Transnational exchange of good CLIL practice among European Educational Institutions Erasmus Project

Project Title

Transnational exchange of good CLIL practice among European Educational Institutions

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 : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Research and innovation; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

The project was proposed in accordance with Education and Training in Europe 2020 document highlighting that “Foreign languages skills can enhance the employability of young people”. This initiative totally fitted the target groups of our project which were primary and secondary students. Moreover, the recommendations outlined in „Rethinking Education“ included new criteria of learning foreign languages based on a dual approach. Teaching and learning foreign languages may be achieved with the help of innovative methods, including Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) where non-language subjects are taught through the medium of a foreign language. The main objectives of the project were:
1. Setting up essential components of good CLIL practice in the classroom by face-to-face observations.
2. Preparing Modular e-trainings course for European CLIL teachers.
3. Providing countries with none or less CLIL experience with essential training and learning opportunities so that they can commence implementing this approach in their schools.
4. Training teachers from the project partner countries on CLIL.
5. Setting up an open database of class recordings and other teaching and methodological materials for CLIL teachers.
6. Collecting research data and conducting comparative analysis of CLIL practice.
7. Providing Universities and other public bodies dealing with educational research with the results and main conclusions of the project as a possible basis for future research on the topic.
Except the coordinating country (Slovakia, UKF University), there were another 5 cooperating countries (Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy which fully substituted a former partner from Spain and Slovak University of Technology – STU). The project consisted of partners from various educational levels – university, educational institutions, and representatives of primary and secondary education. It was the unique partnership of people from theoretical/ implementation institutions on one hand, and educational institutions where developed issues are applied and evaluated on the other one. From other point of view, the strategic partnership involved countries with a vast CLIL experience and also countries with none or less experience in implementing CLIL methodology. All partners were actively involved in activities which included: observation classes, preparing video recordings of CLIL classes, preparing Modular e-training course, Open CLIL Database and finally, the university partners prepared Research data collection and comparative analysis (the second intellectual output that was not approved in the project proposal).
The project coordinator, together with the other university partner from Slovakia and partially from Italy, developed and implemented the pilot training for the CLIL methodology for teachers within the partnership. The content of the pilot training was discussed by several stakeholders on a project website (www.educlil.eu), with a view to offer it to the public interested in this type of language learning in order to acquire adequate competencies in the CLIL methodology. The project achieved significant benefits and impacts at several levels:
– to develop positive attitude towards innovative methods within a foreign language teaching,
– to implement foreign languages to non-language subjects ,
– to increase levels of employability and mobility of young people, and poor language skills,
– to apply CLIL methodology with the immigrants arriving to the partners´ countries aimed at achieving adequate language skills. It is another added value of the project we did not expect when preparing the project proposal. It was delighted information for us from the Swedish partner when they highlighted this specific application of CLIL,
– to disseminate the CLIL course to the colleagues from partners´ institutions to ensure not only its dissemination, but each partner institution also broadened their offer in learning foreign languages. This could gradually increase the students’ skills in the subsequent application to the labour market.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 128225 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERZITA KONSTANTINA FILOZOFA V NITRE & Country: SK

Project Partners

• SLOVENSKA TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA V BRATISLAVE
• Vilnius Jonas Basanavicius progimnazija
• Alströmergymnasiet, Alingsås
• Daugavpils pilsetas Izglitibas parvalde
• Liceo Statale A. Manzoni