Abstract
While the Spanish education system has been increasingly expanding Bilingual education including the Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach, the existing programs have largely overlooked both the role of cognition for its optimal implementation as well as the adequate professional development of the teachers involved. There is a need to analyze and address teachers’ needs, which point in directions that could reveal how bilingual education could be improved. This qualitative study explored different perspectives and experiences of several early childhood education teachers teaching English at bilingual public and charter schools in Zaragoza, involving leading researchers’ findings in several academic fields. Findings from the literature review showed that an early, well-implemented, bilingual experience alters cognitive abilities, involving structural changes. Even if Spain has become one of the European leaders in bilingual education, teachers in the CLIL context seem to struggle to integrate all the key aspects necessary for its exemplary implementation. This study implies that strengthening teacher training will help develop bilingual education effectively. As a result, an innovation proposal based on CLIL principles has been proposed to help educators teaching English as a Foreign Language in early childhood education implement this approach effectively in their classrooms.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
BILINGUALISM, COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, CHILDREN, BILINGUAL EDUCATION, CLIL, EARLY CHILDHOOD
