Combining CLIL and PBL to facilitate the learning of occupational hazards in the first year of a Higher Vocational Education and Training Bilingual Programme in Business Administration and Finance

Abstract

These days, a key aim of the Vocational Education System is to qualify people to work and contribute effectively to the country’s economic development. In this context, English language acquisition has achieved a great importance in the majority of the European countries. In relation to Vocational Education and Training (VET), communication in the English language is being promoted in Bilingual Programmes due to the fact that it has become a basic tool in our current society. One popular approach used in bilingual educational contexts is Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). In addition, in a VET Bilingual Programme, key competences connected to the real world are developed in the classroom. In this sense, Problem-Based Learning (PBL) appears to be an effective methodology for the teaching and learning of VET Bilingual Programmes. In this work it is taken into account that the CLIL approach and the PBL methodology can work together to improve the learning of occupational hazards. Thus, the principal aim of this Master’s Dissertation is to design and present an intervention proposal based on the combination of CLIL and PBL in the first year of Higher Vocational Education, to facilitate the learning of occupational hazards through the English language. The proposal, which has been developed from a practical point of view, consists of two main parts. It starts with 3 sessions of CLIL, followed by 6 sessions of PBL, providing students with an active methodology where they are expected to participate dynamically and collaboratively through different activities. To support the proposal, the Vocational Education and Training Programmes in the Spanish Education System, the PBL methodology and the CLIL literature have been reviewed. The main characteristics of these elements have been addressed: the CLIL principles, core features, the 4Cs framework, the phases of PBL and how to design problems, as well as the connections between VET, CLIL and PBL. Finally, it is considered the possibility of adapting the proposal to other educational contexts, such as Compulsory and Post-Compulsory Secondary Education.