Abstract:

The integration of a foreign language into the teaching of non-language subjects (Content and Language Integrated Learning; CLIL) is an interesting pedagogical approach that can bring many benefits to conventional teaching. Pupils and students expand their specialised vocabulary in a specific subject, practise their ability to communicate in a foreign language on professional topics, and eliminate their fear of studying abroad.

This paper presents an analysis of selected word problems in the teaching of mathematics to students at elementary school teacher program at Palacký University Olomouc. As part of the teaching of the subject Revising Mathematics, an experiment was carried out on 76 students in that field. The experiment consisted in integrating a foreign language into the teaching of mathematics. In tests, word problems were set both in the mother tongue and in English. The technique of factor rotation was used in the experiment.

Several solutions of selected tasks in Czech and English were subjected to analysis, the results of which are the topic of this paper. The analysis was focused on the success and failure of students in solving equivalent problems in Czech and English and on a higher level of creativity of some students in solving problems in English.

Keywords:

CLIL, mathematics, experiment, education, word problems.