Integrating Content and Language in the Curriculum: The Dual Focus of CLIL

The phenomenon of multilingualism has increased in the last years in Europe, supported by the initiatives undertaken by the Council of Europe (2006), which encourage intercultural communication and multilingualism as key policy goals in the European scenario. Among the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers concerning modern languages, we can highlight concrete measures to promote multilingualism, such as the support in the application of communication and information technologies to disseminate teaching and learning materials for all European national or regional languages, or the promotion of teaching programmes at all levels using a flexible approach, and their appropriate recognition in national qualification systems, in particular public examinations. One of the measures which have attracted a great deal of attention in the last years is the encouragement in the use of foreign languages in the teaching of non-linguistic subjects (for example history, geography, mathematics) and the implementation of favourable conditions for such teaching. With the aim of providing an answer to these needs, an educational approach has been implemented throughout Europe: Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), which seeks to increase the presence of the foreign language by teaching curricular content through the medium of that foreign language. This paper analyses the rationale of CLIL as one of the most effective frameworks to foster multilingualism and to help in foreign/second language learning. Plurilingual Education in Europe: 50 Years of International Cooperation (2006) Council of Europe: Language Policy Division: Strasbourg