Content Language Integrated Learning in Polish Higher Military Education

Abstract

Abstract:The article discusses the issue of the Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) method and its application in military education programs. Firstly, it focuses on CLIL's concept and models, discusses opportunities and challenges arising out of the method in educational institutes with regard to a Spanish-led research; secondly, it formulates challenges for CLIL implementation and enumerates barriers related to it. The final part concerns recommendations on the CLIL application for one of the Polish military universities. In the recommendations authors emphasize that CLIL is an advantageous tool for professionally-oriented education by which, apart from the linguistic skills, self-directed learning and intercultural communication skills can be highly improved.Keywords: CLIL method, military education, linguistic skills, language education.IntroductionThe European Commission's recommendation that every citizen of the European Union should know at least two Community languages apart from their mother tongue (European Council, 2002),1 the increased mobility of EU citizens that is possible as a result of the agreement on open borders (The Schengen Agreement, 1985), and the free movement of goods and services are considered the main causes of the enormous popularity of foreign language learning. Along with these political and social changes new ideas for didactic methods have emerged, resulting in a number of methodological approaches which combine and integrate a particular subject and a language. In pedagogical or linguistic literature notions such as language across the curriculum and language supported subject learning appeared. A recent concept that has appeared in scholarly discussions about subject and language teaching in Europe is that of Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). This concept was created in 1994 by David Marsh and Anne Maljers and stands for the name of the approach which relies on using a foreign language for the acquisition of a particular topic (non-language subjects). It constitutes a promising and effective tool in the promotion of multilingualism in Europe and beyond it and relates to any language, age as well as educational level: from pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher to vocational and professional learning. The European context is noticeable in four crucial works that provide a good overview of CLIL: the two publications by Marsh (Profiling European CLIL Classrooms, 2001; CLIL/EMILE: The European Dimension, 2001), which were commissioned by the European Commission, the European Commission Eurydice Report from 2006, and the recently published Council of Europe Country Report.2 The objective of the present analysis is to reflect on two aspects of these publications: the prevalence of CLIL in European education systems and the organizational structure of CLIL teaching in Europe.3 In Poland, the term CLIL has become increasingly popular and is known as subject-language teaching (translated into Polish as nauczanie przedmiotowo-y'ezyo4 Profile Report Bilingual Education (English) in Poland of 20085) and bilingual education {edukacja dwujczyczna in Polish).6 Teaching a curriculum subject in a foreign language also gains popularity in Polish military universities. Since the use of specialist language and colloquial terminology is crucial to effective communication, this methodological approach of teaching is increasingly perceived as a tailor-made solution. The case study of CLIL implementation described in the present paper concerns the National Defense University, the highest level educational institution of the Polish Armed Forces. There, the CLIL methodological approach seems to be a key factor for the development of the offer of both international and national courses. Teaching both international and Polish military students who would like to participate in specialist courses conducted in a foreign language, can be facilitated with the CLIL methodological approach. …