Developing Individual Language Competences via Task-Based Learning and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

Abstract

In Austria optional English language teaching (ELT) starts in kindergarten. It becomes obligatory and curriculum based in the first year of primary school. The first two years language teaching happens in an integrative way and lasts around 20 minutes per week. It gets expanded to one single lesson per week in the 3^rd and 4^thgrade of primary school. Schools are allowed to decide autonomously if they offer – depending on their financial and human resources – additional courses for gifted and interested young learners. Therefor the outcomes and competences of learners after four years of obligatory ELT sometimes differ tremendously when children proceed to secondary education. Dealing with a heterogeneous group of language learners and teaching according to individual needs, competences and pre-knowledge seems to be one of the most important and most difficult challenges each teacher, even primary school teachers, has to focus. The aspects of differentiation and individualisation have become crucial for the success of a teaching and learning process. Concepts like task-based learning and especially content and language integrated learning (CLIL) support the increase of proficiency, accuracy and fluency in English as a foreign language. The methods force the preparation of different material and different exercises due to different pre-knowledge, different depths of knowledge and different interests of learners.  According to these aspects the paper (and the talk) presents examples and material that supports the development of individual language competences.