Pedagogical practices for teaching through an additional language in academic contexts

Professional development programmes for teaching through an additional language (English) in higher education have become increasingly established in Northern Europe (e.g. Finland) and increasingly trialled in Spanish-speaking countries (e.g. Spain and Mexico). In order to determine individual levels of competence for managing research and teaching of academic subjects through English, a compe- tence matrix was launched (2019) by the University of Jyväskylä Group (Finland). The matrix is distinctive because it focuses on both pedagogical competences and skills in using an additional lan- guage in academic learning environments. If proof of teacher competence is required, which is unusual in most educational settings globally, tests are usually only language-based and de-contextualized from the context of teaching cognitively demanding content. This matrix is used to evaluate abilities to manage teaching and learning contexts in English. Developed for the Teaching through English in Higher Education (TEHE) evaluation processes (University of Jyväskylä), the matrix is a multi- dimensional tool for evaluating expert and professional abilities alongside use of English as a language of communication. In some countries pedagogical professional development has become a pre-requisite for appointment to higher education posts in higher education sectors (e.g. Finland). There are other countries in which educators in both high schools and higher education do not receive adequate le- vels of competence-building in pedagogies prior to or during employment. The paper describes the outcomes of a study in which the matrix competence domains are tested with teachers in Italy who have been involved with training programmes in CLIL so as to develop competences to teach through an additional language, most commonly English. These domains involve managing academic content, use of language-enhanced methods, language use, learning environments, and reporting of academic educator self-awareness. Teachers’ comments and reactions collected through an online survey aimed at self-assessing the different competence areas will be highlighted in the paper.