Innovation in Language Learning
Integrating CLIL into the ELT Classroom in the Faculties of Engineering: Towards a Multiliterate and Practice-Oriented Pedagogy
Naduni Thebuwana, University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka)
Abstract
The growing demand for English-medium instruction in technical higher education calls for an approach that transcends traditional language teaching. In this context, integrating Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) into English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms within Faculties of Engineering provides an innovative framework to meet both linguistic and disciplinary learning needs. This abstract presents a practice-informed rationale for embedding CLIL strategies in engineering education, aligning language acquisition with students’ cognitive engagement in core subjects such as mechanics, thermodynamics, and design. The CLIL approach not only enriches technical vocabulary and genre-specific writing but also fosters critical thinking and intercultural competence through task-based, multimodal activities grounded in authentic engineering contexts. Drawing from classroom-based observations and feedback from first-year engineering undergraduates in Sri Lanka, this paper discusses challenges such as teacher preparedness, curriculum alignment, and resource limitations, while proposing practical scaffolding strategies for successful integration. By positioning language as a tool for disciplinary meaning-making rather than a separate subject, CLIL transforms the ELT classroom into a dynamic space of disciplinary discourse and multilingual literacy. The implications extend to teacher training, suggesting a need for collaborative models between subject and language instructors to co-design materials and assessment tools. In an era where global engineering communication is increasingly multimodal and multilingual, CLIL offers a future-facing pedagogical model for engineering faculties striving for both linguistic and academic excellence.
Keywords: CLIL, ELT, engineering education, disciplinary literacy, multimodal learning, tertiary English
REFERENCES
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