Innovation in Language Learning

We live in a time of globalization which in many respects means fusion or integration  of sectors that used to be separated in the past. This also applies in English Language Teaching  (ELT) where the emphasis is being put  on cross-curricular teaching, integrating  skills and learning within wider contexts rather  than aquiring  fragmented knowledge. An example  of such integrative tendencies in CLIL-Content and Language Integrated Learning- an innovative approach that promotes convergences between learning foreign languages (for instance, English)  and other subjects ( Geography). The paper aims at proposing a general approach  on teaching Geography through English and the choice of this topic  has arisen  from my professional interest in CLIL (namely teaching English to Geography  and Tourism students).

CLIL approach  is highly relevant to modern educaton and especially  to teaching English  for undergraduated students  at non-philological faculties (especially Geography Specialization).It also requires using specific materials that comply  with  the core principles of CLIL methodology – to name  but a few , the focus on the 4 Cs of CLIL  (content, communication, cognition, culture) are blended with authencity, active learning, scaffolding, etc. Furthermore, the rationale  for this area lies in the current trends in ELT methodology  within the context of European education. Teaching in a CLIL context requires a constant training because a common drawback that might arise would be the isufficient training of the teacher in the field. Geography is a subject  that particularly  invites the teachers to use plenty of diverse resources such as atlases, maps, encyclopedias, journals, statistics data, websites, etc.Although CLIL  experiences a fast growing popularity all over the world  there seems  to be an insuficient  material support  and possibly I could publish a comprehensive workbook  that could help  both teachers and students  benefit from CLIL in their geography lessons.