Learning Objectives
Themes
The Masters in English and CLIL Teaching for children (ICLILBA), organised by the School of Languages and Foreign Literature at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo, in collaboration with the School of Primary Education Science, is a distance learning course aimed at those who wish to begin or return to their study of English, at the same time improving their knowledge of methods in teaching a foreign language to young children. The Masters targets those who have minimum English language skills (beginners or level A1 in the European framework) and intends to practise basic morpho-syntactic, lexical and pragmatic structures in English. The materials proposed for learning the language are also a resource that can be used immediately with children, as the language training uses stories (PUCK's Stories) suitable for children and experimented by teachers in the LiReMar (Lingua Inglese in Rete nellaRegione Marche) group. The training comprises three areas of study: strictly linguistic (that offers basic lexical and morpho-syntactic explanations and stimulates motivation for learning the language by suggesting the most suitable tools), methodological (that presents language education theories on which approaches, methods and techniques are based) and pragmatic (that provides materials suited to the student’s age, in perfect harmony with the theoretical lines followed). The method based on the dramatisation of the stories (following the FORMAT method) is part of the CLIL approach, as learning English is promoted through indirect training aimed mainly at executing the format. Also, for online delivery, the course develops IT skills regarding the use of a multimedia platform, various technological and practical educational contexts such as thematic forums, synchronous and asynchronous chats, wiki activities and video conferences using Skype and Interactive Multimedia Boards. The increased knowledge of IT media will contribute to increasing the teachers’ autonomy in making sure their own training continues once the course has ended.