Understanding the Inventor's Mind Through Patent Analysis: A CLIL Team-teaching Experience at the Technical University of Madrid

We report on a CLIL-based team teaching initiative recently accomplished at the School of Agronomic Engineering of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM). Two teachers—an agronomic engineer and an applied linguist, together with around 20 master students, analyzed a patent document by contrasting it with a ‘twin’ research article written by the same authors on the same technology and examining their differing contexts and textual and social outcomes. The seminar, with a total duration of seven and a half hours and a hands-on approach, not only is intended to provide disciplinary (agronomical) and know-how contents (the inner workings of patent writing), but is also to raise audience sensitivity and foster transversal skills.