In the right frame of mind: core issues in professional development for CLIL in Portugal

Abstract

In order for a new educational approach to be successful, those on the frontline responsible for administering it, i.e., the teachers, must be readily equipped with appropriate knowledge, understanding and attitudes which allow them to confidently embrace the new professional challenge. In Portugal, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), a dual focused approach to the teaching and learning of subject content and an additional language, is a growing phenomenon. Like many national contexts in which CLIL is implemented, Portugal has its own idiosyncrasies regarding the preparation of teachers. This chapter focuses on professional development for CLIL in this country. It presents the core constituents of knowledge and the mindsets required of teachers for CLIL. It identifies their credits (what they bring to a scenario), their needs (what they should receive from teacher education) as well as the benefits of CLIL to teaching and learning. The chapter draws on the author's experience and best practices from pre- and in-service teacher education at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto. It ends with a set of recommendations on professional development for policy makers, school directors, project coordinators and teachers.