an observation
Checking for appearance of task developed by the
Understanding; democracy and teaching. They must include
Independent or the differences special needs, and
Group Practice) between Athens difficulties detected during
and Sparta. the teacher’s explanation.
 Parallel model 25 min In two groups Language It is important for the
of 15 students, assistant and language assistant
they should be teacher will each to prepare the class
able to organise help one group beforehand in order to
an Athens and to reach the acquire the knowledge
Sparta society, target at the to help the students.
respectively. end of the lesson.
Then, they will
explain their
conclusions with
an improvisation.

END
(may include: Team teaching 10 min Supervise oral Give some It is important for the
Closing, presentations and feedback language assistant
Assessments, assess them. to the teacher. to justify their feedback.
Extension of the
Lesson)

 Assessment: Decide on the type

of assessment
that will be used.
91
 92
LESSON PLAN: ARTS & CRAFTS

ARTS AND CRAFTS: HALLOWEEN

LEVEL: PRIMARY EDUCATION

Considerations
(may include adaptations,
Lesson
Model Time Teacher Language assistant differentiation,
outline
accommodation,
or student-specific needs)

BEGINNING
 Warm-up: Monitoring 10 min Prepare the Warm up with students: ask
model materials. students to come up with three
Check attendance. words they associate with Halloween.
Students share the chosen words
with their partner.
Share with the class: brainstorming.
Write the words students mention
on the board.

 Introduction Team 10 min Explain the goals and Help to reorganise the space: group Language assistant:
to the topic: teaching contents. desks to let students sit down observe and help with
Resolve general together in three teams, design organisation.
doubts and questions. decorative motifs.
Organise and Vegetable team (making pumpkins,
distribute roles and etc.).
tasks (put students Dark-colour team (bats, spiders,
in three teams). etc.).
Provide students Pale-colour team (skeletons, skulls,
with the materials. etc.).
MIDDLE
 Content: Team 20 min Moderate group Moderate group discussions.
teaching discussions. Resolve doubts.
Resolve doubts. Answer questions.
Answer questions. Show inspirational images
Show inspirational on the screen.
images on the
screen.

 Practice Team 5 min Each team's Each team's representative presents

Activities: teaching representative the projects/ideas to the entire
presents the class.
projects/ideas to the Moderate.
entire class.
Monitor the correct use of oral
Moderate. English.

END
 Wrap-up: Team 5 min Check for doubts. Pick up student's work.
teaching General discussions Put the desks in the original position,
and suggestions. Tidy up the classroom.
Tidy up the Put the (classroom) furniture back
classroom. as it was.
Put the (classroom)
furniture back
as it was.

 Assessment: Decide on the type

of assessment that
will be used.
93
 94
LESSON PLAN: PHYSICAL EDUCATION

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: THROWING AND CATCHING A BALL

LEVEL: PRIMARY EDUCATION

Considerations
(may include
adaptations,
Lesson Language
Model Time Teacher differentiation,
outline assistant
accommodation,
or student-specific
needs)

BEGINNING
(may include: Complementary/ 10 min Teach/remind students how to throw Assist the
Opening; Warm-up; supportive model a ball. teacher or
Review; Anticipatory model the
Set) activity.

MIDDLE
(may include: Complementary/ 15 min Oral explanation. Cues to throw: Assist
Instruction; Checking supportive model Point it at your target. the teacher or
for Understanding; model the
Take a step towards your target.
Independent or Group activity.
Let the ball fly. Cues to catch:
Practice)
Alligator snap or lobster claws.

Parallel model 25 min Activity Stations: LA and LT will

Divide children into four groups help one group
and prepare four stations. each and then
rotate to help
Demonstrate all four stations,
the other
then children rotate to each station
groups.
for 7 minutes per station.
 Station 1: Partner toss and catch. Throw
to your partner who is standing still.
Practise catching with lobster claws
or alligator snaps. See how many throws
and catches you can get in a row!
Station 2: Ice cream knockdown (foam
balls balanced on cones). Students throw
balls and try to knock ‘ice creams’ off the
tops of the cones.
Station 3: Can jam slam. Throw towards
another student who is standing behind
a lar ge plastic tub. The student tries
to ‘slam’ the ball down into the tub
using his/her hands.
Station 4: Angry birds. The balls are
angry birds. Tape laminated ‘pig’
cut-outs onto bowling pins and balance
them on overturned buckets, tables, etc.
Students try to throw the angry birds
at the pigs to knock them over, using
their non-dominant hand.

END
(may include: Closing, Team teaching 10 min Supervise the activity of each student Give some
Assessments, and assess it. feedback to
Extension of the the teacher.
Lesson)

 Assessment: Observation checklist: see if students are

using the proper motion (point, step,
throw) to throw, and if they are catching
using lobster claws or alligator jaws.
95
 6. 
General suggestions to ensure
the perfect partnership

The following tips can be useful at all stages of collaboration.

BEFORE ARRIVAL
Anxiety is one of the most common feelings for some language
assistants before their arrival. You can help them to deal with this
anxiety by sending them useful information in advance. For some
language assistants, their trip to Spain will be the first time they
leave their home country, so any information will help them learn
about the place they are going to live.
96

TIP 1

As a director or coordinator you play a major role

in welcoming language assistants. You can send them
an email with clear instructions on what time they start,
what they should do and who they should ask for when
they first arrive at the school. The letter below can serve
as a model, but feel free to adapt it to your own school.
 Sample interest survey letter

Dear  ,

Welcome to                   school!

Both staff and students feel excited to have you in our school.

We would like to know more about you before your arrival, so

please complete the following information.

My interests are (include favourite magazines, activities,

outings, etc.):  .

Areas I see as strengths for me are (academic or social):

 .

Areas I see as more difficult for me are (academic or social):

 . 97

I would like to be part of an education environment and help

children with their English skills because              
 .

What I hope to do at school this year is               

 .

State your preference level:

  Pre-school (3-6 years of age): Educación Infantil

  Primary (6-12 years of age): Educación Primaria

 Lower secondary school (13-15 years of age): Educación

Secundaria

 Upper secondary school (15-16 years of age): Educación

Secundaria

  Senior High School (17-18 years of age): Bachillerato

 TIP 2

As a teacher, you may also like to send the language

assistant a welcome email in order to:
✓ Make him/her feel welcome at his/her new school.
✓ Get to know more about his/her preferences and abilities.
✓ Get to know more about any teaching experience
he/she may have.
Include helpful information about yourself and some
practical information on your teaching philosophy.

98
Most language assistants appreciate a ‘welcome pack’ they can
use throughout their stay. This welcome pack can include:

School information (maps).

Expectations and school philosophy.

List of staff roles.

Administration procedures.

School calendar.

THE FIRST DAY

Once the language assistant is at school, there are some basic
steps to be followed.

B
 lock off one-on-one time in your calendar. You need to give
your language assistant at least 15 minutes on his/her first day.
Use this slot to express your goals for the upcoming school year
and your expectations regarding their support in the classroom.

Y
 ou could also ask him/her about his/her life outside school:
where he/she comes from and what his/her expectations for
the upcoming year are.
 S
 how him/her your classroom and introduce him/her to your
students.

S
 how him/her where school resources (those created by
preceding language assistants as well) and other materials
can be found.

T
 he school should have his/her schedule prepared, and the
principal or the coordinator should meet the language assistant
to go over it together.

Y
 ou could suggest that your director or coordinator prepares
and updates yearly a list of your school's ‘must-knows’.

M
 ake sure you help whenever he/she has questions, concerns,
or when moments of panic arise.

A
 s you may receive new assistants yearly, you could start some 99
‘welcome traditions’, from a welcome breakfast to a brochure
of the school's mission statement. Remember that your goal
is to create a feeling of community at your school.

G
 et him/her involved right away so that he/she will get to know
the staff and the children and get immersed in your school
culture.

Before the first day finishes, ask him/her for feedback.

The language assistant is not a teacher, so he/she may need

some assistance in classroom activities.
 TIP 3

As a teacher, you could suggest the following aspects

to language assistants when interacting with students:
✓ Use clear pronunciation.
✓ Moderate speed and simplify the language according
to students' language level.
✓ Use non-verbal communication in order to make yourself
understood: miming, gestures, images, etc.
✓ Smile often.
✓ Adapt the activities to students' age.
100
✓ Use simple and direct instructions and model activities.

DURING THE STAY

Try to get time one-on-one with your language assistant to give
and receive feedback after the first two weeks. Find out how
he/she is liking his/her time at your school with your class, and
answer any questions or concerns he/she may have. Offer
your support.

Go over his/her duties and communicate expectations.

Assistants need and want to be guided by teachers (they need
to know what they can and cannot do in the classroom).

F
 ind time to meet your assistants for planning on a weekly
basis:

✓  Provide a weekly plan in advance.

Include topics/actions and provide instructions of what

✓ 
you want them to do. Examples: prepare games, songs,
presentations, etc.
Teachers and language assistants could talk about the following
aspects regarding expectations at the first meeting:

I have the following expectations in a classroom:

Regarding classwork: 

Regarding materials: 

Regarding discipline: 

Regarding planning: 

Giving or receiving feedback: 

Other important expectations I have: 

101

Adapted from Murawski and Dieker (2004)

Once the first month of collaboration is over, it is time to agree

on a few aspects:

The teacher answers The language assistant answers

the following questions: the following questions:

I would describe our teamwork as:     I would describe our teamwork as:   
 

From the language assistant From the teacher I would

I would appreciate:  appreciate: 

In front of the students I would In front of the students I would

prefer that the language assistant prefer that the teacher does/does
does/does not:  not: 

I describe our communication style I describe our communication style

as:  as: 
 AFTER THE PROGRAMME
Language assistants create materials and projects that can be
used by teachers and subsequent assistants. Once their experience
at your school is over, you could keep in touch by Skype and social
media, generating new collaboration strategies or actions
(e.g. online language exchange programmes for teachers
and students, or other international projects, like pen pals.)

102
7. Chronological review of activities,
responsibilities and involvement

Language assistants build bridges between two worlds through

current topics from their home country, and encourage the use
of language. They strengthen language and cultural awareness
by introducing these topics to the students.

103

FIRST DAYS AT SCHOOL

Activity Responsibilities and involvements

Date
suggestions in the school or classroom

September Reading club ✓ Work on active reading strategies

with students: questioning,
visualising, predicting, connecting
and responding.

Help to prepare ✓ Prepare workshops on exam

students for structure: introduction to external
external evaluation exams.
evaluations ✓ Oral exam simulation.
 FIRST TERM

Activity Responsibilities and involvements

Date
suggestions in the school or classroom

October Halloween ✓ Prepare a presentation about

cultural activity Halloween traditions.
✓ Make decorations related to
Halloween in Arts and Crafts class
and decorate the school.
✓ Prepare school pumpkin carving/
jack-o'-lantern contest.

November Thanksgiving ✓ Prepare a Thanksgiving presentation

cultural activity about the Presidential Turkey Pardon,
American football and traditional
104 food.
✓ Make decorations related to
Thanksgiving in Arts and Crafts class
and decorate the school.
✓ Do a Thanksgiving project:
investigating the first Thanksgiving.

Remembrance ✓ Help students make poppies to wear

Day — 11 in their pockets in remembrance.
November

December Winter festival ✓ Prepare ‘The Most Interesting Winter

or other Tradition Contest’: students need
traditions to research winter traditions and
cultural activity prepare a poster about one of them.
The posters enter a school contest.
✓ Make decorations related to winter
traditions in Arts and Crafts class
and decorate the school.
SECOND TERM

Activity Responsibilities and involvements

Date
suggestions in the school or classroom

January New Year Prepare a project on New Year

✓ 
traditions traditions around the world.

Burns' Night — Celebrate Burns' Night in honour

✓ 
25th January of the Scottish poet Robert Burns
(Scottish poet) (1759-1796) by reading the poet's
works.

February School open Prepare a presentation for parents:

✓ 
day Global English and English-speaking
presentation countries and cultures around the
for parents world.
Prepare a school tour in English
✓  105
for parents.

Black History Prepare a mural: Black History Month.

✓ 
Month cultural
activity

Valentine's Day Prepare a love poem contest

✓ 
cultural activity or Valentine's Day card contest.
Prepare a Valentine's Day
✓ 
presentation.

March Saint Patrick's Prepare a presentation for Saint

✓ 
Day cultural Patrick's Day.
activity Prepare a Saint Patrick's Day athletic
✓ 
contest.
 THIRD TERM

Activity Responsibilities and involvements

Date
suggestions in the school or classroom

March Reading club ✓ Book club projects: work on projects

about different authors and contexts.
Students can research the author and
create a mural with information such
as origins, main works, importance
within literature, historical background,
purpose of writing these novels.

April Easter or ✓ Prepare an egg hunt.

spring-break ✓ Prepare the Spring Break Scavenger
traditions Hunt.
cultural activity
106
May May Day Bank ✓ Prepare presentations on a topic
Holiday of their choice (May Day Bank Holiday,
Spring Bank Spring Bank Holiday, Labour Day).
Holiday
Labour Day

END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

Activity Responsibilities and involvements

Date
suggestions in the school or classroom

June Exam ✓ Exam structure practice: key techniques

preparation and model exams.
and practice ✓ Oral exam simulation.

Language assistants play a key role in bilingual schools. They can

be extremely beneficial when used to their full potential.
 After reading about how to work
with language assistants, think

✓ What is the main role of language assistants?

✓ How can they contribute to students' learning?
✓ How can they complement your teaching?
✓ Do your expectations coincide with those
of the language assistants?
✓ What can you offer them?
✓ How can they strengthen cultural awareness
in your subject?

107
 References

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Content-Based Second Language Instruction. Boston:
Heinle & Heinle Publishers.

DeBoer, A., & Fister, S. (1995). Working Together: Tools

for Collaborative Teaching. Longmont: Sopris West Educational.

Dirección General de Innovación, Becas y Ayudas a la Innovación

(2017). Guía del Auxiliar de Conversación de la Comunidad
de Madrid. Curso 2017-2018. Retrieved from https://
comunidadbilingue.educa2.madrid.org/web/educamadrid

Friend, M. (2014). Co-Teach! Building and Sustaining Effective

Classroom Partnerships in Inclusive Schools (2nd ed.). Greensboro:
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Marilyn Friend, Inc.

Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2013). Interactions: Collaboration Skills

for School Professionals (7th ed.). New York: Pearson.

Hibler, A. (2010). Effective Collaboration between Native and

Non-Native Speakers in the Spanish CLIL Context (Doctoral
dissertation, Universidad Complutense de Madrid). Retrieved
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Medgyes, P. (1994). The Non-Native Teacher. London: MacMillan.

Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (2017). Guía

del Auxiliar. Programa de Auxiliares de Conversación en España
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Morgan, J., & Ashbaker, B. Y. (2001). A Teacher’s Guide to Working

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Murawski, W., & Dieker, L. (2004). ‘Tips and strategies for

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 Pickett, A., Vasa, S., & Steckelberg, A. (1993). Using
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/documents/packets/coplanning.pdf 109
NOTES





































Art director: José Crespo

Project design: Marisol del Burgo

Design coordination: Rosa Marín
Art coordination: Carlos Aguilera
Design development coordination: Javier Tejeda
Design development: Raúl de Andrés, Jorge Gómez and Patricia Tejeda

Technical director: Jorge Mira

Technical coordination: Marisa Valbuena
Layout: Eva Hernández and Raquel Sánchez
Illustrations: Carlos Aguilera and Clara Prieto

Photo researchers: Marilé Rodrigálvarez

Photographs: 123RF/Wavebreak Media Ltd, Anna Bizon; GETTY IMAGES
SALES SPAIN / E+,Thinkstock; ISTOCKPHOTO/ Getty Images Sales Spain;
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© 2018 by Santillana Educación, S. L. / Richmond Richmond

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