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The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the European Language Portfolio, and language teaching/learning at university: An argument and some proposals

  • David Little

    David Little established the Centre for Language and Communication Studies at Trinity College Dublin in 1978 and retired in 2008. His principal research interests are the theory and practice of learner autonomy in language education, the exploitation of linguistic diversity in schools and classrooms, and the application of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to the design of L2 curricula, teaching and assessment. He was president of CercleS from 1995 to 2000 and has been one of the editors-in-chief of Language Learning in Higher Education since it was founded in 2011.

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Published/Copyright: October 6, 2016
Language Learning in Higher Education
From the journal Language Learning in Higher Education Volume 6 Issue 2

Abstract

I begin this article by briefly explaining why I think CercleS should encourage university language centres to align their courses and assessment with the proficiency levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and why they should use a version of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) to support the development of students’ skills of self-management and reflective learning. I then summarize the CEFR’s action-oriented approach to the description of language proficiency and consider the implications of this approach for language teaching and learning. After that I explain how the ELP is meant to mediate the CEFR’s ethos and approach to learners and draw attention to some of the factors that shape its effective use. I conclude by proposing three tasks that could usefully be undertaken by the CercleS CEFR/ELP Focus Group.

Keywords: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); European Language Portfolio (ELP); university language curricula; university language exams; constructive alignment; action-oriented approach; self-assessment checklists

About the author

David Little

David Little established the Centre for Language and Communication Studies at Trinity College Dublin in 1978 and retired in 2008. His principal research interests are the theory and practice of learner autonomy in language education, the exploitation of linguistic diversity in schools and classrooms, and the application of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to the design of L2 curricula, teaching and assessment. He was president of CercleS from 1995 to 2000 and has been one of the editors-in-chief of Language Learning in Higher Education since it was founded in 2011.

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Published Online: 2016-10-6
Published in Print: 2016-10-1

©2016 by De Gruyter Mouton

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  3. Fostering engagement with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the European Language Portfolio: Learning from good practice in university language centres
  4. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the European Language Portfolio, and language teaching/learning at university: An argument and some proposals
  5. Aligning ESP courses with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
  6. Implementing CEFR principles in introductory Norwegian language courses for international students: Opportunities and challenges
  7. EPOS – the European e-portfolio of languages
  8. Translating language policy into practice: Language and culture policy at a Dutch university
  9. The ELP through time: Background motivation, growing experience, current beliefs
  10. Using the ELP as a basis for self- and peer assessment when selecting “best” work in modern-language degree programmes
  11. Biografische Methoden der Kompetenzanalyse für die Reflexion von Sprachkompetenz–Portfolioarbeit in der Praxis
  12. Creating task-based oral foreign language exams linked to the CEFR in higher education
  13. From the learning diary to the ELP: An e-portfolio for autonomous language learning
  14. The classroom and beyond: Creating a learning environment to support learners of Japanese at CEFR levels A2.2 towards B1
  15. Access granted: Modern languages and issues of accessibility at university – a case study from Australia
  16. The role of second language in higher education: A case study of German students at a Dutch university
  17. Plurilingual proficiency as a learning objective for a multilingual curriculum in the study of business in Finland
https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2016-0014
Keywords for this article
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); European Language Portfolio (ELP); university language curricula; university language exams; constructive alignment; action-oriented approach; self-assessment checklists

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  3. Fostering engagement with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the European Language Portfolio: Learning from good practice in university language centres
  4. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the European Language Portfolio, and language teaching/learning at university: An argument and some proposals
  5. Aligning ESP courses with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
  6. Implementing CEFR principles in introductory Norwegian language courses for international students: Opportunities and challenges
  7. EPOS – the European e-portfolio of languages
  8. Translating language policy into practice: Language and culture policy at a Dutch university
  9. The ELP through time: Background motivation, growing experience, current beliefs
  10. Using the ELP as a basis for self- and peer assessment when selecting “best” work in modern-language degree programmes
  11. Biografische Methoden der Kompetenzanalyse für die Reflexion von Sprachkompetenz–Portfolioarbeit in der Praxis
  12. Creating task-based oral foreign language exams linked to the CEFR in higher education
  13. From the learning diary to the ELP: An e-portfolio for autonomous language learning
  14. The classroom and beyond: Creating a learning environment to support learners of Japanese at CEFR levels A2.2 towards B1
  15. Access granted: Modern languages and issues of accessibility at university – a case study from Australia
  16. The role of second language in higher education: A case study of German students at a Dutch university
  17. Plurilingual proficiency as a learning objective for a multilingual curriculum in the study of business in Finland
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