Cafe CLIL - An Eye on CLIL (News and stuff)

Cafe CLIL 19 - An Eye on CLIL (News and stuff) 

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Summary (AI generated)

Language Teachers as CLIL Trainers
Keith and Phil discussed the question of whether language teachers can be effective CLIL teacher trainers. Phil explained when training content teachers, they often need to focus on how language serves as a vehicle for content rather than being studied as content itself. Keith agreed, emphasizing that both language and subject teachers need to focus on integrating thinking skills with language in learning sequences, regardless of their background.

Amphibians in Training
Keith and Phil discussed the concept of "becoming amphibian" in the context of thinking skills in training rooms, with Keith emphasizing how different disciplinary areas have distinct ways of thinking. They explored how CLIL offers more than just specialized knowledge, focusing on concepts, procedures, language, and thinking across these dimensions. Phil shared his experience working with subject teachers from Switzerland and Kazakhstan, emphasizing the importance of making key language salient, while Keith suggested that language teachers can adapt to different cognitive paths without needing specialized subject knowledge.

Academic Language Development Discussion
Phil and Keith discussed academic language development across different languages, particularly how academic contexts tend to incorporate Latin or Greek terms. They referenced a book by Margot Gottlieb and a colleague about academic languaging, which focuses on understanding academic language functionally across all languages, not just English. The conversation also touched on the development of language skills through curriculum progression and the importance of oral language (oracy) in educational settings.

Oracy in Educational Development
Phil outlined four key aspects of oracy: understanding the power of words, language as part of cognitive development, the importance of exploratory talk, and its social and emotional dimensions. Keith agreed on the significance of oracy and mentioned their practice of building academic language for young children through spoken activities, referencing a conversation about oracy in science education.

Memory Techniques in Education Discussion
Keith and Phil discussed memory techniques and educational approaches, focusing on memory palaces as described in Joshua Foer's book "Moonwalking with Einstein." Keith explained how these memory techniques can be applied in education by creating interfaces between content and learners, using examples like maps and mystery boxes to help children engage with and remember educational material. Phil shared his success in making cognitive discourse functions more engaging in a recent teaching session, leading to plans for a future discussion about systemic functional linguistics and cognitive discourse functions.

Books, links…
Language-Sensitive Teaching and Learning: A Resource Book for Teachers and Teacher Educators 1st ed. 2022 Edition, by Richard Rossner, Rod Bolitho

Oracy: The Transformative Power of Finding Your Voice – May 22, 2025, by Neil Mercer

Academic Languaging: Engaging Multilingual Students in Content Area Learning 1st Edition by Gisela Ernst-Slavit, Margo Gottlieb

Ellevation podcast on Academic Languaging - ⁠⁠https://ellevationeducation.com/podcast/student-agency-through-academic-languaging-dr-margo-gottlieb-and-dr-gisela-ernst-slavit⁠⁠

Building a Language Toolkit for Teachers 1st Edition by Sally Humphrey, Ruslana Westerlund, Olga Malin

The Foundations of Language: Talking and Reading in Young Children, by Andrew M. Wilkinson (Author)

We're Going on a Bear Hunt Paperback – Picture Book, January 1, 2003 by Michael Rosen (Author), Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything Paperback – February 28, 2012 by Joshua Foer

The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous, September 8, 2020 by Joseph Henrich