The globalisation of the society has created new requirements for the professional competence in all fields. People are required to master at least one if not several foreign languages to be able to cope with the everyday communication in their working environment. The level of proficiency required increases in pace with the globalisation.

In the areas of vocational education and professional higher education the concept of CLIL seems to make a great contribution. It allows language learning to permeate the process of acquiring professional skills and adopting field-specific information. The principles are based on the idea of 4Cs: content, communication, cognition and culture/citizenship:

Content : CLIL deepens and renews the teaching and learning of content subjects

Communication : CLIL strengthens communication skills in a foreign language

Cognition : CLIL provides intellectual challenge

Culture/citizenship : The CLIL approach in learning and teaching provides the learner with skills required for internationalisation

Although CLIL cannot be substituted for all traditional language teaching, it can be seen to have a major role in professional education. The ways in which CLIL can support the learning process are:

1. Vocational language learning

Vocational language competence has an additional focus compared to general language competence. As far as oral skills are concerned, the emphasis is on communication and interaction skills rather than on mere speaking and listening skills. The range of written skills is very widely extended, and in reading the learner should be able to follow and update the most recent development knowledge in his/her special field. The concepts and terms used in the professional language of a field are effectively learned through CLIL.

2. Student-centeredness

Students should be involved in setting goals for a variety of reasons. This teaches them a lot of skills required in the working life such as decision making, autonomy, motivation and commitment, perseverance, responsibility for learning and self reflection.

3. Prepare students for working life

CLIL provides a holistic/comprehensive approach, which involves a great deal of group work, team work and problem solving. Learners form mixed groups consisting of representatives from working life, undergraduate students as well as exchange students utilizes the potential of the group and promotes co-operative experimental learning

4. Authenticity

Learning in natural contexts increase students’ motivation to learn foreign languages. Authenticity refers to the learning environment (authentic/real life situations, computer technology; virtual/authentic learning environments employing integrated skills), learning material (special field articles directed at native speakers are favored) and real life documents (e.g. actual business documents).

5. Holistic learning

We are experiencing a transition from closed learning environments to open ones, which avoids strict subject domains, overlapping contents, or studying foreign language for its own sake. Utilizing languages should not be restricted to scheduled language courses but should be used as a tool in acquiring, analysing, and processing new information. Also the abilities to be able to independently look for information and learn throughout the working life are essential.

6. Assist exchange students
CLIL can be used as a method to enhance student mobility, learn from the experiences of exchange students and to form multi-cultural groups

Päivö Laine with partners from Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Pirkanmaa University of Applied Sciences and Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences

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