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Creating a proficiency
framework for the
workplace:
Global Scale of
English Learning
Objectives for
Professional English
Image by Lucy Vigrass
Mike Mayor
Director, Global Scale of English
Introducing the Global Scale of English
Extending the CEFR for EnglishCommon European Framework of
Reference for Languages (2001):
• developed in Europe for a European
learning environment
• developed for adult and young adult
learners – never intended for Young
Learners
• mainly focussed on general English
with limited reference to work and
study
• uneven distribution of Can Do
statements across the skills
• wide levels that take many hours to
master
• no information below A1
Glo
bal Scale
of English
10
22
30
43
59
76
85
90 C2
C1
B2+
B2
B1+
B1
A2+
A2
A1
<A1
A scale based on the original CEFR research
LOGIT CEFR
>3.80 Mastery C2
2.80 Operational eff. C1
1.74
VantageB2+
0.72 B2
-0.26
Threshold
B1+
-1.23 B1
-2.21
Waystage
A2+
-3.23 A2
-4.29 Breakthrough A1
-5.39 ‘Tourist’
Defining what a learner “can do” at specific levels of the Global Scale of
English
Pearson
Learning
Objectives
database
4243
Can …..
Can …..
Can …..
Can …..
Can ….. Additional
review &
revision
required
Creating Learning Objectives
Syllabuses
Course
materials
National
curricula
CEFR
CEFR
Sources Learning objectivesWorkshops with expert raters
(teachers) from around the
world + online surveys
44
Can …..
Can …..
Can …..
Can …..
GSE resources for teachers
English.com/gse
English in the workplace
7 17 31 68 91
1. …..% of the global businesses surveyed assess their employees’ proficiency in English
2. …..% of the global businesses surveyed found that job applicants lacked the necessary written skills in English
3. …..% of the second language speakers felt they could communicate effectively in English at work
4. …..% of the global businesses surveyed thought it was beneficial to the company if employees spoke English
5. …..% of the global businesses surveyed found that job applicants lacked the necessary reading skills in English
What are employers looking for?
What are employers looking for?
What are employees looking for?
7 17 31 68 91
1. 68% of the global businesses surveyed assess their employees’ proficiency in English
2. 31% of the global businesses surveyed found that job applicants lacked the necessary written skills in English
3. 7% of the second language speakers felt they could communicate effectively in English at work
4. 91% of the global businesses surveyed thought it was beneficial to the company if employees spoke English
5. 17% of the global businesses surveyed found that job applicants lacked the necessary reading skills in English
The future of English in the EU: 2025 and beyond
2018
British Council launched a report on the future of English in the EU in 2025 and beyond
They interviewed 62 experts from 6 countries (France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania Spain)
Experts from:
• Mainstream education
• Private ELT market
• Employers and organisations representing commerce and trade
• Digital developers of language products
• Linguists and language teaching experts
www.britishcouncil.org
The future of English in the EU: 2025 and beyond
Key Findings
• The total number of potential English language learners in parts of the EU is set to fall by 15.3 million by 2025.
• English will continue to the be the lingua franca in the European Union.
• Employers will continue to need employees who have high level English skills, including for specific tasks, such as negotiations, solving logistical problems, or presenting a new strategy.
• Adults will need ‘top-up’ tuition throughout their working life, as they move between different industries and roles.
• Working adult learners will increasingly want flexible, personalised, purpose specific and time efficient learning.
• Demand for regular evening or weekend courses that run over many months will decrease.
www.britishcouncil.org
English for employability: building a framework
Don’t we already have a framework?
Publishers of Business English exams all
have correlations with CEFR
BUT CEFR focusses mainly on general
English – with the workplace as one
domain of language use
The future of English in the EU: 2025 and beyond
Many employers interviewed were not using the well-established global certificates of English proficiency but instead were using in-house testing or third-party testing when recruiting. HR managers said that even high-level qualifications did not always guarantee fluency or the ability to use English in different work-related contexts, so this was tested as part of the recruitment process. This is not to suggest that employers do not value accreditation and certificates, but at this point they are not developed to test the language skills in contexts that matter to employers.
Global Scale of English for Professional English
Global Scale of English for Professional English
The Global Scale of English solution
Making the framework available
to teachers
GSE resources for teachers
English.com/gse
GSE Teacher ToolkitEnglish.com/gse
I can select the type of learner I am
teaching:
Learners of General English
Learners of Academic English
Learners of Professional English
Young Learners
I can select the level of my class by
moving the slider to select a GSE
range or a CEFR level
Identifying appropriate learning objectives
I can select the type of learner I am
teaching:
Learners of General English
Learners of Academic English
Learners of Professional English
Young Learners
I can select the level of my class by
moving the slider to select a GSE
range or a CEFR level
I can select the skill I want to teach:
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
25
I select Learners of Professional
English I select the level (CEFR B2+/ GSE
67-7)
I select the skill
Identifying appropriate learning objectives
26
Identifying appropriate learning objectives
I select Speaking
Identifying appropriate learning objectivesI have 71 learning
objectives to chose from
I can download and print off my
search results
Identifying appropriate learning objectives
I can use the QR code to scan the
results to my phone/portable device
The future of English in the EU: 2025 and beyond
Even in countries where general English proficiency is high, moving from general English to industry/sector-specific English, with linguistic confidence for activities such as giving presentations, negotiating, participating in international conference calls, networking at eventsetc. is challenging.
Targeting specific business skills
European Commission (2015) Study on Foreign Language Proficiency and
Employability.
MeetingsLearning Objective
1 Can understand the advantages and disadvantages of
different options during a discussion.
2 Can check that everyone agrees in group discussions using
fixed expressions.
3 Can politely respond to interruptions during a discussion
and return to the main topic.
4 Can write up the objectives and key points of a work-related
meeting in a simple way.
5 Can invite others into the discussion during a
teleconference by asking for questions.
MeetingsLearning Objective CEFR GSE
4 Can write up the objectives and key points of a
work-related meeting in a simple way.
B1 50
MeetingsLearning Objective CEFR GSE
4 Can write up the objectives and key points of a
work-related meeting in a simple way.
B1 50
2 Can check that everyone agrees in group
discussions using fixed expressions.
B1+ 57
MeetingsLearning Objective CEFR GSE
4 Can write up the objectives and key points of a
work-related meeting in a simple way.
B1 50
2 Can check that everyone agrees in group
discussions using fixed expressions.
B1+ 57
5 Can invite others into the discussion during a
teleconference by asking for questions.
B2 60
MeetingsLearning Objective CEFR GSE
4 Can write up the objectives and key points of a
work-related meeting in a simple way.
B1 50
2 Can check that everyone agrees in group
discussions using fixed expressions.
B1+ 57
5 Can invite others into the discussion during a
teleconference by asking for questions.
B2 60
1 Can understand the advantages and disadvantages
of different options during a discussion.
B2 64
MeetingsLearning Objective CEFR GSE
4 Can write up the objectives and key points of a
work-related meeting in a simple way.
B1 50
2 Can check that everyone agrees in group
discussions using fixed expressions.
B1+ 57
5 Can invite others into the discussion during a
teleconference by asking for questions.
B2 60
1 Can understand the advantages and disadvantages
of different options during a discussion.
B2 64
3 Can politely respond to interruptions during a
discussion and return to the main topic.
B2+ 69
37
Identifying appropriate learning objectives for
specific business skills
Select a specific business skill
38
For example, meetings
Identifying appropriate learning objectives for
specific business skills
Select a specific business skill
39
For example, dealing with
customers
Identifying appropriate learning objectives for
specific business skills
Option to drill down to specific
sub-skills
40
Identifying appropriate learning objectives for
specific business skills57 appropriate learning
objectives for B1+ and above
Aligning job tasks to language skills
The future of English in the EU: 2025 and beyond
With a larger proportion of the adult population having some proficiency in English in future, it is likely that the demand for “top-up” tuition or refresher courses throughout life will rise. Many providers in mature markets (eg. Spain and Portugal) are already seeing a demand for short, sharp courses from adults who need English for a specific work or family reason and a decline in the adult beginner market.
Job tasks & GSE Learning Objectives
Job tasks: Healthcare
Job tasks: Registered Nurse
Job tasks: Identifying learning objectives
Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
Can record the details of project-related actions and results in a log.
Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions
Can ask open-ended questions to better understand the specific details of a problem.
Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.
Can give a clear, detailed spoken description of how to carry out a procedure.
Hand items to surgeons during operations.
Can understand detailed instructions well enough to be able to follow them without making mistakes.
47
Identifying appropriate learning objectives for
specific jobs
Select a specific job role
Select Professional Learner
48
Identifying appropriate learning objectives for
specific jobs
Select a job family
Select a specific job role
49
63 appropriate learning
objectives for nurses
Identifying appropriate learning objectives for
specific jobs
What makes us employable?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
So…times change. Should we be worried?
Millennials will have on average
12-14 jobs over the course of their career
What the papers say
www.bbc.co.uk
www.nytimes.comwww.theguardian.com
Haven't we been here before?
Early 1900s
Factories and dockyards employed
someone – a knocker-upper – to wake
workers so that they were not late for work
1940s
Alarm clocks were mass
produced and affordable
So…times change. Should we be worried?
www.weforum.org/agenda/2016
Future Skills
Top skills for employability
What are the key skills that employers will be looking for?
futureskills.pearson.com
Do foreign language teachers need to worry?
How about van drivers?
Look familiar?
Do any of these look familiar?
Do they remind you of any other sets of skills that are talked about in relation to education?
21st Century Skills
C
C
C
C
ritical Thinking
reativity
ollaboration
ommunication
The Problem Solvers
“Current education systems risk preparing us to become second-rate robots. Instead, we should do what robots cannot do well, by learning to become more human.
This is because humans still have an edge so far as high-level reasoning, and social and emotional skills are concerned.”
www.charlesleadbeater.net
The Problem Solvers
“Current education systems risk preparing us to become second-rate robots. Instead, we should do what robots cannot do well, by learning to become more human.
This is because humans still have an edge so far as high-level reasoning, and social and emotional skills are concerned.”
www.charlesleadbeater.net
Pearson Employability Framework
What does it mean to be employable?
Four areas make up the Pearson Employability
Framework. What would you expect to see
covered in each area?
What does it mean to be employable?
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Digital fluency
• Skills related to
a specific job
• “Hard” skills
• “Soft” skills/21st
Century Skills
• Critical Thinking
• Creativity
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Self
Management
• Leadership
• Social
Responsibility
• Showcasing
skills and
qualifications
• Developing a
presence on
social media
• Interview skills
• CV writing
What does it mean to be employable?
• General
competency in
English as a
foreign language
• ESP
• General
Business
English
language skills
• ??????????? • Writing a CV
• Letter of
Application
• Interviewing
Transitional
Global Scale of English for Professional English
Personal & Social Competencies
English and “soft skills”
Does ELT courseware (and do ELT teachers) teach the “soft skills”?
Critical Thinking
• Giving opinions, inferencing, negotiating, problem-solving
Creativity
• Writing stories, imagining different scenarios
Communication
• Speaking and Writing activities
Collaboration
• Pair work, group work, task-based learning
Self Management
• Organising/Taking responsibility for own learning
Leadership
• Leading groups, influencing, negotiating, emotional intelligence
Social Responsibility
• Via topics
Success Criteria: Language
Teacher’s notes:
Ss work in small groups and share their experiences and advice,
then agree on the two best pieces of advice. Monitor and make
notes on Ss’ language use for later feedback.
In the group discussion, did you…?
Use the grammar from the unit
Use 3 phrases for giving advice
……
Success Criteria: Future Skills
In the group discussion activity, did you see evidence of:
Active Listening (checking for understanding)
Polite interruption
Asking others for their opinions
Inviting others into the discussion
……….
https://www.pearson.com/corporate/efficacy-and-
research/skills-for-today.html
Teaching Future Skills: what the research says
Soft skills need to be explicitly taught – you cannot assume they
will simply be “picked up” along the way
This is particularly true for students from disadvantaged or lower
socio-economic backgrounds who may not have soft skills
modelled by their family or peers
Soft skills are taught most effectively within the context of
teaching other subjects
Timely feedback on performance is one of the most effective
ways to teach soft skills
Questioning opinions/answers/decisions will help to train a
questioning mindset – key to critical thinking
Create a safe environment for students to experiment with these
skills – without fear of ridicule or punitive measures
Teaching Future Skills in English class
Provide students with the language they need eg. to collaborate
effectively:
So what you’re saying is….. (Active Listening: Checking understanding)
I’d like to hear what Sue has to say… (Inviting others to give their opinion)
I’m not sure I entirely agree with you there… (polite disagreement)
Can I just make a quick point… (polite interruption)
Set up Group Work to ensure students focus on the different
skills (eg. assign roles)
Raise the profile of these skills – tell students which of the skills
they are practising (don’t rely on the coursebook to do this!)
Get students to self-evaluate/peer-evaluate against success
criteria for these skills
CEFR and “soft skills”
CEFR Companion Volume (2018)
Additional descriptors for Mediation, eg:
• Collaborating in a group• Facilitating collaborative interaction
with peers• Collaborating to construct meaning
• Leading group work
Available to download from the Council of Europe website (www.coe.int)
Mediation and “soft skills”
81
Select Communicative Categories
Select a Mediation Category
Mediation in the GSE Teacher Toolkit
Skills that make us employable
Core academic competencies (numeracy, literacy, digital fluency)
Occupational competencies (“hard” skills)
Transition skills (moving from education to employment)
English
Personal and Social Capabilities (“soft” skills)
Language
Functional skills
Non-linguistic skills
One last request…..Thank you for attending this presentation. I’d like to
ask you to spend a few minutes providing feedback
on the session. Please scan the QR code below to
access the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mmexternal