LinguaFolio and LinguaFolio Online:Can Do Language Learning Made EasyOFLA Annual Conference Columbus, Ohio April 9, 2010 Ryan Wertz - ODE World Languages Consultant Parthena Draggett Jackson High School WL Department

AGENDAI. What is LinguaFolio and how is it used to document language learning?II. Where does LinguaFolio come from?III. What does LinguaFolio do for students?IV. What are the 3 components of LinguaFolio?V. How does LinguaFolio promote goal setting & support reflective learning? VI. What importance does LinguaFolio place on interculturality?VII. What are the benefits of LinguaFolio?VIII. Who is using LinguaFolio?IX. Practical information and advice from a LinguaFolio piloting teacher.

I. What is LinguaFolio and how is it used to document language learning?

LinguaFoliois a standards-based, self-directedformative assessment tool thatrecords ongoing language learner progress and, along with external summative assessment results, provides a comprehensive view of student performance.

LinguaFoliois a three-part electronic portfolio that language learners keep throughout their educational and professional careers to.

document their language competencies in all languages, including heritage languages and English for speakers of other languages;

set personalized language-learning goals;

reflect on & self-assess their own language learning; and

document their interactions with other cultures and any associated self-reflections.

LinguaFolio informs.Language learners;Parents of language learners;Educators of language learners at all levels; andProspective employers / business.

LinguaFolio users document their language learning by archivinglanguage samples that best reflect their current language proficiency (performance-based assessments, projects, presentations, tests, etc.);examples of their intercultural experiences;language-learning goals and self-reflections on those goals;awards, certificates and other examples of their language-learning accomplishments; andother external summative assessments (e.g., STAMP test, CAAP test, AP test, OPI, WPT, etc.).

LinguaFolio Online Portal(Coming Soon!)

LinguaFolio for Young Learners Under Revision Returning Soon!(Check www.ncssfl.org for updates.)

II. Where do LinguaFolio and LinguaFolio Online come from?

LinguaFoliois a creation of the National Council of State Supervisors of Languages, which is the national organization of language professionals charged with overseeing K-12 world language teaching and learning at the state level.

http://www.ncssfl.org

LinguaFolio OnlineLinguaFolio Online will eventually replace the first generation LinguaFolio (which was paper-based).

LF Online is being developed for the NCSSFL by CASLS, the Center for Applied Second Language Study, which is a national foreign language center housed at the University of Oregon.

The component parts of LF Online are being revised and added to the NCSSFL Web site on a regular basis. Visit regularly!

III. What does LinguaFolio do for students?

LinguaFolio promotes learner success by requiring learners toregularly evaluate their own competencies and proficiency progress;

identify and understand their strengths and weaknesses related to language learning;

know how to routinely set learning goals and benefit by reflecting on them ;

understand that greater effort equals greater achievement;

discover what strategies and techniques help them learn; and

know how and when to use a variety of these strategies.LinguaFolio promotes learner success by requiring learners to(contd.)

LinguaFolio is designed to serve as a tool for students to manage and self-assess their own language learning and intercultural competence;add value to language learning and intercultural competency by providing individuals with the means to document their performance;facilitate articulation among K-16 language programs based on a clear and commonly accepted description of language proficiency;recognize and value heritage languages;

LinguaFolio is designed to (cont.)promote language learning and intercultural growth as a life-long endeavors;promote plurilingualism & pluriculturalism;make language learning and intercultural growth more clearly understood by those other than language educators (e.g., parents, employers);enhance the mobility and marketability of students and workers; andbenchmark language learning in the U.S. with internationally accepted proficiency criteria.

IV. What are the 3 componentsof LinguaFolio?

DOSSIER

Digital text, audio, and video work samplesMP3 filesPodcasts

LANGUAGE BIOGRAPHY

Language learning background

Can-do statements

Learning goals

PASSPORT

Summarized snap shot of self- assessments

Record of external assessment results

I. The Biography includes:A self-assessment checklist, which enables students to self-assess what they know and can do with a language. This checklist must be completed before the learner fills out the other two portions of his/her LinguaFolio.Tools for identifying ones study skills and learning styles (Learning Styles Inventory);Multiple documents from which to choose for recording significant language learning and intercultural experiences; andThe learners goals and learning reflections.

Self-Assessment ChecklistWritten in the form of student-friendly Can Do statements.Checklists for Novice Low through Superior in:Interpretive ListeningInterpretive ReadingInterpersonal CommunicationPresentational SpeakingPresentational WritingChecklists can be accessed on the NCSSFL Web site at: http://www.ncssfl.org/links/index.php?self-assessments.

Novice Mid Can-Do Statements

LinguaFolio Jr. Can Dos

Classroom Self-Assessment Activity Easily With help I can identify 5 rooms in a house. __ __ I can make a chore list for my family members. __ __ I can answer questions about my room. __ __ I can write a 4-5 sentence description of my house for a realtor. __ __

The Biography includes self-inventories related to the following: History of language-learning ;Intercultural experiences;Travel, study, and/or work in other countries;Language use in programs or foreign countries;Pen pals or hosting exchange students; andReflections on important linguistic and intercultural experiences.

II. The Dossier includes.Digital text, audio, and video work samples, MP3 files and Podcasts;Certificates that indicate language skills;Reports from tutors, teachers, program directors, etc.; andAssessments.

Formative & Summative Assessment OptionsFormative Self-assessments of language competencies and intercultural experiences Work Samples Learning tasksSummative ELLOPA / SOPA STAMP / NOELLA OPI / MOPI IPAs End-of-Course Exams Performance Tasks

III. The Passport includes:1.A linguistic profile which summarizes:Formal language-learning and intercultural experiences associated with school;Informal language-learning and intercultural experiences outside of school;Summer study, academies, or camps; andContact with speakers of the language. 2.A self-assessment grid and global scale.

Passport

V. How does LinguaFolio promote goal setting and support reflective learning?

Student-Driven Cycle:1. Use / Review the I cans and the self-assessment grid.

2. Write goals based on a preview of the upcoming chapter or unit content and learners perceived strengths.

3. Visit chapter or unit and determine learning strategies for achieving goals.

4. Save goals and all completed class work in a folder, on a CD, or on a shared or portable (e.g., flash) drive.

5. End of chapter/unit: Choose BEST work for each goal.

6. Self-Assess: reflection based on BEST work and goals.

7. Revisit the I can statements in the Biography section and update as necessary.

Set learning goalsSelect strategiesProvide evidenceSelf- assessReflectiveLearningProcess

Critical Element #1: Goal SettingModel the creation of realistic /attainable learning goals for your students.Incorporate the setting and review of learning goals into your daily routine;Provide frequent opportunities for learners to set and reflect on their own goals.Make it clear that functional use of language, not grammar knowledge, is their primary goal.

Critical Element #2: Learner ReflectionLearners must connect what they already know to what they are learning;They must check frequently to see what they can and cannot do yet;They must determine which learning strategies help them learn most effectively; andThey must reflect on the effectiveness of the strategies they selected and the goals they set ;and Based on their reflections, they must set more effective goals and select better strategies for future learning.

VI. What importance does LinguaFolio place on interculturality?

Interculturality

PresentationalInterpretiveProductsPracticesPerspectivesInterpersonalCommunicationCultures

Reflecting on Interculturality Learners must be able to:Identify the multiple aspects of culture & relate them to their language learning progress;Find and successfully engage in intercultural activities;Self-assess their intercultural growth; andDescribe how their intercultural skills have changed/developed over time.

Reflecting on InterculturalityLearning FacilitatorsProvide insight into their own culture;Share their own intercultural experiences;Provide language learners with opportunities to have their own unique intercultural experiences;Demystify cultural differences; andFacilitate student reflection on their own cultural interactions.

VIII. What are the proven benefits of LinguaFolio?

The Benefits of LinguaFolio:Increases learner motivation;Heightens self-confidence;Requires active learning;Promotes learner autonomy;Requires learners to think about his/her own learning (metacognition); andAllows for smoother transitions between levels/teachers and between schools/programs.

Benefits (Continued)Increases teacher creativity;Puts a stronger focus on communication;Improves relationships and communication between teachers and students;Informs parents; andFacilitates a greater appreciation of foreign language use by local communities.

VIII. Who is using LinguaFolio?

Who is using LinguaFolio in the U.S.?Language learners/users in. elementary programs;middle school programs;secondary programs;STARTALK programs;Post-secondary programs;businesses; and.in nine pilot states (including OH) and most of the other states around the country.

Important Tips for Teachers:Model, model, model!Help students set realistic goals.Store LinguaFolio files electronically. Be sure to back up files in a separate location.Use LinguaFolio to introduce new chapters/units and later to give closure.

ResourcesNCSSFL http://www.ncssfl.org/links/index.php?linguafolio LinguaFolio Online (CASLS) http://casls.uoregon.edu/lfo.php European Language Portfolio http://www.coe.int/portfolio/

Ohio LinguaFolio Contacts:Debbie Robinson, ODE Consultantdebbie.robinson@ode.state.oh.us

Ryan Wertz, ODE Consultantryan.wertz@ode.state.oh.us

Carol Eiber, Retired LF Piloterchimena@aol.com

Parthena Dragett, Current LF Piloterphd2jc@mail.jackson.sparcc.org

*Welcome to this LinguaFolio session for language educators who want to learn about a new tool which allows language learners to self-assess and document language and cultural competencies for various uses.

Welcome & IntroGet a feel of the audience languages, levels, etc.Knowledge Level of LF: How many have heard of LF? Keep your hand up if youve heard a presentation on LF? Have you used any part of LF in your teaching? Youve used it enough and you can give examples during this presentation?Housekeeping details:Asking questions: jot down and hold them until the end of each section.

*Ive framed my presentation today using a series of essential questions related to LinguaFolio.

I believe that the answers to these questions - which we will explore in some depth during this session - will provide you with the insight and resources you need to begin using LinguaFolio in your classrooms.

- Read slide.**First, lets answer this question with the technical, or academic, answer.

- Read slide.*Since LinguaFolio is primarily a tool for use by language learners, lets take a look at a description that would be more meaningful to them.

In other words, LinguaFolio is a tool for those who are learning or have learned a language at school or outside of school where they can record and reflect on their language learning and cultural experiences.

It accompanies language learners throughout life and is suitable for documenting language competencies for a wide variety of personal, academic and career-related uses.*LinguaFolio informs language learners, parents, educators, and businesses. *LinguaFolio strives to paint a very holistic picture of what language learners know and can do. Im hard-pressed to think of any other tool or mechanism currently in existence that brings together and maintains all of the different evidential elements of language and culture learning over an extended period of time.The LinguaFolio design team is busy updating all LinguaFolio materials and building an online LinguaFolio web site which will eventually provide universal access to LinguaFolio through one, centralized portal.

For now, LinguaFolio users should access all LinguaFolio materials through the NCSSFL web site and safely store them and all samples of student work for the dossier section in a safe place, for example a district shared drive, until such time that they can be downloaded into the centralized portal. It may still be a couple of years before universal access is available to all LF users. In the current economy, funding to expand the Web site has been scarce.**A version of LinguaFolio for early language learners, called LinguaFolio, Jr., can be used as soon as their literacy skills develop.

The documents you will find in LinguaFolio, Jr., have been designed for use by students in grades 37. By 8th grades, students should be transitioning into the adult version of LinguaFolio.

Currently, LinguaFolio, Jr., is offline for further development. Check the NCSSFL Web site regularly for developments and future access to this tool for use with early language learners.

*I imagine there are probably still some questions about the nature of LinguaFolio and how it can be used to document language learning, but I think those questions will be answered if you hang with me for awhile.

Lets focus our attention quickly on LinguaFolios origins.*LinguaFolio is the creation and intellectual property of the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages, or NCSSFL.

The NCSSFL is an organization of education agency personnel from all states of the United States who provide oversight and supervision of foreign/world language education at the state level.The mission of NCSSFL is to provide leadership in facilitating and promoting policies and practices that support world-class language education in the United States.The current central clearing house for LinguaFolio and the place where the most up-to-date information and most recent revisions of LinguaFolio can be found is on the Web site of the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL).

www.ncssfl.org is the web address.**The idea for LinguaFolio came from the European Language Portfolio, which is based on the Common European Frame of Reference (a tool for determining language proficiency, much like our own ACTFL Guidelines). However, LinguaFolios design is the result of uniquely American influences.

In 1999, the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century was introduced in the United States to frame teaching and learning and to guide curriculum development. Better known as the five Cs, the National Standards laid out for the first time what student language learners should know and be able to.

The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines were created to provide common criteria that official raters and professors could use to evaluate adult language performance.

The ACTFL Performance Guidelines outline and describe for teachers of K-12 learners language performance in terms of what learners know & can do at three levels of proficiency & in three communicative language domains.Performance guidelines allow us to know how well students perform what they have learned.

LinguaFolio was created using all three of these resources, in addition to the European Language Portfolio and the Common European Frame of Reference. As a result, the LinguaFolio tool is internationally benchmarked and well-calibrated for use throughout the United States. The NCSSFL is grateful for the assistance of its partners at the University of Oregon and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Without their participation, LinguaFolio would still be little more than idea. Today, LinguaFolio is rapidly becoming the de facto common world languages assessment in the United States.

In fact, the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education at the U.S. Education Department, Andre Lewis, has expressed interest in LinguaFolio and has stated his desire to engage the NCSSFL in a dialogue regarding its use nationally.

Educators and language learners are invited to use any and all LinguaFolio resources as they become available.

However they should refrain from making their own versions of the tool. The underlying idea is to have a common, standardized tool that is easy transferable and universally recognized as being valid anywhere in the country.

**Now Id like to talk briefly about what LinguaFolio does for students, or perhaps more appropriately, what it allows students to do for themselves.* I want you to think about what made you successful as a language learner. Its easy to come up with an answer now that were language teachers, but at the time you were a beginning language student, you may not have consciously understood what worked for you and what didnt!

The standards movement has transformed the role of the teacher to one of facilitator more than that of transmitter of knowledge. Consequently learners must assume more responsibility for their learning. LF is designed to allow them to do just that!*If I had asked you to come up with a list of the general characteristics of successful learners, you probably would have produced something that looks like the list youve seen on the last two slides. The creators of LinguaFolio took great pains to ensure that current research on learner success was taken into account as they designed this tool.

By using LinguaFolio in your classroom, rather than acting as keepers and distributors of knowledge, you become your students guide, facilitating their self-discovery and providing them opportunities for language practice and self-evaluation.

*The goals of LinguaFolio here in the United States largely parallel the goals of the European Language Portfolio:

First and foremost, LinguaFolio strives to promote meta-cognition. Research has proven that students who reflect on their own learning perform substantially better than those that do not.

Research indicates that even the most reluctant language learners respond favorably when they are required to look introspectively at their own language-learning. They come to better appreciate the progress they are making, which in turn increases their motivation levels.

Articulation continues to be a very real and very troubling problem for language learners in the U.S. There are few mechanisms to help language learners and their instructors as they move from class to class, level to level, or institution to institution.

The U.S. is home to a rich linguistic and cultural diversity, one that remains largely untapped. In the past, heritage language learners felt obligated to ignore their cultural heritage and avoid using their heritage languages in order to fit in. LinguaFolio strives to undo some of the damage this mentality has caused by accentuating the value of heritage languages and cultural knowledge.* I dont need to make an argument to anyone in this room that language learning should be a life-long endeavor, but LinguaFolio strives to make this point early on with beginning language learners.

Youll notice two terms on this slide that you may or may not know: Plurilingualism implies that one uses different languages at varying levels of proficiency for specific purposes (for example, a receptionist at a hotel that caters to foreign tourists does not require the ability to analyze literature).

Pluriculturalism implies the same for ones use of ones cultural understandings.

The perceptions that many parents and employers have are often based on their own language-learning experiences during an era when language learning was very different. Imagine being able to access a students LinguaFolio during a parent-teacher conference to drive home your point about any given students progressor lack thereof!

LinguaFolio is designed to follow the language learner out of academia and into the workplace, becoming a language and interculturality skills portfolio that can be used during the college admissions process or during employment interviews.*As I mentioned at the beginning of this presentation, LinguaFolio is composed of three parts.*The Language Biography is a record of personal language learning history that helps learners evaluate their learning goals and reflect on language learning and intercultural growth. In this section there are can-do statements that help learners self-assess their language competencies and how well they can interact in authentic cultural contexts. This section is also designed to help learners set realistic learning goals and reflect on how they learn. This is the part that is the most important in a formative assessment process; the information that teachers draw from their students biographies will help guide their instructional decisions.

The Language Dossier is a collection of certificates and digital work samples chosen by the language learner to document and demonstrate language skills, experiences, and achievements to others. Digital text, audio and video work samples are all ideal for inclusion in LinguaFolio.

The Language Passport provides a snapshot, or overview, of what a learner can do with language because it summarizes the self-assessments from the Language Biography and provides validation for results from formal external assessments. It is a record of formal qualifications, certificates or diplomas, along with self-assessments that serve as a summary of experiences and competency with different languages that can be updated frequently. The Passport is an official document that can be shown when students transfer from school to school, level to level, teacher to teacher or to prospective employers for professional purposes. The LinguaFolio Passport belongs to the learner but is intended for use by outside audiences.*Before completing any other part of the LinguaFolio, the NCSSFL recommends that language learners first complete the self-assessment checklist and the learning styles inventory in order to establish a personal baseline:the Self-Assessment Checklist, composed of the Can Do statements is the LinguaFolio element which enables learners to document their foreign language accomplishments methodically in terms of language proficiency in the three modes of communication.b.the Learning Styles Inventory is a How Do You Learn? section contained in the Biography section which allows learners to contemplate and record their personal learning style (or styles) and better understand the learning strategies and techniques which are most beneficial to them.*Lets consider the progress indicators of the national standards or the benchmarks and indicators of our own Ohio FL Content Standards.

These are used to measure students progress against program goals, where the term program has typically meant a three to five year sequence of language learning.

The Self-Assessment Checklist, or the Can Do statements as they are more commonly called, provides us with a mechanism to break them down into useful, student-friendly descriptions of learning. By asking students to frequently revisit the Can-Do statements to show what more they know and can do, teachers can help their students to document their progress toward broader programmatic goals.*Here you see Can Do descriptions for older learners, such as high school students. These can be found on the NCSSFL Web site.

These are descriptions of what learners can do at the Novice Mid level on the ACTFL scale.

Notice here that learners mark if they can do the task easily or if it is one of their goals -- all positive, motivating language.

When you have a chance, take a look at all of the Can-Do self-assessment checklists and see to what extent you think your own students could use them.

Even these positive descriptors are sometimes difficult and overwhelming for students who are neither accustomed to self-assessment nor to thinking about what they can do with language. This is why it is so important -- even before you begin to use LinguaFolio -- to start embedding short self-assessments into your everyday teaching.*Why do students approach us and ask what grade theyll be getting? Why dont they know?!

It may be easy for us to evaluate their proficiency, but before students can accurately self-assess their own language competencies, they have to learn to realistically understand what they can do with language. Self-assessment has to be learned and practiced.

The photos on the screen are from the Teachers Guide to the LinguaFolio Junior for young learners. The image on the left shows Can-do statements for students in grades 3-5 to circle. Teachers can ask their students to use a tool such as this page of the Language Biography at the beginning of a new school year, mid way through the year, and again at the end. Its important that students realize that learning is a cyclical process - once they have been exposed to a new concept doesnt mean that they can immediately apply that learning with proficiency without repeated practice.

The image on the right, for students in grades 5-7, provides boxes for students to write in the dates of when they can do certain things. After winter or summer break, or even a week after they learned something, students may not be able to demonstrate that learning. This ongoing / repeated check will make it clear that language learning is a process that requires continual use of what we learn and opportunities to put this learning to use. It ends up being a motivating factor for the student, and also an accountability factor for the teacher who is then challenged to provide more language production opportunities.*As I said a moment ago, self-assessment is something that must be learned and practiced. I strongly suggest that you embed self-assessments into your daily lessons whenever it makes sense to do so.

One example of an embedded activity that builds familiarity with the self-assessment process and fosters self-assessment skills for learners is the easy incorporation of three or four can-do statements at the end of a lesson. On the slide is such an example.

Always start with the easiest task and build in complexity. Students can use it as a review sheet or start out the next class session by showing what they can do with a peer. They can do this type of an activity individually during a quiet time in class, as a peer-assessment, or as an exit slip at the end of class.**Teachers can help learners to select any or all of these biography elements to record evidence of their language learning and to build the best biography to show their language learning experiences.

These tools are currently being updated. Students will soon be able to download and save the documents and type right into them.*The second component of LinguaFolio is the Dossier section.

The Dossier is the learners own personal warehouse or safety deposit box. The valuables that are stored there are the very best examples of the learners work which highlight his or her abilities and experiences.

Ideally, everything in the Dossier will be stored electronically. Certificates, for example, can be scanned and stored as PDF files. Of course, learners will want to back up these storage files in more than one place!*To provide a comprehensive view of what students can do with language, they need to provide both their formative and summative assessment results.

Formative assessments are on-going, continuous snapshots of knowledge and skills used for the multiple purposes of monitoring progress, providing student feedback, modifying curriculum and adjusting plans for new classroom learning experiences. They comprise many of the ordinary learning tasks students do on a routine basis, such as participate in dialogues, role play, write short descriptions, interpret messages, etc.

A Summative Assessment is a check of what has been learned at the end of a lesson, unit, or class/course. Based on a cumulative learning experience, summative assessment is testing for achievement and/or mastery, and depending on age and level, can take the form of performance tasks, oral interviews, written reports, projects or external exams.

In general, the student will want to choose more summative assessments to include in his or her LinguaFolio than formative assessments. An integrated performance assessment at the end of a unit of study is much more tell-tale about what a students knows and can do with the language then a formative vocabulary quiz (which only proves that the students can regurgitate a memorized list of words). The learner should always demonstrate what he or she can do with that vocabulary in real life contexts!

ELLOPA- Early Language Listening and Oral Proficiency Assessment (younger students K-2)SOPA- Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (younger students 3-8)STAMP- Standard-based Measurement of Proficiency online speaking, reading and writing assessment.NOELLA National Online Early Language Learning Assessment OPI- Oral Proficiency Interview / MOPI- Modified Oral Proficiency Interview (for lower levels of lang.)IPAs Integrated Performance Assessments / End-of-Course Exams AP Exams

Several school districts and some entire states are using some of these formal assessments and recording them officially on the LinguaFolio, thus validating learners self-assessments*The third component of Lingua Folio, the Language Passport, is like an actual passport. It is an official record which includes: certificates and diplomas, a learner self-assessment of his or her language proficiency; teacher & tutor reports; and a summary of experiences and ability with different languages.

The Passport section should be updated regularly. It is this snap shot section that should be shared as a public document anytime a student changes teachers or schools, applies for college, or interviews for a job.*Here is an example of the old paper version of the Passport for language-learners who are high school-aged.

Notice how this document placed importance on ALL languages the student knows, including heritage languages.

There was a place for the learner to summarize his or her language and intercultural experiences as well as a place to summarize any major assessments completed or any recognition that he or she had received.

There was also a place for the learners to record and update his or her current proficiency level in the various languages that he or she knows:Once a learner is able to successfully demonstrate 80% of the can-do statements on a particular level of the self-assessment checklist in the biography, he would then consult the self-assessment grid, also located in the passport section. If the learner felt confident that he also meets the criteria shown for that particular level, then he would fill in the corresponding level on the passport summary page.*

All of these same items and functions are present in the online version of the Passport, which summarizes biographical information, external assessment scores (which are not visible on this slide) and learner self-evaluation. The chart on the right side reflects a learners self evaluation.

Note that, as students complete Can-Do questions in the biography section, there is an interface with the language self-assessment section of the Passport section, and the learners self-evaluation chart fills in accordingly.

As you can see, LinguaFolio is evolving.A copy of the Self-Assessment Grid is attached to the back of your handout.

Notice how the grid is written in relatively kid-friendly language.

Also notice how it incorporates all three modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal and presentational) as well as descriptors based on the ACTFL proficiency guidelines.***Student goal-setting and reflection creates a cycle of learning that involves several basic steps: identifying what it is that you want to learn; reflecting on how to learn it, given your strengths and learning styles; learning the material in the ways that youve identified as being best for you; assessing what you know and can do; reflecting on the effectiveness of the learning strategies you employed; and then setting new goals.

Be careful that the Dossier does not become a collection of evidence with no reflection.

For example, have students keep track of time spent on language learning outside of class and correlate this investment of time to good pieces of evidence. Make sure learners recognize the benefits of their effort and experiences outside of class. We cant ever talk too much about effort.*This is a simple graphic representation of the process of the reflective learning process I just described. It is a continuous cycle that should be built into the day-to-day routines and learning activities that occur in your classroom.

**When learners know how to think about their learning, they are more capable of setting goals and taking charge of their learning, but this, too, is a learned skill.

The best place to start is for us as teachers to model setting goals. Identifying the learning goals for the day, either orally or on the board, lets students know from the beginning the purpose of their engagement and a reason for their efforts. Today well learn how to Remember to focus on function not form when you set class goals!

Students can set their own short term goals, such as:I still have trouble with so I will need to work onThe next step for me in the writing process is to I want to learn more about *Again, be sure to model what good reflection looks and sounds like to your students.

And dont settle for simple descriptors like That was interesting. or That was boring. Instead, insist on That was interesting because and That was boring because

Based on their reflections, they may need or want to adjust their goals.***By definition, interculturality refers to the authentic use of language, including non-verbal communication, within cultural contexts in a way that demonstrates ones knowledge of and sensitivity to the target culture.

This graphic organizer demonstrates how closely language and culture are linked. The tie is so strong that language and culture should never be taught separately.

The language reflects the culture, and the culture reflects the language. In order for the student to get the full experience of the culture, it must be through the language.

Culture is not an academic exercise. If students are to learn how to interact successfully with people from other cultures, then it is critical for them to gain firsthand experience with those cultures. For this reason, it is absolutely essential that todays language teachers frame language learning within real-life contexts at all times. Grammar-based instruction does little to help prepare students to use language in real life contexts.

Intercultural experiences provide the most meaningful opportunities for developing capacity in a language.

Learners need to know how to recognize, document, and process these experiences. They also need to understand intercultural experiences are an integral and much-needed part of language learning. **By nature, younger language learners are not reflective in nature. With most young people its full steam ahead and dont look back!

Instructors must take a little bit of time, especially with beginning learners, to talk about the different aspects of culture and their direct ties to language learning.

Instructors should also model for students what intercultural reflection looks like. Dont expect your students to immediately begin sharing profound cultural insights and tying them to their progress in learning a language without having dissected some good examples first!

Over time, students need to learn to seek out and embrace cultural differences as a primary way to make progress in their language learning. When you consider the nature of young language learners, say middle school or high school learners who are greatly preoccupied with blending in and being the same as their peers, you begin to better understand the challenges inherent in this type of reflection.

*Intercultural experiences involve direct interaction with another culture and the subsequent reflection that takes place afterwards. Because it is relatively impossible to reflect during an intercultural learning event, the language classroom becomes the primary place where students can reflect on their cultural interactions with the assistance of their teachers.

If learners are going to be held responsible to recognize and deconstruct intercultural experiences, then we, as their teachers, must prepare them to undertake this reflection and give them plenty of opportunities to practice.

Modeling is the first step. In the target language, teachers can share their own interactions with speakers of the target language. You might talk about how, during a phone call you reacted to a native speaker not understanding exactly what you meant. Express your own vulnerability to someone correcting your language or having your biases or stereotypes exposed in an uncomfortable manner so that your students know that its normal to experience similar feelings. Explain how understanding and learning from our cultural faux pas is not only natural but necessary!

Share with your students how you seek out intercultural experiences, by going to a foreign language at the local arts theater, reading something online, attending a conference session, volunteering someplace where those being served predominantly use the target language or making an effort to travel abroad whenever time and money allow.

To build their intercultural skills, teachers have to be willing to sacrifice some time from what are considered normal activities. Understanding culture and language is not easy; its a process over time. Teachers need to guide students in thinking about their reactions and biases. To not make this time relegates us right back to the same old same old way of teaching culture in isolated bits and pieces whenever theres a spare minute or two to fit it in. We all know this to be a poor way for language learners to gain intercultural understanding. Often it ends up reinforcing a stereotype, rather than demystifying it.Heres an example of one of two tools students can elect to use to document an intercultural experience theyve had. *Here is another tool that students might choose to record an intercultural encounter. Please note that neither tool overtly asks the students What did you learn? Students often dont exactly know or understand what theyve learned from a particular cultural encounter until some time later.

A periodic review of cultural moments and encounters might well result in some significant Ah ha! moments for studentseven well after a cultural encounter has taken place. ***Research coming out of the Council of Europe on their European Language Portfolio and more recently out of the University of Nebraska on LinguaFolio shows the following:

Read slides.*With so many clear cut benefits, you might ask why is LinguaFolio not being required by the state for all language learners? How I wish it were that easy!

Although world languages are considered part of the Ohio Core curriculum, Ohio law does not mandate a common assessment for our subject. Instead, as a local control state, schools and districts decide how best to asses and monitor students progress.

We are depending on all of you to take LinguaFolio back to your districts, share word with your colleagues and curriculum folks about how the use of this tool is becoming widespread and is gaining attention at the national level, weigh its merits, and implement it in your classrooms with your own students.**Based on the use of LinguaFolio in pilot programs around the country with students of all ages, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds, we have seen that in the United States learners of any world language, including English, can benefit from using LinguaFolio.

Particularly, the particularly positive results of a long-term longitudinal study of LinguaFolio conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska Lincoln have clarified the numerous positive benefits of LinguaFolio use as well as its validity and reliability as a formative assessment tool.

For the past five years, Ohio has been one of nine states to pilot LinguaFolio.

Over the past two summers, the National Security Language Initiatives intensive summer STARTALK programs incorporated the use of LinguaFolio as a means of assessing learner progress and piloted the prototype of the online version of LinguaFolio. This summers STARTALK programs will again use the online version.

Most recently, during the current 2008-2009 school year, the state of Utah has joined the piloting effort. They are conducting the first statewide pilot of LinguaFolio Online.* Fill out your own passport, biography and dossier if possible and share them with your students. Again, I cant stress the importance of modeling the use of LinguaFolio for your students.

Based on their current level of proficiency, help learners to craft short-term learning goals based on the chapter or unit they will be studying and long-term proficiency goals, and make sure those goals are attainable!

Although its not recommended, if your students maintain actual paper portfolios and you let them take them home, they may never come back. Kids lose things! Store portfolios in the classroom or even better, store everything electronically and save a tree!

Once LinguaFolio becomes available online for everyone, it will be much easier for students to store their goals, reflections and evidence. If you have your students begin to use LinguaFolio via electronic means now, it will also be much easier to transfer students information and documentation to an online clearinghouse once it is up and available to everyone.*Here are Web sites for different resources related to LinguaFolio.

Because LinguaFolio is a NCSSFL project, check that Web site periodically for news and updated materials and resources.

*If you have further questions about LinguaFolio, here are the people to contact in Ohio.

Best wishes to you and your students if you decide to integrate LinguaFolio into your classes. Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going!