Abstract (EN):
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), an educational approach in which an
additional language is used to teach school subjects, has become increasingly widespread within
state schools across Europe since the acronym was coined in the mid-nineties. This now includes
Portugal where CLIL activity across educational levels has been growing in recent years. Like other
national contexts in Europe, this has also been through the grassroots initiatives of individual schools
keen to influence positive change in educational practices and reap the benefits which CLIL is
purported to bring about. One such case is the GoCLIL project at Escola Secundária Dr. Joaquim
Gomes Ferreira Alves in Valadares, Vila Nova de Gaia, which has been operating a CLIL programme
through English since the academic year 2013-2014. This article outlines fundamentals of
implementing CLIL in schools and provides an overview of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats (SWOT) of the case. It uses data collected from questionnaires administered to teachers,
pupils and parents, lesson observations, pupil focus groups, and teacher reflections obtained during
the ongoing monitoring process led by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto.
The data contribute to the rich description of the project from which it has been possible to identify
and compare findings across years, as well as factors which have contributed to its sustainability.
Insights gained from this case study will be interesting and potentially useful for schools which are
considering setting up a project of this kind.
Idioma:
Inglês
Tipo (Avaliação Docente):
Científica