Through the Lens of Culture: The Transformative Value of a Content and Language Intercultural Learning Approach in England

The importance of developing learners’ intercultural understanding (ICU) through language education has gained standing in curricula internationally, to respond to the challenges and opportunities brought by globalisation. However, in England, despite curriculum reforms and encouraging statements of intent, references to intercultural goals have proved to be lacking in curriculum documents and pedagogy initiatives. Priority is given to linguistic competence and to meeting the demands of high-stakes examinations and accountability measures. As a result, in everyday practice, language learners are given little opportunity to develop their intercultural understanding and skills in the classroom. The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach proposed by Coyle and her colleagues (Content and language integrated learning. Cambridge University Press, 2010) presents opportunities for a more holistic language learning experience; however, in the English context, we need to look beyond integrating content and language and place intercultural goals at the heart of language pedagogy. I propose we do this by reconceptualising the traditional CLIL paradigm, towards a ‘Content and Language Intercultural Learning’ model centring on the following principles: This chapter presents findings from an intervention study implementing this new model in secondary language classrooms in England. It is hoped this will provide a realistic teacher-led model on how to implement more innovative intercultural approaches—and demonstrate that this can be achieved despite contextual constraints.