Primary School English-Language Education Through CLIL: An International Perspective

Abstract

This introduction provides an overview of the keynote speeches presented at the Symposium on Content and Language Integrated Learning for Primary Education held at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, in November 2017. Research addressed includes Diane Pecorari's paper titled ＂Bullseye! From EMI and CLIL to Something Better Still＂, which weighs Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) against English Medium Instruction (EMI), Elisabet Pladevall-Ballester's study of ＂CLIL in Low Proficiency Primary School Settings: The Role of L1 Use and Focus on Form＂, which explores content and language integration in Spanish primary schools , Ana Llinares's investigation into ＂Classroom Interaction in CLIL Primary School Classrooms: Research Insights to Inform Successful Pedagogy＂, which examines global trends of teaching foreign languages at a young age and integrating language teaching with other academic disciplines (i.e., CLIL), and Erwin Maria Gierlinger's analysis of ＂The Challenging Interplay of Content, Context, and Community for CLIL Implementations and a Didactic Model to Cope With CLIL's Hybrid Pedagogy＂, which elucidates the complexity of CLIL in the context of the European Union. The views thus expressed are juxtaposed against new developments in English language education in Taiwan, as seen from the viewpoint of local scholars, educators on the frontline, and government experts engaged in language planning.