Using Authentic English Picture Books in a Primary CLIL Context

Transcription

1 Using Authentic English Picture Books in a Primary CLIL Context CLIL in German primary schools How is CLIL put into Practice? Suggesting picture books for CLIL Research questions Research design Presentation and discussion of core results Conclusion and outlook English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 1

2 CLIL in German Primary Schools Varying definitions of CLIL: Broad: CLIL is used as a generic term to describe all types of provisions in which a second language is used to teach certain subjects (Eurydice, 2006: 8) More focussed: CLIL is a dual-focused educational approach in which an additional language is used for the learning and teaching of both content and language (Coyle et al., 2010: 1) CLIL in German primary schools is still a grassroots movement 287 bilingual primary schools in Germany as of August 2014 (FMKS, 2014) This is triple the amount of schools compared to % of all German primary schools are bilingual schools (FMKS, 2014; Statistisches Bundesamt) Major problem: Lack of teaching materials (Steiert, 2010) English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 2

3 How is CLIL put into Practice? My observation: Primary focus on content Focus on FL comprehension Very little focus on language production More content learning through a FL than content and language integrated learning = broad definition more focussed definition Yet again: Teachers face a lack of materials English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 3

4 Picture Books: The Potential of CLIL Symposium, Sarajevo, Integrating Content and Language Common question: How can CLIL enhance BOTH content AND language learning?! (e.g., Elsner & Keßler, 2013b: 3) One possible solution: picture books Major advantage of (picture) books: Content is inseparably woven into the language (Bland, 2013: 4) Content and language are accessible in an integrated way Intricate relationship between text and pictures: Pictures support understanding (Legutke et al., 2009: 78) (Picture) books are an example of what learning and teaching material should be like in order to support language as well as content learning (Klippel & Doff, 2007: 27) English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 4

5 Book: The Gruffalo Topic: Animals in the forest CLIL Symposium, Sarajevo, Tenses Direct speech Owls eat mice Vocabulary English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL Source: Donaldson & Scheffler,

6 Authentic English Picture Books Working definition Authentic English picture books are real children s books that were written in a context where English is a dominant language and not created for language teaching purposes. They tell a story which follows a storyline through an intricate interrelation of visual and textual elements, both of which are essential for full comprehension. (Reckermann, forthc.) English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 6

7 Research Questions - To what extent can learners at the primary school level read and understand authentic English picture books? - Which supportive devices help learners in reading and understanding these books? English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 7

8 Design of the Reading Study Setting and participants Reading groups Research materials Research instruments and data collection procedure N=11; 4 th graders of a bilingual primary school (about 7 lessons in the FL; English or team-teaching) Over a 5 months period One reading session per week (30-45min) Reading books, discussing them, and working on written tasks Books and supportive devices Reading comprehension: Self-assessment of reading comprehension Written comprehension tasks Supportive devices: Semi-structured group interviews Observation English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 8

9 Authentic English Picture Books Used: Topic London Picture books The Queen s Knickers (Allan, 1993) Paddington at the Palace (Bond, 2010) Shopping Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping (Christelow, 2007) Something Good (Munsch, 1990) Christmas and Winter Froggy s Best Christmas (London & Remkiewicz, 2000) Winnie in Winter (Thomas & Paul, 1996) English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 9

10 Supportive Devices Direct Word list Picture dictionary Bilingual dictionary MP3 player with audio-recording Indirect Visuals and pictures in the book Familiarity with topic and content Available during reading English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 10

11 Written Comprehension Tasks: Average Scores Average score (max. = 30) The Queen's Knickers Paddington at the Palace Five Little Monkeys Something Good Froggy's Best Christmas Winnie in Winter English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 11

12 Self-Assessment of Reading Comprehension Understood all of it Average scores of all children The Queen's Knickers Paddington at the Palace Five Little Monkeys Something Good Froggy's best Christmas Understood none of it 1 The Queen's Knickers Paddington at the Palace Five Little Monkeys Something Good Froggy's best Christmas English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 12

13 Summary of Results Children of all proficiency levels CAN read authentic English picture books Children s level of comprehension is mostly medium to high on written comprehension tasks according to their self-assessment Some children show a very high level of comprehension Few children show a rather low level of comprehension Support is needed, in particular regarding: Word lists, audio-recordings, visuals Cooperation with peers?! English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 13

14 Conclusion Authentic English picture books are a promising type of learning materials in the primary school CLIL classroom They can serve for the dual-focus of CLIL and skilfully integrate content and language BUT: Is that necessary or is the broader definition of CLIL sufficient? Practical suggestions: - Making a list of possible books for common topics Outlook and further research: Analysis of the actual level of comprehension What do the children learn language-wise? What do the children learn content-wise? What potential do certain books offer for language and content learning? English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 14

15 Literature Bland, J. (2013). Introduction. In Bland, J. & Lütge, C. (Eds.). Children s Literature in Second Language Education (p. 1-11). London: Bloomsbury. Coyle, D., Hood, P. & Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: CUP. Elsner, D. & Keßler, J.-U. (2013). Bilingual Approaches to Foreign Language Education in Primary School. In Elsner, D. & Keßler J.-U. (Eds.). Bilingual Education in Primary School. Aspects of Immersion, CLIL, and Bilingual Modules (pp ). Tübingen: Narr. Eurydice The information network on education in Europe (2006). Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) at School in Europe. Brussels: Eurydice. FMKS Frühe Mehrsprachigkeit an Kindertageseinrichtungen und Schulen FMKS e.v. (2014). Bilinguale Grundschulen in Deutschland PDF retrieved from file:///c:/users/julia/downloads/fmks_bilinguale%20grundschulen%20studie2014.pdf (last access: ). Klippel, F. & Doff, S. (2007). Englisch Didaktik. Praxishandbuch für die Sekundarstufe I und II. Berlin: Cornelsen. Legutke, M.K., Müller-Hartmann, A. & Schocker-v. Ditfurth, M. (2009). Teaching English in the Primary School. Stuttgart: Klett. Reckermann, J. (forthc.). Reading Authentic English Picture Books in the Primary School EFL Classroom: Comprehension, Strategies and Development. Dissertation. Statistisches Bundesamt. Retrieved from n.html;jsessionid= b bd7d35c1a723a.cae2 (last access: ) Steiert, C. (2010). Unterrichtsmaterialien für CLIL CLIL in Unterrichtsmaterialien. In Massler, U. & Burmeister P. (Eds.). CLIL und Immersion. Fremdsprachlicher Sachfachunterricht in der Grundschule (pp ). Braunschweig: Westermann. Childen s books: Allan, N. (1993). The Queen s Knickers. London: Red Fox. Bond, M. (2010). Paddington at the Palace. London: HarperCollins. Christelow, E. (2007). Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping. Boston: Sandpiper. Donaldson, J. & Scheffler, A. (1999). The Gruffalo. London: Macmillan. London, J. & Remikiewicz, F. (2000a). Froggy s best Christmas. New York: Puffin Books. Munsch, R. (1990). Something Good. Toronto: Annick Press. Thomas, V. & Paul, K. (1996). Winnie in Winter. Oxford: OUP. English Picutre Books in Primary CLIL 15