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.