Page 67 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom

Challenges of CLIL

Drawing on the concept of zoneofproximaldevelopment developed by Vy-
gotsky (see Chapter 2), Mercer (2008) proposed a new model, the intermental
developmentzone(IDZ),in which theteacherandlearnercreateasharedzone
and negotiate to complete a task. Mercer’s model sees learning as a dynamic
process and shows how communication in the classroom can contribute to
learning and conceptual development (p. 38):

For a teacher to teach and a learner to learn, talk and joint activity
must be used to create a shared communicative space, the IDZ, con-
structed from the resources of their common knowledge and shared
purposes. In this intermental zone, which is reconstituted constantly as
the dialogue continues, the teacher and learner(s) negotiate their way
through the activity in which they are involved.

In addition, (Jäppinen, 2005) stresses that CLIL teaching involves several
socio-culture-specific factors which are related to the fact that by learning
an FL, the learners are exposed to different cultures and societies.

Challenges of CLIL
There are several challenges facing the future development of CLIL. Coyle
(2011) argues that CLIL is a complex phenomenon which can be connected
with different contexts and ways of implementation. While numerous posi-
tive effects of CLIL have been reported, several authors point out that there
are still issues which need to be discussed before CLIL is successfully imple-
mented.
An important concern related to the use of CLIL with YLs is reflected in
the question whether it is appropriate to introduce CLIL at the lower primary
level while YLs are still struggling to understand the key subject concepts
in their L1 (Ellison, 2019). To understand this, it is useful to look at Cummins’
(2008) concept of CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) and BICS
(Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills), a framework that describes two
distinct dimensions of language proficiency. BICS involves the ability to en-
gage in everyday conversations, both social interactions and informal com-
munication. CALP, on the other hand, represents the cognitive academic lan-
guage skills necessary for understanding and expressing complex ideas, ab-
stract concepts, and curricular content. At the YLs’ level, CALP skills may in-
clude the ability to understand and use specialized vocabulary, analyze and
synthesize information, or participate in classroom discussions related to a
particular subject content. We may conclude that while it is important to de-

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