TC-NURSE

Teaching and learning in a multicultural context in higher education is a challenging
endeavour as both students and teachers come from diverse linguistic backgrounds
and a common language or “lingua franca” is needed in order to support student
learning. 

To meet this challenge, we integrated Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
into the CCMEn model of the project as it would help support student learning of
content through an additional language. As defined by Coyle, Hood and Marsh, CLIL is “
a dual-focused educational approach in which an additional language is used for the
learning and teaching of both content and language. 

That is, in the teaching and learning process, there is a focus not only on content, and
not only on language. Each is interwoven, even if the emphasis is greater on one or the
other at a given time.” (2010:1). It is based on four core elements which are the
following:

· Content: What the students need to learn.
· Communication: The language skills and functions that the students need to
have in order to work on the content both autonomously and in the
classroom.
· Culture: The students’ cultural heritage shaping their previous experiences,
personal values, reflective processes and behaviours.
· Cognition: The thinking processes that the students need to use in order to
engage with and understand course content.

The CCMEn model of the TC-Nurse project includes these four elements but brings
Culture to the fore in order to reinforce intercultural learning and understanding. The
rationale for this change is twofold: the students’ culture must be carefully considered
when teaching and learning in a multicultural environment and it must be integrated in
the teaching plans to promote meaningful cultural encounters. (Antón-Solanas et. al.,
2020) 

However, in order to develop this effectively, training for content teachers of the
courses became a key priority as most teachers were not accustomed to teaching
through a second language and they needed to acquire the skills and strategies to
make learning accessible to such a diverse student population.

CLIL teacher training has been highlighted as a major deficit in CLIL planning (Dafouz,
2008; Lasagabaster & Ruiz de Zarobe, 2010; Ball, & Lindsay, 2012). Therefore, in order
to resolve this, three short intensive CLIL training courses were designed for the
content teachers and facilitators aimed at supporting them to develop and implement
CLIL modules for transcultural teaching/learning in nursing. These trained teachers
would then be responsible for designing and delivering the TC-Nurse intensive courses
for HE nursing students. 

During the project three staff training courses were delivered by a team of CLIL
trainers from two partner countries. Trainees were university lecturers who taught a
range of different subjects related to Nursing and had little or no experience of
teaching content through English.

The CLIL Training Courses

The first two short-term joint CLIL staff training courses were face-to-face events and
held in Portalegre (March 2019) and in Antwerp (December 2019). Owing to COVID 19,
the last course was delivered entirely on-line (June 2020). The first two courses
consisted of 25 hours, were divided into 10 hours of in class training and 15 hours
autonomous work with online support; in the case of the on-line training, with the
same number of hours, there were three synchronous sessions and then the
autonomous work.
The courses were designed to be practical, participative and hands-on, blending
lecture format and practical activities based on the CLIL approach. Throughout the
course, participants were encouraged to reflect on their own practice, consider
alternative practices and try out a variety of materials and classroom activities applied
to specific topics in their own teaching contexts
The learning outcomes of each course were:
– Identify and apply the theoretical principles of CLIL.
– Plan a teaching and learning activity through a CLIL approach.
– Adapt teaching materials to facilitate content learning through CLIL.
– Apply teaching & learning and assessment strategies to promote the
integration of English and content in the classes.

The first two short-term joint CLIL staff training courses were face-to-face events and
held in Portalegre (March 2019) and in Antwerp (December 2019). Owing to COVID 19,
the last course was delivered entirely on-line (June 2020). The first two courses
consisted of 25 hours, were divided into 10 hours of in class training and 15 hours
autonomous work with online support; in the case of the on-line training, with the
same number of hours, there were three synchronous sessions and then the
autonomous work. 

The courses were designed to be practical, participative and hands-on, blending
lecture format and practical activities based on the CLIL approach. Throughout the
course, participants were encouraged to reflect on their own practice, consider
alternative practices and try out a variety of materials and classroom activities applied
to specific topics in their own teaching contexts. 

The learning outcomes of each course were:

– Identify and apply the theoretical principles of CLIL.
– Plan a teaching and learning activity through a CLIL approach.
– Adapt teaching materials to facilitate content learning through CLIL.
– Apply teaching & learning and assessment strategies to promote the
integration of English and content in the classes.

1. Introducing CLIL
   1. Background, objectives and learning outcomes of the TC- Nurse
   2. What is CLIL? An overview 
   3. The CLIL approach in Higher Education– the challenges
   4. The potential of CLIL for inter/transcultural development
2. Exploring CLIL – theoretical framework and practical strategies
   1. Cognitive skills: LOTS and HOTS
   2. Core CLIL Features
   3. CLIL Learning strategies & activities
      1.  Promoting oral interaction and critical dialogue
      2. Forms of interdisciplinary cooperation/collaboration
   4. The stages of CLIL planning 
3. CLIL Materials and Resources
   1. Selecting & adapting materials and resources to CLIL teaching programmes
   2. Scaffolding – a multimodal support system in the CLIL class
   3. Activating prior knowledge 
4. Assessment in CLIL
   
   1. Monitoring and evaluating CLIL in action
5. Planning the participants’ CLIL Module

After the course, trainees were asked to evaluate their learning experience and this is
what they said:

– In general, all trainees rated the course highly and there was total agreement on what they had expected to learn. They were asked to choose from a series of words which described their opinion of the course and the most selected words were:

Interesting, practical, inspiring, beneficial and enjoyable

– They considered that the course objectives had been clearly stated and that they had had no major problems following it. They liked the teaching strategies and activities and appreciated the material and resources provided. Using English as a means of instruction did not cause any major problems and they felt that what they had learnt would certainly impact their teaching.

– When asked about the topics and activities they had found most interesting or useful they highlighted the following: 

Hots and Lots questions and the resources provided in Module 2 and 3

Everything! Scaffolding and learning theory to support practice and teaching

The video material is very appealing. Also, the microteaching revealed a lot of future challenges and opportunities. 

– When asked about what actions they would take as a result of the training they mentioned:

Probably I will modify my approach to CLIL

I am already using it, for example I created an activity in Kahoot; I give more time for students to think and talk; and so on

Be more aware of different backgrounds and make more use of various learning tools.

Focus less on the content (not too much content in one lesson) and keep lessons very interactive

– When asked about what could have been done better they said:

More time to digest the contents and do the activities

More sessions, because there is a long program

It would be good if the guiding ppt in the modules can stay at a fixed slide when you watch a video or do an exercise. Now, after completing an exercise, we had to search where we were in the ppt. Also, it would have been better to have all the exercises done before the microteaching.

Give more time between the tasks, lesson 2: more focus on content instead of experience. We already looked at all the materials to be able to do the tasks

– And finally they added some further comments:

Please, give this opportunity to other professors/ students
Very interesting course, I would definitely recommend this to my colleagues. Thank you! 

Great experience, great team, learned a lot!!!

Ball, P. & Lindsay, D. 2012. ‘Language demands and support for English Medium Instruction in tertiary education’. English-Medium Instruction at Universities: Global Challenges. Eds. Doiz, Aiztane, Lasagabaster, David & Sierra, J. Manuel. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. 44-64.

Coyle, D., Hood, P. & Marsh, D. 2010. Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dafouz, E. 2008. ‘La Universidad y el reto bilingüe. ¿Está preparada la educación superior para el aprendizaje en una lengua extranjera?’ AULA de Innovación Educativa, 168, 45-49. 

Lasagabaster, David. & Ruiz de Zarobe, Yolanda Eds., 2010. CLIL in Spain: Implementation, Results and Teacher Training, Cambridge Scholars Library: Newcastle. 

Antón-Solanas, I., Coelho, M., Huércanos-Esparza, I., Vanceulebroeck, V., Kalkan, I., Cordeiro, R., … & Sagarra-Romero, L. (2020). The Teaching and Learning Cultural Competence in a Multicultural Environment (CCMEn) Model. Nursing Reports, 10(2), 154-163.