Date and venue: 26-27 April 2023, Brussels, Belgium
Local organisation: Karine Dekeukelaere, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
ECML experts: Frédéric Taveau and Dunja Chamberlain, Switzerland
Participants: 38 CLIL language and subject teachers (primary and secondary levels), pedagogical advisors, subject and language inspectors, CLIL professor at university level
Language immersion teaching (CLIL) is very popular in Belgium, with many young people wanting to enrol. However, they run the risk of being turned away, on the one hand, because places are limited and, on the other, as there are too few teachers. In addition many of the teachers who have embarked on this pathway are faced with the challenge of preparing a variety of materials to help their young audience to grasp not only the language of instruction, but also the content of the subjects studied. School audiences also come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. However, this challenge can become an asset when it comes to promoting the language of schooling, the language of the 'Language Immersion' class and the language(s) acquired in the home environment, by promoting pluriliteracies.
Thanks to the two-day workshop, moderated by ECML experts, the teachers, teacher trainers, educational advisers and inspectors present were able to improve and strengthen the quality of their interventions through a dynamic supported by the sharing of practical tools, illustrative videos, in-depth explanations of the theory, and exchanges between professionals around this teaching. And, above all, a pro-active approach to discovering the benefits of pluriliteracies.
Karine Dekeukelaere based on the presentations of Dunja Chamberlain and Frédéric Taveau
