Education of the republic of uzbekistan termiz state university department of english language and literature

CLIL lesson
A CLIL lesson is not a language lesson neither is it a subject lesson transmitted in a foreign language (Ćirković -Miladinović, 2007). In the CLIL curriculum, it is the subject matter which determines the language needed to learn. Tasks are defined as activities that can stand alone as fundamental units and that require comprehending, producing, manipulating, or interacting in authentic language while attention is principally paid to meaning rather than form (Nunan, 1989). CLIL describes an evolving approach to teaching and learning where subjects

are taught and studied through the medium of a non-native language. The experience of learning subjects through the medium of a target language is more challenging and intensive as there is more exposure to the language and learners acquire knowledge and skills in different areas of the curriculum. In CLIL, learning a curricular subject in a second, third or sometimes fourth language involves drawing on effective pedagogical practice from a range of different educational contexts.

For teachers from an ELT background, CLIL lessons exhibit the following characteristics:

_ Integrate language and skills, both receptive and productive skills

_ Lessons are often based on reading or listening texts / passages

_ The language focus in a lesson does not consider structural grading

_ Language is functional and dictated by the context of the subject

_ Language is approached lexically rather than grammatically

_ Learner styles should be taken into account in task types
Hence, CLIL aims to create an improvement in both the foreign language and the non-language area competence.

Some CLIL experts believe that one of the advantages is that target language is acquired in a rather natural and effortless way. Namely, students are surrounded with their peers who seem to be at the same level in language proficiency and they understand each other very well. Also, they add that young people who learn content through target language tend to look at their own language and culture with more objective eyes.

Successful teacher “will think of his first class as the beginning rather

than the end of his education” (Anderson 1967:277). Therefore, proper

teaching methodologies in CLIL classes will be in demand in order to

deliver the curriculum in the most efficient way possible.

One rationale for teaching languages to young children is the idea that they find it easier to learn languages than older students (Maldonado, 2006). English for young learners (EYL) also provides a foundation for transition to CLIL or even to English-medium in secondary school. In most cases CLIL is used in secondary schools and relies on basic skills in English being already taught at primary level.

In this way the CLIL approach develops confident learners and enhances academic cognitive processes and communication skills. CLIL encourages intercultural understanding and community values. In addition, research shows that learners become more sensitive to vocabulary and ideas presented in their first language as well as in the target language and they gain more extensive and varied vocabulary. In the target language, learners reach proficiency levels in all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing far beyond what is expected in terms of teaching English to young learners. In terms of CLIL implications on learners, gender issues must be considered too. It is believed that girls are better in learning languages while boys are better in learning sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry etc. so in this way through CLIL learners become more successful in learning both the content and the target language and they get better results in exams.