Erasmus+ CLIL PRIME

CLIL is a central issue of the language policy of the European Commission (2014) as its theoretical principles and methodology are seen to promote plurilingualism and learners’ digital skills, thinking skills and basic skills in science. The Erasmus+ CLIL PRIME project is coordinated by the 3^rd Experimental Primary School of Evosmos and aims to:

• promote and improve foreign language learning of learners from a very early age
• enhance the development of digital skills through the use of digital tools for the promotion of teaching and learning
• access, revise and adapt CLIL learning resources according to the teaching and learning contexts in the respective participating institutions
• promote innovative and student-centered pedagogical approaches aiming at a holistic approach to learning
• raise awareness of the nature of reading literacy as it is being redefined in the 21st century
• support personalised and collaborative learning approaches to promote learners’ critical thinking and research skills, eventually leading to learners’ autonomy and the development of learning-how-to-learn skills
• promote civic and intercultural skills of both educators and learners via the formation of a multi-European community
• enable quality learning for all through the creation of an OER (Open Educational Resources) platform offering CLIL teaching material, lesson plans, worksheets and teaching practices in diverse subject matters
• promote the target professional competencies that CLIL teachers are expected to acquire or develop through a course designed by participating organizations and offered via MOOC to teachers interested in implementing CLIL in their classrooms
• strengthen the professional profile of educators
• train educators so that they can teach their subjects in at least one foreign language

CLIL instruction has seen an unprecedented expansion during the last 20 years. However, this expansion has not been followed by a corresponding provision of teacher training or by a corresponding development of teaching materials.  At the same time, although CLIL has expanded throughout Europe, the actual number of schools in various countries implementing CLIL is quite limited (Eurydice 2012) and this raises concerns as to its future development. The dissemination of CLIL instruction is closely related to CLIL training for both pre-service and in-service teachers. This issue was discussed in detail during the meeting of policy makers in Lake Como (2014) and recommendations were put forward with regard to the need for training CLIL instructors; the same need has been pointed out by various researchers (Ioannou-Georgiou 2012).

The outcomes of the CLIL PRIME project will include:

• the production of an OER platform hosting CLIL lesson plans, worksheets, hands-on activities, teaching practices, on-line games and quizzes on various subject matters as well as an ebook on CLIL teaching materials
• the production of a MOOC course for potential or actual CLIL practitioners. The course will be modular, each module comprising a short theoretical video by an established academic, short video-recorded sessions of best practices concerning the theme discussed in the module and an assessment session. The last module will comprise project work in the form of a submitted lesson plan by trainees which will be peer-evaluated. Certification will be given to participants successfully completing all modules. The course aims at meeting the needs of practitioners in Greece, who, all the more often, are asked to implement CLIL (i.e. Experimental schools, Intercultural schools, several mainstream schools). It is important to note the need for training of educators that might also come to the fore concerning the integration of refugees in the wider community. Since conditions are unpredictable, there might be a need to train mainstream teachers in the particular method, with the aim of training refugee population in the Greek language
• dissemination seminars hosted in each country with the participation of all partners involved and addressed to both teachers and school councilors who can then act as multipliers
• seminars to students of the tertiary education institution involved in the project or institutions cooperating with our partners concerning CLIL teaching techniques and practices
• calibration of CLIL techniques currently used by European educators

All the above are expected to familiarize mainstream practitioners and practitioners not already involved in CLIL, as well as future educators, with practices and techniques used in the CLIL method and encourage its application.