Sixty-five Tainan teachers from 36 schools took part in a new in-service training protocol sponsored by the Tainan City Government’s Office of English as the Second Official Language (OEASOL) from February 8-10. The professional development seminars, designed to prepare teachers to speak English while delivering lessons in English, PE, Art, Internet Technologies and other subjects, will introduce teachers to Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) techniques, the kind favored by many European bilingual schools. The teacher training conference is the first in a series that OEASOL and the Tainan Education Bureau hope to organize for teachers participating in the Bilingual Pilot Program, an initiative of the Tainan Education Bureau that aims to introduce bilingual education options into Tainan’s public school system.
OEASOL recruited both the British Council and Caves Books to hold sessions during the winter break. The training targeted participants of the Bilingual Pilot Program’s "2+6" program, so named for the two experimental bilingual schools and six bilingual pilot programs set to roll out in the fall of this year. Caves, partnering with Macmillan Publishing, showed 35 participants CLIL fundamentals including how to use English as a medium for delivering lessons in other subjects. “CLIL aims to help students learn other subjects through English, rather than learning English as a subject. With all variety of teaching materials and activities, the methodology is expected to enhance students' short-term and long-term memory and their cognitive development," said Ms. Wu, a Macmillan teacher-trainer. She added that studies show CLIL helps students to improve academic performance, retain motivation and attention during class and that CLIL delivery has no negative effects on student understanding. The British Council also trained 30 teachers of non-language subjects to incorporate CLIL methods into their lessons.
Ms. Tsai, a homeroom teacher at Hedong Elementary School in the Baihe District who participated in the British Council’s program, said she wants to empower her students to learn on their own. "If they speak English, my students can have access to more information." She went on to say that speaking English is a critical skill for 21st century learners. "English is a tool they can use to create their own learning opportunities," she concluded.
Tainan City Deputy Secretary-General and OEASOL Director Liu Shih-chung indicated that bilingual education is the keystone for the city's second official language policy. Mr. Liu also expressed his gratitude to the Flomo Education Foundation for sponsoring the city's first CLIL teacher training program. National Cheng Kung University’s Center for Teacher Education hosted the event. The city government will be holding more CLIL teacher training programs in the future and cooperate with local universities to cultivate bilingual teachers.