LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH 3D-PRINTING: A CASE STUDY WITH ENGINEERING AND DESIGN STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This case study in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) was built around the specific topic of additive 3D-printing at the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Portugal. An in-tandem collaborative strategy was co-developed between the content and the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers. Both lecturers cooperated in the design and articulation of content and language from a learner-centred perspective, aiming an effective teaching and learning of specific additive 3D-printing technologies in and through English. On further analysis of the CLIL experience, it was found that the CLIL approach enabled students to improve not only their knowledge on the specific content, but also their language proficiency and cognitive processes in English. A tangible result of the cooperative learning, in which students and teachers are engaged, is the compilation of a glossary on 3D-printing to be used and further developed by both.