CLIL methodology course

Christopher WilliamsBari, 21 May 2013

The general context: the preponderance of English in CLIL in Italy

This reflects the real situation in today’s globalized world

Redefining the boundaries: ‘international English’ and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)

English is not so much (or not only) to be seen as a ‘foreign language’ but as the language of ‘citizenship in a globalized world’

English no longer belongs to its native speakers but to the whole world: it includes and is being shaped by the input of non-native speakers

The real situation in the EU today English as the equivalent of Latin in the Middle Ages

Working proposal 11 seminars, each lasting 4 hours To be held on Tuesday afternoons Duration of course: 21 May to 26 November

2013 4 plenary sessions to be held in Bari: 2 in

May and 2 in November Sandwiched in between the plenaries at the

beginning and end, there will be 7 sessions to be held in 3 places: Foggia, Bari and Taranto

Organization of seminars The plenary sessions will be of a more

general nature, outlining the main aims and themes relating to CLIL methodology and how to use CLIL in the classroom

The ‘territorial’ sessions will be more specific, related to particular topics and methodological approaches

Each territorial course will cover similar but not identical ground

Moodle platform Besides these 11 sessions of ‘direct contact’

you will also be provided with online material which is available on the Moodle platform set up by the University of Foggia

This material will be multimodal: newspaper articles, academic articles, material from magazines, Youtube, etc., together with didactic material relating to methodology, how to use such material in the classroom, exercises, and so on

Tirocinio / training project

After the completion of the course you will be required to elaborate and produce material of your own for use in the classroom.

This project will also constitute an integral part of your final exam when you will be required to discuss it (in Italian AND in English!)

Distribution of credits

9 credits ‘Attività formative di base’ 9 credits ‘Attività formative

caratterizzanti’ 2 credits ‘Tirocinio’

Who will my teachers be?

They will come from a mixture of professional backgrounds, predominantly from university. Several are experts in a given field (e.g. natural sciences, physics, history of art, mathematics); others are experts in teaching methodology; others have a specific training in CLIL

If there are two CLIL courses, why aren’t they split into two?

Essentially for a question of logistics. You already have an established routine of splitting into groups in Foggia, Bari and Taranto, so this will save you travelling, except for the 4 plenary sessions. We have to counterbalance the criterion of splitting the 2 courses into 3 groups, otherwise we will outspend our budget!

The result is a compromise, but the basic aim is to try to reduce your amount of travelling

Why didn’t we begin this course earlier?

The usual bureaucratic delays: liaising between university language centres, the Ministry of Education, INDIRE, and the Ufficio Scolastico Regionale is complex, however well motivated everyone may be!

Funding only became available a few weeks ago, and without funds the universities’ hands are tied!

This is also a highly experimental course, it’s never been tried out before, and we all want to get it right!

A big adventure We are all ‘guinea-pigs’ and pioneers,

others will learn from our mistakes. But we are the ones who can shape future CLIL courses. It’s a big responsibility, and a big adventure too!

Your feedback (including criticism) and contribution will be essential. So please be (positively) critical and interactive, and remember that, in our own small way, we are making history!

A slight (but resolvable) dilemma

Out of the overall (potential) total of 76 secondary school teachers involved in the two courses, approximately two-thirds are on the ‘science’ side (natural science, maths, physics, sports science), while one-third are on the ‘humanities’ side (philosophy, history, the history of art).

So how can we produce sessions that will keep everybody happy?

Science with a historical dimension / history with a scientific dimension

One (hopefully stimulating) solution is to approach scientific subjects from a historical/philosophical perspective; or to approach historical/philosophical/art subjects from a scientific perspective

This becomes a ‘natural’ way of encouraging interdisciplinarity

We all have our areas of expertise, but we also have a lot to learn in other fields

Mutual understanding and exchange of ideas

Between scientists and ‘humanists’ Between school and university Between teachers and learners

AICLU conference in Foggia From 30 May to 1st June One of the five topic areas is CLIL: there will be 14 CLIL-

related talks Gisella Langé as plenary speaker on Saturday morning Algeria, Australia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland,

France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, United Kingdom

http://www.unifg.it/VIII-convegno-AICLU/2251/ cjwilliams72@hotmail.com

How do we engage learners in CLIL?

By presenting the material in novel ways, especially through the use of new multimodal technologies.

By pointing out that the ‘information gap’ works both ways: we teachers have something to teach, but young learners will have something to teach their teachers because teenagers are much more IT-savvy than their teachers!

By emphasizing that CLIL will add a new dimension to teaching and learning

Achievable goals

Make sure your expectations of what learners will achieve are realistic

Give them small assignments to complete

Make the learning process enjoyable Ask for their suggestions and

feedback

The strategies of foreign language teachers You will have to learn and apply the

methodological techniques used by foreign language teachers! Basic concepts such as

developing the 4 skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening

communicative competence motivation metalanguage skimming and scanning genres and registers English for special/specific purposes. ESP and

EAP (English for Academic Purposes)

A practical example: Sir Isaac Newton

Warming up exercise Was Sir Isaac Newton a) a historian, b) a

politician, c) a scientist? He was born on Christmas Day of which

year: a) 1442?, b) 1642?, c) 1842? Why is his name connected with an apple?a) because he understood the force of gravity

after being hit on the head by an appleb) because he invented the famous Granny

Smith applec) because he choked to death after eating an

apple

Describe the person (Sir Isaac Newton) you see in each of the three portraits

Discuss the similarities and differences you can see in the three portraits?

Translate this passage into Italian Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) is generally

regarded as the most original and influential theorist in the history of science. In addition to his invention of the infinitesimal calculus and a new theory of light and colour, Newton transformed the structure of physical science with his three laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. As the keystone of the scientific revolution of the 17th century, Newton's work combined the contributions of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, and others into a new and powerful synthesis. 

Match these names with the descriptions below A) Nicolaus Copernicus; B) Johannes Kepler; C) Galileo Galilei; D) René Descartes

1) Born in France in 1596 he was a creative mathematician, an important scientific thinker, and an original metaphysician.

2) Born in Pisa in 1564, he was interested in science, particularly astronomy, and is credited with inventing the telescope.

3) Born in 1473 in Torun, Poland, he developed the revolutionary theory that the earth revolved around the sun and not the opposite.

4) A German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, born in 1571, his works laid the foundations for Newton’s theory of gravity.

Choose the quotation by Sir Isaac Newton you find most striking, and explain the reason for your choice

I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.

If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.

We build too many walls and not enough bridges.

Newton and the laws of gravity Isaac Newton explained the workings of the universe

through mathematics. He formulated laws of motion and gravitation. These laws are mathematical formulas that explain how objects move when a force acts on them. Newton published his most famous book, Principia, in 1687 while he was a mathematics professor at Trinity College, Cambridge. In the Principia, Isaac explained three basic laws that govern the way objects move. He then described his idea, or theory, about gravity. Gravity is the force that causes things to fall down. If a pencil falls off a desk, it will land on the floor, not the ceiling. In his book Isaac also used his laws to show that the planets revolve around the suns in orbits that are oval, not round.

Branches of knowledge If la matematica = mathematics in

English, how do we translate: studiare la fisica un esame di statistica entrare in politica è una questione di economia fare la ginnastica dinamica di gruppo

School subjects Maths (or math in AmE) Physics Chemistry Biology Italian (language and literature) English History Philosophy History of art Natural sciences Geography Physical education (PE) IT (Information technology) Any others?

The apple and the moon Isaac Newton thought about gravity and the

apple. He thought that maybe gravity was not just limited to the earth and the objects on it. What if gravity extended to the moon and beyond? Isaac calculated the force needed to keep the moon moving around the earth. Then he compared it with the force that made the apple fall downward. After allowing for the fact that the moon is much farther from the earth, and has a much greater mass, he discovered that the forces were the same. The moon is held in an orbit around earth by the pull of earth’s gravity.

Comment on these two images. What do they have in common? Say which you prefer and why

Choose the top Italian scientist

Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most important figures in the history of science. If you had to choose the most important figure from Italy in the history of science, who would you choose? Explain why.

Written assignment Write a brief summary (between 80 and

100 words) about the lives of one of the following, outlining their contribution to science and the reason why you chose that particular person:

Aristotle Leonardo da Vinci Enrico Fermi Rita Levi Montalcini