If you were not limited by the demands of the national/regional curriculum, what would you say is the most important thing you would teach your students about your subject (in a CLIL context)? How would you assess their learning?

The progress of students in a CLIL class should take into account both the content of the topics concerned and the language used. Teachers should base its assessment on both counts, not to focus on one topic, the assessment should include all the objectives and goals of the CLIL class, involving the competences, knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors.

In CLIL, the student is learning new content and new language at the same time and the teacher able to assess progress in each of the students, giving an opinion and therefore encouraging students to work on developing their understanding of content of the subject, as in the use of language. If the content and language are not evaluated, the dual approach of CLIL be lost. However, sometimes you can prioritize understanding of content, and sometimes use the exact language.

The assessment should come marked by a number of criteria, and this is made easier if a rubric is used. A rubric with a list of items divided into columns and cells to quantify what the student needs to do to achieve the course objectives. This rubric should provide students so they know exactly what to do, giving them the opportunity to decide where to focus their efforts.

In each lesson of CLIL, new content and new language are introduced to build on students already possess. Through interaction with classmates, the teacher, and with new resources, each student constructs new knowledge at their own pace, from simple awareness to real understanding, and to be competent. One of the most important objectives of CLIL teaching is to help students to work independently to solve problems and to develop their own knowledge and skills. Unaware, students focus their attention on the content, but are also working a second language, the result of the interaction in sharing knowledge and understanding.

To conclude, with the introduction of CLIL, we prepare students for a different world, very dynamic and changing, offering them new expectations that benefit their curriculum and their personal potential.

I hope my words have helped you understand a little better CLIL context, their potential and the need to adapt quickly to our students must do if they want to be competitive in the labor market.

Which training courses would you live to have access to as teacher? Why? Which is, in your opinion, the best way to share good practice amongst teaching professionals? Why?

In this topic, I think that any teacher should acquire greater mastery in skills and language skills in several languages, we should question our methods. With an indicator of 30% of school failure in Spain, we should reflect on whether the methodology used is correct, if the pedagogy of effort would not put it aside and think of new alternatives. And finally, we should considerably improve initial training of our teachers.

We should think a teacher should not be someone who knows only one subject, the subject should know, be able to transmit their enjoyment, giving students a subjectivity applicable to the reality around them. The good teacher is one who knows and helps teach students learn.

Moreover, we are in the time of communication, and through technology we should help them learn. We give students new horizons, without limiting obsolete learning resources. Without technology teachers are very limited in your school, your classroom and your textbook. And with them, we can share concerns with teachers who have similar problems. A community of practice, where we can share experiences, ask questions, in short, that response to learn best practices among professionals in education, leaving aside once and for all those misgivings acquired sometimes because of the voracious competitiveness, often because the teacher himself when performing a task does not give it the importance and did not disclose beyond the classroom. Changing this mentality cost much, but precisely for this reason, it is important that teachers begin to acquire these practices since its formation in college. These platforms play a fantastic role is to promote the professional development of teachers. In a world where we can access much information, these tools help not waste time to find the most relevant content and also allow teachers not be isolated.

Therefore, in practice community where we can share experiences professionals education and the right set of skills, our students can learn what they want, they can achieve their own goals, you will see opposing views that does not give the system education, expand what they are told their teachers and of course, literate in reading and writing multiple formats.

Taking into account my personal teaching context, what would be the advantages and disavantages of using the ELP with my groups?

The European Language Portfolio is a document in which students are learning or have learned a language as part of the curriculum in formal education or otherwise, can keep all your experiences of language learning and cultural experiences throughout of his life (lifelong learning) as a complement to traditional certificates. The ELP belongs exclusively to the user who can use it as a tool in the classroom, as an indication of their language skills or simply as a collection of jobs for personal use.

It is a tool that has all the experience related to foreign language learning, academic and personal level, following a criteria and scales established by the CEFR and the Council of Europe.

EPL parts are three: the language passport, language biography and dossier.

The language passport showing the skill and mastery of the student in the languages ​​they know; skills and language skills are mentioned, intercultural linguistic experience (Erasmus, Tempus, etc.) are recorded and the degree of mastery of the languages ​​concerned is determined. You can submit such documents as the user sees fit, such as curriculum and formal certificates.

The language biography helps the student to assess their learning objectives, plan their learning and reflect on their experiences of intercultural learning within and outside the educational context. It also includes official certifications obtained in tests or more courses.

So far are all advantages, however, accustoming students to work in a different way with date’s more or less stringent delivery of the proposed activities, corrections, development of innovative activities that they do not know, they will have difficulties. Moreover, the negative aspects for the teacher will be the effort of preparing more activities, since the activities are of great importance in the final assessment, with greater reflection of linguistic, cultural and educational objectives, first and greater planning and organizing classes on the other.

In conclusion, I believe that the great work that involves the application of the ELP is rewarded by the results obtained by students but also the teacher.

I hope you liked my opinion.