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THROUGH A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
mean that teachers should use translation to solve every difficulty and
misunderstanding. Other communication strategies should be used,
such as reformulation, simplification and exemplification, leading to
translation only as a last resort.
c) Structural and lexical features of special languages should be analysed
by CLIL teachers, in co-operation with language teachers. This way, dif-
ficulties related to technical aspects of the L2 can be anticipated and
dealt with.
d) In any school where CLIL is implemented, even for short units, formal
language teaching should be planned, taking into account the type of
competence students have already acquired or are acquiring in CLIL. It
should be stressed that the language teacher is mainly responsible for
grammatical and lexical accuracy.
Whenever feasible it is advisable and beneficial to encourage as much co-
operation as possible between the CLIL and the language teacher in order
to maximise learning outcomes.
CLIL in primary school
In primary school the proportion of instruction in L2 can vary depending
on the school, teacher and language context. L2 instruction can be
limited to “language showers” of 10 minutes a day or extend to cover
up to 50% of all lessons. A curriculum that includes daily CLIL instruction
of 10-20 minutes a day develops an interest in the L2 while the learner
acquires basic words and phrases and develops listening and speaking
skills. In a curriculum that devotes more time to CLIL, learners will also
acquire proficiency in listening and, to a lesser degree, proficiency in
speaking. As a general rule, in primary school priority is given to the
oral code.