Challenges and Prospects of CLIL for Training Mining Engineers

Abstract

Increased international business contacts and mobility necessitates developing/mastering skills of communicating in a foreign language (FL) in engineering professionals, including mining engineers. However, the system of FL teaching for non-linguistic, and especially, engineering departments of the Russian higher educational institutions (HEIs) is generally inefficient. At the same time, given an insufficient level of FL skills in most content teachers, little support from their management, the lack of proper methodological training and complex linguistic learning situations, this process proves to pose considerable challenges for the existing educational setting of the Russian technical HEIs. This article summarizes the results of the expert opinion survey among Kemerovo State Technical University content and FL teachers showing a certain degree of doubt and unpreparedness in this respect. In this environment, the authors suggest that the optimal solution would be a gradual introduction of CLIL elements with a focus on more elaborated preparatory techniques. The study assumes the need for forming a specific support system provided by language teachers to boost learners’ linguistic confidence prior to students’ participation in CLIL format courses.