Innovation in Language Learning

Considered as an innovative teaching approach in the early nineties, Content Integrated Language Learning (CLIL) is still considered as such in Higher Education Institutions in Albania. Distinguished for its dual purpose, i.e. to teach both language and business concepts, the use of CLIL in business English courses, helps to boost the students’ language skills while also offering a deeper understanding of business-related topics preparing them for communicative situations they might encounter at workplace in their future job positions.

This paper aims at exploring the use of Content Integrated Language Learning approach in teaching Business English courses to promote both language acquisition and subject knowledge simultaneously. Through case study, questionnaire and interviews, the paper tries to shed light on the course instructors’ understanding, experiences, best practices/strategies and challenges while employing CLIL in foreign language teaching at Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania.

The study concludes that most language instructors had a vague understanding of CLIL, relied mainly in traditional methods of teaching a FL while considered training in CLIL as paramount and difficult to access. Furthermore, the lack of resources heavily impacts on the course instructor willingness to draw lesson plans in CLIL

Key words: Content Integrated Language Learning, ESP, FL.