CLIL Benefits Explored -Stefan Rooy, Artist and Applied Art & Design Teacher, Delves Deep

Stefan Rooy is an artist and an applied art and design teacher. Based in France, he has been implementing CLIL methodologies in his classroom for many years. To delve deeper into CLIL benefits, he spent a week at Atlantic participating in our CLIL course.

At the end of his stay here in Galway, Stefan sat down with me to discuss his experience with CLIL methodologies and how CLIL can transform learning. While he mostly teaches in French, some of his applied arts classes happen through English.

This CLIL approach, he believes, not only improves language skills among students but also enhances the core subject learning process. Students discuss their work in English, learning all the relevant vocabulary. Working through English prepares them for employment abroad, a possibility many of his students relish.

When I asked him about student reactions, Stefan told me that the CLIL benefits are abundant. Besides honing their English skills, students engage with the work immersively. Art class often requires little spoken communication. Nonetheless, applying CLIL to create an English-speaking learning environment transforms the dynamic.

Students imagine themselves in the future working in London, New York, or any other Design hotspot, describing their work, thus experiencing a surge in motivation.

Applied Art & Design – Making the World Better

I was interested in learning about the scope of applied art and design. Stefan explained that it encompasses most design processes, be that graphic design, architecture, or art for art’s sake. Beyond the obvious, applied art and design also play into the conceptualisation of everyday objects and tailored equipment for specific needs. In essence, applied art and design flow into the creation of almost everything surrounding us.

Exploring CLIL Benefits

Stefan has visited Galway on many occasions. This time, he wanted to explore ways to maximise CLIL benefits. He explained how useful it was to discover CLIL theory and become cognisant that he had implemented many aspects throughout his teaching career without necessarily labelling them as CLIL.

The course content would allow him to firm up his CLIL classroom structure and further improve student learning outcomes.

Stefan Rooy, the Artist

It was an honour to hear Stefan talk about his multidisciplinary art. He creates visual art using a wide variety of media. Here is an example:

You can check out more about Stefan’s work on his website.

The Irish Sketchbook

When in Galway, Stefan travels, sketchbook in hand. He showed me a few Irish motifs, thrown together in minutes. Like these ones below.

Stefan has participated in several Erasmus+ courses at Atlantic and loves Galway as a course location. One point he stressed was the importance of staying with a host family rather than in standard accommodation:

To be in a host family is very important. That’s what I wanted. The first time I came, I was at Margaret’s. I don’t know if you have already heard of Margaret. She is a great woman. She’s so welcoming and life is easy with her. When I knew I was coming back, I asked to stay with her again.

That way (staying with a host family), you speak English all the time, during the breakfast, while doing the washing up and when talking about going for groceries.

So you pick up all the vocabulary. And it’s good to forget your own language for a week. I was not watching anything in French on my computer or my tablet. I didn’t want to. I was listening to Galway Bay FM, and I was watching RTE Play for some Irish series. Yeah, I think it’s better than to be all by yourself.

We would like to thank Stefan, not only for his visits but also for so generously sharing his time and work with us!