Level 5 Award in Teaching Other Subjects in English (CLIL)

Content teaching is a bit of a buzzword at the moment, but it isn’t a new concept. It is present in our daily lives and has been part of the world for centuries.

If you think back to your own childhood, you might find a couple of examples of content teaching. Maybe you went on a walk in a park or in the countryside, and your parents or guardian pointed out some flowers by giving their names and describing them. Then you talked about which ones you liked, both identifying and describing them, and giving reasons for your choice. This is content teaching.

In the context of your own education, you may have already experienced it as a learner. Did you study a second or third language at school? If so, were you asked to do some project work? Were you given the option of learning Latin as a means of improving your science knowledge?

If you have read any history you will know that there are many examples of content teaching in multilingual societies that were living in the same regions. For these communities, bilingualism or plurilingualism became an advantage. It was necessary for trade, and the development of their societies. It is well known that in Ancient Rome, children not only learnt the Greek language, but were taught everything in Greek. 

As our countries have become more globalised, content teaching has become formalised in our schools and universities. In the 1980s, it was introduced in Europe as an EU programme focusing on its dual purpose. Since then, it has grown in its importance globally as our students are prepared for a global community.

Coyle and associates (2010) describe content teaching not merely as a convenient response to the challenges posed by rapid globalisation. Rather, it is a solution which is timely, which is in harmony with broader social perspectives, and which has proved to be effective.