Teacher training in CLIL: Teachers’ perceptions in a public school in Bogotá. A case study

Patricia Bermúdez Baracaldo

Authors

Patricia Bermúdez Baracaldo Secretary of Education (SED) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0219-1245

Keywords:

CLIL, teacher training, teacher perceptions, bilingual education, public school

Abstract

The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach, known in Spanish as AICLE, promotes the teaching of disciplinary content through a foreign language. While its benefits have been widely recognised, various studies have highlighted significant challenges in its implementation, with teacher training emerging as one of the most critical. This article, based on a qualitative methodology and a case study design, analyses the perceptions of non-linguistic subject teachers, teachers of English and bilingual programme leaders at a public school in Bogotá. The findings reveal a shared understanding of teacher training as a cornerstone of the CLIL approach, as well as substantial gaps between the language proficiency and methodological preparation of content teachers and teachers of English. This study also underscores the role of leadership in supporting teacher development and reinforces the importance of continuous, relevant, sustained, and context-sensitive training processes. It aims to contribute to the strengthening of bilingual education in public contexts by making visible teachers’ perceptions regarding the implementation of the bilingual programme. It also seeks to provide valuable insights for public educational institutions interested in advancing toward a bilingual model. Furthermore, it enriches the literature about CLIL approach in Colombia by offering qualitative empirical evidence grounded in under documented school realities.

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Author Biography

Patricia Bermúdez Baracaldo, Secretary of Education (SED)

I hold a degree in Languages and a Master’s degree in Bilingual Education. I currently work as a teacher for the Secretary of Education in Bogotá and am pursuing a Ph.D. I am also a researcher in the field of Language and Literature Didactics. My doctoral research focuses on the implementation of the CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach in public schools in Bogotá.

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