Intercultural Communicative Competence: Teaching Language as Culture

 “Language is the map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” — Rita Mae Brown

 

These words remind us that language is not just a tool for speaking. It’s a living expression of how people see and make sense of the world. When we teach English as a global lingua franca, we are not just teaching vocabulary or grammar—we are inviting learners into a deeper, more human experience of intercultural exchange.

The truth is, every time a person learns a new language, they unlock a new way of living. As the Czech proverb says, “You live a new life for every language you speak. If you know only one, you live only once.” This means that as bilingual teachers, we carry the responsibility—and the opportunity—to help our students not just speak English, but to understand through it.

 

Why Intercultural Competence Matters in Language Teaching

In today’s interconnected world, where digital tools and global networks constantly bring people from different cultures into contact, intercultural understanding is not optional—it’s essential. That’s why intercultural communicative competence (ICC) must become a central part of how we teach English.

But what does this competence mean in practice?

According to Michael Byram (1997), ICC is the ability to communicate and behave appropriately and effectively in intercultural situations. It’s more than “knowing about” other cultures—it’s about learning to relate, to reflect, to question, and to understand from another’s point of view.

 

From Native Speaker to Intercultural Speaker

Traditionally, English teaching has focused on imitating native speakers. But Byram suggests we move beyond that idea. Instead, learners should aim to become intercultural speakers—individuals who can:

• Interact with people from different backgrounds,
• Accept and understand different perspectives,
• Mediate between cultural viewpoints,
• And remain aware of their own cultural biases.

In simple terms, intercultural speakers are bridge builders. They connect worlds through meaningful communication.

 

What Does an Intercultural Speaker Look Like?

To support learners in becoming intercultural speakers, teachers must foster five core human qualities:

1. Empathy – being able to genuinely feel what others might be experiencing. It’s about standing in someone else’s shoes and listening with your heart as much as with your ears.
2. Flexibility – adjusting to new situations, people, or cultural norms. Sometimes, what works in one context won’t in another—and that’s okay. The key is to notice, reflect, and adapt.
3. Respect – recognizing the value in ways of thinking and being that are different from your own. It’s not just tolerance; it’s appreciation.
4. Sensitivity – being aware of how others feel and think, and responding with kindness and care. This involves both emotional intelligence and cultural awareness.
5. Tolerance – accepting that people can—and often do—see the world differently. Instead of judging those differences, intercultural speakers learn from them.

These qualities aren’t just “nice to have”—they are essential for real communication in diverse, multilingual classrooms and communities.

 

Byram’s Model: The Five “Savoirs” of Intercultural Competence

Byram organizes ICC into five interconnected dimensions, which he calls the “savoirs.” Let’s explore each one in a simple, practical way:

1. Savoir – Knowledge. This refers to understanding both your own culture and others’, including social norms, traditions, and the unspoken rules that shape everyday interactions. For instance, knowing that in some cultures silence means agreement, while in others it can mean the opposite, helps avoid miscommunication.

2. Savoir Comprendre – Skills of Interpreting and Relating. This is the ability to interpret cultural events or communication styles from another culture and connect them to one’s own. It’s like being a cultural detective—asking why people do what they do and seeing how it compares to your own context.

3. Savoir Apprendre/Faire – Skills of Discovery and Interaction. Here, learners develop the ability to explore, question, and learn from new cultural encounters. For example, when students interact online with peers from another country, they begin to notice cultural patterns—and can ask thoughtful questions to understand them better.

4. Savoir Être – Attitudes of Curiosity and Openness. This refers to a mindset: being willing to suspend judgment, to stay open, and to remain fascinated by cultural differences. The goal isn’t to agree with everything, but to stay curious and reflective.

5. Savoir S’Engager – Critical Cultural Awareness. This final dimension is perhaps the most powerful. It involves thinking critically about your own culture and others—seeing how values shape perspectives, and recognizing power, stereotypes, and inequalities in intercultural interactions.

 

How Does ICC Develop? Three Levels of Growth

According to Meyer (1991), learners typically progress through three levels of intercultural understanding:

• Monocultural level: They observe other cultures through the lens of their own, often judging what’s different as “strange” or “wrong.”
• Intercultural level: They begin to compare, understand, and respect cultural differences.
• Transcultural level: They learn to mediate between cultures, becoming cultural translators who can connect people, ideas, and perspectives.

This progression is not automatic—it requires thoughtful guidance, real-world practice, and space for reflection. That’s where you, as future bilingual educators, come in.

 

Bringing ICC into the Classroom

So how can we teach these skills? Here are a few ideas:

• Use authentic materials from different cultures—videos, songs, articles, stories—and discuss the values behind them.
• Encourage cultural comparisons by asking students to reflect on how similar situations are handled in their own culture and in others.
• Create virtual exchanges or pen-pal projects that allow learners to interact with real people from other countries.
• Model intercultural attitudes—show curiosity, ask respectful questions, and reflect openly with your students.
• Include reflective activities where learners write or speak about how their views are evolving.

The truth is, when learners feel respected, challenged, and emotionally engaged, they become more than speakers of English—they become global citizens.

 

Teaching intercultural communicative competence isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about guiding students to ask better questions—to themselves and to the world around them. It’s about replacing fear with curiosity, stereotypes with stories, and distance with dialogue.

As future bilingual educators, your role goes far beyond language transmission. You are mentors, cultural mediators, and agents of transformation. And that, more than anything, is what makes language education so profoundly human.

 

References

Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Multilingual Matters.

Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Starkey, H. (2001). Developing the intercultural dimension in language teaching: A practical introduction for teachers. Council of Europe. https://rm.coe.int/16802fc1c3

Byram, M. (2008). From foreign language education to education for intercultural citizenship: Essays and reflections. Multilingual Matters.

Meyer, M. (1991). Developing transcultural competence: Case studies of advanced foreign language learners. In D. Buttjes & M. Byram (Eds.), Mediating languages and cultures (pp. 136–158). Multilingual Matters.

 

Planning and Designing CLIL Lessons

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a powerful approach where students learn both a subject and a new language at the same time. Planning CLIL lessons requires careful thought because students are not only learning new content but also developing their second language skills. The truth is, effective CLIL teaching means balancing both content and language, while also considering students’ needs and challenges.

Why is Planning Important in CLIL?

Planning helps teachers prepare lessons that are clear and achievable. It allows us to:

• Predict where students might struggle, both in understanding the subject and in using the second language.
• Organize content so students can learn the topic step by step.
• Identify the specific language students need to communicate ideas clearly.
• Choose teaching strategies and materials that support learning effectively (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010).

For example, imagine teaching a science lesson about ecosystems in English to students whose first language is Spanish. You would need to plan not only the scientific facts but also how to introduce and practice key vocabulary and expressions. Without this planning, students might understand neither the science nor the language fully.

The 4 Cs of CLIL: Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture

A successful CLIL lesson always integrates the 4 Cs (Coyle, 2005):

·        Content: What we want students to learn (e.g., facts about ecosystems).

·        Communication: The language students need to learn and use (e.g., describing habitats).

·        Cognition: Thinking skills we want students to develop (e.g., comparing different ecosystems).

·        Culture: The cultural context behind the content (e.g., understanding environmental issues worldwide).

These four parts must work together. If we focus only on content without language support, students may get lost. Conversely, teaching language without meaningful content can feel pointless for learners.

Common Challenges in CLIL Planning

Planning CLIL lessons is not always easy. Students may:

·        Struggle to speak or write accurately in the second language.

·        Have limited vocabulary for the subject.

·        Find it difficult to understand detailed explanations.

·        Be fluent in everyday conversation (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills or BICS) but still developing academic language skills (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency or CALP) (Cummins, 2000).

Because of this, teachers must:

·        Use clear explanations and check for understanding.

·        Provide language support through tasks that help students express ideas.

·        Use different interaction types like pair work and group discussions to encourage language use.

·        Prepare materials that challenge students’ thinking but are linguistically accessible.

For instance, instead of asking students to write a full report, a teacher might ask them to describe the ecosystem orally in pairs first, then write short sentences with teacher support.

How to Plan CLIL Lessons Step-by-Step

1.     Start with Content: Define the learning goals and what students should know or be able to do by the end of the lesson.

2.     Link Content with Communication: Decide what language functions and vocabulary students need to express their understanding. This includes key phrases and sentence structures.

3.     Include Cognition: Plan tasks that develop thinking skills like analyzing, comparing, or solving problems.

4.     Add Culture: Consider how the topic connects to students’ cultural backgrounds or global perspectives to make learning more relevant and motivating.

Designing Lesson Elements

A well-structured CLIL lesson usually includes:

·        Warm-up or brainstorming: To activate prior knowledge and get students speaking.

·        Main tasks: That integrate language and content, challenging students cognitively while supporting their language development.

·        Plenary: A concluding activity to check understanding and consolidate learning.

For example, in a history lesson, a warm-up might ask students to share what they know about a country, the main task could be reading a short text and answering questions, and the plenary could involve a group discussion or quiz.

Assessment in CLIL

Assessment in CLIL should measure both content knowledge and language skills. Traditional tests may not be enough. Instead, teachers need flexible methods such as:

·        Observations during class activities.

·        Pair or group assessments to encourage collaboration.

·        Self-assessment and peer feedback to build learner autonomy.

These approaches help reveal the full range of what students have learned and what skills they are developing (Dalton-Puffer, 2011).

Supporting Teachers’ Growth

Teaching CLIL well requires ongoing professional development. Collaborating with colleagues, observing lessons, and reflecting on teaching practices help teachers improve and adapt. This reflective process is essential for meeting students’ evolving needs and challenges.

In Conclusion

Planning CLIL lessons is both an art and a science. It demands awareness of language learning, subject teaching, and student needs. But with thoughtful planning grounded in the 4 Cs framework, plus a flexible, supportive approach, teachers can create lessons that empower students to grow confidently in both content knowledge and language skills.

Remember, CLIL is not just teaching a subject through a language—it’s about opening new worlds through language. And as teachers, we are guides on that exciting journey.

References

Coyle, D. (2005). CLIL: Planning and teaching learning contexts. Cambridge University Press.

Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press.

Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Multilingual Matters.

Dalton-Puffer, C. (2011). Content-and-language integrated learning: From practice to principles? Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 182–204. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190511000092

CLIL Courses Planning & Design: Reflecting on Key Ideas

When we think about teaching through CLIL — that is, teaching subjects like science or history using a second language — it’s important to reflect deeply on how we plan and assess learning. Let’s consider some common ideas about CLIL and discuss whether they are true or not, using both theory and practical classroom experience.

1.     Should most of my questions be simple to check understanding? It might seem logical to use mostly simple, factual questions to see if students understand. However, limiting yourself to low-order questions restricts their thinking development. In fact, some subjects naturally require more complex thinking skills. For example, in a science lesson, you might ask students not only to recall facts but also to explain a process or predict outcomes. According to Bloom’s taxonomy, encouraging higher-order thinking skills helps students deepen understanding and language use (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).

2.     Do all subjects require the same cognitive demand? No, some subjects do require more complex thinking. Math and science often ask for problem-solving and analysis, while social studies might focus on interpretation and argumentation. So, your questions and activities should reflect these differences.

3.     Are high-frequency words important for both everyday language and academic language? Absolutely. CLIL emphasizes both BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency). High-frequency words appear in everyday speech and in academic texts. Reinforcing them helps students move smoothly between social and classroom language (Cummins, 2000).

4.     Is classroom language essential in CLIL? Yes! Classroom language—the words and phrases teachers and students use to manage activities, give instructions, and encourage participation—is crucial. Without a solid foundation in this language, students struggle to follow lessons and engage meaningfully (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010).

5.     Do only less able learners need scaffolding? This is a common misconception. Scaffolding—the support teachers give to help students reach new understanding—is vital for all learners, especially in CLIL settings where students face both content and language challenges. Even confident learners benefit from guidance as they tackle new or complex concepts (Gibbons, 2015).

6.     Is it okay to prioritize task completion over language accuracy? While completing tasks is important, ignoring language accuracy can harm long-term learning. CLIL aims for content and language development together. Encouraging language support during tasks builds students’ confidence and competence, helping them express ideas more clearly (Coyle et al., 2010).

Understanding Assessment and Evaluation in CLIL

Now, let’s clarify two concepts that often cause confusion: assessment and evaluation. Though they seem similar, they serve different purposes in education.

Assessment is a continuous process where teachers gather information about students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. Its main goal is to improve learning. It is diagnostic, qualitative, and focuses on individual progress. For example, a teacher might observe how well a student explains a scientific concept or participates in a group discussion. This feedback helps students and teachers know what to work on next (Black & Wiliam, 1998).

In contrast, evaluation involves making a judgment about the quality of learning, often by assigning grades or scores. It’s summative and product-focused, typically done at the end of a term or unit to measure how well goals were met. For example, a final exam or project grade reflects evaluation. It compares students against standards or each other and is often more rigid and quantitative (Stiggins, 2005).

Assessment	Evaluation
Formative and ongoing	Summative and final
Diagnostic, guides learning	Judgmental, ranks performance
Focus on individual progress	Focus on group outcomes
Flexible and reflective	Fixed and comparative

Assessment in CLIL: What and How?

In CLIL classrooms, assessment is unique because it involves both content and language. Teachers must decide whether they are assessing students’ understanding of the subject, their language skills, or both. This decision guides how tasks and tests are designed.

• When assessing content, choose methods that require the least language possible to fairly measure understanding. For example, diagrams, multiple-choice questions, or practical tasks can show if a student knows the science concept without demanding complex language (Mehisto, Marsh, & Frigols-Martín, 2008).
• When assessing language, teachers can use CEFR descriptors to check skills like speaking, writing, or listening. This is especially useful for formative assessments to track language growth over time.
• Remember, sometimes students may understand content but cannot yet express it fully in the second language. Here, scaffolding and translanguaging strategies help bridge gaps (Garcia, 2009).

Assessment should also encourage collaboration through peer and self-assessment. When students reflect on their own work or give constructive feedback to classmates, they become more aware of their learning process and take more responsibility for it.

Assessment for Learning: Empowering Students

A vital part of CLIL is Assessment for Learning (AfL), which focuses on involving students actively in their progress. This means sharing clear learning goals, success criteria, and inviting learners to self-assess and evaluate peers.

Why is this important? Because it makes students:

• More motivated and independent learners.
• More responsible for their own progress.
• More confident to try, even when making mistakes.
• More positive about learning in general.

For teachers, AfL leads to smoother lessons and better insights into students’ needs. It helps identify what to teach next and how to tailor support individually or for the group. Clear “Can Do” statements—simple descriptions of what students should be able to do—make goals transparent and assessment fair (Black & Wiliam, 1998).

Practical Strategies for Effective CLIL Assessment

To make assessment meaningful and fair, teachers can:

• Observe students closely during activities to see how they use language and content knowledge.
• Use effective questioning that encourages deeper thinking and language use.
• Differentiate tasks to match students’ language and content levels.
• Provide accommodations and supports, like vocabulary lists or sentence starters.
• Include collaborative tasks that show teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

In conclusion, teaching and assessing through CLIL is a rich, challenging process that balances language and content learning. By thoughtfully planning questions, scaffolding support, and involving students in their own assessment, teachers create an environment where learners thrive both academically and linguistically. Remember, learning is not something done to students but something they actively do themselves. This mindset inspires growth, curiosity, and confidence in every classroom.

References

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman.

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969595980050102

Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press.

Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Multilingual Matters.

Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley-Blackwell.

Gibbons, P. (2015). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching English language learners in the mainstream classroom. Heinemann.

Mehisto, P., Marsh, D., & Frigols-Martín, M. J. (2008). Uncovering CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning in bilingual and multilingual education. Macmillan.

Stiggins, R. J. (2005). From formative assessment to assessment FOR learning: A path to success in standards-based schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(4), 324–328.

CLIL Course Planning and Design

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is more than just a methodology—it's a mindset. It invites educators to embrace the power of teaching subject content through a second language in meaningful, purposeful, and dynamic ways. In this unit, we will reflect critically on CLIL principles, distinguish between exercises, activities, and tasks, and explore how materials and tasks can truly activate the 4Cs: Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture.

1. Reflecting on CLIL Beliefs: What Holds True?

Let’s take a closer look at some commonly held beliefs about CLIL. Each one demands our thoughtful consideration, supported by both theoretical grounding and classroom experience.

Statement 1: CLIL learners develop better speaking skills because of the variety of language presented and used in class. Yes, but it depends on how language is used. Exposure to varied input is valuable, but output matters too. Learners need frequent, purposeful opportunities to speak. Interaction is essential for language development (Swain, 2000), and CLIL classes offer rich contexts where learners negotiate meaning, justify opinions, and problem-solve.

Statement 2: Everything is contextualized... the language is for a purpose rather than language for the sake of language. Absolutely. This is a foundational strength of CLIL. Language becomes a tool for doing something real — describing a scientific process, presenting historical facts, designing a product, etc. Contextualization improves retention and engagement (Coyle, Hood & Marsh, 2010).

Statement 3: CLIL learners are producing a lot more extended language and they can give reasons for their answers. When scaffolded properly, yes. By focusing on thinking and not just language forms, learners move from surface-level answers to deeper, reasoned responses. CLIL naturally supports longer discourse when tasks involve debate, analysis, or explanation (Bentley, 2010).

Statement 4: Learning strategies used by the more able learners and the less able learners are different. Correct. Learners bring diverse cognitive strategies, shaped by their prior knowledge and confidence. Our role is to help them become more aware of their strategies and offer explicit guidance to support those who need it most (Oxford, 2011).

Statement 5: It’s not important to look at the tasks and work out the cognitive skills they demand. False. We must analyse the cognitive demands of our tasks. CLIL integrates Bloom’s Taxonomy into planning: are we asking learners to remember, apply, analyse, or create? Knowing this helps ensure progression and balance (Coyle et al., 2010).

2. Activities and Tasks: What’s the Difference?

Understanding the distinction between exercises, activities, and tasks is essential for planning CLIL lessons.

• Exercises are controlled and focus mostly on form. Think of gap-fills, grammar drills, or basic comprehension questions. They practice language.
• Activities are broader and more open. They link content and cognitive goals: playing a game, doing a roleplay, or singing a song. They use language and encourage interaction.
• Tasks go even further. They are purposeful, often collaborative, and focus on doing something meaningful. A task might involve building a model, designing a poster, solving a problem, or writing a report. Tasks prioritize meaning over form and foster autonomy (Nunan, 2004).

3. What Makes a Task Truly CLIL?

CLIL tasks aren’t random. They are:

• Relevant to learners’ lives
• Challenging, but achievable
• Focused on communication and real outcomes
• Supportive of cognitive and linguistic development
• Collaborative in nature

Take, for example, a project where students must create a weather report. They research (content), write scripts (language), use visuals (ICT), and present to the class (communication). Here, the task integrates all 4Cs.

4. Digital Tools and Visual Resources: Making Learning Visible

Visuals, multimedia, and graphic organizers play a key role in CLIL. They reduce cognitive load, aid comprehension, and promote active engagement. For instance:

• Graphic organizers help students compare data, classify information, or create timelines (Bentley, 2010).
• Videos activate background knowledge and foster prediction and inference. Pre-watching, while-watching, and post-watching activities (e.g., freezing frames, silent viewing, answering questions) boost listening and viewing comprehension.
• Interactive whiteboards and Internet-based tasks support collaboration, creativity, and learner autonomy.

5. Selecting and Adapting Materials: A Thoughtful Process

In CLIL, material selection starts with content objectives, followed by the language needed. Adapted materials should:

• Support the 4Cs
• Be age-appropriate and cognitively engaging
• Offer clear progression
• Respect learners’ different needs and styles

This means adapting textbook content, using online resources, and designing original materials when necessary. The goal is to ensure all learners can access and engage with both content and language.

6. Collaboration and Games: Learning Through Interaction

Collaborative tasks (e.g., ranking, sorting, sequencing) encourage negotiation of meaning and peer support. Games, on the other hand, offer a joyful, low-anxiety context for language use. But they must be intentional:

• Have clear rules
• Serve a linguistic and/or content goal
• Be age-appropriate

Think of a board game where learners answer science-related questions to move ahead. Here, fun meets function.

Final Thought: Teach Like It Matters—Because It Does

Teaching through CLIL is not about making language simpler. It’s about opening the door to complex thinking, real-world content, and meaningful communication in a second language. Your planning matters. Your tasks matter. And the truth is, your students will remember how they learned far more than what they memorized.

Keep your focus on the 4Cs. Support language use with scaffolds and visuals. Make space for talk, challenge, and creativity. Above all, believe in your learners’ ability to grow.

References

Bentley, K. (2010). The TKT Course: CLIL Module. Cambridge University Press.

Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press.

Nunan, D. (2004). Task-Based Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press.

Oxford, R. (2011). Teaching and Researching Language Learning Strategies. Pearson.

Swain, M. (2000). The Output Hypothesis and Beyond: Mediating Acquisition through Collaborative Dialogue. In Lantolf, J. (Ed.), Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning. Oxford University Press.

Understanding CLIL: Language, Cognition, and Teaching Strategies

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a powerful approach that combines learning a subject with learning a new language at the same time. It is much more than just teaching language alongside content—it creates a rich environment where students develop language skills through meaningful, real-world tasks connected to academic subjects.

1. The Role of Language in CLIL

Language in CLIL classrooms is absolutely key. It’s not just about using language to communicate simple ideas; language here shapes thinking and helps students explore concepts deeply. When students use language to talk, write, or explain, they are also learning how to think critically and solve problems.

For example, when a science teacher asks students to describe the water cycle in a new language, students are not only practicing vocabulary—they are also organizing their thoughts and understanding how different ideas relate to each other. This kind of purposeful language use helps develop what researchers call cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), which is essential for success in school and beyond (Cummins, 2000).

In CLIL, teachers support this development by linking language closely with subject content, tasks, and thinking processes. Language is a tool for learning, not just communication.

2. Language Development: From Basic to Complex

CLIL helps students use language in more complex ways. Unlike traditional language classes that might focus mostly on basic conversation skills (also known as Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills or BICS), CLIL pushes learners to use language for academic purposes. This means mastering new types of language, like specific vocabulary, formal expressions, and complex sentence structures.

At the same time, it’s important to remember that all learners need language teaching tailored to their level and needs. Early CLIL stages may focus more on basic language chunks and key vocabulary, while advanced stages require more focus on grammar, academic language, and expressing abstract ideas (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010).

3. The Importance of Planning for Language

One of the essential skills for CLIL teachers is language planning. This means teachers must anticipate the language students will need to understand and express subject content. It’s not enough to know the science or history; teachers must identify the key vocabulary, useful sentence structures, and functional language that help students succeed.

For instance, a math teacher might prepare sentence starters like "The answer is..." or "We can solve this problem by..." to guide students in explaining their reasoning. Teachers also use techniques like modelling, repetition, and scaffolding to help students gain confidence.

4. Scaffolding Language and Content

Scaffolding is a term that means providing support to help students reach higher levels of understanding and language use. In CLIL classrooms, scaffolding can take many forms:

• Using visuals, diagrams, and real objects (called realia) to make meaning clear.
• Breaking down tasks into smaller steps.
• Providing word banks or sentence frames.
• Asking guiding questions that encourage deeper thinking.

This support gradually fades as students become more independent. It’s like teaching someone to ride a bike: you start by holding the bike steady, then slowly let go as they find their balance.

5. Cognitive Skills in CLIL

Learning in CLIL is not just about language or content alone—it’s also about thinking skills. Teachers encourage students to move from basic recall (e.g., remembering facts) to higher-order thinking like analysing, evaluating, and creating new ideas. This progression follows Bloom’s Taxonomy, a well-known framework for classifying educational goals (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).

Effective CLIL lessons include questions and tasks that challenge students to think critically and creatively. For example, instead of just listing the parts of a plant, students might compare how different plants adapt to their environments or design an experiment to test growth conditions.

6. Differentiation and Consolidation

Every student learns differently, and CLIL teachers must pay attention to individual needs. This means differentiating tasks to support both more able and less able learners, considering their language level and cognitive skills.

Consolidation—reviewing and practicing what has been learned—is crucial. Teachers revisit content and language through engaging activities, encouraging students to use language in new ways and reinforcing understanding. Homework, group work, and interactive games can all help consolidate learning.

Reflecting on CLIL Statements

Let’s consider some common ideas about CLIL to see if they hold up, with explanations grounded in research and classroom practice.

1. "CLIL allows learners to use language in more complex ways." This is true. Because CLIL focuses on academic content, students encounter and use more advanced vocabulary and structures than in typical language classes (Coyle et al., 2010).
2. "CLIL teachers correct content vocabulary and some pronunciation but don’t usually correct grammatical errors." Partly true. CLIL teachers often prioritize meaning and fluency, especially during content tasks. However, they do support grammar indirectly through modelling and feedback, especially when errors affect understanding (Dalton-Puffer, 2011).
3. "All learners need specific language teaching at both early and advanced stages of CLIL programmes." Absolutely. Language needs evolve, so teaching must adapt—from focusing on basic vocabulary to more complex language functions over time (Marsh, 2002).
4. "CLIL teachers need to plan for language used in their subject." Yes, this is essential. Effective CLIL teaching involves anticipating the language students need and preparing strategies to teach it alongside the content (Coyle, 2007).

Final Thoughts

CLIL is an exciting way to help learners develop language and content knowledge together, fostering confident, critical thinkers ready for the challenges ahead. As future bilingual educators, your role is to create supportive environments where language grows naturally through meaningful learning. Remember, language is not just a tool for communication—it is the foundation for thought, creativity, and connection.

By carefully planning language, scaffolding learning, and encouraging cognitive growth, you empower your students to use language powerfully and purposefully—both inside and outside the classroom.

References

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman.

Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Multilingual Matters.

Coyle, D. (2007). Content and language integrated learning: Towards a connected research agenda for CLIL pedagogies. The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 10(5), 543–562. https://doi.org/10.2167/beb453.0

Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and language integrated learning. Cambridge University Press.

Dalton-Puffer, C. (2011). Content-and-language integrated learning: From practice to principles? Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 182-204.

Marsh, D. (2002). CLIL/EMILE – The European dimension: Actions, trends and foresight potential. European Commission.