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Home > ECML-Programme > Programme 2020-2023 > CLIL in languages other than English > Curriculum

CLIL in languages other than English –
Successful transitions across educational stages

Overview
Concepts and
background
Curriculum
Teacher
education
Collaboration
Teaching
materials
Portfolio and formative assessment

Specific guidelines in the curriculum

A curriculum is ‘an overall description of the aims, content, and organisation of courses in an educational institution (ministry, school, etc.) generally providing a framework of objectives for different levels and sometimes defining methodologies to be used’  Source: ECML resource website A quality assurance matrix for CEFR use (2016-2019). In a broad understanding, a curriculum can be defined as ‘a tool for organising learning’ Beacco et al. (2016).
Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education. Council of Europe, p. 18.. Curricula developed by a ministry of education or by local authorities organise learning at the national and regional level (macro level) and are at the center of the resources on this subpage.

Curriculum and CLIL LOTE transitions

Why should transitions in CLIL LOTE be supported through curricula – what is the added value?

The official written curricula are the main tool guiding and affecting the reality of institutions. They represent an educational policy intention Holmen, A. (2011).
Den gode gartner og ukrudtet. In: C. Haas (red.), Ret til dansk. Aarhus Universitetsforlag, p. 40. and are important management tools in the design of the national education policy Hovdenak, S. S. (2000).
90-tallsreformene – et instrumentalistisk mistak? Gyldendal Akademisk, p. 25..

Thus, it is important that also CLIL LOTE and CLIL LOTE transitions are described in curricula to ensure that there are clear goals and structures for CLIL LOTE and when students are moving from one educational level to another. Our project has been interested to learn how CLIL LOTE transitions can be supported by curricula developed by a ministry of education or by local authorities, and we have collected inspiring practices from diverse contexts. 

Resources to support schools and teachers in the concrete implementation of these curricula through exemplary teaching materials, examples for the use of portfolios and suggestions for collaboration at different levels can be found on the subpages Teaching materials, Portfolio & formative assessment and Collaboration.  

CLIL LOTE study

The CLIL LOTE study has shown that: 

  • There is a lack of guidelines for CLIL LOTE transitions in the national curricula: Only around 5 % of the informants reported that specific guidelines and around 9 % that some guidelines for CLIL LOTE transitions can be found in their national curriculum.
  • Lack of specific guidelines for transition in curriculum was seen as one of the challenges in implementing CLIL both in language classroom and in other subjects.
  • Specific guidelines for transition in curriculum was seen as one of the main ways to ensure successful transition in CLIL LOTE.

Short introduction to the resources

Are you a curriculum designer or a decision-maker – and do you want to gather ideas for how to support transitions in CLIL LOTE through curricula? 

On this page you can find curriculum scenarios that have been analyzed based on the model “Relationship between vertical and horizontal coherence” presented in the Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education Beacco et al. (2016).
Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education. Council of Europe, p. 100..

The model can, according to the authors, be used to systematically design curriculum scenarios distinguishing between two kinds of coherence:

  1. "vertical (or longitudinal) coherence throughout the learning process, transcending the various levels of the education system"  
  2. "horizontal coherence between languages (language of schooling and foreign, regional, minority, migration and classical languages) and between languages and other subjects." (Beacco et al., 2016, p. 100) Beacco et al. (2016).
    Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education. Council of Europe, p. 100.    .

The curriculum scenarios presented on this page focus on CLIL and hereby establish horizontal coherence between languages and other subjects. Furthermore, some of the scenarios take horizontal coherence into account integrating other languages than the target language (Content and Languages Integrated Learning, CLsIL) The concept of Content and Languages Integrated Learning (CLsIL) has been introduced by Candelier et al. in the “Discovery Module” of the Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures (FREPA/CARAP).

Based on Candelier et al’s (2012) definition for pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures, CLsIL is in our project defined as follows: The term ‘Content and Languages Integrated Learning (CLsIL)’ refers to didactic approaches that use teaching/learning activities involving several (i.e. more than one) languages/varieties of languages in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), instead of dealing with the target language in isolation. The scenarios establish vertical coherence between different educational stages: from pre-primary (ISCED0), primary (ISCED 1), lower secondary education (ISCED 2), upper secondary education (ISCED 3) to tertiary education (ISCED 5-7).

Vertical coherence

ISCED3

ISCED2
 

ISCED1

ISCED0

Horizontal coherence

Relationship between vertical and horizontal coherence
(Beacco et al., 2016, p. 100)

Resources

On this page you can find three main resources:

An exemplary national curricula scenario establishing

a) vertical coherence designing CLIL LOTE transitions from (pre)primary (ISCED0) to secondary education (ISCED3) and
b) horizontal coherence integrating other languages than the target language

The National Andorran Curriculum
  • The National Andorran Curriculum, that was implemented in 2010/2011, establishes vertical coherence designing CLIL LOTE transitions from pre-primary (ISCED0) to upper secondary education (ISCED3).
  • The curriculum establishes horizontal coherence building bridges between Catalan (the national language), French, Spanish and English.
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Un scénario exemplaire de programmes nationaux établissant

a) cohérence verticale concevant des transitions EMILE-LOTE de l'enseignement (pré)primaire (CITE0) à l'enseignement secondaire (CITE3) et
b) cohérence horizontale intégrer d'autres langues que la langue cible

Le programme national andorran

  • Le programme national andorran, qui a été mis en œuvre en 2010/2011, établit une conception verticale des transitions EMILE LOTE de l'enseignement primaire (CITE 0) à l'enseignement secondaire supérieur (CITE 3). 
  • Le programme d'études établit une cohérence horizontale en jetant des ponts entre le catalan (la langue nationale), le français, l'espagnol et l'anglais. 
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A proposal for a CLIL LOTE curriculum development
The implementation of CLIL in the Icelandic Educational System based on the fundamental pillars and key competences described in the National Curriculum Guide – A Proposal
  • According to Eurydice (2017), Iceland is one of the few countries in Europe without CLIL provisions.
  • The fundamental pillars and key competencies of education, described in the National Curriculum Guide, are integrated into all subject areas and lay the foundations for developing CLIL methodology.
  • Based on the fundamental pillars and key competencies, described in the Icelandic National Curriculum Guide, the proposal for a CLIL LOTE curriculum development focuses on CLIL in third foreign languages (French, Spanish and Italian), and the transition from upper secondary (ISCED3) to tertiary education (ISCED6).
  • The proposal brings into being horizontal coherence by establishing links between languages, which are taught within the school curriculum (integrated didactic approaches) Integrated didactic approaches are directed towards helping learners to establish links between a limited number of languages, which are taught within the school curriculum. Integrated didactics work on the central principle advocated by pluralistic approaches of capitalising on what is already known in order to access what is less known : the language of schooling for accessing the first foreign language, which can then be used as a springboard to facilitate the acquisition of a second foreign language etc.’ and taking students’ home languages into account.
  • The proposal builds on the Guiding principles for CLIL.

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Une proposition pour le développement d'un curriculum EMILE LOTE
La mise en œuvre de l'EMILE dans le système éducatif islandais sur la base des piliers fondamentaux et des compétences clés décrits dans le guide du programme national - Une proposition
  • Selon Eurydice (2017), l'Islande est l'un des rares pays d'Europe à ne pas disposer de mesures relatives à l'EMILE.
  • Les piliers fondamentaux et les compétences clés de l'éducation décrits dans le Guide national des programmes scolaires, sont intégrés dans toutes les matières et jettent les bases du développement de la méthodologie EMILE.
  • En s'appuyant sur ces piliers fondamentaux et ces compétences clés décrits dans la Guide national des programmes scolaires islandais, la proposition de développement d'un programme EMILE LOTE se concentre sur l'EMILE dans les troisième langues étrangères ( francais, espagnol et italien), et sur la transition entre l'enseignement secondaire supérieur ( CITE 3) et l'enseignement  superieur (CITE 6).
  • La proposition instaure une cohérence horizontale en établissant des liens entre les langues enseignées dans le cadre du programme scolaire (approches didactiques intégrées), tout en prenant en compte les langues d'origine des élèves.
  • La proposition s’appuie sur les  Principes directeurs de l’EMILE.

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Inspiring national, regional or local curriculum scenarios from eight contexts establishing

a) vertical coherence at different educational levels and/or
b) horizontal coherence integrating other languages than the target language

Learning French as a 4th language through a CLIL and competence-based approach in (Spanish) Basque Country
  • The scenario establishes horizontal transitions teaching French as a fourth language drawing on the languages taught in primary education and continued in secondary.
  • The scenario establishes linguistic-conceptual and cognitive/maturational transitions from primary to secondary education.

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Curriculum for Immersion Classes in Dutch or German in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Belgium
  • The scenario describes vertical transitions from kindergarten (ISCED0) to primary (ISCED1) in immersion education in Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Belgium)
  • The scenario describes horizontal transitions based on pluralistic approaches “The term ‘pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures’ refers to didactic approaches that use teaching/learning activities involving several (i.e. more than one) varieties of languages, e.g. by integrating both the target language and the language of schooling, or the target language and other foreign languages, minority or regional languages, instead of dealing with the target language in isolation.” Read more to languages (integrated didactic approaches Integrated didactic approaches are directed towards helping learners to establish links between a limited number of languages, which are taught within the school curriculum. Integrated didactics work on the central principle advocated by pluralistic approaches of capitalising on what is already known in order to access what is less known : the language of schooling for accessing the first foreign language, which can then be used as a springboard to facilitate the acquisition of a second foreign language etc.’ https://carap.ecml.at , awakening to languages ‘Several European projects have enabled awakening to languages movements to develop on a broader scale, defining it as follows: “awakening to language is used to describe approaches in which some of the learning activities are concerned with languages which the school generally does not intend to teach.” This does not mean that the approach is concerned just with such languages. Read more )

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Language Profiles in French, German and Spanish at Roskilde University, Denmark
  • The scenario focuses on vertical transitions between upper secondary (ISCED3) and tertiary education (ISCED6)
  • Furthermore, the scenario promotes receptive and productive languaging “‘Languaging’ occurs when plurilingual individuals make flexible use all the linguistic resources they have in different ‘languages’ to communicate with one another, without strict adherence to the conventions of any particular language in their repertoire.”

    ECML resource website Teaching the language of schooling in the context of diversity (2012-2015)     practices which involve the interplay of languages, hereby taking horizontal transitions into account.
  • The scenario also builds bridges between tertiary education and the labor market.

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Vertical transitions in the teaching of a non-linguistic subject in modern foreign or regional languages in France
  • This scenario focuses on vertical transitions in the teaching of a non-linguistic subject in modern foreign or regional languages from the primary (ISCED1) to the secondary (ISCED3) level in France.
  • The scenario includes a description of the international/bilanguage/European sections (ISCED 1 and 2), the European and Oriental language sections (ISCED3) and the International French Baccalaureate (BFI).

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A national pilot project integrating CLIL in the Transition Year between lower and upper secondary education, Ireland
  • In the Irish curriculum, a Transition Year is offered between lower secondary (ISCED2) and upper secondary education (ISCED3)
  • The Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026 identifies CLIL as an area for focus, and specifically mentions exploring the potential of CLIL in the Transition Year.
  • A national pilot project integrating CLIL in the Transition Year was introduced in 2019 by Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI), in collaboration with the National University of Ireland, Maynooth

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Curriculum scenario in Lithuania: CLIL in the second foreign language in lower and upper secondary education

  • The renewed Lithuanian curriculum enables CLIL LOTE, i.e., the learning of a foreign language related to the content of other subjects and the integration of foreign languages into other subjects.
  • The Lithuanian curriculum takes vertical transitions in the second foreign language into account and concretizes them by means of resources for teachers.
  • It also takes horizontal transitions into account by including the integrated didactic approach, ‘helping learners to establish links between […] languages, which are taught within the school curriculum’ ‘Integrated didactic approaches are directed towards helping learners to establish links between a limited number of languages, which are taught within the school curriculum. Integrated didactics work on the central principle advocated by pluralistic approaches of capitalising on what is already known in order to access what is less known: the language of schooling for accessing the first foreign language, which can then be used as a springboard to facilitate the acquisition of a second foreign language etc. 
  • Download PDF

Curriculum for German as a First Foreign Language in Romania
  • The scenario describes the vertical transition of German as a first foreign language in Romania.
  • Furthermore, it highlights the transition towards tertiary education or work as a central motivation for pupils who study German as a first foreign language in Romania.

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Italian in the Foreign Language CLIL classroom in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland
  • The scenario illustrates how a CLIL LOTE curriculum can be supported by teaching materials.
  • The scenario focusses on spiral progression in the CLIL LOTE classroom in primary education (ISCED1)
  • The scenario includes plurilingual education in the CLIL classroom: an integrated didactic approach ‘Integrated didactic approaches are directed towards helping learners to establish links between a limited number of languages, which are taught within the school curriculum. Integrated didactics work on the central principle advocated by pluralistic approaches of capitalising on what is already known in order to access what is less known: the language of schooling for accessing the first foreign language, which can then be used as a springboard to facilitate the acquisition of a second foreign language etc.’
    https://carap.ecml.at     , bridging between the languages taught within the school curriculum,intercomprehension “In the approach termed Intercomprehension between related languages the learner works on two or more languages of the same linguistic family (Romance, Germanic, Slavic languages, etc.) in parallel. One of these languages is already known, being either the learner’s mother tongue, or the language of education, or even another language having been learnt previously. In this approach there is a systematic focus on receptive skills, as the development of comprehension is the most tangible way of using the knowledge of a related language to learn a new one. Of course, this does not exclude some added benefits for productive skills.”
    https://carap.ecml.at     and a focus on home languages

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Scénarios curriculaires nationaux, régionaux ou locaux inspirants issus de huit contextes établissant

a) cohérence verticale à différents niveaux d'enseignement et/ou 
b) cohérence horizontale intégrant d'autres langues que la langue cible

Apprendre le français comme 4ème langue à travers une approche EMILE et basée sur les compétences au Pays Basque (espagnol)

  • Le scénario établit des transitions horizontales en enseignant le français comme quatrième langue en s'appuyant sur les langues enseignées dans l'enseignement primaire et poursuivies dans le secondaire. 

  • Le scénario établit les transitions linguistiques-conceptuelles et cognitives/maturationnelles de l'enseignement primaire à l'enseignement secondaire. 

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Curriculum pour les classes d'immersion en néerlandais ou en allemand en Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgique

  • Le scénario décrit les transitions verticales de la maternelle (CITE 0) au primaire (CITE 1) dans l'enseignement par immersion en Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Belgique)

    Le scénario décrit des transitions horizontales basées sur des approches plurielles des langues.

    Télécharger 

Profils linguistiques en français, allemand et espagnol à l'université de Roskilde, Danemark
  • Le scénario se concentre sur les transitions verticales entre l'enseignement secondaire supérieur (CITE 3) et l'enseignement supérieur (CITE 6)
  • En outre, le scénario encourage les pratiques linguistiques réceptives et productives qui impliquent l'interaction des langues, prenant ainsi en compte les transitions horizontales.
  • Ce scénario jette également des ponts entre l'enseignement supérieur et le marché du travail.  

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Transitions verticales dans l'enseignement d'une discipline non linguistique en langues vivantes étrangères ou régionales en France (disponible en anglais)
  • This scenario focuses on vertical transitions in the teaching of a non-linguistic subject in modern foreign or regional languages from the primary (ISCED1) to the secondary (ISCED3) level in France.
  • The scenario includes a description of the international/bilanguage/European sections (ISCED 1 and 2), the European and Oriental language sections (ISCED3) and the International French Baccalaureate (BFI).

Télécharger (disponible en anglais) 

Un projet pilote national intégrant l'EMILE dans l'année de transition entre l'enseignement secondaire inférieur et supérieur, Irlande
  • Dans le programme irlandais, une année de transition est proposée entre l'enseignement secondaire inférieur (CITE 2) et l'enseignement secondaire supérieur (CITE 3)
  • The Languages Connect, Ireland's Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026 identifie l'EMILE comme un domaine d'intérêt, et mentionne spécifiquement l'exploration du potentiel de l'EMILE dans l'année de transition. 
  • Un projet pilote national intégrant l'EMILE dans l'année de transition a été mis en place en 2019 par Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI), en collaboration avec l'Université nationale d'Irlande, Maynooth

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Scénario du curriculum en Lituanie : EMILE dans la deuxième langue étrangère dans l'enseignement secondaire inférieur et supérieur

  • Le programme scolaire lituanien révisé permet l'EMILE d'autres matières, c'est-à-dire l'apprentissage d'une langue étrangère en rapport avec le contenu d'autres matières et l'intégration de langues étrangères dans d'autres matières.
  • Le programme d'études lituanien tient compte des transitions verticales dans la deuxième langue étrangère et les concrétise au moyen de ressources destinées aux enseignants.
  • Il prend également en compte les transitions horizontales en incluant l'approche didactique intégrée
  • Télécharger 

Programme d'enseignement de l'allemand comme première langue étrangère en Roumanie

  • Le scénario décrit la transition verticale de l'allemand comme première langue étrangère en Roumanie.
  • En outre, elle met en évidence la transition vers l'enseignement supérieur ou le travail comme une motivation centrale pour les élèves qui étudient l'allemand comme première langue étrangère en Roumanie.

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L'italien dans la classe EMILE en langue étrangère dans le canton d'Uri, en Suisse
  • Le scénario illustre la manière dont un programme d'enseignement EMILE peut être soutenu par du matériel pédagogique.
  • Le scénario se concentre sur la progression en spirale dans la classe EMILE de l'enseignement primaire (CITE 1).
  • Le scénario prévoit une éducation plurilingue dans la classe EMILE : une approche didactique intégrée, des passerelles entre les langues enseignées dans le cadre du programme scolaire, l'intercompréhension et l'accent mis sur les langues d'origine.

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Related resources

A Handbook for Curriculum Development and Teacher Training. The Language Dimension in All Subjects

The Handbook is described as a policy and working document which promotes convergence and coherence between the linguistic dimensions of various school subjects, e.g. by proposing measures to make explicit in curricula the specific linguistic norms and competences which learners must master in each school subject. 

Web page of the publication

Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education

The Guide provides a general picture of the issues and principles involved in designing and/or improving curricula, and of pedagogical and didactic approaches which open the way to fuller realisation of the general aim of plurilingual and intercultural education taking into consideration the language of schooling and the other languages taught and used at school. Furthermore, the Guide proposes practical approaches to developing curricula, illustrated by scenarios and other devices.

Web page of the publication

Quote: Recommendation

“Those responsible for national, regional and institutional policy in all educational sectors should [… ] ensure that the language dimension of all subjects is made explicit in curriculum guidelines and curriculums”
Recommendation on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture

Working group

The curriculum group which prepared the resources of this section was coordinated by Petra Daryai-Hansen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) and Satu Koistinen (Helsingfors stad, City of Helsinki, Finland).

Group members: Luca Agostino (Académie de Versailles, France), Phil Ball (Federation of Basque Schools, Basque Country), Dagma Barti (Ministerio de Educación, Andorra), Nóra Ni Bheaglaoich (Mary Immaculate College, Ireland), Aina Būdvytytė (Siauliai Academy of Vilnius university, Lithuania), Sona Hakobyan (European University of Armenia, Armenia), Daniela Kappler (SUPSI-DFA, Switzerland), Gemma Kelly (Manor House School and Associate with Post-Primary Languages Ireland, PPLI), Carmen Marchan (Ministerio de Educación, Andorra), Susanne Jacobsen Perez (Roskilde Universitet, Denmark), Caterina Poggi (University of Iceland, Iceland), Laura Quigley (Post-Primary Languages Ireland, Ireland), Maria-Luisa Sanchez (Le Conseil de l'Enseignement des Communes et des Provinces, Belgium) and Diana-Maria Stanciu (Regina Maria National College, Ploiesti, Romania).