In the 1990s, the world was undergoing a major realignment. The Soviet Union was falling apart, the Berlin Wall came down, and Europe was discussing joining forces in a bloc that became much more than just an economic one.

In this context, where countries with such diverse cultures and languages that are completely different from one another need to communicate with one another efficiently and fluently, it was essential to optimize the teaching of additional languages, with clear parameters and well-defined objectives.

The "Common European Framework of Reference" was introduced—a set of universal language objectives that define what one must know to develop proficiency in a language. 

But the main question was: How can we achieve these goals in an efficient and sound manner?

In 1994, David Marsh, an Australian linguist and head of the committee tasked with answering that question, founded the CLIL approach. The idea revolutionized the prevailing conventional wisdom at the time—that an additional language should be taught as a “foreign language,” focusing solely on linguistic objectives. In CLIL, “content” takes center stage, positioning the acquisition of the additional language as a means—a vehicle—for learning that content. Content is nothing more than topics from other areas of knowledge: history, geography, mathematics, science, etc. From this perspective, students acquire knowledge about these other areas while simultaneously developing their linguistic skills in the additional language.

The results have been impressive. The highest levels of English proficiency, for example, are found in Europe. This has led more and more countries to adopt the same approach. Here in Brazil, CLIL is practically synonymous with bilingual education and is being used in an increasing number of schools across the country. David Marsh himself, the leader of this true revolution in the teaching of additional languages, is a co-author and contributor to the Realvi bilingual program, which combines the CLIL approach with immersive technologies to provide students with a unique learning experience.

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