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.