6.5 Challenges
In terms of challenges, the majority of the class did not consider the experience of learning about the topic in English as difficult. This supports the idea that CLIL is a more natural way of learning in that it resembles the way young people learn content matter in their mother tongue (Alba 2009). Furthermore, research on CLIL has shown that CLIL does not have any negative impact on content learning, which also seems to be the case with most of the pupils in the present study (Wiesemes 2009).
The large majority of the pupils felt that the number of texts had been too extensive, which seems to have been a challenge in terms of motivation and engagement. However, in comparison, only a few of the pupils had experienced the texts as too difficult. The majority of the class had apparently managed well with reading the texts. The materials provided the pupils with some adapted texts, but it also gave them some challenges by including more difficult authentic texts. The two longest text excerpts from the books written for adult native-speakers of English were generally considered to be challenging by the pupils. Excerpts in themselves can be challenging as they only provide a part and not the whole, compared to for example a graded reader. The pupil interviews indicated that for some this may have made the reading less enjoyable. One of the principles of extensive reading is to provide pupils with the opportunity to read texts in the classroom in much the same way as they would read a book for pleasure outside of school, namely ones they have chosen out of interest at their level of ability, and probably in those situations learners would have the entire text to read (Day and Bamford 1998).
However, as in Krashen’s (1982) Input hypothesis, a focus on meaning is not the only requirement for acquisition to take place. Learners must be exposed to input which is ‘just beyond’ their current level of ability. Appropriate materials are a prerequisite for CLIL to be successful and beneficial for pupils (Oakes 2002; Navés and Munõs 1999, cited in Navés 2009). Research has shown that CLIL is motivational and improves foreign language teaching when learners are provided with challenging content that they are able to comprehend through
100 scaffolding (Wiesemes 2009). The project arguably provided pupils with more challenges than their textbook, both on a cognitive level and in terms of language.
The teacher acknowledged that doing a good deal of reading could be a challenge for some. She had told the pupils that the authentic book texts had been written for adult native speakers of English. They could try to read them, but were given the choice of putting them aside. According to Day and Bamford (1998), the most suitable texts for EFL pupils are materials made specifically for learners at that level, e.g. ‘language learner literature’ or graded readers. The post-project questionnaire suggests that about half of the class did not consider the texts to be too difficult, while the rest of the class seemed to have experienced some or all of the texts to have been too difficult. The pupil interviews indicate that the project had been more challenging for the pupils than the normal English lessons. While one pupil felt that it had provided him and other pupils with a high level of language competence a chance to develop in a way that they normally would not be given in normal English lessons, one of the girls had even regarded the texts in their textbook as too difficult. Arguably many of the texts were suitable for the class majority, while others were not. However, as the teacher pointed out, all classes are mixed ability classes, especially reflected in English. This class was no exception.
A limitation of the strong Norwegian tradition of basing EFL teaching on a textbook (Drew 2004, Charboneau 2012, Hellekjær 2007), is reflected in one of the pupils’ comments that some pupils are not challenged enough in regular EFL teaching practices, and that the use of such an extensive amount of varied materials seems to have been largely beneficial to language learners across levels of abilities. The teacher had spent a considerable amount of time and effort finding interesting materials for the class and assessing how suitable they were, which is a challenge for teachers in CLIL settings (Wiesemes 2009). Moreover, it may be that few graded readers are about this subject. In addition Evelyn had put a good deal of energy and time into trying to scaffold and making the texts readable for as many as possible (De Graff et al. 2007). The resources of the school in terms of materials were limited, and thus it was a necessity for the teacher to find and assess the materials alone, a challenge which also has been found in several CLIL contexts (Navés 2009).
Evelyn had expected that it could be a challenge that the pupils had not learnt about WWII at school before the project had started, which she was conscious about. She included more background information and used some of the texts from the Social Studies’ textbook in the early stages of the project. Having pre-knowledge about the subject would probably have made it easier for pupils. Furthermore, not being able to co-operate with the Social Studies
101 teacher and the limited framework of only having three lessons a week made the project more of a challenge. Evelyn also knew that the project was going to be interrupted and that if she fell ill, it would also impact the project negatively. When she did actually fall ill, it was challenging to keep up the momentum. It also extended the duration of the project too much.
When being responsible for a CLIL project alone, there is a higher risk of being negatively impacted by unplanned occurrences and outside influence. In addition, the project and the teacher could probably have benefited from being given more time and a lesser work load during a project like this, which demands more of a teacher than regular lessons. Support from other teachers and the school administration would have been helpful. However, co-operation between teachers of different subjects in CLIL settings seems to be rare (Paulsen 2010b).
Therefore, the role of the teacher was a key aspect in the current project since: Despite the obstacles, the teacher’s dedication to her pupils seems to have been essential for carrying through the project and its positive outcomes.
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