Native speakerism and the construction of CLIL competence in teaching partnerships: reshaping participation frameworks in the bilingual classroom

Abstract

English language education in the region of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) has undergone significant change in the last decade with the rapid implementation of different types of CLIL-based Spanish-English bilingual programs. This situation places English linguistic competence at the center of controversy given the need for certified bilingual teachers participating in CLIL-type bilingual programs, who must comply with the minimum B2 level of English and are expected to engage in the successful teaching of content subjects. Within this context, this paper draws from a larger multi-sited linguistic ethnography and analyzes the organization of bilingual classroom interactions in a semi-private school that claims to implement a distinct language program built around teaching partnerships between ‘native’ language assistants (NLAs) and content teachers (CTs). We draw from critical research on communicative competence and changing definitions of workers in late capitalism to examine how linguistic and professional hierarchies are reconstructed within this bilingual classroom interactional order.