Activity 4 - TOOLS, STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES

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Various tools, strategies and techniques can be used in a CLIL friendly environment. These include

• Cooperative learning: it encourages pupils to work together (in pairs, in small groups, as a whole class).
• Circle time: it encourages pupils to be in a context where knowledge and understanding are shared.
• Work individually: it encourages pupils to reflect and assimilate knowledge.
• Learning by doing: it involves learning while doing things and finding out things for themselves, solving problems. Learning by playing: it involves pupils in learning with pleasure.
• Digital learning encourages pupils to use new technology critically.

A RUNNING DICTATION

STEP 1 – Read the three activities.

STEP 2 – Choose one of the activities and illustrate what kind of skills it enhances which can be useful in a CLIL friendly environment.

Running dictation - three activities

1. Cut up and stick these sentences around the classroom. Break students into groups or pairs. Designate one student to be the "writer" and another student to be the "reader". Mime the sentence you want the students to find and then the reader stands up and finds that sentence, comes back and reports it to the "writer" who remains seated. The writer writes down what the reader says. Repeat the process until all of the sentences are complete. Can be used for beginners with simple language equivalents on their worksheets.
2. These are 3 pictures of different monsters. Put them on the wall. Ss works in 3 groups. There is a “runner” and some “drawers” in each group.
   • The runner has to go to the picture, memorize it, and describe it to the others.
   • The drawers have to draw the monster according to the runner’s description.
   • They can ask questions, too. The groups put their pictures on the board. Checking the pictures together, comparing them to the original picture, choosing the winner.
3. This worksheet is for beginners and it is a TPR activity. Make enough copies of the worksheet in A3. Place the copies in one end of the room and pairs of students in the other end. Students take turns running up to the worksheets and write the word of a picture they know in the box below. They return to their partner and send him off to write a word of one of the pictures. Who finishes first?

THE USE OF L1 IN CLIL

An important tool we all have in class is L1 as well as the languages in the pupils’ repertoires.

Step 3 – Read the following statements and say whether you agree or disagree with each. In […] explain your choices.

In CLIL:
1. some L1 preparation in pair and group work may be necessary.
2. L1 can make it easier to use L2 later on;
3. The teacher's purpose is paramount for deciding which language to use;
4. Teachers who are not confident in L2 may have to code switch. Language ability is an important variable;
5. L1 use has to be clear and random code-switching should be avoided;
6. There has to be some explicit ground rules early on, 'This is how we will use the L1, this is how we will use the L2';
7. You have to provide the language that learners may need to function within the L2.