Book “Proud to be tvmbo” (3): 12 recommendations

Here is my third entry related to the book “Proud to be tvmbo” (2011, Tanner, R. & de Graaff, R.), this time with 12 important recommendations for tvmbo teachers and schools.

      1.     Use English 100% of the time.

2.     Encourage students to use social and popular media in English.

3.     Design lesson material which encourages students to make, do and create.

4.     Stimulate real communication in English.

5.     Speaking first, writing later.

6.     Spend more time doing things in English than talking about English.

7.     Keep reminding students they are also working on improving their English.

8.     Encourage fluency.

9.     Praise, compliment and reward students for using English.

10.  Give more thinking time than in Dutch classes before students are required to answer questions.

11.  Link classroom work to real life and contemporary events.

12.  Be aware of the language level of your students and select materials accordingly. If your students are at A1 or A2 level, don’t choose texts which are appropriate for students at B2 level (on the Common European Framework of Reference or CEFR).

Read about the CEFR. To examine the CEFR scales, click on CEFR illustrative Descriptors and scroll to page 5 onwards.

Tanner, R. & de Graaff, R. 2011. Proud to be tvmbo: Teachers’ and students’ opinions about good practice in bilingual secondary vocational education (tweetalig vmbo). Centre for Teaching and Learning, Utrecht University. ISBN 978-90-393-5566-4

Obtain Proud to be tvmbo.

Mini whiteboards

Thanks for the comments. We have had a enquiry about where to purchase mini whiteboards. Unfortunately we have yet to source them in the Netherlands, and buy them online at this website: Powerof2

CLIL Skills - Video Clips

A useful resource this - a series of short films covering specific aspects of CLIL methodology.

Go to: http://www.leraar24.nl/dossier/3035

New edition of CLIL Skills

The European Platform has re-published CLIL Skills, by Liz Dale, Wibo van der Es and Rosie Tanner, in a new, blue jacket.

You can purchase it in the EP's webshop, under Talen.



Doubts about CLIL: food for thought?

In the most recent IATEFL magazine, "Voices", Chaz Pugliese (a trainer and author working out of Paris) voices his doubts about CLIL in his regular column. Here are some of his concerns. What do YOU think?

• English will in the long run threaten some weaker European languages.
• In several European countries the language level requirement for a content teacher is B1, so teachers' English is not good enough.
• The lack of adequate teacher training for CLIL: a two-week summer school is not enough to teach a CLIL class (just as a two-week biology summer school would not be enough for an English teacher to re-train to teach biology!).
• CLIL seems to rely on the fact that languages are acquired, not learned. Second language acquisition research, on the other hand, indicates that focus on noticing and practising language is needed for internalisation and automaticity. Learning by just using the langugage "just doesn't do it".
• Some research in Hong Kong indicates that CLIL learners' motivation suffered in CLIL classes.

International Summer School in CLIL @ Utrecht University

We are proud to announce that we will be running our first ever international summer school for CLIL next year in the summer of 2012.
Bilingual Education (CLIL): Professional Development for Teachers
For more information, check out: Bilingual Education (CLIL): Professional Development for Teachers

Course code: S8
Master level

Dates: 27 August 2012 - 31 August 2012 (1 week)

ECTS: 2

A professional development course aimed at teachers, trainee teachers, and programme coordinators working in secondary school bilingual education. Do you want to improve your understanding of content and language integrated learning (CLIL)? Do you want to refresh and develop your CLIL teaching methodology? This hands-on course draws on over fifteen years of experience in bilingual education in the Netherlands. It will develop your CLIL skills, understanding and expertise, and inspire you with a range of practical activities for your CLIL lessons. Topics include:
• How “CLIL” are you?
• Activating language and content
• A good CLIL lesson
• Providing input and guiding understanding in CLIL
• The language of your subject
• Materials development for CLIL
• Dealing with errors and feedback
• Encouraging speaking and writing in CLIL
• Dealing with vocabulary in CLIL.

This course can - as a further option - prepare you for the Cambridge International Certificate for Teachers in Bilingual Education.

You can apply for a Comenuis grant for the course at your national agency (for Dutch teachers, the European Platform), before 12 January 2012.

Proud to be tvmbo (2)

Book “Proud to be tvmbo” (2): 10 conclusions

Again related to the book “Proud to be tvmbo” (2011, Tanner, R. & de Graaff, R.), we thought you might be interested in some of the conclusions.

1.     Tvmbo students are practically unanimous in wanting their teachesr to use English in their lessons 100% of the time.

2.     The academic performance of tvmbo students in English will probably be higher than their peers in regular vmbo streams.

3.     Tvmbo motivates students and may well stimulate a positive self-concept.

4.     The Dutch language skills of students in tvmbo should not be affected if they attend tvmbo classes. However, schools need to keep a careful eye on students who might need remedial attention.

5.     Teachers should teach language learning strategies to tvmbo students, particularly reading strategies and particularly to boys.

6.     Schools need to invest in teachers’ language skills if they teach in tvmbo.

7.     Teachers need “CLIL skills” to be able to deal with the language of their own subject (be it drama, science, car mechanics or cookery).

8.     Collaboration between the English and subject teachers should be stimulated to enhance teaching efficiency.

9.     EIO is extremely motivating for tvmbo students.

10.  English first, CLIL methodology later.

Tanner, R. & de Graaff, R. 2011. Proud to be tvmbo: Teachers’ and students’ opinions about good practice in bilingual secondary vocational education (tweetalig vmbo). Centre for Teaching and Learning, Utrecht University. ISBN 978-90-393-5566-4

Buy Proud to be tvmbo.