www.cienciadigital.org
=
Vol.
4, N°1, p. 321-333, enero-marzo, 20
=
=
Bilingual education
under a CLIL context, a proposal intervention in Ecuador
José Luis Andrade
Mendoza.[1=
],
Yajaira Natali Padilla Padilla.[2=
]
& Nelly Margarita Padilla Padilla.[3=
]
Recibido:
20-11-2019 / Revisado: 09-12-2019 /Aceptado: 28-12-2019/ Publicado: 04-01-2=
020
English as a foreign language and bilingual education have been
happening for a long time in a human history, however, the arrival of twenty
century and the development of scientist disciplines like psychology,
sociology, linguistics, and psycholinguistics among many others, provided a
broad path of development for change and innovation in the field of language
teaching. This situation has not stopped, and we are nowadays enjoying the
benefits of this evolution and the advances that Information &Technolog=
y and
ICT have meant. The main topics covered by this paper are:
What are the main characteristics of CLIL applied in Ecuador? The an=
alysis
of the description of bilingualism program based on methodologies of the
definition of the CLIL model.
Proposal: Our proposal will be focused on the relevance of a wide
training of bilingual teachers. Professors in the nearest time will develop
their skills and work in a cooperative way with content teachers and langua=
ge
teachers in order to integrate education to face the reality of non-English
speaking countries and prepare bilingual Ecuadorian learners.
Keywords: CLIL, cooperative
learning, Ecuadorian bilingual education, bilingual learners.
Resumen
El
inglés como lengua extranjera y la educación bilingüe han estado sucediendo
durante mucho tiempo en la historia de la humanidad, sin embargo, la llegada
del siglo XX y el desarrollo de disciplinas científicas como la psicología,=
la
sociología, la lingüística y la psicolingüística, entre muchos otros,
proporcionaron un camino amplio. de desarrollo para el cambio y la innovaci=
ón
en el campo de la enseńanza de idiomas. Esta situación no se ha detenido, y=
hoy
en día estamos disfrutando de los beneficios de esta evolución y los avances
que han significado la información y la tecnología y las TIC. Los principal=
es
temas cubiertos por este documento son: żCuáles son las principales
características de CLIL aplicado en Ecuador? El análisis de la descripción =
del
programa de bilingüismo basado en metodologías de la definición del modelo
CLIL. Propuesta: Nuestra propuesta se centrará en la relevancia de una ampl=
ia
capacitación de maestros bilingües. Los profesores en el momento más cercano
desarrollarán sus habilidades y trabajarán de manera cooperativa con maestr=
os
de contenido y maestros de idiomas para integrar la educación para enfrenta=
r la
realidad de los países que no hablan inglés y preparar a los estudiantes
ecuatorianos bilingües.
Palabras
clave: CLIL, aprendizaje cooperativo, educación bilingüe
ecuatoriana, estudiantes bilingües.
Introduction
Teaching and learning a secon=
d or
third language represents a real challenge, teachers and students find
themselves in a wide world of learning, updated approaches and methods
transport the academia in an interesting path of knowledge, methods such as
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL, hereafter) for its meanin=
g in
the English language. As CLIL sugg=
ests
itself, language learning is incorporated to the content which can be cover=
ed
in all the subjects issued in the educational field, especially in basic
education, as it occurs in many bilingual institutions, the content learnin=
g is
linked with that of the foreign language, where the foreign language is mea=
sured
and used as a content communication instrument in counterpoint to the study=
of
the specific language. CLIL as a pedagogical strategy is able to study more
than two international languages. At this point, CLIL responds to the needs=
of
change and the challenges of the contemporary times.
English as a lingua franca is=
the
most useful language. This means that the interest for CLIL is more than
expected. The application of CLIL and the opportunity to motivate the
acquisition of English as a second language represents a challenge for both
students and teachers.
This article focuses its stud=
y on
the application, and the benefit that the CLIL model applied to third-year =
high
school students in the CEBI Bilingual Educational School, in the city of
Ambato, the number of students was 26, with a level B1 according to the Com=
mon
European Framework of Reference that in English its acronym is CEFR. The
intervention proposal involves teachers from different content subjects that
focus on a specific one in their curriculum, English language teachers who =
have
the need to work together with majoring teachers, the analysis of the
difficulty of adding methodological strategies to combine the teaching style
through the foreign language with the mix of a wider range of curricular
subjects, which becomes the key that generates opportunities to expand gene=
ral
knowledge to specific subject conducted in a foreign second language.
Theoretical framework
What is CLIL
methodology applied in Ecuador about?
Biçaku, R. (2011)=
ass=
erts that the opportunities of increasing the
benefits of Clil for teachers are enormous,
in the branch of education is well seen for the application of this
method specially in non-English speaking countries, where Ecuador that Span=
ish
is the mother tongue English is well acquired for new generations of learne=
rs
who are getting the bilingualism as a great opportunity of growing.
Marsh (1994) mentions that
CLIL represents a combination of c=
ontent
and language where the main purpose is to deliver specific knowledge of the
subject by the teacher using a second or third language as the main tool, in
the same way, the author makes reference that CLIL embodies the instruction=
of
different topics of study such as social science, art, crafts, in a foreign
language.
CLIL is presented as an answe=
r of
bilingual educational needs and specially for students who acquire the lang=
uage
of one or more foreign languages through natural forms of
communication-related to many specific subjects of study.
The principal objective of the
CLIL Model is focused on the application of foreign language as an essential
source motivating the oral and written production, and transmission of
knowledge, emotions, and concepts. (Dalton, 2007)
Is this education=
al
approach practiced in Ecuador?
The application of this
methodology by English teachers in Ecuador is not so common, probably CLIL
model has been applied in an empirical form without any guide, correct trai=
ning
or a specific process, the absence of knowledge about procedures or lack of
practice that they are applying it. Many times, language teachers use a
particular content to illustrate verbal and / or linguistic problems focuse=
d on
their bilingual teaching. As a clear example in the application of this
methodology is the deficiency of authentic material in regular textbooks. T=
hat
is, in the Ecuadorian education system, the language in the content teaching
books through the foreign language, particularly at the elementary basic le=
vel,
uses a simplified language and, as a result, an unnatural language. CLIL and
integrated learning have a wide path because of the distance in the analysi=
s of
the inner content. The importance that is given in the learning by content =
and
that of the language of the foreign language is the same, therefore the con=
tent
is not only by the language and vice versa.
What are the bene=
fits
found in a CLIL approach in Ecuadorian scenario?
The CLIL approach has many ad=
vantages,
this research provides a brief analysis of the scope of the CLIL teaching a=
nd
learning model with its main interrelated characteristics. The notorious
benefits are taken into account in this study.
Improvement of time resources in the class.
CLIL demonstrates the opportunity to improve language in all the student´s =
skills.
Optimus results are evidenced in a short period of time compared to the reg=
ular
and repetitive model of teaching class. Time represents the most valuable
source of a human being.
Acquisition of a
diverse languages: The practice of
different subjects taught in a foreign language is motivated in the integra=
tion
of content into a target language in order to integrate into the curriculum=
of the
CLIL model.
Motivation to imp=
rove
CLIL model. Motivation comes from the interest developed from
learners in themselves (Intrinsic Motivation) the desire to manage a second
language or the curiosity in a foreign langue move bilingual learners in a =
new
field of education. It represents a big challenge and it is vital for teach=
ers to
keep that motivation awake, improving their abilities and discovering new
strategies in the learning process.
Significant Conte=
xts. The importance of
authentic material in bilingual education is imperative, making the learnin=
g more
attractive for advanced bilingual learners. When the target language is the=
principal,
the activities are well assimilated for learners, nevertheless, in the case=
of
CLIL the context is completely different since the students are able to man=
age
this approach, and do not find too many problems in studying the foreign
language because their reaction is autonomous
Application of CL=
IL Model:
One of the principal landscap=
es
of a bilingual approach in the improvement of a foreign language is the
application of CLIL materials because it promotes the production of inner l=
anguage
material such us texts, books, magazines, etc. In Ecuadorian education the
target is focused on the improvement of this approach that assumes those
subject teachers who are able to increase the interest in the application of
new content in the target language into a second language. Reading and writ=
ing
in the target language are the most powerful instruments that CLIL develops=
in
learner's skills, it is considered the best chance to promote lexical
approaches while those language skills are practiced.
It ought to be very clear that
the application of the CLIL model is not a foreign language lesson nor is i=
t a
lesson in the contents of the subject transmitted in a foreign language.
The success in a CLIL method =
is
based on the combination of 4 elements that represent the key element of th=
is
approach.
Subject Content: The correct acquisition of knowle=
dge,
focusing on the interaction of language skills, integrating the essential
elements in a foreign language that define the design of the curricula. (Paredes, Henríquez, Zurita, Pinos, Apolinario, &am=
p;
Campoverde 2018)
Language Communication:=
The
interaction in a target language in order to promote the correct use of the
language through different activities.
Learners Cognition: The princ= ipal target in the production of cognition in a foreign language was centered on= the development of reading and writing skills that connect the information of t= he subject. (Chen, 2017)<= o:p>
Social Culture: The intensive=
exposure
student knowledge into a different culture, which in this case refers to a
target language to be studied. The design of CLIL lesson is focused on the
production of speaking skills in order to express ideas, criteria and thoug=
ht
into a second language, where the environment that learners are exposed to,=
the
language skills combination is essential in the assertive application of CL=
IL
model through the foreign language. (Coyle, 1999)
By improving these English language skills, we foc=
us
on the following:
Listening, which represents an improvement in the
activities of understanding through the ear, is vital for language learning;
Reading uses significant material, is the main source of information finally
Speaking, focuses on fluency
Methodology
A descriptive, non-experiment=
al
cross-sectional research was carried out, the technique used was observation
and a survey an instrument of evaluation, the process was evaluated by peers
prior to its application, guaranteeing this way its reliability.
It was based on the
qualitative-quantitative paradigm, First of all, it determined the interest=
of
English-language teachers as well as teachers with specific knowledge of the
subject, who have taught the contents without prior knowledge of the CLIL
methodology, Second of all, the
quantitative part, it was necessary the participation of 26 bilingual educa=
tion
students who worked with authentic material referring to the CLIL methodolo=
gy,
the criteria of each one was essential for data collection and the study of=
the
results.
As background to this researc=
h,
it must be mentioned that the students who participated actively were chosen
randomly, the sample for this study was a total of 26 students, comprising =
13
men and 13 women who ranged in ages from 16 to 17, the methodology applied =
was
quantitative and qualitative. In addition, it was necessary for the
participation of 4 teachers of the English language and 4 teachers of speci=
fic
contents.
The place where the research =
was
conducted in the city of Ambato, province of Tungurahua at CEBI Bilingual
Educational School which is based on strengthening the knowledge in the Eng=
lish
language, by providing international baccalaureate.
To obtain results it was
necessary to apply a question bank to the 26 high school students who were =
the
subject of this study, and to 8 teachers from the same bilingual education
center, who collaborated with their knowledge in answering the corresponding
question bank:
Table 1. <=
/b>Questionnaire for
bilingual students
|
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BILINGUAL STUDENTS |
YES |
NO |
|
1.- Do you study all the contents of this subject in the English
language? |
|
|
|
2.- Does the teacher perform activities related to the following
aspects: content, communication, cognition, and culture? |
|
|
|
3.- Do you feel motivated by the bilingual methodology? |
|
|
|
4.- Do the teachers of specific contents share all their knowledge =
in
the English language? |
|
|
|
5.- Does the international baccalaureate use English as
the only language? |
|
|
|
6.- Do you use the English language as a means of communication ins=
ide
and outside the classroom environment? |
|
|
|
7.- Does your English teacher speak only and exclusively in the Eng=
lish
language? |
|
|
|
8.- Do you need to speak in Spanish with your classmates? |
|
|
|
9.- Have you received previous knowledge about the CLIL methodology=
? |
|
|
|
10.- Do you feel the classroom methodology can improve the learning=
of
the contents in the English language? |
|
|
Developed by: The authors
Source: Students of bilingual education from Educative Bilingual CEBI
Table 2. <=
/b>Questionnaire for English teachers and general contents
|
QUESTIONNAIRE F=
OR
ENGLISH TEACHERS AND GENERAL CONTENTS |
YES |
NO |
|
1.- Do you prepare your lesson plan in the English language
exclusively? |
|
|
|
2.- Do you prepare your own didactic material or do you have a basic
bibliography? |
|
|
|
3.- Do you have previous knowledge of the CLIL methodology? |
|
|
|
4.- Do you encourage your students to the bilingual study? |
|
|
|
5.- Do your students develop skills in contents, communication,
cognition, and culture through the English language? |
|
|
Developed by: The authors
Source: Teachers of bilingual education from Educative Bilingual CEBI
To deepen the study of t=
he
CLIL methodology it is necessary to clear the following questions:
Analysis of resul=
ts
of the CLIL model and the Ecuadorian education system
According to the results obta=
ined
in question 1 about the study of the contents in the subject through the
English language, 20 students corresponding to 76.9% answered yes and 6
students corresponding to 23, 1% answered no.
Regarding question 2 on wheth=
er
the teacher performs work in relation to content, communication, cognition =
and
culture, 18 students equivalent to 69.2% answered that these contents are
covered, and 8 students representing 30.8% mentioned they are not.
In question 3 about motivatio=
n 13
students, it means 50% answered yes, they feel interested in the bilingual
modality and the other 50% answered no.
In question 4 about teachers =
of
specific content who share all their knowledge in English, 25 students
representing 96.2% answered yes and only 1 student equivalent to 3.8% answe=
red
that they do not.
In question 5, 100% of the ma=
nifested
stated that in international baccalaureate English is used as the only
language.
In question 6 about the use of
the English language as a tool of communication inside and outside the
classroom, 19 students, equivalent to 73.1%, affirmed that they do it, and 7
students corresponding to 26.9%, they answered that they do not.
In question 7, 18 students,
equivalent to 69.2% claimed that the English language teacher speaks only a=
nd
exclusively in the English language and 8 students who are 30.8% said they =
do
not feel agree.
In question 8 about the need =
to
speak in Spanish with their peers 15 (57.7%), students said they do, and 11
(42.3%) said they do not.
In question 9, 100% of learners mentioned that they
have not received previous knowledge of the CLIL Methodology.
With regard to question 10, 24
students, representing the 92.3% feel that the methodology in the classroom=
can
improve the learning of English language content and only 2 that are 7.7% f=
eel
that this methodology does not help them improve their learning.
Graph 1. Questionnaire for bilingual students
Developed by: The authors
Source: Students of bilingual education from Educative Bilingual CEBI
The following results were
obtained in the survey of the 8 English language teachers:
In question 1 about class planning, 6 teachers (75=
%)
do it exclusively in English and 2 teachers (25%) do not use only the Engli=
sh
language.
Regarding question 2, 50% of
teachers have a basic bibliography to develop their teaching material and t=
he
other 50% answered they do not since the teaching material is made exclusiv=
ely
by them.
In relation to question 3 abo=
ut
previous knowledge of the CLIL methodology, only 2 teachers (25%) said they=
do,
and 6 teachers (75%) said no.
In question 4, 100% of teachers stated that they
encourage their students in the bilingual study.
In question 5, 6 teachers (75=
%)
state that their students develop skills in content, communication, cogniti=
on
and culture through the English language, and 2 teachers (25%) mention that
they do not.
Graph 2. Questionnaire for English teachers and general contents
Developed by: The authors
Source: Teachers of bilingual
education from
La Unidad Educativa Bilingüe CEBI
There is no doubt that the
approach of the future on teaching English as a foreign language is CLIL si=
nce
it includes a wide variety of teaching practices. According to Oonk, Maslow=
ski
and Van der Werf (2011), this method focuses on language acquisition, the
creation of autonomous impressions, ideas, and skills, as well as additional
linguistic, dialect, morphological and semantic language. The influence of =
CLIL
in European countries influenced its good command of a foreign language wit=
h an
optimal preparation of studies that begin in elementary school and in secon=
dary
schools in the entire world.
Ecuador demonstrates its inte=
rest
in the implementation of CLIL in its teaching model of a foreign language s=
ince
the Ecuadorian population has the need to transmit content in groups of
different linguistic and cultural backgrounds; According to the General
Regulation in the Organic Law of Intercultural Education (hereinafter, LOEI=
for
its acronyms in Spanish), there is a specific regulation in the CLIL
acquisition model and the development of bilingual programs focused on the
acquisition of content and language in its Ministerial Agreement No. 0052-14
that makes inference of the bilingual process in different educational prog=
rams
in Basic General Education (2 to 10) and Unified General Baccalaureate (1 =
to
3).
Ibarra, A. (2019)=
in her thesis
research mentioned that the General Regulation to the Organic Law of
Intercultural Education (LOEI) published in the second supplement in the
official register 417 on March 31, 2011, based on Ministerial Agreement No.
0052-14, Article 111 establishes that educational institutions such as publ=
ic
and private education, may include the qualification of Bilingual in their
name", it means that any educ=
ation
center must demonstrate at least forty percent of their workload in the for=
eign
language of the educational institution. (MINEDUC, 2015)
Under this statement, Ecuador=
ian
legislation mentions in its Ministry of Education (2017), that the current
curriculum is focused on a CLIL approach based on language, where the conte=
nt
is used for the practice of useful and meaningful language (Met, 1999). The
incorporation of critical thinking skills in the Ecuadorian curriculum has =
been
inspired by Bloom's taxonomy and the development of communicative language
skills in a CLIL model, where critical thinking skills assist as the instru=
ment
to implement 4C (content, culture, communication, and cognition) that
represents the essential conceptualization of the CLIL model (Coyle, 2007).=
Research Projecti=
ons
Proposal
The proposal for this researc=
h is
to motivate researchers, educators, content teachers, and language teachers=
to
improve their capacity to teach a second language. Referring to CLIL model, there are two m=
ain
actors to consider: Bilingual learners; those who work harder every day when
learning becomes intuitive, and need the guidance of their teachers; and
bilingual teachers who are the responsibilities that make it all possible i=
n a bilingual
context. The request is focused if it is accessible to apply CLIL in a regu=
lar
class? Does the effort and time put into practice represent a good advantag=
e in
the teacher´s lives? Does the CLIL model help bilingual teachers? Do you ne=
ed specific
studies in the application of this approach? Are teachers able to apply the
model in their regular classes? wh=
at would
be the benefits in an Ecuadorian scenario? Definitely, CLIL is evidenced th=
at
has special work to be applied, the effort and time involve considerable
practice. The collaboration between subject teachers (Content teachers) and
language teachers is elemental for better working. CLIL approach needs a
variety of class activities and teaching design, time that it is spent with=
double
effort. The material applied in the class required the collaboration of both
teachers This process represents a specific time and hard working with
assertive management of sources. In a few words, the present study demonstr=
ates
that all teachers can apply CLIL model and do not necessarily require
specialized studies, just it is required cooperative work and good relations
between them and of course a lot of perseverance in order to accomplish this
additional work.
Conclusions
This proposal is connected to
teachers and students. We strongly believe that it is more fruitful to inve=
st
in teachers for their specific preparation by imparting unique knowledge in=
the
desired language, thereby an appropriate promotion of the CLIL learning mod=
el.
It is essential to promote the real progress of teachers and students who a=
re
interested in this modern model of education, because most people look for
different acquisition content strategies in a target language and, of cours=
e,
language acquisition is every time more attractive for teachers with knowle=
dge
about CLIL and possibly to integrate that knowledge proudly in our country.=
Abello, C., Chandler, P., López, M. D.,
& Chacón, R. (2013). Bilingual and Multilingual Education in the
21st century. Ontario: Multilingiual Matters.
Barry, M. (2010). Success international
English Skills IGCSE. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Biçaku, R. Ç. (2011). CLIL and teacher training.=
Procedia
- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 38213825. Retrievet from
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.379
Chen, G. (2017). Combining TBLT and CLIL to t=
each
English and Chinese in Foreign Language contexts (Universidad de
Salamanca). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.14201/gredos.135766
Coyle, D. (1999). Supporting Students in
Content and Language Integrated Learning Contexts: Planning for Effective
Classrooms. London: Centre for Information on Language Teaching and
Research.
Dalton, C. (2007 ). Discoruse in Content
and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classrooms. Philadelphia: John
Benjamins Publishing .
Ibarra, A. (2019). TECHNIQUES USED BY BASIC
EDUCATION TEACHERS OF THE No 4 AREA (Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Ecuador). Retrieved from
https://repositorio.pucese.edu.ec/bitstream/123456789/1967/1/IBARRA QUIROZ
ADRIANA PATRICIA.pdf
Met, M. (1999). Content-based instruction:
Defining terms, making decisions. Washington: The National Foreign Langua=
ge
Center.
Ministry of Education Ecuador (2017). h=
ttps://educacion.gob.ec/.
Retrieved from https://educacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2016=
/03/
EFL.pdf
Nakata, Y. (2006). Motivation and
Experience in Foreign Language Learning. Switzerland: Peter Lang.
Oonk, H., Maslowski, R., & Van der Wer=
f,
G. (2011). Internationalisation in Secondary Education in Europe.
Netherlands: Information Age Publising Inc.
Paredes, R., Henríquez, E., Zurita, R., Pinos, V=
.,
Apolinario, O., & Campoverde, M. (2018). New Curriculum in Ecuador. I=
n Journal
of Chemical Information and Modeling (First, Vol. 1). Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004
Richards, J., & Rodgers, T. (2007).
Ruiz, Y., Sierra, J. M., & Gallardo , =
F.
(2011). Content and Foreign Language Integrated Learning Contributions=
to
Multilingualism in European context. New York: Peter Lang.
PARA CITAR EL ARTÍCULO INDEXADO
Andrade
Mendoza, J. L., Padilla Padilla, Y. N., & P=
adilla
Padilla , N. M. (2020). Educación bilingüe en un
contexto CLIL, una propuesta de intervención en Ecuador. Ciencia Digital=
,
4(1), 321-333. https://doi.org/=
10.33262/cienciadigital.v4i1.1060
El artículo que se
publica es de exclusiva responsabilidad de los autores y no necesariamente
reflejan el pensamiento de la Revi=
sta
Ciencia Digital.
El artículo queda=
en
propiedad de la revista y, por tanto, su publicación parcial y/o total en o=
tro
medio tiene que ser autorizado por el director de la Revista Ciencia Digital.
[1] Escuela Superior Politécnica=
de
Chimborazo, . Riobamba, Ecuador. jose.andrade@espoch.edu.ec
[2] Escuela Superior Politécnica de
Chimborazo, Faculty of Com=
puter
Science and Electronics. Riobamba, Ecuador. natali.padilla@espoch.edu.ec
[3] Escuela Superior Polité= cnica de Chimborazo, Faculty of Computer Science and Electronics. Riobamba, Ecuador. npadilla@espoch.edu.ec=
www.cienciadigital.org
=
Vol.
4, N°1, p. 321-333, enero-marzo, 20=