The communicative CLIL classroom

Abstract

Abstract The article addresses how heterogenous primary school students in Switzerland use learning opportunities to develop their English-speaking competences offered in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Based on the lesson study approach, two task-based CLIL modules combining the subjects English and art were implemented in different primary classes with a focus on three case pupils in each class who represent high-attaining, average and low-attaining learners of English. Their spoken communication was analysed with an adapted version of the Communication Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT) observation scheme (Allen et al., 1983) and according to the language triptych (Coyle et al., 2010). Surveys were also conducted to investigate learners’ and teachers’ perception of the learning opportunities. The results indicate that the high-attaining and average students used the provided opportunities almost equally for developing their oral English competences. Although the low-attaining learners used the CLIL tasks in a significantly different way, they also achieved the objectives for speaking in English about art.