Research: Content and Language Integrated Learning

Research summary

• November 2018 to July 2021

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a teaching approach that helps pupils to overcome barriers when the main classroom language is not their primary language.

Widely implemented across many parts of Europe, South America and Asia, the CLIL approach involves the teaching of subject content – in this case mathematics – through the medium of a second language. 

This three-year interdisciplinary project is focused on the development of a new range of game-based resources that will help migrant children across the world learn mathematics and new languages at the same time – through play.

We are collaborating with mathematics and language colleagues in Cordoba, Salzburg, Brussels and Turin. Together, we are working with colleagues in schools and students aged 12 and 13 across the consortium to establish local, regional, national and transnational networks.

Project aims

A key aim is to explore the potential of game-based learning (GBL) to support students’ numeracy, linguistic and digital literacy skills, with a particular focus on those students who do not speak the language of instruction in the classroom.

An additional output is a series of training materials to support teachers and trainees to introduce the games and the associated pedagogies.

Six games

The focus of the six games:

• equivalent fractions – mixed numbers and improper fractions

• adding and subtracting fractions

• multiplication of fractions (including whole numbers and fractions of amounts)

• division of fractions (including whole numbers)

• fractions, decimals, percentages and ordering of fractions (converting between)

• amalgamation and summing up of previous five games

Each game can either be played independently by students or with a teacher in a classroom setting. This is intended to provide greater flexibility of use, both for teachers and their students. The games facilitate whole class teaching and/or opportunities for independent study within or outside the classroom.

Training materials

Alongside the development of game-based learning classroom resources, the project team will develop training materials for schools and teachers.

The team will also provide guidance and suggestions on how to maximise the potential impact on the target group of students’ numeracy, linguistic and digital literacy skills.

In addition to electronic training materials, including a series of webinars, it is envisaged that schools, teachers and other key stakeholders will be able to access face-to-face training events at local, regional and national level.

School collaboration

We are working with approximately 36 schools across the consortium. The aim is to map the experiences of practitioners and students across the partnership.

It is envisaged that the research outcomes and related project activities will inform classroom practice in three key areas:

• mathematics

• languages

• game-based learning

We aim to demonstrate how practitioners might use GBL as a vehicle to promote increased conceptual understanding in mathematics whilst providing a meaningful and purposeful context for students to engage with the language of classroom instruction.

The project team will produce impact case studies within each of the different contexts to provide a narrative of the experiences of practitioner and student participants.