ABSTRACT
Scotland for example, CLIL outputs are usually situated in the language-learning
domain. This is because CLIL is led by language teachers rather than by subject
teachers not necessarily the case in non-Anglophone countries. Expectations of language achievements are skills-based in terms of language competence. In England
these include listening and responding, speaking, reading and responding and writing. In Scotland, the skill set goes beyond the four key skills and includes for
example, organising and using information, using knowledge about the language,
reading to appreciate other cultures. In schools where CLIL is associated with
another subject domain rather than thematic study in language classes, especially
when subject teachers as well as language teachers are involved, subject-related
knowledge and skills are included analysing sources for example in history and observational skills in science. However, an overemphasis on skills development,
especially in language classrooms, tends not to take into account the role of content through which these skills develop, nor to build on the knowledge base which
learners bring with them. CLIL, therefore, has a crucial role to play in shifting the
prime position of skill development in the language learning setting, to its integration
with cognitively appropriate content knowledge to engage learners more fully and
engender a deeper sense of learning progression:
Whilst a formal emphasis may be on skills development and language ‘performance’,
learner achievement involves organic processes which cannot be exclusively captured
through summative means. Alternative evidence is needed to understand ‘successful
learning’ in the here and now.
