Voice the Language: Empowering Student Engagement and Target Language Output through CLIL-ifying the Language Classroom

How can we help students move beyond translating word for word from English and instead start thinking and communicating in the target language? Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) provides a pathway. By embedding meaningful content into language learning, CLIL gives students authentic reasons to use the target language, shifting away from direct translation and towards developing the ability to communicate more naturally in the target language.

This workshop will introduce the concept of ‘CLIL-ifying’ the mainstream Languages classroom, with examples drawn from a Year 7 Chinese class, though strategies are easily transferable to other languages. We will begin with a short overview of the CLIL approach and its potential to transform classroom practice. Participants will then experience a live ‘CLIL-lified’ demo lesson in Chinese, stepping into the role of learners to see how vocabulary, structures, and content can be taught together in meaningful ways.

Following the demo, we will unpack the lesson with practical strategies that teachers can adapt for their own contexts to enhance students’ target language use in everyday lessons. Participants will walk away with a toolkit of ready-to-use ideas to help students think, create and communicate in the target language - making it the natural medium for learning and communication.