J-CLIL The 8th Annual Bilingual Conference
at Tohoku University
Thank you to everyone who joined us!
The 8th Annual Bilingual Conference has come to a successful close.
▶Date: Saturday, October 11th, 2025 8:50～17:25（Registration・8:30～）
▶Venue: Lecture Rooms C (2nd floor) at Tohoku University, Kawauchi-kita Campus
Directions (also included in the program below) Directions
▶Theme: The conference theme is ‘Bridging Language and Content: The evolution of CLIL’
▶Program and book of abstracts
▶Register for the conference here: Registration deadline: October 9th
Message from the J-CLIL President
Welcome to the 8th J-CLIL Bilingual Conference held in Sendai. As usual, we have received many applications for both onsite and online presentations and participation. The online Zoom talks feature three distinguished keynote speakers from Ireland: Céline Healy from Maynooth University, Sarah O’Neill from Queen’s University Belfast, and Laura Quigley from Post-Primary Languages Ireland. In addition, the J-CLIL Member Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Taizo Kudo
from Nagoya Gakuin University.
I would especially like to express my heartfelt thanks to Dr Barry Kavanagh, Vice President of J‐CLIL, for leading the organization of this event, and to the members of the Tohoku Chapter who supported the preparations. The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Bridging Language and Content: The evolution of CLIL.’
I took on the role of President of J-CLIL in May 2025, but my first involvement with the association goes back to 2017. I still remember being impressed by the open and welcoming atmosphere, which made it easy for everyone to feel comfortable and connected. Since then, new chapters such as Tohoku and Kansai have been established. Today, we are proud to have five chapters and seven subgroups working actively across Japan. J-CLIL continues to provide a platform where language and subject teachers can collaborate, and where educators and researchers come together to share ideas and practices that enhance language education. As educational technologies such as AI and VR continue to develop, CLIL educators are finding flexible and effective ways to incorporate these tools into their teaching. We are also seeing more research using AI in areas like materials development, discussion support, and discourse analysis.
Despite these new recent advancements, CLIL actively pursues addressing learners’ cognitive load, helping students engage deeply with both language and content. This focus supports the development of globally minded individuals who can adapt and contribute in a complex and rapidly changing world. I hope you enjoy the discussions, presentations, and meaningful exchanges throughout this conference.
Kazuko Kashiwagi
President, J-CLIL
Plenary Talk
The Evolution of CLIL on the Island of Ireland: Policy Sparks, Pedagogical Pathways, Promises, and Progress
Céline HEALY
Maynooth University
Sarah O’NEILL
Queen’s University Belfast
Laura QUIGLEY
Post-Primary Languages Ireland
This paper examines the evolving landscape of Content and Language Integrated Learning(CLIL) on the island of Ireland, highlighting both promising developments and persistent challenges across the two jurisdictions.
Languages Connect, the Republic of Ireland’s (RoI) strategy for foreign languages in education(DES, 2017), includes the goal to improve language proficiency by creating a more engaging learning environment. A key action led to the national CLIL post-primary pilot project, conducted by Post-Primary Languages Ireland, with a subsequent external empirical evaluation study. Findings underscore the pedagogical and epistemological challenges of transitioning from traditional foreign language instruction to CLIL, highlighting the need for broader systemic change in teacher education and policy to support CLIL adaptation (Bower & Rutjers, 2023). Parallel initiatives promoting CLIL for Irish in post-primary and primary English-medium schools in the RoI are supported by a multi-agency steering group and the teacher support service Oide. The projects emphasize both learner benefits-such as increased linguistic exposure, motivation, and cognitive development-and teacher benefits, including pedagogical innovation and inter-school collaboration.
In contrast, Northern Ireland’s CLIL development remains hindered by the absence of an active language policy. Nonetheless, grassroots initiatives and emerging research underscore a curricular compatibility with CLIL and potential learner gains suggesting untapped potential for CLIL integration.
The paper advocates for the integration of CLIL into initial teacher education, sustained professional learning, and cross-sectoral collaboration. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of research-practice dialogue and policy alignment to support the long-term sustainability and scalability of CLIL in diverse educational contexts.
References
Department of Education and Skills (DES) 2017 Languages Connect: Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026. Dublin: DES
Bower, K. & D. Rutgers 2023 Evaluation of a National Pilot: The Potential of CLIL for Ireland.Dublin: PPLI
Laura QUIGLEY
Sarah O’NEILL
Céline HEALY
Members Talk
Teaching What You Love: Content-Inspired CLIL for Student Engagement
Taizo KUDO
Nagoya Gakuin University
It is often said among educators that once you begin teaching through CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), it becomes difficult to return to conventional language instruction. One of the key attractions of CLIL for teachers is the opportunity to explore and teach content they are passionate about, even if they are less enthusiastic about the target language itself. While curriculum constraints may limit opportunities for implementing CLIL lessons based on personal interests, such lessons can significantly enhance student motivation and engagement, particularly among those less motivated to study the target language. It is expected that, when teachers are genuinely engaged in the subject matter, their enthusiasm will inspire learners. In this Member’sTalk, the presenter will share examples of CLIL lessons developed around his own interests—such as earth science, tourism and transportation, and Esperanto—and discuss how teaching what you love can energize both teachers and students in the classroom.
J-CLIL office: Ikeda's Study Room
Sophia University
7-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8554