Clil Materials as Scaffolds to Learning English for Primary

It is generally agreed that English has gradually become the common language for international communication. This phenomenon has led to the increasing adoption of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English-medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education, where English is considered as a powerful learning tool and language training has focused on improving college graduates’ academic, professional and global competence. However, the effort is limited by traditional teaching approaches still favored in Taiwan’s primary and secondary education. Up to now, English education in Taiwan has not prepared primary and secondary students to utilize English in a meaningful way. Today’s English education has remained an academic subject, focusing on linguistic knowledge, to be learned in order to receive a high mark in university admission examinations and to reach a higher proficiency level in standardized tests. As a result, when these students go to higher education, where they have to use language to obtain content knowledge or to compete globally, they will find that they are not ready. The current project introduces a new approach to Taiwan’s primary education by using Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). CLIL, known by educators in Europe and long proven to be successful in language acquisition, aims to create an environment where students learn a foreign language (such as English), while learning to use the non-native language to acquire subject knowledge. In CLIL classrooms, students gain exposure to the naturally-occurring foreign language through meaningful interactions. The current proposal aims to develop CLIL materials as scaffolds to learning English in Taiwan’s primary education. The three-year project will begin with in-service English teacher training. The theme of the training program will be to empower teachers with the ELF concept and equip them with ability to implement the CLIL approach. In the second year, English teachers will have the opportunity to first work with math and science teachers to develop six CLIL textbooks. Course content will aim at providing training in language and cognitive/study skill developments. The materials will integrate picture book stories in English and content knowledge of math topics such as arithmetic, measurement, fractions, geometry, graphs and line plots; and science topics related to various disciplines such as life science, earth and space science, and physical science. Lessons will be developed in three levels: low (Grades 1-2), mid (Grades 3-4) and high (Grades 5-6). In the third year, educational software will be selected to create an e-learning platform for the newly created CLIL materials. The e-learning courses will be piloted in three collaborated schools. The materials will then be revised and adjusted to better suit the needs of the students. The materials and e-learning courses can become a prototype of CLIL practice in Taiwan’s primary education, to be rolled out to include other subjects such as Chinese language and culture, social science, arts and humanities, and health and physical education. The materials will be a powerful and innovative tool to motivate English learning and prepare Taiwan’s primary school students for the twenty-first century with global competence and lifelong learning skills.