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Paving the Way for CLIL in Pre-primary Education: The Case of Madrid

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Handbook of CLIL in Pre-primary Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

Abstract

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) provision in Spain has sparked a myriad of context-dependent models in the different regions of the country, usually linked to polarizing political standpoints on bi(multi)lingualism in education. Since its piloting stages, CLIL has developed mostly in primary and secondary education. This experience, however, has not translated into pre-primary education, possibly on the grounds of its own pedagogical raison d’être, which is far from the compartmentalized curricula of other educational stages. For more than two decades, infants’ exposure to foreign languages in schools has been taking place in the form of experimental projects aiming at promoting children’s awareness of multilingualism through an affective and natural approach to language learning. Despite the exponential increase in the body of literature in the field, research has only taken baby steps to analyse the viability of the CLIL approach in pre-primary education. In this chapter we (1) analyse the theoretical underpinning for additional language learning in pre-primary education; (2) discuss whether the CLIL approach conforms to the fundamentals of teaching very young learners; and (3) explore the reasons for the pioneering role of the Region of Madrid in developing provision.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain

    Xabier San Isidro

  2. Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain

    Ángel Huerga

Authors
  1. Xabier San Isidro
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  2. Ángel Huerga
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Complutense University, Madrid, Spain

    Ana Otto

  2. Languages and Literature Education Department, University of Granada, Granada, Granada, Spain

    Beatriz Cortina-Pérez

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San Isidro, X., Huerga, Á. (2023). Paving the Way for CLIL in Pre-primary Education: The Case of Madrid. In: Otto, A., Cortina-Pérez, B. (eds) Handbook of CLIL in Pre-primary Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04768-8_8

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