Opetuskieli vaihtuu englanniksi, vaihtuuko opetustyyli?

Abstract

This article is concerned with content and language integrated learning (CLIL). More specifically, it explores the effects that teaching in a foreign language has on a teacher’s language use. The data consist of biology lessons by a teacher both in his native language, Finnish, and in English. The analytic approach is discourse-pragmatic, i.e. the focus is on aspects of social interaction rather than on formal correctness. The findings suggest that the teacher’s instruction in CLIL classrooms is more dialogic, hence allowing for more extensive student participation whereas teacher monologues are common when the instruction takes place in Finnish. However, when using Finnish the teacher has at his disposal more nuanced means for meaning-making. For example, he makes use of stylistic variation and implicit pragmatic cues to signal power asymmetries only when teaching in Finnish.