CLIL in Practice: Focus on the EU

Description

Have you ever thought about integrating EU matters into your language lessons?

Would you like to explain the European Union (EU) to your students, but you wonder how to do it effectively?

Then this course is for you!

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is a method that integrates specific techniques in the design of second-language learning activities and authentic content (i.e., content from either academic or non-academic subjects) to encourage learning in two areas.

CLIL has been shown to be an effective strategy to engage students and increase motivation by combining content and language learning into classroom lessons.

As a participant in the course, you will learn how to use CLIL effectively to integrate EU-related topics into your curriculum. In particular, the course will illustrate the principles of CLIL, and give time to participants to practice activities and create their own relevant tasks that facilitate learning.

The course is valuable for both teachers of all academic subjects, who would like to introduce appropriate EU content in their lessons, and for foreign language teachers aiming to engage their students with discussion and tasks related to the EU.

Significantly, and although the course will be in English, the CLIL method it proposes is valid in the teaching of any foreign language.

Through individual, pair, group, team, and whole class work and discussion, participants will experience first-hand how CLIL promotes interdisciplinary learning using the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) for non-native speakers of a language at various proficiency levels.

Participants will also learn how to select appropriate and already prepared content for second language learners, and gain experience with how to create new content for the classroom with authentic materials about the European Union.

At the end of the course, participants will return to their schools with renewed enthusiasm, ideas, strategies, and ready-to-use activities to integrate into their course curricula for successful and motivating CLIL lessons about the EU.

They will also get useful tips on how to raise awareness of the EU’s impact on the daily lives of its citizens, and how to access and find materials that promote important knowledge about Europe and the European Union in a foreign language.

Learning Outcomes

The course will help the participants to:

• Enhance students’ learning of a foreign language with real-world content;
• Design learning activities focused on specific learning objectives in language and EU content;
• Elaborate on official documentation to turn it into creative and engaging learning activities;
• Engage students in collaborative and communicative activities appropriate to their level;
• Use stimulating materials from the real world to promote the civic engagement of students;
• Create an inclusive classroom environment where learning is fun and engaging thanks to the relevance of real-life materials;
• Feel at ease with teaching about the European Union in a foreign language (e.g. English).

Tentative schedule

1	• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities. • Icebreaker activities. • Presentations of the participants’ schools.  Getting Started with CLIL and the EU • A Brief History of the EU (Cloze) • Spotlight on the President of the European Commission • Using Authentic Materials from the real world for non-native speakers • Anthem – It’s all about an Ode to Joy • Finding out more about Germany and other EU countries (Fact sheets)
2	Learning more about the main EU institutions • EU Institutions – Who does what? Their priorities. • Spotlight on the President of the European Council • The Flag of the European Union (Cloze) • Incorporating culture, media, and place in language learning • Belgium, Luxembourg, and more EU countries (Fact sheets)
3	Values and currency in a European democracy • Spotlight on the President of the European Central Bank • The European Motto – what is it all about? • History of the Euro Currency and the Eurozone • Media, culture and more Authentic Materials • France and additional EU countries (Fact sheets)
4	Climate, sustainability, and the real world • Spotlight on the President of the European Parliament • Timeline for climate action and the Europe’s Green Deal • Sustainability Tool kit for teachers • Problem solving (and challenges) in the EU (Discussion and group work) • Italy in cinema (real world, real life) and learning more about other EU countries (Fact sheets)
5	Human rights and what it means to be a European • Human rights in the EU – Policy and ideals  • Focus on the Netherlands culture and media  • Europe Day and what’s next for the European Union • Europe – What does it mean to you? Creative writing formula • Learning about the remaining EU members (Fact sheets) and building a CLIL lesson plan based on the member of your choice that can be shared with others.