CLIL in French-speaking
Belgium:
Transforming paradox into potentialMary Chopey-Paquet
IFC Communauté française de Belgique et Département pédagogique SeGEC-FESeC
[email protected] Venice, 12 September 2008
In every context where CLIL is organised
The Content and Language Integrated Learning happens…
IN THE
CLASSROOM!
Every classroom is influenced by its
context
Negatively:
Challenges, Barriers, Hurdles…
Positively: Support, Creative
development of strategies…
“Paradox”??
A statement or tenet or phenomenon: Contrary to received opinion or belief… Or contradictory… Or self-contradictory… Or exhibiting conflict with preconceived
notions of what is reasonable or possible…
Belgium, land of surrealism!
1st Paradox type in the Belgian context
“Geo”-political
Spot the difference…
3 Regions: Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels Capital Region = 3 governments
3 Language Communities… = 3 more governments
Belgium, languages, education… Three state languages
French
Dutch
German
Various school systems in the French-speaking community, e.g.
“Official”
“Independent”
Education =Responsibility
of each Language
CommunityGovernment
2nd Paradox type in the Belgian context
“Walloons can’t (aren’t intelligent enough) to learn
other languages…” Y. Leterme
Cultural
CLIL in the French-speaking community: Number of schools
organising CLIL in 2008-09
195 Total Dutch English German
126 Pre-primary/Primary schools
(= up from 51 in 2004-05)100 23 3
69Secondary schools,
(= up from 12 in 2004-05) 46 18 5
3rd Paradox type in the Belgian context
“We’re against it, it won’t work, you’ll fall flat on your face…”
Institutional
Institutional CLIL Piloting strategies
Promoting high quality planning and management of CLIL
Observatory: Collect quantitative and qualitative data
Planning tool: Schedule of conditions for new CLIL projects
Coherent logic for all levels
Quality-Credibility-Sustainability System
Embracing the challenge for Piloting CLIL
CLIL - EMILECLIL - EMILE
Quality
Credibility Sustainability
Quality-Credibility-Sustainability System for CLIL-EMILE At all levels:
5th Paradox type in the Belgian context
“You won’t find teachers and they won’t be paid…”
Structural
4th Paradox type in the Belgian context
“CLIL-Immersion is elitist…!”
Social
New “Immersion” law 2007 for 2008
A certain reframing of “Immersion”… to improve quality and simplify/clarify administrative procedures
Clear stipulation: "L’inscription dans l’apprentissage par immersion ne peut être soumise à aucune sélection" = no selection permitted, open to all
Open to vocational type of education
6th Paradox type in the Belgian context
“School heads just use CLIL
as a marketing tactic…”
Organisational
Embracing the CLIL Challenge Support strategies for connecting theory to
practice in CLIL implementation Informing school heads for principled organisation, planning and curriculum development (CLIL-EMILE Digest, conferences) Accompanying school CLIL projects (school work groups, staff in-service days, information meetings for prospective parents and students) Supporting schools in order to surmount administrative difficulties (FESeC Administrative department: Technical note and interface between the schools and the Ministries)
7th Paradox type in the Belgian context
“The learners can’t possibly really develop the required subject competencies…”
AND “Teachers don’t like change nor do they like to work together…”
Pedagogic
QualityQuality
SustainabilitySustainabilityCredibilityCredibility
ContentContent
Culture / CitizenshipCulture / Citizenship
Com
mu
nic
atio
nC
omm
un
icat
ion C
ognition
Cogn
itionCLIL - EMILECLIL - EMILE
‘‘Value added’ Value added’ BenefitsBenefits
Methodological Methodological choiceschoices
Discipline area Discipline area competenciescompetencies CollaborationCollaboration
Reconceptualisation of Reconceptualisation of the role of languagethe role of language
Embracing the CLIL Challenge… Concrete support strategies for connecting
theory to practice in the CLIL classroom Providing in-service training sessions in
CLIL fundamentals and methodologies for CLIL teachers Providing training to the pedagogic advisors
in CLIL fundamentals and methodologies (‘duo teams’!)
Organising co-constructive work groups of pedagogic advisors and CLIL teachers for exemplary materials development
Embracing the CLIL Challenge… Concrete support strategies for connecting
theory to practice in the CLIL classroom
Adapting the MFL curriculum to support the CLIL and developing tools for the language teachers and generate collaboration
Adapting existing pedagogic quality instruments from other contexts: quality criteria
for good teaching practice, Self- and team-development and self-assessment
Extension of CLIL to vocational education…
Support system for embracing the CLIL
Challenge…“C’est en classe que l’EMILE se passe…” Yes, CLIL works!!! Realising the
potential is…
FROM THE
CLASSROOM!
Finally, with all due respect:
Belgium, my Belgium… Belgium is a land SO rich in both linguistic paradox and linguistic potential.
A European education reality beckons!
CLIL could contribute to transforming Belgium’s linguistic paradox into a model of linguistic potential to be realised, at least for education.
We