Proud to be tvmbo - Kortlopend Onderwijsonderzoek

subjects, English teachers in how students learn languages and the related methodology.
English teachers need to play a strong role in the development of tvmbo. They
can, for example, work with their colleagues on creating or finding language support
materials for use by content colleagues in their subject lessons. Alternatively, English
teachers can use or expand upon content material in their English lessons, so that material
discussed in subject lessons is recycled and revisited during language lessons.
2.7 Conclusions
The conclusions of the literature study are summarized briefly here. Firstly, there are a
number of very good reasons for initiating and implementing CLIL at a junior vocational
level and for developing students’ vocational literacy and vocational language
proficiency. Vmbo students should be given the opportunity as well as vwo and havo
students, to learn through English. It is motivating and may improve their self concept
and belief in themselves.
Secondly, we can predict from the literature that tvmbo students will most likely
achieve a language level in English which is better than their peers in regular vmbo
classes. Furthermore, we can tentatively predict that their Dutch language skills will
not be affected and will not be lower than that of their peers in regular classes. It is,
however, very important, that teachers – both in the lessons in English and in Dutch –
pay attention to language learning strategies, particularly in reading and also particularly
with the boys.
Thirdly, schools need to ensure that the level of their teachers’ English is developed
and kept up to standard so that they feel capable of teaching in English. Schools also
need to organize in-service training to work on teachers’ CLIL skills, so that they are
aware of how to teach the language of their subject as well as their subject.
This chapter summarized our short literature study related to tvmbo, and dealt with
relevant literature related to bilingual education around the world, as well as literature
related to CLIL methodology. The following chapter, Chapter 3, describes how our
empirical research project was carried out.
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