Bilingual education in the media: addressing the controversy in Madrid
This article provides an up-to-date account of the evolution of Content and Language Integrated Learning under the so-called Madrid Bilingual Program (MBP), which serves as an illustrative case of the large-scale implementation of this approach in the compulsory school system. Since its initial intr...
| Authors: | , |
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) |
| Repository: | Docta Complutense |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/113688 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/113688 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | 81'33 81'246.2 81'246.2:37 316.77:81 CLIL Bilingual education Media Controversies Headlines AICLE Educación bilingüe Medios de comunicación Controversias Titulares Lingüística Aprendizaje Investigación en la comunicación 5701.03 Bilingüismo 5802.04 Niveles y Temas de Educación |
| Summary: | This article provides an up-to-date account of the evolution of Content and Language Integrated Learning under the so-called Madrid Bilingual Program (MBP), which serves as an illustrative case of the large-scale implementation of this approach in the compulsory school system. Since its initial introduction in 2004, the gradual expansion of this program across the network of public schools in the region has shifted from a predominantly celebratory tone to harsh critique, as portrayed in different media articles. Clickbait headlines have stirred public opinion, portraying a complex educational scenario where views appear to be polarized across different political and educational sectors. This paper addresses the areas of contention in the MBP to date through the selection of 10 media articles that include viewpoints by different organizations, including trade unions, platforms of collective action and stakeholders (local authorities, school administrators, teachers, parents, researchers), which were documented on four levels: (1) linguistic - i.e., the choice of English as a medium of instruction and expectations of language proficiency; (2) social - i.e., equity/inequity issues affecting schools and students; (3) pedagogical - i.e., subject learning and academic performance; and (4) professional - i.e., teacher training and language assistants’ qualifications. This information is then juxtaposed with the investigations in the region which have addressed these same issues. This leads to a discussion of the possibilities and challenges - present and future - faced by this program in the region, as well as the outline of some considerations for the sustainability of CLIL implementation. |
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