Content and Language Integrated Learning and Teaching English as an International Language

One result of the global rise of English is that English proficiency is no longer considered the remit of a few specialists, but rather constitutes a requirement for most adults. Indeed, various educational responses aim to foster school-leavers’ abilities of using English in their future private, professional and academic endeavours.
One of the most successful programmes here is Content-and-Language-Integrated-Learning (CLIL), which pursues dual objectives on content and language across all levels of education for mostly mainstream learners. This contribution will consider in detail how, on the one hand, the present functions and global position of English as an International Language (EIL) influence and frequently serve to justify CLIL. In this context, we will discuss research investigating CLIL participant attitudes and motivations. We will then discuss those aspects within the teaching practices of CLIL, which we argue prepare CLIL learners for their future realities as users of EIL. These centre around the new role responsibilities for teachers, typically expert users of the foreign language, rather than language specialists. This affects both teaching and assessment practices, but also positions CLIL as complementary to ELT. Finally, the core focus in CLIL achieving meaning according to disciplinary notions of appropriacy relativizes native-speaker norms in favour of discourse community practices.