
In einer CLIL-Unterrichtsstunde lernen die Schülerinnen und Schüler nicht nur Inhalte, sondern auch, wie sie die Fremdsprache zum Denken, Erklären, Fragen stellen und zur Zusammenarbeit nutzen können. Aus diesem Grund ist die Sprechzeit der Jugendlichen von entscheidender Bedeutung. Je mehr sie sprechen, desto mehr Gelegenheiten haben sie, neue Sprachformen auszuprobieren, Bedeutungen auszuhandeln und selbstbewusste Nutzerinnen und Nutzer der Fremdsprache zu werden.
Das Sprechen in einer Fremdsprache kann jedoch eine Herausforderung sein, insbesondere wenn die Inhalte komplex sind. Lehrkräfte können aber eine große Stütze sein.
Oder anders gefragt: How can I encourage my students to talk freely?
“Students must feel free to experiment with the language and not fear making mistakes. Students of all ages need to understand that they, too, must help crate an environment where their classmates will feel comfortable – safe from ridicule, sarcasm or physical aggression.” (Meehisto, Marsh and Frigols, 2008).
So, for you to keep in mind: the goal is not to produce flawless sentences, but to express ideas, build understanding and take part in the lesson.
Teachers can increase students‘ speaking time by stepping back and giving students space to talk. Instead of immediately correcting every mistake, they can listen, wait, and respond to the meaning of what the student says. A short pause after asking a question often helps students prepare their answer.
Further helpful teacher behaviour includes:
- using pair or group talk before whole-class discussion
- accepting short or imperfect answers and helping students expand them
- asking follow-up questions
- praising effort and ideas, not only accuracy
- modelling useful phrases on the board
For example, instead of saying, “That’s wrong,” a teacher might say:
“I see what you mean. Can you explain that a little more?”
Or:
“Good idea. Let’s try to say it in English (or any other foreign language) together.”
But what should teachers do, when students use another language than the target foreign language when they answer questions? – Let’s talk about that some other time.







