T E A C H I N G THROUGH A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
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PART TWO
CLIL components: subjects, languages, schools, learners, teachers
2.1 Which disciplines?
All subjects can be taught through the foreign language, although different disciplines offer different advantages and are better suited for specific groups of learners. There are disciplines which mainly rely on verbal communication and those in which non-verbal communication, visual and graphic materials are used to clarify and integrate content presented verbally. In the first group we find disciplines like history, philosophy, political science; in the second group, on the other hand, we have subjects such as physical education, biology and geography. Learners with any level of linguistic competence can be taught the subjects of the second group through the foreign language. In these cases the teacher can supplement the linguistic input with more accessible information.
Verbal and non-verbal input
Even very basic language can be taught, for instance, by using an atlas, by listing the capital cities of the European countries and pointing at them on the map(“ Rome is the capital city of Italy” or“ The capital of Italy is Rome”). Similarly, by demonstrating various types of movements, the teacher of physical education can go through a whole series of verbs like running, jumping, turning round, climbing. Realia, visual aids, animal and human models, etc. can also be used at more advanced levels when