Plurilingualism is crucial in modern society as it facilitates communication among individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It promotes tolerance, respect, mutual understanding, and enhances cognitive abilities. Early foreign language learning positively impacts brain function, boosts memory, and aids in the acquisition of other subjects. The European Union aims for every adult to speak at least three languages (the mother tongue plus two others), making it essential for language learning to start early in schools. The European Commission has therefore prioritized early foreign language education.
Slovenia has joined this initiative by lowering the age at which foreign languages are taught, reducing it by two years (from 4th to 2nd grade) in the 2016/17 school year, and by another year in 2024. Consequently, the first foreign language is now a compulsory subject for all pupils starting from 1st grade. The curriculum for the first stage of education promotes the integration of foreign languages with other subject areas, best achieved through the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. This method combines language instruction with content from non-language subjects, in this case, mathematics.
The master's thesis examines how to integrate mathematical content into fifth-grade English lessons. Our research is based on the objectives of both subjects, along with the didactic approach of CLIL. Specifically, the thesis connects English as a foreign language with the non-language subject of mathematics. We aimed to test the didactic approach of merging mathematical content into English lessons using the CLIL concept and to implement and analyze the integration of the mathematical unit on "measurement" within English lessons.
The action research sample consisted of 22 students. Over five hours of English lessons, we incorporated the mathematical unit on measurement, covering quantities such as money, time, length, and mass.
|
