Learning languages and something else

Have you ever heard of CLIL (Content and Language integrated learning)? CLIL is a method of teaching school subjects such as history or biology in a foreign language, thus teaching both the subject and the language. It has many synonyms such as bilingual education or content based instruction.

CLIL is already taking place in several European schools and has been found to be effective in all sectors of education from primary through to adult and higher education. Its success has been growing over the past 10 years and continues to do so. A recent project, "Language in Content Instruction" (LICI), aimed at enhancing the language part of the CLIL context. The leading principle of LICI is that by enhancing language in content teaching, the dual focus of learning both language and content is realized optimally, as language and content are integrated in CLIL. The main outcome of the project is the handbook "Language in content instruction", available in English, German and French, to serve as a reference book as well as a working tool for professionals involved in initial CLIL or in-service CLIL teacher training. LICI was co-funded by the European Socrates/Lingua Programme. More information: LICI project website