TOEIC vocabulary teaching: applying CLIL
Takashi Uemura
TOEIC vocabulary seminar applying CLIL approach
Kitakyushu JALT January 12, 2013

Uemura finds that the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach successfully combines cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP) and basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) (Cummins, 1984) to transcend traditional methods and improve learner performance. Scaffolding and translanguaging are vital to his method, based on a "4 C Framework" (communication, culture, context and cognition).
An eikaiwa teacher for six years, Uemura began by asking us to visualize his presentation from a learner's point of view; some are intrinsically motivated to study TOEIC, others want raises, promotions or overseas positions. For relevance, he integrates finance and accounting into his course, defining meanings of key words in context. As a holistic overview of his teaching philosophy, Uemura started by displaying several vocabulary items of these fields for volunteers to read and guess meaning. He showed indistinct sketches of famous people to identify. The three-letter initials of corporate titles were displayed and we guessed what they were short for. Tongue-in-cheek, Uemura then listed the assets and liabilities of (his) marriage to parallel such considerations with a corporate relationship (including shareholders equity)-- to introduce vocabulary and continued with a clozed written discussion of a tantalizing topic relevant to both relationships, i.e. Why can't you receive all your bonus?
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