Introduction To The Project And Group Work 1 Rev 27 Sept 08

Focus Use of the ELP to support the learning and teaching of languages on a whole-school basis: all languages from the beginning to the end of the secondary curriculum

Five interacting aims To identify whole-school projects that already exist To support the implementation of new whole-school projects To study the impact of such projects on schools, teachers and learners (case studies) and identify the conditions that favour successful implementation To develop a guide to the design, implementation and managements of whole-school ELP projects To communicate project outcomes to decision makers

Context ECML’s 2 nd Medium-Term Programme included two projects on the ELP Impel , which designed a website to support ELP implementation projects ELP_TT , which developed a kit of ELP-related materials for use in in-service teacher development, trialled the materials at a central workshop, and used the materials selectively in national training events in 16 ECML member states

Context Whereas ELP_TT was concerned to support the use of the ELP by individual language teachers, ELP-WSU moves to the next stage of implementation: use of the ELP to support all second/foreign language learning and teaching in the school

ELP aims Learner autonomy Depends on the individual teacher in her/his classroom Guided by three pedagogical principles: learner involvement, learner reflection, target language use (Little 2007) Plurilingualism and intercultural awareness/ skills Can be developed only to a limited extent in the individual classroom Are greatly enhanced when the focus is on all languages taught at school (and other languages that the learners know and use) The educational and pedagogical challenge: how can we use the ELP to weave together the various language strands of the curriculum?

Learner autonomy: some basics In educational contexts autonomous language learners are able to take charge of their own learning (Holec 1981) develop a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making, and independent action (Little 1991) can manage the affective dimension of their learning experience to motivational advantage (Ushioda 1996) become more autonomous in language learning as they become more autonomous in language use, and vice versa (Little 1991)

Learner autonomy: some basics The freedom that learner autonomy implies is always conditional and constrained: because we are social beings, our independence is always balanced by dependence; our essential condition is one of interdependence (Little 1991) Like the acquisition of language, the development of learner autonomy depends on social interaction (cf. Vygotsky 1978, 1986) Autonomous learners do things for themselves; they may or may not do things on their own

Learner autonomy: some basics The teacher’s indispensable role in the development of language learner autonomy is governed by three general pedagogical principles (Little 2007): Learner involvement − we must involve learners fully in planning, monitoring and evaluating their own learning Learner reflection − we must help learners to reflect continuously on the process and content of their learning and to engage in regular self-assessment Target language use − we must ensure that the target language is the medium as well as the goal of all learning, including the reflective component

Learner autonomy and the ELP In principle the ELP can support the exercise and development of learner autonomy in three ways: When “I can” checklists reflect the demands of the official curriculum, they provide learners (and teachers) with an inventory of learning tasks and activities that they can use to plan, monitor and evaluate learning over a school year, a term, a month or a week The language biography is explicitly designed to associate goal setting and self-assessment with reflection on learning styles and strategies, and the cultural dimension of L2 learning and use When the ELP is presented (partly) in the learners’ target language, it can help to promote the use of the target language as medium of learning and reflection

Plurilingualism: a definition Plurilingualism is a characteristic of individuals denotes the ability to communicate, at whatever level of proficiency, in two or more languages Multilingualism is a characteristic of societies denotes the presence in a society of two or more linguistic varieties

The plurilingual approach Language rights are part of human rights A policy of plurilingualism is “crucial for social and political inclusion of all Europeans, whatever their linguistic competences” (Beacco & Byram 2002, p.9) A policy of plurilingualism is also central to the creation of a sense of European identity Language education policies in Europe should aim to “enable individuals to be plurilingual either by maintaining and developing their existing plurilingualism or by helping them to develop from monolingualism (or bilingualism) into plurilingualism” (Beacco & Byram 2002, p.9)

The plurilingual approach The plurilingual ideal demands that inside and outside our educational systems we find ways of exploiting the plurilingualism that exists in our societies language education adds to society’s linguistic capital by ensuring that children and adolescents really do develop plurilingual proficiency at school At present languages that form part of “live” plurilingual repertoires are too often ignored entirely by educational systems or else viewed as an obstacle to efficient learning languages taught at school, traditionally in isolation from one another, too often fail to become part of learners’ living identity

Plurilingualism and the ELP The ELP validates plurilingualism by accommodating all the languages that the user knows giving equal value to all language proficiency allowing the user to record partial competences The challenge for educational systems is to find ways of enacting this validation explicitly A principal task for ELP-WSU: to find practical ways of responding effectively to the challenge

Intercultural awareness/skills According to the CEFR “ intercultural awareness includes an awareness of regional and social diversity in … [the ‘world of origin’ and the ‘world of the target community’]” (Council of Europe 2001, p.103) “ intercultural skills and know-how” include the ability to bring the culture of origin and the foreign culture into relation with each other cultural sensitivity and the ability to identify and use a variety of strategies for contact with those from other cultures the capacity to fulfil the role of cultural intermediary between one’s own culture and the foreign culture and to deal effectively with intercultural misunderstanding and conflict situations the ability to overcome stereotyped relationships (ibid., pp.104f.)

Intercultural awareness/skills and the ELP Language passport At the higher levels of proficiency, the self-assessment grid implies explicit awareness of the socio-pragmatic dimension of linguistic communication (e.g., B2 and C1 Reading , C1 and C2 Spoken interaction ) some familiarity with the linguistically mediated culture of the target language (e.g., B2, C1 and C2 Reading , C2 Writing )

Intercultural awareness/skills and the ELP Language biography At the higher proficiency levels, self-assessment checklists have the same intercultural implication as the self-assessment grid in the language passport; in certain cases they may focus in some detail on linguistically mediated culture Most existing ELP models aimed at adolescent and adult learners encourage the owner to write reflectively on intercultural experiences of various kinds, but usually without providing a specific focus

Intercultural awareness/skills and the ELP Dossier The selection of documents for inclusion in the dossier is the responsibility of the ELP owner and is an aspect of his/her self-assessment The extent to which the selection explicitly seeks to illustrate the owner’s intercultural awareness and skills is likely to be determined by the extent to which intercultural competence has been an explicit issue in his/her L2 learning experience

Intercultural awareness/skills and the ELP In a particular language classroom the ELP facilitates the development of intercultural awareness and skills in relation to similarities and differences between L1 and L2 cultures The challenge facing educational systems is to find ways of systematically developing intercultural awareness and skills that embrace all the languages that learners know, whether they have learnt them at school or outside school A principal task for ELP-WSU: to find practical ways of responding effectively to the challenge

Cooperation ELP-WSU will cooperate as follows: Within the Council of Europe, with the ELP Validation Committee: the progress of the project will help to inform the committee’s development of ELP strategy at European level Within Council of Europe member states, with ELP Contact Persons: the progress of the project will be relevant to their implementation projects Between the institutions of the ELP-WSU project network, to be established at the end of this workshop

General aim and specific objectives General aim To promote, document and evaluate the use of the ELP on a whole-school basis Specific objectives To identify existing whole-school ELP projects and to support the development and implementation of new projects On the basis of the projects conducted within the ELP-WSU network, to compile (i) a guide to the design, implementation and evaluation of whole-school ELP projects and (ii) a series of case studies To mediate the project results and outcomes to decision makers, e.g. school principals, school inspectors, ministry officials

Events and activities 2008 Meeting of project team to plan workshop (May) Workshop (October) Project members start work in their schools, beginning to track an existing whole-school project or planning a new whole-school project

Events and activities 2009 Meeting of project team to (i) discuss interim reports from project network and (ii) draft guide to the design, implementation and evaluation of whole-school ELP projects Project members report according to a timetable to be agreed in this workshop

Events and activities 2010 Meeting of project team to (i) further discuss interim reports and draft guide and (ii) prepare network meeting Network meeting to review final reports from network members and discuss draft case studies and guide

Events and activities 2011 Meeting of project team to discuss case studies and guide and prepare concluding workshop Concluding workshop to mediate project results to decision makers, e.g. school principals, school inspectors, ministry officials

Profile of workshop/network participants Professional background Language teacher already closely familiar with the ELP and either (i) involved in an existing whole-school ELP project or (ii) in a position to design, implement and evaluate a new whole-school project as part of this ECML project Experience required Experience of working with an accredited version of the ELP; general familiarity with the modern languages work of the Council of Europe and the ECML Expected involvement Will record the progress of his/her project following agreed guidelines and report regularly to the project web site

Basic information to gather For each member of your group: Which languages does she/he know? Which language(s) does she/he she teach? In what kind of institution? How many students attend the institution? Which languages are taught at the institution? Which validated ELP model does she/he use? Is the ELP used on a whole-school basis? If yes, Is there formal coordination? Are there any innovative pedagogical practices?

Basic information to gather For each member of your group: How does she/he use the ELP to foster the development of learner autonomy? to promote intercultural awareness? to promote plurilingualism? What attracts her/him to this project? Is there anything in particular that she/he wishes to contribute to the project?

Introduction To The Project And Group Work 1 Rev 27 Sept 08

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Introduction To The Project And Group Work 1 Rev 27 Sept 08