David Marsh, esperto CLIL internazionale, ospite speciale a Milano per i Trinity Days 2024

So, David, let's start by talking about CLIL, or Content and Language Integrated Learning. Do you think CLIL is a forward-thinking approach that can improve educational quality in schools?

Absolutely! I think CLIL is a really forward-thinking approach that fits with a lot of current global trends, like multilingualism, cognitive development, and active learning. It’s not just about teaching a language—it's about integrating language learning with other subjects, which makes it super adaptable, especially with all the advancements in technology. It has the potential to be a high-quality education model for the future.
Looking back, I don’t think we fully understood its potential when CLIL was first introduced. But over the last 30 years, it’s clear that it's part of a broader trend of integrating subjects, just like what we see with STEM, project-based learning, environmental education, and even things like coding or maths & music in education. When it’s done well, CLIL is really about preparing students for a globalized world.
And, you know, there are at least seven reasons why CLIL is so futuristic and powerful in education.
First, it promotes multilingualism, which is becoming a must-have skill in a globalized world. Being able to communicate across cultures is going to be essential for many future careers. Next, research shows that learning another language boosts cognitive abilities like problem-solving and critical thinking. CLIL takes that even further because students are processing information in two or more languages at the same time, which really deepens their learning. Then, CLIL uses active, student-centered methods, moving away from rote memorization. It aligns with best practices in 21st-century education by engaging students more dynamically. Fourthly, it’s adaptable. There’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach, so schools can tailor it to their own educational contexts, making it scalable and effective globally. Then, CLIL offers a more holistic learning experience. It encourages students to see connections between different subjects, supporting a more integrated understanding of knowledge. Sixth, it helps students develop the skills they’ll need for the global job market. Multilingualism, interdisciplinary knowledge, and communication skills are all key employability skills today. And finally, CLIL can be enhanced with digital tools, online platforms, and language-learning technologies. We’re already seeing this with gamified learning experiences, which makes it more engaging and fun for students.
So, in summary, yes.... CLIL is both future-oriented and also serving the needs of us today.

It sounds like CLIL really has the potential to prepare students for the future! Now, another challenge many teachers face is managing mixed-ability student groups. Does CLIL help with that, or does it make things more complicated?

This is a very important question! It can definitely be challenging to use CLIL with mixed-ability groups, but it can also be really rewarding. The situation and pedagogical solutions are not all that different from how we effectively teach mixed-ability groups in their first language. The reality is that classrooms are becoming more diverse—whether it’s because of migration, globalization, or the recognition of neurodiversity.
One of CLIL’s strengths is that it includes enhanced forms of scaffolding, which means teachers can provide tailored support to students at different levels. So, while one group might need more structured help with the language, others can work more independently. It’s all about finding that balance, and CLIL actually encourages this by using things like cooperative learning, differentiated tasks, and multimodal inputs, which can really support students at different levels. With technologies we have available to us, we can differentiate language focus, and particularly focus on process, not just product in which students receive differentiated feedback on how they are progressing, and may well show this progression of learning in different ways.

That’s encouraging! Now, something a lot of language teachers are worried about is being replaced by AI. You know the saying ‘Am I going to be replaced by AI’? Do you think language learning, and CLIL specifically, will be taken over by technology, or is there still a future for teachers?

Yeah, that’s a tough one. On one hand, we’re seeing some interesting trends. English is still a dominant language of learning worldwide, but we’re also seeing fewer people training to be modern language teachers in places like the US, UK, and Australia. Meanwhile, many language learning apps have millions of users, with some platforms boasting around 80 million monthly active users learning dozens of languages, making language learning more accessible, gamified, and personalized. Platforms like these offer many advantages over traditional classroom language learning – they are personalized, often gamified, allowing learners continuous feedback (not possible in a class of 30+), and allowing these learners to proceed at their own pace – pushing the language learning experience from a challenge, a task, more towards a hobby in which the learner has a lot of control and agency. So, in a way, technology is already transforming how we learn languages.
But I think there’s a real opportunity here for teachers to specialize. Instead of being generalists, they could become more like specialists, guiding students in areas where AI can’t replace them—like integrating language learning with other subjects or focusing on cultural aspects of communication.
CLIL provides that opportunity – in a world where the learning of structures, grammar and pronunciation might best be done through a language learning platform where I have my own AI teacher 24/7 who guides me through these learning processes. So, yes, I do see traditional language teaching – as a separate subject under threat. The same goes for working life careers in interpretation and translation – I just don’t see a future where work is available for these often highly skilled people, or where it provides sufficient financial reward. So, will language teachers be replaced by AI? Not entirely. But their roles will definitely change as AI continues to evolve.
So, Am I going to be replaced by AI? Probably not, but will my profession change because of AI, almost certainly yes.