1. CLIL in French-speaking Belgium: Transforming paradox into potential Mary Chopey-Paquet IFC Communauté française de Belgique et Département pédagogique SeGEC-FESeC mary.chopey-paquet@segec.be Venice, 12 September 2008

2. In every context where CLIL is organised The Content and Language Integrated Learning happens… IN THE CLASSROOM!

3. Every classroom is influenced by its context  Negatively: Challenges, Barriers, Hurdles…  Positively: Support, Creative development of strategies…

5. “Paradox”?? A statement or tenet or phenomenon: Contrary to received opinion or belief… Or contradictory… Or self-contradictory… Or exhibiting conflict with preconceived notions of what is reasonable or possible…

6. Belgium, land of surrealism!

7. 1 st Paradox type in the Belgian context “Geo”- political

9. Spot the difference… 3 Regions: Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels Capital Region = 3 governments 3 Language Communities… = 3 more governments

10. Belgium, languages, education… Three state languages French Dutch German Various school systems in the French- speaking community, e.g. “Official” “Independent” Education = Responsibility of each Language Community Government

11. 2 nd Paradox type in the Belgian context “Walloons can’t (aren’t intelligent enough) to learn other languages…” Y. Leterme Cultural

12. CLIL in the French-speaking community: Number of schools organising CLIL in 2008-09 195 Total DutchEnglishGerman 126 Pre-primary/Primary schools (= up from 51 in 2004-05) 100233 69 Secondary schools, (= up from 12 in 2004-05) 46185

13. 3 rd Paradox type in the Belgian context “We’re against it, it won’t work, you’ll fall flat on your face…” Institutional

14. Institutional CLIL Piloting strategies Promoting high quality planning and management of CLIL Observatory: Collect quantitative and qualitative data Planning tool: Schedule of conditions for new CLIL projects Coherent logic for all levels Quality-Credibility-Sustainability System

15. Embracing the challenge for Piloting CLIL CLIL - EMILE Quality CredibilitySustainability Quality-Credibility-Sustainability System for CLIL-EMILE At all levels:

16. 5 th Paradox type in the Belgian context “You won’t find teachers and they won’t be paid…” Structural

17. 4 th Paradox type in the Belgian context “CLIL-Immersion is elitist…!” Social

18. New “Immersion” law 2007 for 2008  A certain reframing of “Immersion”… to improve quality and simplify/clarify administrative procedures  Clear stipulation: "L’inscription dans l’apprentissage par immersion ne peut être soumise à aucune sélection" = no selection permitted, open to all  Open to vocational type of education

19. 6 th Paradox type in the Belgian context “School heads just use CLIL as a marketing tactic…” Organisational

20. Embracing the CLIL Challenge Support strategies for connecting theory to practice in CLIL implementation Informing school heads for principled organisation, planning and curriculum development (CLIL-EMILE Digest, conferences) Accompanying school CLIL projects (school work groups, staff in-service days, information meetings for prospective parents and students) Supporting schools in order to surmount administrative difficulties (FESeC Administrative department: Technical note and interface between the schools and the Ministries)

21. 7 th Paradox type in the Belgian context “The learners can’t possibly really develop the required subject competencies…” AND “Teachers don’t like change nor do they like to work together…” Pedagogic

22. Quality SustainabilityCredibilityContent Culture / Citizenship Communication Cognition CLIL - EMILE ‘Value added’ Benefits Methodological choices Discipline area competencies Collaboration Reconceptualisation of the role of language

23. Embracing the CLIL Challenge… Concrete support strategies for connecting theory to practice in the CLIL classroom Providing in-service training sessions in CLIL fundamentals and methodologies for CLIL teachers Providing training to the pedagogic advisors in CLIL fundamentals and methodologies (‘duo teams’!) Organising co-constructive work groups of pedagogic advisors and CLIL teachers for exemplary materials development

24. Embracing the CLIL Challenge… Concrete support strategies for connecting theory to practice in the CLIL classroom Adapting the MFL curriculum to support the CLIL and developing tools for the language teachers and generate collaboration Adapting existing pedagogic quality instruments from other contexts: quality criteria for good teaching practice, Self- and team- development and self-assessment Extension of CLIL to vocational education…

25. Support system for embracing the CLIL Challenge… “C’est en classe que l’EMILE se passe…” Yes, CLIL works!!! Realising the potential is… FROM THE CLASSROOM!

26. Finally, with all due respect: Belgium, my Belgium… Belgium is a land SO rich in both linguistic paradox and linguistic potential. A European education reality beckons! CLIL could contribute to transforming Belgium’s linguistic paradox into a model of linguistic potential to be realised, at least for education.

27. We