CLIL educators plan for two kinds of learning at once. Students need to understand the subject, but they also need enough language to discuss ideas, follow instructions and show what they know. Creating that balance takes time.
The CLIL AI application was developed to make this planning easier. It is part of the Erasmus+ project Empowering Teachers with AI: A CLIL Integration Project, created by Europass Teacher Academy Ireland and the Alessandro Volta Institute in Perugia.
What the CLIL AI application helps educators do
An educator can use the application to create a first draft of a CLIL lesson with content objectives, language objectives, activities and assessment criteria. Existing texts can also be adapted for different CEFR levels, helping learners access demanding subject content without lowering the learning goal.
The application does not replace professional judgement. Educators remain responsible for checking accuracy, choosing appropriate activities and adapting every lesson to their curriculum and learners.
The application in a real classroom
During classroom testing at the Alessandro Volta Institute, Laura Rosati used material prepared with the application to support student projects. One group developed a Calorie Tracker, while other groups worked on a Music Quiz, a Hotel Management system, a Sports League application and a simple game.
Students used English to understand project briefs, discuss design choices and explain their ideas. The subject challenge remained at the centre of the work. The language support helped students take part in it.
Classroom use also helped the project team improve the application. Feedback influenced features and priorities such as editable content, CEFR-based language adaptation, saved resources, class profiles and text-to-speech.