This chapter explores issues encountered by beginning CLIL teachers in making sense of and applying guidelines aimed at teachers when designing learning experiences for CLIL. After summarising... Show moreThis chapter explores issues encountered by beginning CLIL teachers in making sense of and applying guidelines aimed at teachers when designing learning experiences for CLIL. After summarising current guidelines, the authors draw on Coyle et al.’s (2010) 4Cs model, an additional C for collaboration and developments conceptualising integration and disciplinary literacy, to reflect on their own experiences as CLIL teacher educators in The Netherlands. They discuss how principles behind CLIL can be made relatable to both content and language teachers. They argue that, in taking a holistic, literacy-based view of subject teaching, teachers from both linguistic and non-linguistic disciplines are positioned as experts in all aspects of their subject, and can enter into collaboration on an equal footing with each other. Challenges remain, including a need for cross-disciplinary collaboration between language specialist and subject specialist teacher educators. Show less
A multiple case study has been carried out of four teacher groups who engaged in collective lesson design, observation, and reflection to support their professional learning. The teacher groups... Show moreA multiple case study has been carried out of four teacher groups who engaged in collective lesson design, observation, and reflection to support their professional learning. The teacher groups were examined on what and how they learned from their collaboration over time. For each meeting, teachers’ learning logs and transcripts were analysed. The results show that the groups differed in the amount, consistency, and stability of self-reported learning outcomes throughout the meetings. Differences between groups also relate to the number and type of dialogic moves between the teachers within each group. A main conclusion includes that challenging each other in their dialogues supported teachers’ learning. Additional explanations of learning outcomes relate to teachers’ collective participation and facilitation in the group. Show less
This dissertation focuses on teacher professional learning and collaboration in secondary schools. Collegial collaboration is a widely acknowledged learning environment for teachers, in both... Show moreThis dissertation focuses on teacher professional learning and collaboration in secondary schools. Collegial collaboration is a widely acknowledged learning environment for teachers, in both research and policy, and collaborative initiatives are purposefully organized in secondary schools. Yet, insights into the context-dependent nature of teacher collaboration and the relation between collaboration and learning are lacking. Four studies were conducted, including one literature study, one large-scale questionnaire study and two multiple case studies, both cross-sectional and longitudinal. Together, the studies provide insights into how teachers collaborate, what factors influence collaboration, and how collaboration supports teacher learning. The results of this dissertation point to one school factor that has a direct and long-term effect: The integration of learning and collaboration initiatives by actively promoting, coordinating, and facilitating them in school. This dissertation furthermore shows how the course and the learning potential of short-term collaboration initiatives depend on the existence of a collaborative school culture. Collective reflection on teaching and student learning, design of lessons, and experimentation promote teacher learning, but adequate support is essential. Lastly, this dissertation indicates that challenging each other in dialogues is promising, although teachers’ continuity in participation and shared leadership in the group seem decisive in promoting teacher learning. Show less
