Dr. Ana Halbach
Dr. Ana Halbach
Biodata
Ana Halbach is a lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages at the Universidad de Alcalá (Spain). She is currently involved in a research project focusing on literacy development as a focus for language teaching in the context of bilingual education programs. She coordinates the bilingual education track that is part of the Master’s in TEFL at her university and is involved in various teacher training projects in collaboration with other institutions. In 2017 she was commissioned by the Comunidad de Madrid to design the new advanced curriculum for English in bilingual secondary schools. Ana has published widely both nationally and internationally.
ELT goes CLIL – the new “Curriculum de inglés avanzado” for bilingual secondary schools in Madrid
In the literature on Content and Language Integrated Learning there is a very significant absence: a discussion of the role of language lessons in this kind of program, and the approach best used to teach the language in this context. And yet, few would doubt the potential synergic effect of adapting the approach to language teaching and make it relevant to the needs of students in this kind of learning context. In this talk I describe the approach to English language teaching that underlies the new “Curriculum de inglés avanzado” for ELT for bilingual sections (secciones bilingües) of secondary schools in Madrid, which I was commissioned to develop.
Starting from a quick reflection on what language learning entails, the talk moves on to an analysis of the changed needs and possibilities of students in CLIL programs. I will then explain the process followed to identify the elements of the curriculum, how they were combined to form a coherent whole, and the process followed to make sure the curriculum is both relevant and understandable for practising teachers. The talk will end with a few comments about assessment in the curriculum and with some ideas about its evaluation.