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Infan CLIL: A Model for Implementing Plurilingual Projects in Pre-primary Education in Spain and Portugal

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Handbook of CLIL in Pre-primary Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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Abstract

The onset of early foreign language learning is a global phenomenon brought about by a range of political, economic and social factors. In parallel with increased levels of migration and movements of people(s) across and within continents, there is even more of a need to provide education in the early years which fosters positive attitudes towards languages and international citizenship whilst supporting the understanding and development of self and community. From the collaboration of scholars in two national contexts, namely Spain and Portugal, a proposal for a model, InfanCLIL, which endorses the above has emerged. The conceptual framework of this model is grounded on 6Is: Identity, Inclusion, Integration, Interaction, Imagination and Investigation which acknowledge the potential of pre-schools in the development of plurilingual/pluricultural competences; and 6Cs: the 4Cs of the CLIL approach (Content, Communication, Cognition and Culture) (Coyle, Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, CLIL: Content and language integrated learning. Cambridge University Press, 2010) to which the authors have added a further two, Context and Collaboration, essential to situating teaching and learning, and framing a constructive educational process. In this chapter, the aforementioned conceptual framework is discussed, followed by a practical example of the model which incorporates the topic ‘Harvest’ within the methodology of Project Based Learning. It is hoped that the proposed InfanCLIL model of 6 Is and 6 Cs will provide guidance to pre-primary teachers on how to develop plurilingual projects resulting from close international collaboration.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Pilar Couto-Cantero

  2. University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Maria Ellison

Authors
  1. Pilar Couto-Cantero
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  2. Maria Ellison
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Correspondence to Pilar Couto-Cantero .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Complutense University, Madrid, Spain

    Ana Otto

  2. Languages and Literature Education Department, University of Granada, Granada, Granada, Spain

    Beatriz Cortina-Pérez

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Couto-Cantero, P., Ellison, M. (2023). Infan CLIL: A Model for Implementing Plurilingual Projects in Pre-primary Education in Spain and Portugal. In: Otto, A., Cortina-Pérez, B. (eds) Handbook of CLIL in Pre-primary Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04768-8_9

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