Tarja Nikula

The term content and language integrated learning (CLIL) refers to educational contexts where an additional/foreign language is used as the medium of instruction. English-medium CLIL is particularly widespread as it is often considered as a form of instruction that can enhance internationalisation, often in contexts where English is the lingua franca for students and teachers alike. While much of research has approached such contexts from the perspective of various language proficiency issues, recent research developments have started to shift the focus from language and its learning as such towards the role of language in discipline- and subject-specific knowledge-building and display. As a result, theoretical frameworks exist that seek to explicate the intertwined nature of content and language in and to reconceptualise language and its learning in content-based scenarios. However, less is known of how such theories resonate with teachers’ everyday classroom realities. Drawing on an ongoing research project on subject-specific knowledge building practices, this presentation will address the interplay between research and practitioner insights, arguing for the necessity to bridge theory and practice, both to support CLIL teacher development and to further refine theoretical frameworks.