The author will describe the impact that a CLIL teacher education programme may have on the beliefs of in-service CLIL teachers. Some differences between CLIL teacher training and CLIL teacher education will also be highlighted and it will be explained why the latter is more effective. Maria Paz Azparren Legarre is a teacher at the Public University of Navarra. Her field of study is CLIL and the beliefs and practices of CLIL secondary education teachers.
CLIL teacher education lies at the core of effective CLIL teaching practice. Two of the reasons why CLIL is not reaching its full potential are a vast number of CLIL teachers who have never received any kind of CLIL teacher education, and the fact that teachers' beliefs have a clear impact on what they do in the classroom. Apart from CLIL education on the method itself, CLIL teacher education programs should also cover CLIL teachers' beliefs because these influence the teachers' teaching practices in the classroom. For the purpose of this study, a CLIL teacher education program was designed that covers the real needs of CLIL teachers. In order to design the program, both the beliefs of CLIL teachers and the elements that make CLIL successful were investigated. This teacher education course was given in several schools. The results were very positive in terms of teachers' personal confidence in the classroom and in terms of the teachers' beliefs about CLIL. In conclusion, CLIL teacher education programs that consider not only CLIL as a method but also issues that affect the teachers' mindset can have a positive impact on the CLIL teaching practice that finally happens in the classroom.
