立教大学

On January 30th, 2026, we held our annual symposium, this time on the theme of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Since 2024, the Center for Foreign Language Education and Research (FLER) has adopted CLIL as its core theoretical framework for all elective classes, and this symposium was an opportunity for us to reflect on the progress made over the past two years and to learn new methods and approaches.

In his opening keynote presentation, entitled CLIL Professional Development: Principles, Practices, and Techniques, Prof. Ikeda shared his expertise in relation to CLIL teacher education. As a highly experienced teacher trainer, Prof. Ikeda showcased real-life examples of his work with schools in Japan and Southeast Asia and provided theoretical and practical knowledge on CLIL teacher training. The audience saw how training in CLIL practices, when performed effectively, can transform a teacher’s beliefs and practices, positively impacting student learning. Prof. Ikeda also gave details of the Lesson Observation Critical Incident Technique model and showed how the methodology can be used as a tool and catalyst for ongoing professional development.

Given that we have adopted a CLIL framework, Prof. Ikeda’s presentation was highly relevant to the work being done in FLER. His presentation highlighted the importance of ongoing education for CLIL teachers and also showed how this was possible, even for busy departments with limited resources. Most of all, Prof. Ikeda’s presentation highlighted how important teachers are in the CLIL classroom, with their professionalism, expertise, and enthusiasm strongly impacting students and their learning.

Poster presentation session

Members of FLER presented posters on their CLIL initiatives.

Following the first keynote speech, members of FLER and their research colleagues delivered ten poster presentations. The presentations focused on a variety of challenges and successes seen within the department over the past two years, and the speakers enthusiastically shared their experiences and research.

The topics presented included theoretical discussions of CLIL methodology and its components (John Paul White, Naomi C. F. Yamada, Phuong Tran and Eman Alkhaja), course planning activities and approaches (Heather Woodward, Alejandro Villa Torrano, Stephen Bryden, Jennifer Toews-Shimizu, and Doug Strable), and personal experiences within CLIL education (Bradley James Barker, Rab Paterson, and Diane C. Lamb-Obara). The poster session was very lively, with audience members actively moving around the room, asking questions, and learning about the inspiring research and activities being conducted within FLER.

In the second keynote presentation, Reframing CLIL in STEM: From Language-Driven to Content-Integrated Practice, Assoc. Prof. Kavanagh described his experiences in developing a CLIL course related to science and technology, despite having no experience or training in these subjects. During his presentation, Assoc. Prof. Kavanagh described numerous challenges that he had to overcome: the busyness of faculty who were unable to support him, the unsuitability of mass-produced educational materials, and the emotional and practical difficulties of teaching a subject in which you are not an expert. Such challenges are almost certainly universal, which meant the audience could relate to Assoc. Prof. Kavanagh’s experiences and become invested in his journey.

Assoc Prof. Kavanagh presented the audience with a series of solutions to the problems he faced: persistence with university administration, networking both within and outside his university, and reading widely and deeply. He spoke at length of the benefit of collaborating with content teachers, observing that while language teachers and content teachers live in different worlds, they can learn many things from each other. Despite having an almost overwhelming number of obstacles to overcome, Assoc. Prof. Kavanagh showed that through resilience and perseverance, it was possible to create unique CLIL courses and inspire others to create positive change.

Taken in total, the event was a hugely inspiring and motivating set of presentations that offered food for thought in all aspects of CLIL instruction: training, planning, and teaching. Certainly, we audience members left with a host of new ideas to try out within our teaching and faculty development, and we believe this event will have a meaningful impact on the work that is done in the Center for Foreign Language Education and Research.

We would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Makoto Ikeda and Assoc. Prof. Barry Kavanagh for sharing their time and expertise with us, to all of the poster presenters for their exciting and thought-provoking discussions, and to all of the audience who provided questions, thoughts, and insights throughout the day.