CLIL in French-speaking

Belgium:

Transforming paradox into potentialMary Chopey-Paquet

IFC Communauté française de Belgique et Département pédagogique SeGEC-FESeC

mary.chopey-paquet@segec.be 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