Content and Language Integrated Learning is a dual-focused educational context in which a new language is used to teach a new subject on the one hand, and to teach a new language by introducing a new subject on the other hand.

The underlying assumption is that learning a language becomes more attractive and promising with the focal point being on interesting topics rather than the language itself. In this way, the foreign language is used as a means to an end which serves to convey highbrow content.

The activities applied to content-related units show crucial features. One of the primary concerns of content-related learning is that the learner plays an active part within the learning process by devising things him / herself and providing these with innovative “learning possibilities”, and thus not only responses to the teachers´ instructions as usually practised. The learner does not take on a passive role where he/she only lets things around happen, but is rather the reason that something happens at all. The learning process is assumed to be the result of learners interacting with their environment.   

A big advantage of self-directed learning is that the learner can decide where, when and how he/she would like to learn. Self-directed learning allows for a joyful approach to language. You can, for example, chose the material you are really interested in.

The learner takes responsibility for his / her own progress and the achievements of language learning.

The learner works on the language competence which professional life requires of him / her. Additionally, the learner may gradually develop more confidence towards the effectiveness of his / her learning process.

Self-directed learning allows for effective usage of the time available and that outside the constraints of classes, and it opens up the opportunity to cooperate with friends, family and employees in the workplace in a constructive way.

The concept of self-directed learning can also be integrated into language courses in classrooms. – The language teacher may act as a moderator and support pupils in becoming “self-directed learners”.

In our project, “cross-generational family learning” includes the following:

• encourage family members to learn together
• parents / guardian and children learn together

Cross-generational learning in the family can:

• boost learning in children and adults
• enable parents to comprehend the way children learn
• help parents to enhance the support of their children´s learning process
• improve parenting abilities
• enable parents to promote anew their own learning and development process
• allow for further learning processes