The CEFR and ELT in Australia: getting them together

NEAS 16th Annual ELT Management Conference, May 2012

Mary Jane Hogan

English Australia CEFR PD workshops

Bringing the CEFR into curriculum and assessment in ELICOS

Workshops held March – May 2012 in 5 cities

Average 15-35 participants

3 hour workshop:

gave a quick overview of the CEFR

presented an approach to aligning curriculum

looked at how the illustrative scales can be used

described and used some available resources

supplied a detailed reference list of resources

After this workshop …

You will:

say goodbye to the idea that you have to re-write all your curriculum and assessment

say goodbye to the idea that the CEFR is a pedagogic straightjacket

appreciate the depth of the CEFR

realize what resources are available to assist you with aligning curriculum and assessment

have some ideas on how to approach aligning the curriculum

see alignment to the CEFR as a Good Thing!

Let’s get this out of the way first

Difference between:

a rating scale

describes performance on specific tasks in a specific form of assessment at a point in time based on specific TLU or curriculum

and

a language framework

‘A language levels framework is a series of language descriptions arranged sequentially to indicate an expected order of language progression or development over time.’ O’Loughlin, NEAS 2007

The CEFR …

‘…provides a common basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc. …. It describes in a comprehensive way what language learners have to learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what knowledge and skills they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively. The description also covers the cultural context in which language is set. The Framework also defines levels of proficiency which allow learners’ progress to be measured at each stage of learning and on a life-long basis.’

CEFR 2001, 1.1

Asking questions … not making rules

Users of the Framework may wish to consider and where appropriate state: •the communicative tasks in the personal, public, occupational and/or educational domains that the learner will need/be equipped/be required to tackle; •the assessment of learner needs on which the choice of task is based. CEFR 2001, Ch. 4 “Language use and the language user/learner”

The CEFR is flexible

Learning programmes and certification can be:

global

modular

weighted

partial CEFR 2001

Also:

CEFR ≠ your learning context Using the CEFR: Principles of Good Practice (Cambridge ESOL 2011)

The CEFR is “action-oriented”

The approach adopted here, generally speaking, is an action-oriented one in so far as it views users and learners of a language primarily as ‘social agents’, i.e. members of society who have tasks (not exclusively language-related) to accomplish in a given set of circumstances, in a specific environment and within a particular field of action.

CEFR 2001, Ch 2.

Two aspects of the CEFR

Vertical: the 6 levels A1 to C2 (++)

Horizontal: (1) the areas of competence:

general competences (knowledge and skills)

communicative language competences (linguistic, sociolinguistic, pragmatic)

(2) communicative language activities and strategies

(productive, receptive, interactive, mediating)

Using the CEFR: Principles of Good Practice (Cambridge ESOL 2011)

Current tensions in uses of the CEFR

The CEFR is: The CEFR is not:

descriptive not prescriptive

flexible not rigid and immutable

multi-faceted not linear

a work-in-progress not set-in-stone

plurilingualism not “NS” competence

complex not simplistic

a competence-based approach to LT

not just a set of descriptors

for language learning not just for assessment

Summary: CEFR documentation

Introduction to the CEFR:

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/CADRE_EN.asp

http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/Portfolio/?L=E&M=/documents_intro/common_framework.html

http://www.eaquals.org/cefr/

Curriculum guidance:

Cambridge ESOL: Using the CEFR. Principles of Good Practice

http://www.cambridgeesol.org/assets/pdf/what-we-do/research/cefr-pogp-oct-2011.pdf

EAQUALS Self-Help Guide to Curriculum and Syllabus Designhttp://www.eaquals.org/pages/?p=7400

ECEP (ECML): Pathways through assessing, learning and teaching in the CEFR:

http://ecep.ecml.at/

Start with your existing curriculum

The CEFR provides a framework to

• critique

• evaluate

• tighten

• develop

• renew

• create

curriculum documents

Cambridge ESOL: Using the CEFR. Principles of Good Practice (2011):

1Adapt the CEFR to fit your context.

2Focus on the outcomes of learning.

3Focus on purposeful communication.

4Focus on the development of good language learning skills. http://www.cambridgeesol.org/assets/pdf/what-we-do/research/cefr-pogp-oct-2011.pdf

The EAQUALS Self-Help Guide for Curriculum and Syllabus Design:

http://www.eaquals.org/pages/?p=7400

Curriculum documents

Ask:

Who are our students? = curriculum

Why are they learning English?

What are we teaching them?

What methodology do we use?

How are we teaching them? = syllabus

The CEFR principles

The CEFR:

asks you to reflect on your teaching practice

requires you to meet your learners’ needs

is action-oriented in its approach

regards language learning as a lifelong process

expects the learner to take responsibility for their own learning

Curriculum and the CEFR

The CEFR:

asks you to reflect on your teaching practice

who are your learners?

what are their language goals?

what teaching methodology do you use?

requires you to meet your learners’ needs

domains, competences, activities and strategies

The CEFR principles

The CEFR:

asks you to reflect on your teaching practice

requires you to meet your learners’ needs

is action-oriented in its approach

regards language learning as a lifelong process

expects the learner to take responsibility for their own learning

The CEFR levels

Proficient

C2

C1

Independent

B2

B1

Basic

A2

A1

What do the levels mean?

Productive skills:

performance features

Writing samples

http://www.coe.int/t/ DG4/Portfolio/documents/ exampleswriting.pdf

What do the levels mean?

Productive skills: performance features

Speaking samples

http://research.cambridgeesol.org/fitness-purpose/examples-speaking-tests

Veronica and Melisa B1

From Examples of Speaking Performance at CEFR levels A2-C2, Cambridge ESOL

http://research.cambridgeesol.org/fitness-purpose/examples-speaking-tests

Ongoing development of the CEFR

EAQUALS Revised CEFR Descriptors:

http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/Portfolio/?L=E&M=/documents_intro/Data_bank_descriptors.html

But there’s more!!

Lexico-grammatical expansion

BC/EAQUALS Core Inventory for General English:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/Z243%20E&E%20EQUALS%20BROCHURErevised6.pdf With

a critique:

http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/c-is-for-core-inventory/

English Profile Project:

http://www.englishprofile.org/

Also: Research Notes (Cambridge ESOL) 33, August 2008

The CEFR principles

The CEFR:

asks you to reflect on your teaching practice

requires you to meet your learners’ needs

is action-oriented in its approach

regards language learning as a lifelong process

expects the learner to take responsibility for their own learning

European Language Portfolio (ELP)

Language learners/users record and monitor their own progress and achievements

ELP descriptors used for self-assessment

New website 2011: www.coe.int/portfolio

The CEFR and assessment

The scales are NOT intended to be used as rating scales (See Weir 2005)

Curriculum and assessment are created together:

learning outcomes lead to assessment specifications

Aligning formal assessment to the CEFR:

Aligning existing tests: Manual 2009: www.coe.int/T/DG4/Linguistic/Manuel1_EN.asp

Aligning new tests: Manual 2011: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/ManualtLangageTest-

Alte2011_EN.pdf

Summary

“It is not the intention that anyone should use these 54

sub-scales operationally. Rather, their purpose is to help

the user to consider the coverage of the learning

programme or examination with which they are

concerned: what are the priority areas and what level of

proficiency is appropriate in each area?”

North 2007

Summary

The CEFR:

requires you to reflect on your teaching practice

is flexible

is action-oriented: Can Do

operates vertically and horizontally

focuses on “act effectively”

provides support

Thank you!

Mary Jane Hogan

mjh Editorial & Language Services

maryjanehogan@optusnet.com.au