CLIL and cross – curricular relations Erasmus Project

Project Title

CLIL and cross – curricular relations

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Regional dimension and cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

The presented project CLIL and its use in interdisciplinary relations in teaching at lower secondary schools is a natural continuation of our school’s ten-year effort to improve English language teaching. Our project, this time focused on the education of 2nd level pupils, is a direct follow-up to the Erasmus + PICNIC project (Primary International Schools Together for the Exchange of Interactive CLIL Training), whose target group was mainly the 1st level primary school pupils.
As part of our new project, we want to continue the work which already started, with further introduction and extension of CLIL teaching. The CLIL method – Content and Language Integrated Learning – refers to teaching a non-language subject using a foreign language as a means of communication and sharing educational content. CLIL teaching is characterized by its content and language objectives. CLIL teaching uses activating, communicative methods and various types of work organization. It also combines methods, teaching strategies and interdisciplinary relationships, thus fully reflecting current trends in modern European education. Diversity and flexibility, including the use of modern technology, is another benefit and reason why our school focuses on CLIL teaching. The CLIL method also affects the development and enhancement of the competences of foreign language pupils as well as other students. CLIL teaching is founded on six basic principles that have been described in professional literature. These include multiple integration, support for group work in a favorable working atmosphere, authenticity of teaching, focus on the needs and interests of specific learners, support for active teaching that leads to critical thinking and a high degree of teacher collaboration. We intend to apply all these principles of CLIL teaching in our project. Because the reach and impact of the undertaken activities will be much wider, it will positively influence six schools of the European Union.
The participants of our project will include teachers of English at the 2nd level of primary schools, teachers of vocational subjects and pupils aged 11-15 from the 2nd level of participating primary schools. The main goal of our project is to introduce the CLIL method and apply its use in the field of cross-curricular relations. During six international meetings we will focus on six areas of interdisciplinary relationships: CLIL and Outdoor, CLIL and Drama, CLIL and Music, CLIL and Science, CLIL and Geography, CLIL and History.
Among the key activities of our project will be meetings in participating schools. For every meeting, each country will prepare one sample CLIL lesson on a pre-determined topic and one additional lesson, in which will also actively participate pupils from abroad. After each meeting, all participating schools will create a set of worksheets with a didactic description (lesson plan), from which will be created at the end of the project, a didactic guide to specific CLIL activities. Between the meetings, there will always be scheduled a videoconference between two selected schools on one pre-defined topic. Important will be the joint work of teachers in the preparation of further CLIL activities and their familiarization with various methods of CLIL teaching, including the use of the new mobile application TEACHOUT. Part of the joint work will also be the creation of a summary booklet that will document the pupils’ work on the subjects of historical personality of the country, musical personality of the country, geographic attractions of the country, famous scientist of the country and famous athlete of the country. One of the main pillars of our work will be the introduction of a new tool for teaching CLIL method – the mobile application TEACHOUT – Outdoor Science Game. This is an application developed within the European Union Erasmus + ESTEAM project. The application allows pupils to experience a very modern and fun way of learning. It is a type of Treasure Hunt Game where pupils walk a trail in nature, using a GPS connection to view their route. In certain places pupils perform tasks, read texts and answer questions which are displayed on their mobile phone. We are the first school in the Czech Republic to take advantage of this novelty in the classroom and would like to raise awareness of this game, introduce it to colleagues from other countries and demonstrate it in practice. The application can be used not only for teaching science but also for teaching other subjects such as history, art, geography and of course languages. By developing new TEACHOUT pathways, we want to raise awareness of modern methods in English language teaching, involve pupils themselves in the creation of the TEACHOUT application tasks and fulfill the basic principles of CLIL method concerning group work, cooperative teaching, timeliness, use of modern technologies and cross-curricular relations in the international context.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 172685 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zakladni skola Unicov, Haskova 211, okres Olomouc & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Atakent Anadolu Lisesi
• Szkola Podstawowa nr 4 z oddzialami integracyjnymi im. K.S.Wyszynskiego
• Istituto Comprensivo Statale “Karol Wojtyla-Pontefice” S.Flavia
• Agrupamento Escolas de Campo Maior
• Col·legi Pare Manyanet