Working Group 4

WG4 focuses on learners’ engagement with bi/multilingual disciplinary literacies in the digital world and in their lives outside of school. In light of the greater recognition of the importance of digital competences for all European citizens and the experiences of emergency online teaching during the COVID-19-pandemic, a deeper understanding of CLIL pupils’ digital practices with regard to bi/multilingual disciplinary literacies seems called for. These digital practices require literacies related to Competence 1 (Information and Data Literacy) identified in EU Science Hub’s Digital Competence Framework 2.0 (EU DigComp Framework) as learners engage in gaining information and constructing in-depth knowledge, some of which will be disciplinary in nature and most multilingual. CLIL learners are thus likely influenced in their bi/multilingual disciplinary literacies development through experiences in the digital world and in non-educational contexts. To learn more about the relationship of digital literacies and CLIL learners’ bi/multlingual disciplinary literacies, WG 4 is pursuing the following tasks:  

- Survey a) digital practices CLIL learners engage in outside education in English or other CLIL target languages and b) digital practices and resources used in school-based CLIL teaching.

- Facilitate case studies on a) the impact of digital media on bi/multilingual disciplinary literacies and b) on how far CLIL learners’ use of English (or other languages) outside school impacts on their bi/multilingual disciplinary literacies;

- Evaluate the potential of digital practices (inside and outside of school) and other out-of- school learning opportunities on bi/multilingual disciplinary literacies.

WG Leader: Ute Smit

WG Vice-Leader: Craig Neville is a lecturer in Education at University College Cork, Ireland after working for 10 years as a teacher and school leader in central London, UK for 10 years. Craig specialises in languages education, linguistically and culturally responsive practice, language education and initial teacher education. He is vice-leader of Working Group 4 in Cost Action CA21114 and is supporting this group explore the extramural digital practices of young people and teachers and how these support the development of disciplinary literacies in CLIL classrooms across Europe.