Evaluating and creating materials and tasks for CLIL classroom. (ABSTRACT Lesson 2).

In CLIL classroom, we have to consider content and language integrated. Following that aspect, we as CLIL teachers have to use a planning framework based around the four Cs approach and consider language in three categories: the language of learning, the language for learning and the language through learning. In addition, as CLIL teachers we have know appropiate methods to create CLIL lessons. That is important in order achieve success in learning outputs. We have also to focus on students and teachers roles in order to reach an improvement in our student learnings. So we need to keep in mind more recent development of brain research and acknowledge the influence of affective aspects for learner motivation. And finally, as CLIL teachers, we have to consider the cognition that requires focal attention and it is in this point where we have to design a plan to process inputs and to produce a response from learners. It is in that point where CLIL teachers create appropiate materials and tasks, overall 'from scratch' because there are not specific materials for CLIL lessons, nowadays. And then, it is just time to work in design of CLIL task for each specific subject. Firstly, tasks should be able to help students to understand the content and that they should be able to express suitably through the language. Secondly, tasks should allow the collaboration between learners and involve the discussion in order to work metacognition and high order of thinking skills. To sum up, we could design tasks based on posters, writing blogs, diagrams and worksheet with progressive questions with scaffolding knowledge, for instance, and we will help them and walk next to our learnes in their path in learning process.

My autonomy classroom / CLASS ENTRY 1

In order to know about the ELP, we read European Language Portfolio: structure, origins, implementation and challenges by David Little. He explains what is this in a chronological sense and introduces pedagogical concepts and a summary about its reporting function.

We have been specially attracted for its pedagogical function and we have followed the clue of professor Little. He is Director of the Centre for Language and Communication Studies ans Associete Professor of Applied Linguistic at Trinity College in Dublin and you can see and hear him in a conference (San Sebastian 4-6 october 2012) in the post before this one.

What about pedagogical function of ELP? In the article, Little explains about the importance of autonomy learning for the process of learning, overall, and in second language learning, particularly.

In the conference, Little concludes saying that an autonomy language learning environment is one that: recognizes that learners' identity has a key role to play; it exploits their existing linguistic knowledge and communicative competences; it insists that from the beginning they exercise agency in and though the target language; it recognizes that learning is not all inside the head: it is social (and physical) as well as a cognitive phenomenon; it uses logbooks / blogs and posters (and others products) to construct the story of individual and collective learning and it understand that we solve the motivational problem by exploiting learners' intrinsic motivation.

I think this approach has been absolutely interesting in order to deep into the second language learning.

And go on.