Proceso de Ingreso y Salida Personal 56-

Participating in the HSI CLIL program is especially challenging for teachers. The program is mainly focused on content acquisition (90% of the grade), and in a much lesser degree on language acquisition (10% of the grade). However, the students participating in the program are

English language learners (ELLs) with an intermediate (preferably) proficiency level. Thus, teachers need to be highly qualified in three aspects: Fluency in the English language (C2 level

according to the European standard of FL proficiency), Knowledgeable about the content, and Experienced in teaching ELLs. English language proficiency in all four language skills may seem an obvious requirement, however, as we are in a Brazilian setting, it is not so easy to find either content or language teachers with this level of proficiency. When the teacher does have this proficiency, my advice is: continue studying topics of either personal or professional interest. This will help maintain and improve your language proficiency. Content knowledge is expected of any teacher assuming the responsibility of teaching any subject. However, in a CLIL context, this may be more complex than we imagine. Certified content teachers have spent on average four years in college learning about their subject, about content specific and general educational practices. HSI CLIL teachers in the Brazilian context are usually English language teachers, either with a degree in language teaching, or with a degree in any other field and a few years of experience teaching a foreign or second language. As such, two of the prerequisites mentioned above, advanced English proficiency and experienced in teaching ELLs, are usually fulfilled. The main challenge then is the content knowledge. It is of vital importance to study not only the course content but also the teaching conventions of that field. Usually, basic information about conventions are given at the initial teacher training. However, it is advised to delve a little deeper into this before the beginning of classes. One way to discover field specifics is to talk with a content teacher at your school, or read about the field, and even participate, in an online forum. This will give the teacher an excellent head start.

In order for students to adapt well to the HSI CLIL program, special attention needs to be given to learning strategies and skills. As students will come across much new academic

vocabulary, they need strategies to learn new vocabulary in order to make sense of texts, graphs, and lectures. It is also necessary to teach them note-taking, listening, and reading skills. We cannot just assume they have acquired these skills just because they are students. The HSI program is rigorous and demanding, so learning skills and strategies will enable the students to be more efficient in their studies.

Nowadays student-centered approaches to teaching are valued above teacher-centered approaches. This is especially true for teenage learners. Exploring and experiencing with different student-centered classroom practices will enhance student participation and motivation, and hence, learning. There are many sources one can choose from, either in books or online. Advice can also be asked from more experienced teachers or the local academic coordinator.

Essay writing is a major part of the HSI curriculum as it accounts for about 25% of the final subject grade. Students write two essays for most of the subjects in the program. They need to fulfill certain requirements and meet APA style standards. It is important for the teachers to familiarize themselves with essay writing in general and these requirements in specific. Students have many difficulties grasping the concept of plagiarism and deadlines. Providing citation examples, practice in paraphrasing and summarizing skills will help the students tremendously. Being consistent with deadline drafts will also contribute to their assuming responsibilities. These skills are not only beneficial to them in school but also in their future careers.

The initial teacher-training program covers these above-mentioned topics, but further training is one of the policies of the HSI program. The SDP, mentioned in the discussion, is especially significant to support teachers in their daily educational activities, offering teachers ongoing learning opportunities to enlarge their repertoire of teaching methods (Channa & Soomro, 2015). The SDP could also be used to deepen the teachers’ knowledge of specific

content related pedagogies. Therefore I strongly recommend teachers sharing their concerns about any part of their teaching routine with the academic coordinator so that they can be addressed in a personal meeting, or be included in the SDP. Ideally, an SDP could be offered as daylong training sessions, or as an online program that teachers could access at their convenience. Such an online program might be structured with segments on different topics made available for teachers to complete by a certain deadline.

In order to increase the effectiveness of these learning experiences, journal writing has been identified as crucial with respect to the teachers’ willingness to put to use the newly acquired insights into teaching methodologies and approaches (Göker, 2012). Reflecting on our practices, and continual training is an essential part of the teacher profession.