CLIL in Colombia: Challenges and Opportunities for Bilingual Education

 In recent years, the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach has been implemented in Colombia, aiming to enhance bilingual education by integrating foreign language instruction with academic content across various subjects. This pedagogical strategy seeks to address the diverse educational needs and contexts across the country. However, its success in transforming Colombia's educational system relies on a deep understanding and widespread application of its principles, methodologies, and curricular implications. A comprehensive pedagogical analysis of CLIL's implementation in Colombia reveals both challenges and opportunities for teachers and policymakers in the pursuit of quality education and internationalization.

Legislative Context and Language Policy in Colombia

The evolution of language education in Colombia has been shaped by a series of legislative reforms, aimed at improving foreign language proficiency, particularly in English. The importance of English as a global tool for communication and knowledge exchange has led the Colombian government to adopt several bilingual education policies. These include the National Bilingualism Program (2004–2019), the Program for the Strengthening of Foreign Languages (2010–2014), and the Colombia Bilingüe initiative (2014–2018), among others. These policies align with the goals set out in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which seeks to ensure that Colombian students reach at least a B1 level of proficiency in English by the end of their schooling (British Council, 2017). The integration of CLIL into this framework aims to improve language proficiency through the study of content in other academic areas, offering a dual focus on language learning and subject matter understanding.

Challenges in Implementing CLIL

Despite its potential, the implementation of CLIL in Colombia faces significant challenges. Historically, the teaching of English in Colombia has been influenced by structuralist methods, such as the direct method and the audiolingual method, which prioritize language accuracy over communicative competence. This focus on grammatical correctness often neglects the development of critical thinking and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), which are essential for understanding and applying content in a foreign language (Cummins, 2000).

Furthermore, as Bastidas and Muñoz (2017) explain, the large class sizes in Colombian schools during the 1980s hindered teachers' ability to provide individualized instruction, a problem exacerbated by insufficient teaching materials and a lack of teacher training. Although reforms aimed to address these issues, the professional development of foreign language teachers remains a significant challenge, as many educators continue to struggle with the transition from traditional structuralist methods to more communicative and content-based approaches like CLIL.

Another obstacle is the disparity between the proficiency levels of teachers and the expectations set by bilingual policies. Many bilingual teachers, despite having acquired basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS), have not developed the cognitive and academic language proficiency (CALP) required to teach content effectively in a foreign language. This gap in language competence makes it difficult for teachers to adapt the CLIL approach to the specific needs of their students, particularly in contexts that involve diverse cultural, geographical, and socio-economic backgrounds (Cummins, 2000).

Opportunities in CLIL Implementation

Despite these challenges, the CLIL approach offers several opportunities for enhancing education in Colombia. First, it fosters a more integrated and meaningful learning experience by encouraging students to use the foreign language in authentic, content-based contexts. This integration not only improves language skills but also supports the development of critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. By learning through content, students engage with the language in ways that are directly relevant to their academic and professional futures, thus increasing their motivation and engagement (Grabe & Stoller, 2011).

For CLIL to be successfully implemented, however, it is essential that school leaders initiate systemic changes within the educational environment. This includes facilitating collaboration between foreign language teachers and subject-matter teachers, ensuring that both parties work together to plan lessons that support both language and content objectives. Additionally, teachers must adapt their instructional strategies to meet the cognitive and linguistic needs of their students, using scaffolding techniques and visual organizers to aid comprehension and memory (Van de Craen, 2007). By promoting a learner-centered approach, teachers can encourage students to take an active role in constructing their knowledge and understanding, thereby fostering greater independence and self-regulation.

The development of a learner-centered, CLIL-based curriculum also requires teachers to consider the linguistic triptych: language for learning, language of learning, and learning through language. Language for learning refers to the specific vocabulary and structures needed to engage with academic content. The language of learning enables students to perform cognitive actions, such as processing, understanding, and applying information. Finally, learning through language refers to the emergent language that students produce as they demonstrate their developing cognitive and linguistic abilities during the learning process (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the CLIL approach in Colombia presents both challenges and opportunities. The historical legacy of structuralist teaching methods and the lack of teacher training in communicative and content-based approaches have hindered the widespread adoption of CLIL. However, with the commitment of teachers, school leaders, and policymakers, CLIL has the potential to transform language education by promoting not only communicative competence but also cognitive skills and critical thinking. Successful implementation will require systemic changes, including collaboration between subject and language teachers, as well as the development of a learner-centered, content-rich curriculum that meets the diverse needs of students.

References

British Council. (2017). English language teaching policies and practice in Colombia. British Council.

Bastidas, J. A., & Muñoz, G. (2017). La enseñanza del inglés en la educación secundaria en Colombia desde 1972 hasta 1994: Una historia desde los programas, los métodos y los textos. Editorial Universitaria, Universidad de Nariño.

Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). Content and language integrated learning: A guide for teachers. Cambridge University Press.

Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Multilingual Matters.

Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2011). Teaching and researching reading. Pearson Education.

Van de Craen, P. (2007). CLIL: A European framework for the future. European Commission.