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EQUIPO DIDÁCTICO ACADEMIA 21 INGLÉS SECUNDARIA
TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 1 de 22
TOPIC 3. EUROPEAN DIMENSION IN EDUCATION. The development of Languages
from European Programmes. The Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages: Learning, Teaching and Assessment. The European studies on Assessing
Linguistic Competence. The European Portfolio of Languages.
ABSTRACT ____________________________________________________________ 2
1. THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION IN EDUCATION ______________________________ 2
1.1. The European Union. _____________________________________________________ 2
1.2. European Union and Education _____________________________________________ 4
1.3 Common Foreign Language Policies __________________________________________ 5
1.4 The European Dimension in the Spanish Curriculum ____________________________ 6
2. EUROPEAN ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION: EUROPEAN PROGRAMMES 7
1.Socrates __________________________________________________________________ 7
2.Leonardo da Vinci __________________________________________________________ 8
3.Tempus ___________________________________________________________________ 8
4.Erasmus Mundus ___________________________________________________________ 8
5.The new lifelong learning programme __________________________________________ 9
6.Other programmes in the education field. ______________________________________ 9
3. THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE ___________________ 11
4. EUROPEAN STUDIES ON THE EVALUATION OF LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE______ 14
5. THE EUROPEAN PORTFOLIO OF LANGUAGES (ELP) ________________________ 17
CONCLUSION ________________________________________________________ 20
BIBLIOGRAPHY _______________________________________________________ 21
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EQUIPO DIDÁCTICO ACADEMIA 21 INGLÉS SECUNDARIA
TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 2 de 22
ABSTRACT
This topic focuses on the issue of European dimension in education. The European
dimension is at present understood as one of the qualities of modern education in
Europe and the educational process in our country nourishes from this European
background. Therefore, We will first try to understand what we mean by the notion of
European dimension in education. Next, we will see how the idea of this European
dimension is put into effect by a number of practical activities and programmes
regarding exchanges of students and teachers, school partnerships, foreign language
learning etc.). We will later on consider the main document where all the principles in
European language learning are applied, the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFRL) to end up with how to assess the language learning
process through the Portfolio.
1. THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION IN EDUCATION
“Sooner or later the Europeans will have to perceive Europe as their homeland, though
of a special kind. Or as a common homeland of their homelands.”
V. Havel
In literature the European dimension is understood as “a principle present in
education system enhancing understanding of wider European context and
educational perspectives , opening horizons of global thinking and intercultural
understanding”. As R. Seebauer mentions (2002), the European dimension includes
both a dimension of cognition (knowledge of Europe) and a dimension of affection
(relationship, attitude, experience and Europe), which makes it necessary to define the
European dimension in a wider sense. We will start by considering the evolution of the
European Union.
1.1. The European Union.
The concept of a common Europe arose after the Second World War. A series of
European leaders including Konrad Adenauer, Winston Churchill, Alcide de Gasperi o
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EQUIPO DIDÁCTICO ACADEMIA 21 INGLÉS SECUNDARIA
TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 3 de 22
Robert Schuman claim for the need of a new era which guarantees European citizens a
series of common duties and rights. In 1950, French Minister Schuman, announced a
coming supranational union for Europe that saw light as the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC) and other such Communities within a Union framework of common
law and democracy, which became a reality under the Treaty of Paris in 1951, with
Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands as member
countries. The sphere of interests and members enlarged after the Treaty of Rome in
1957, creating the European Economic Community (EEC). New members such as
Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined the group in 1973. Spain, Greece
and Portugal followed in 1986 with the signing of the Single European Act . Under The
Treaty of Maastricht, in 1992 the European Union as we understand it today was
embodied, paying attention to roles such as education and research and giving rise to
the monetary union. From that moment other European countries have been joining
the Union, first, Northern European countries (1995) and later on Easter European
Countries until a total 27 members up to now.The latest changes were taken at the
Lisbon Treaty in 2009, which changed the legal structure of the Union. We sum it up as
follows:
Year-Event State Members (27)
1951. Treaty of Paris
(ECSC) Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and
the Netherlands1957- Treaty of Rome
(EEC)
1973
(EEC)
Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom
1986-Single European Act
(EEC)
Spain, Portugal, Greece
1992 Maastricht Treaty
(EU)
All the above mentioned
1995 (EU) Austria, Finland, Sweden
2004-2010
Lisbon Treaty (2009) (EU)
Cyprus, Latvia Lithuania ,Slovakia
Slovenia, Hungary, Malta, Polland, Czec Republic,Estonia, Bulgraria, Romania
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 4 de 22
The EU operates through a system of independent institutions and
intergovernmentally made decisions negotiated by the member states on different
policies. Important institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the
Council of the European Union, the European Council, the Court of Justice of the
European Union, the European Central Bank and The European Parliament
1.2. European Union and Education
At the beginning of this European process, educational policies were not included as
part of the aims. The Treaty of Rome did not make any extensive reference to
education. It simply called in Article 3 for the Member States to make a contribution to
quality education and training. However, it was in 1971, through the Janne report “For
a Common Policy on Education”, when the state members agreed to set a common
cooperation base in the field of Education, considering it as continuous “life-learning”
process to allow citizens develop their skills in all circumstances, from compulsory
education to labour market and adult life. Later on, in The Treaty of Maastricht , the
legal basis for the Educational and Vocational Training Programmes were established
under Articles 3, 140, 146, 149 and 150 of the EC Treaty. Among other things,
education became subject to codecision.
According to the principle of subsidiarity, each Member State has full responsibility for
the organisation and content of its education and vocational training systems.
The Lisbon Treaty does not bring any significant changes in the field of education and
vocational training policy. The Union’s role in these areas is specified as follows: ‘The
Union shall have competence to carry out actions to support, coordinate or
supplement the actions of the Member States’ (Article 6 TFEU).
The latest agreement on the field of education was reached in February 2011 through
the Education and Training 2020, a new strategic framework for European
cooperation which provides common strategic objectives for Member States, including
principles for achieving these objectives and common working methods with priority
areas which include:
-Making Lifelong learning and mobility a reality.
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 5 de 22
-Improving the quality and efficiency of education and training, so that all
citizens acquire key competences in all levels of education.
- Enhancing creativity and innovation at all levels of education.
Common Educational Goals:
In general terms, the main aim of the EU is to contribute to the development of
quality education by encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if
necessary, by supporting and supplementing their action.
In order to achieve the Lisbon Strategy objective of making the Union the most
competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, Heads of States and
Government stated in 2000 that 'not only a radical transformation of the European
economy, but also a challenging programme for the modernisation of education
systems' was needed.
As a consequence, the Council and Commission adopted a 10-year work programme,
Education and Training 2010. Its objectives included:
1) Improving the quality of education and training systems
2) Facilitating access to education and training for all
Since the adoption of the work programme, experts from 31 European countries,
international organisations and EU institutions have been meeting regularly in working
groups to support the implementation of the objectives at national level through
exchange of good practice, study visits, peer reviews, etc.
1.3 Common Foreign Language PoliciesAs apparent from the above, foreign languages play a key role in the issue of European
dimension. Foreign language learning is at the moment accompanied by a number of
slogans such as: Europe of languages, language diversity, bilingualism, multilingualism,
plurilingualism etc. Educational politics also stresses the importance of foreign
language teaching. The conception of foreign language teaching in our country is
undergoing substantial changes. The idea that every European should master his/her
mother tongue and two more languages of EU raises an issue how to achieve this aim,
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 6 de 22
and it has been the European Union the institution which has led this process. In
contemporary foreign language teaching there is a trend to foster communicative
competence and try to adapt the use of new technologies and new markets to the
language learning process. The trend is to include intercultural dimension (life and
institutions, history, social and political life, culture, arts, traditions) and media skills
(internet, text handling skills). At the level of particular innovations in foreign language
teaching there are also represented the following concepts and topics: early foreign
language teaching, CLIL (Content and Learning Integrated Learning – i.e. non-language
subjects taught in a foreign language – e.g. geography taught in English), European
language portfolio, European language passport etc.
1.4 The European Dimension in the Spanish Curriculum
The 2006 Ley Orgánica de Educación, LOE (Act on Education) states in the preamble
that one of the principles which inspire the law is the commitment to achieve the
educational objectives set out by the European Union for the education and training
systems of its Member States. This requires learning foreign languages, increasing
mobility and exchanges and strengthening European cooperation.
On the other hand, the LOE curricular design has been structured taking into account
the eight basic competences identified by the European Union. Besides, the national
core curriculum developed after the law was passed has taken specifically into account
the European and international dimension of education. The area of Foreign
Languages is also essential for the advance of the international and European
dimension of education. As it is highlighted in the curriculum for this stage, it is
necessary to prepare students to live in a progressively international, multicultural
and multilingual world, provided that improvements in mass media and the evolution
of information technology have created the conditions for an unprecedented
development in international relationships.
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 7 de 22
2. EUROPEAN ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION: EUROPEAN
PROGRAMMES
European cooperation in education through plans and activities has had only a short
history. At the beginning of the fifties last century, measures were being prepared to
support this cooperation financially. The process of European cooperation in education
took its final form in a resolution from 1986, when COMETT and ERASMUS were the
first programmes implemented with a financial effect. Since then educational
establishments of member states and partly of candidate states have been getting
involved in various programmes and schemes of EU and have been taking part in many
thematic initiatives. All programmes are based on three main priorities:
1) To promote cross-border mobility of learners and teachers
2) To promote European cooperation between educational establishments
3) To improve the quality of education and vocational training.
The following programmes and initiatives have been adopted.
1.SocratesThe main aim of this programme is to promote the European dimension in education
and to improve the quality of education through cooperation among the members.
This programme was launched in 1995 and consisted of eight actions.
Action 1, Comenius (from pre-school to secondary education), sought to
improve the quality and the European dimension of school education, in
particular by encouraging transnational cooperation between schools.
Action 2, Erasmus (higher education), encouraged transnational cooperation
between universities and mobility of university students and teachers.
Action 3, Grundtvig (adult education and other educational pathways), sought
to encourage the European dimension of lifelong learning.
Action 4, Lingua (language teaching and learning), promoted cooperation in
developing innovative materials for use in language teaching and supported
projects which encourage language learning.
Action 5, Minerva (open and distance learning, information and
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 8 de 22
communication technologies in education), supported transversal measures
relating to open and distance learning.
Actions 6, 7 and 8 were innovations and experimental programmes entitled
‘Observation and innovation’, ‘Joint Actions with other EU programmes’ and
‘Accompanying Measures’.
The Socrates programme was a great success, with the result that a second phase was
agreed. For the period post-2007, most of the actions were incorporated into the new
Lifelong Learning Programme. Erasmus proved particularly popular: to date, it has
enabled more than 1.5 million students to spend a study period abroad, with 31
European countries participating in this programme.
2.Leonardo da VinciThe European dimension of vocational training was promoted by the Leonardo da
Vinci programme, which was first established in 1994. The programme promoted
transnational mobility, placement and exchange projects, study visits, pilot projects,
transnational networks, language skills and cultural awareness and the dissemination
of good practice.
3.TempusThe first Tempus programme was adopted by the Council in May 1990 after the fall of
the Berlin Wall. Tempus is a trans-European cooperation scheme involving higher
education establishments in the EU and in partner countries in Eastern Europe, the
Western Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. The programme
encourages cooperation projects in the areas of curriculum development and
modernisation, teacher training, university management, and structural reforms inhigher education. It puts special emphasis on the mobility of academic and
administrative staff. Tempus is now in its fourth phase and covers 27 countries.
4.Erasmus MundusIt was established in July 2003 to promote cooperation with third countries in higher
education (Decision No 2317/2003/EC). The scheme provides financial assistance for
the creation of EU masters courses involving at least three higher education
institutions from three different Member States, and leading to the awarding of recognised double, multiple or joint degrees, offers scholarships for students and
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 9 de 22
scholars from third countries and supports partnerships between EU and third-country
higher education institutions.
5.The new lifelong learning programme
Lifelong learning has become the guiding principle for the further development of
education and training policy. The goal is to provide people of all ages with equal and
access to high-quality learning opportunities and to break down barriers between
different forms of learning.
An important step in this process was the launch in May 2007 of the new ' integrated
action programme in the field of lifelong learning' under which financial support for
the European education and training sector will be provided for the period 2007-2013.
The programme will comprise four sub-programmes which, in the main, formed part of
the Socrates programme: Comenius (school education); Erasmus (higher education
and training); Leonardo da Vinci (vocational education and training); and Grundtvig
(adult education). It also incorporates a 'transversal' programme covering four key
activities (policy cooperation, the promotion of language learning, e-learning and the
dissemination of best practice). The final aspect is the Jean Monnet programme,
supporting activities in the field of European integration and institutions and
associations carrying out such work.
The challenges currently on the agenda are to improve adult education and define the
basic skills to be provided through lifelong learning in order to meet the demands of
the labour market for a highly skilled workforce. The recommendation of the European
Parliament and of the Council on key competences for lifelong learning (2006/962/EC
of 18 December 2006) establishes a European framework covering eight key
competences, including communication in a person's mother tongue, communication
in foreign languages, competence in mathematics and science, IT skills and learning
skills.
6.Other programmes in the education field. Cooperation with third countries. The EU is to foster cooperation with third
countries in the fields of education and vocational training. EU activities in these fields
have been steadily increasing and, in addition to above-mentioned programmes,
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 10 de 22
include programmes such as USA-EU, Canada-EU, ALFA and ALßAN (for Latin American
countries), ASIA Link (for several countries in Asia), and pilot programmes with
Australia and Japan.
We can finally mention other EU initiatives linked with the field of education:
Quality education at all levels is a high priority for all EU Member States. Much
importance is attached to this, particularly for achieving the Lisbon objectives.
The Bologna Declaration on the European dimension in higher education in 1999,
marks a turning-point in the development of European higher education. The so-called
'Bologna process', is aimed at establishing throughout Europe a three-stage system of
degree level studies (bachelor, masters and doctorate), introducing a system of credits,
encouraging mobility and promoting European cooperation in the area of quality
assurance.
Recognition of qualifications To promote mobility within the EU, several
directives have been adopted guaranteeing mutual recognition of professional
qualifications between Member States. As regards the recognition of periods of study
undertaken abroad, university students currently benefit from the European Credit
Transfer System (ECTS). Europass was set up by Decision with the aim of improving
transparency of qualifications and skills. It offers Europe’s citizens the opportunity to
present their skills using harmonised documents.
e-Learning. The Commission has adopted the ‘eLearning’ initiative to adapt the
Member States' education and training systems to the latest developments in this
field. In 2003 an eLearning Programme was introduced with the aim of effectively
integrating information and communication technologies into education and training
systems in Europe. The four areas of action of the programme are: promoting digital
literacy, European virtual campuses, e-twinning of schools in Europe, promoting
further teacher training and transversal actions for the promotion of e-learning in
Europe.
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 11 de 22
3. THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE
If we work within the field of language learning within the European Union we must
start by considering the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages:
Learning, Teaching, Assessment . It is the result of more than ten years if research on
the field of language learning carried out by a wide number of researchers and
specialists and includes the latest findings in language teaching and learning
concentrated mainly on those three key words: Learning, Teaching and Assessment.
Abbreviated as CEFRL, it has become a key reference document and valuable tool for
educational and professional mobility. It is increasingly used in the reform of national
curricula including in Spanish Educational regulations and applied into the Plan de
Fomento del Plurilinguismo It provides current insights in teaching and learning and
illustrations of levels of proficiency (descriptors) to be applied in all EU and a system of
validation of language competences, among other things of interest.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) provides a
common basis for language learning and 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 CEFR defines language learning as:
“the actions performed by persons who develop a range of competences, both general and in
particular communicative language competences. They draw on the competences to engage in
language activities involving language processes to produce and/or receive texts, activating
those strategies which seem most appropriate for carrying out the tasks to be accomplished.”
It reinforces and introduces key elements in current foreign language learning
including:
Competences are the sum of knowledge and skills that allow a person to
perform actions. There are two types of competences:
1) General competences , which intervene when performing actions of all kinds.
2) Communicative language competences empower a person to act usin
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 12 de 22
linguistic means.
Language activities involve the exercise of one’s communicative language
competence in a specific domain in processing either receptively or productively. They
involve reception (listening, reading), production (speaking, writing) and interaction
(e.g. listening-speaking; reading-writing).
Learning to communicate and language practice involve the performance of
language tasks. When performing these tasks, the use of strategies is needed.
Language tasks involve the reception, production, interaction or mediation of oral or
written texts. Among the set of principles stated in the CEFRL we can include:
To equip all Europeans for the challenges of intensified international mobility
and closer co-operation in education, culture and science, trade and industry.
To promote mutual understanding and tolerance, respect for identities and
cultural diversity through more effective international communication.
To maintain and further develop the richness and diversity of European
cultural life through greater mutual knowledge of national and regional
languages.
To meet the needs of a multilingual and multicultural Europe by appreciably
developing the ability of Europeans to communicate with each other across
linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Recent Recommendations of the Council declare the need for a multilingual,
multicultural Europe which can only be achieved by improving the communication
skills of European citizens.
It is made up of nine chapters, each focusing on a specific matter.
Chapter 1 defines the aims, goals and functions of the CEFRL according to the
main principles stated by the Council of Europe concerning languages and the
promotion of multilingualism.
Chapter 2 explains the approach which has been taken. It focuses on the
analysis of the language according to strategies to achieve communicative
competence.
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 13 de 22
Chapter 3 introduces the common levels of reference, through the use of
descriptors.
Chapter 4 establishes the categories needed to describe language use and the
user or learner including, the context of the language, the themes, tasks and
communicative goals; communicative activities and processes and the text.
Chapter 5 makes a detailed account of competences of the user or learner in
general and communicative competences in particular through the use of
scales.
Chapter 6 studies the Foreign language teaching and learning processes and the
development of plurilingual competence.
Chapter 7 concentrates on tasks as linked with language learning.
Chapter 8 analyses plurilingualism, pluriculturalism, curricular design principles,
long life learning and partial competences. It deals with the Portfolio.
Chapter 9 deals with evaluation criteria covering all types of assessment:
continuous, formative, direct, indirect, subjective, objective, global, by
categories…
It also includes four appendixes with descriptors to assess the learning process
considering competences, the roles of the user, self-evaluation, etc.
The bibliography includes a vast amount of books, articles and websites to be used by
those who want to do some further research on any topic linked with these fields.
The Common European Framework for Languages (2001) establishes six broad levels
of proficiency (2001:23):
A1 (Breakthrough): introductory level
A2 (Waystage): preintermediate level
B1 (Threshold ): intermediate level
B2 (Vantage): adequate response to situations normally
encountered
C1 (Effective proficiency ): advanced level
C2 (Mastery ): level achieved by language professionals
We will deal with these levels of proficiency in further detail in next chapter.
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Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
Página 14 de 22
4. EUROPEAN STUDIES ON THE EVALUATION OF LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE
One of the aims of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is to
help partners to describe the levels of proficiency required by existing standards, tests
and examinations in order to facilitate For this purpose the Descriptive Scheme and
the Common Reference Levels have been developed.
Students can be assessed about their abilities in these competences through many
different kinds of descriptions. e.g. descriptions of language proficiency, descriptions
of learning objectives, descriptions of learning strategies as well as descriptions of
language learning and intercultural experiences.
It is important to distinguish between four fundamentally different types of
descriptions:
1) Scaled descriptions, i.e. descriptors which belong to a common scale. Examples of
such descriptors are: the descriptors in the Self-assessment grid, the Global scale, and
the Illustrative scales contained in chapters 4 and 5 of the Common European
Framework .
2) Descriptors of language proficiency and language competence that can clearly be
related to scaled descriptors and which allow for comparisons between learner
competences, examination levels etc and the Common reference levels; the
descriptors in the Bank of descriptors for self-assessment in European Language
Portfolios belong to this type
3) Descriptors of language proficiency and language competence not found in the CEF
that may indicate a certain level of competence for a learner belonging to a specific
target group learning and acting in a specific context. Such descriptors may be context
and target group-specific and possibly also achievement-oriented (depending on things
actually learned as part of a syllabus).
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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4) Descriptions which are not scaled (or have not yet been scaled) and descriptions
that cannot be related to language proficiency and language competence levels
because they belong in a different, independent category: lists of learning strategies
or descriptions of cultural or intercultural experiences belong to this group.
Scaled descriptors are provided for aspects of linguistic competence, pragmatic
competence, and for sociolinguistic competence. Certain aspects of competence do
not seem to be amenable to definition at all levels; distinctions have been made where
they have been shown to be meaningful.
The six levels mentioned in section 3 can be classified according to the users.
A B C
Basic User Independent User Proficient User
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
We will now see each of them in further detail:
Level A1 (Breakthrough): is probably the lowest ‘level’ of generative language
proficiency. Before this stage is reached, however, there may be a range of
specific tasks which learners can perform effectively using a very restricted
range of language and which are relevant to the needs of the learnersconcerned, including: gesture, basic greetings, yes, no, apologies and simple
messages.
Students with Level A1 can:
Interact in a simple way
Ask and answer simple questions about themselves and their
environment.
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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Respond to simple statements on very familiar topics or
immediate need.
Level A2 (Waystage): It is in this level that the majority of descriptors stating
social functions are found, including:
Use simple everyday polite forms of greeting and address.
Greet people.
Handle very short social exchanges.
Ask and answer questions about the free time.
Make arrangements to meet
Make and accept offers
Descriptors on getting out and about: transactions in shops, get
simple information about travel, directions, provide goods and
services.
Level B1 reflects the Threshold Level specification for a visitor to a foreign
country and is perhaps most categorised by two features:
1) The ability to maintain interaction and get across what you want to,
in a range of contexts, for example: Give or seek personal views and
opinions; express the main point he/she wants to make comprehensibly;
maintain a conversation or discussion
2)The second feature is the ability to cope with problems in everyday
life, for example routine situations on public transport; deal with making travel
arrangements, make a complaint; take some initiatives in an
interview/consultation (e.g. to bring up a new subject).
Level C1. Effective Operational Proficiency. What characterises this level is
good access to a broad range of language, which allows fluent, spontaneous
communication, as illustrated by the following examples: Can express him/herself
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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fluently and spontaneously, Has a good command of a broad lexical repertoire,
produce clear , smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of
organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Level C2, whilst it has been termed ‘Mastery’, it is not intended to imply native-
speaker or near native-speaker competence. What is intended is to
characterise the degree of precision, appropriateness and ease with the
language which typifies the speech of those who have been highly successful
learners. Descriptors calibrated here include: has a good command of idiomatic
expressions and colloquialisms with awareness of connotative level of meaning;
backtrack and restructure around a difficulty so smoothly the interlocutor is
hardly aware of it.
Each level should be taken to subsume the levels below it on the scale. That is to
say,someone at B1 (Threshold) is considered also to be able to do whatever is stated at
A2 (Waystage).
Assessment is used in the sense of the assessment of the proficiency of the language
user. All language tests are a form of assessment, but there are also many forms of
assessment (e.g. checklists used in continuous assessment; informal teacher
observation) which would not be described as tests. Evaluation is a term which is again
broader than assessment. All assessment is a form of evaluation, but in a language
programme a number of things are evaluated other than learner proficiency. Another
way of assessing is through the use of the portfolio, as we shall see next.
5. THE EUROPEAN PORTFOLIO OF LANGUAGES (ELP)
As, the CEFRL is aimed at all professionals in the field of language teaching and learning
offering common linguistic policies, the Portfolio is mainly a document for the learner.
It is closely linked to the CEFRL as both share a series of parameters to assess the
learning process according to different descriptors and scales. We cannot talk about
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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just a single portfolio. In fact, there are about 70 “legal” Portfolios within the European
Council, four of them Spanish. Each European member has developed their own
Portfolios according to their goals and policies for different levels of education or
specific groups (adults, immigrants, etc.). Versions of the European Language Portfolio
have been developed for language learners of all ages in all sectors of education – pre-
school, primary, lower secondary, upper secondary, vocational, university, adult.
Transnational versions have also been developed by several International Non-
Governmental Organisations (INGOs). A shorter version of the Language Passport is
part of the European Union’s Europass, which citizens can use to report their
educational qualifications, professional experience and achievements.
The underlying principle of the ELP include:
To develop the ability of Europeans to communicate with each other across
linguistic, social and cultural boundaries.
To promote mutual understanding, respect and tolerance.
To enable Europeans to master the challenges of intensified internationational
mobility and co-operation.
It is a document in which those who are learning or have learned one or more
languages - whether at school or outside school - can record and reflect on their
language learning and intercultural experiences. Its main aims are:
to help learners give shape and coherence to their experience of learning and
using languages other than their first language.
to motivate learners by acknowledging their efforts to extend and diversify
their language skills at all levels
to provide a record of the linguistic and cultural skills they have acquired (to
be consulted, for example, when they are moving to a higher learning level or
seeking employment at home or abroad)
In an ELP all competence is valued, whether it was gained inside or outside formal
education.
The key factors in the ELP are:
The ELP is the property of the learner
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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It is linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
(users assess themselves in relation to the CEFR’s proficiency levels).
It conforms to a common set of Principles and Guidelines that have been
approved by the Committee of Ministers to Member States concerning Modern
Languages.
It takes a lifelong perspective.
It promotes language and intercultural learning in and outside formal
education.
It has a formative or Pedagogic function (process) and informative andReporting one (product).
We make reference to the Pedagogic function in that:
-Promotes reflective learning and teaching, clarifying learning goals, recognisig
competence and achievent and shows a shift towards learner responsibility.
The Reporting functions imply:
-Valid record of achievement and competence.
-Recognition beyond national boundaries, educational sectors and institutional
limits, transparency and coherence.
The European Language Portfolio has three parts:
1) A language passport: Here the language learner can summarise his/her linguistic
and cultural identity, language qualifications, experience of using different languages
and contacts with different cultures. It is organized according to skills and the
descriptors reported in the CERFRL and include formal accreditations, linguistic and
non-linguistic competences and experiences.
2) A language biography: The biography helps the learner to set learning targets, to
record and reflect on language learning and on intercultural experiences and regularly
assess progress. It encourages learner to show what she/he can do with the language,
including information about their linguistic and cultural experiences inside and outside
education. It is a medium process between the passport and the dossier.
3) A dossier: In this part of the ELP the learner can keep samples of his/her work in the
language(s) he/she has learnt or is learning. They can include works, DVDs, recordings,
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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posters or any pieces of work about their experiences.
The ELP is a flexible document and therefore, it is not necessary to make use of the
three parts in all levels or learning processes. It can be used in different ways and for
different purposes, it can used throughout the student´s academic life or during a
school year or we can start with the dossier with lower levels and move upwards
instead of right from the passport. The use of the language and format will also vary
according to specifications and we can also take a sample of all the “legal” Portfolios
and adapt to our teaching practice or school. It will be the teacher, who will guide the
student and organize the material, but it will be a matter of the student to carry out
with the portfolio during all his/her language learning process.
CONCLUSION
This topic has dealt with some of the major elements involved in organizing our
teaching and learning process. There is no doubt that we are not alone and the efforts
of European institutions to gain insight into a multilingual and plural society inside and
outside Europe imply a new vision of language learning based on competences applied
to improve the communication of European and non-European citizens to promote
better understanding and facilitate mobility. To do so, we all must follow the same
route and comply with the same requirements and this it is the aim of a European
dimension in Education through the use of an “ideological” book, the CEFRL, exchange
programmes to foster language learning and cultural experiences and the use of
assessment parameters common to all Europeans.
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cassany, D. El Portfolio Europeo de las Lenguas y sus Aplicaciones en el Aula .
MEC. 2006.
Council of Europe (2001): A Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages (Learning, teaching, assessment). Strasbourg.
http://www.culture2.coe.int/portfolio/documents_intro/common_framework.html
Council of Europe. The European Language Portfolio.
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/elp/
Council Conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European
cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) [Official Journal C 119 of 28.5.2009].
Eurydice (2005): Citizenship Education at School in Europe. Eurydice. Brussels.
García Garrido, J.l et al. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. UNED.
Little D. & Perclová. R. European Language Portfolio: Guide for Teachers and
Teacher Trainers: Council of Europe. Strasbourg, 2001.
McLaren, N. y Madrid, D. (2004): “ The Foreign Language Curriculum”, en
Madrid, D. y McLaren, N. (eds.): TEFL in Primary Education. Granada: Editorial
Universidad de Granada.
Romero Oliver. E. Plurilingualismo. Didáctica de Las Lenguas Extranjeras en la
Educación Obligatoria. CSI-CSIF.
The role of education and training in the implementation of the Europe 2020
Strategy Conclusions of the Council (February 2011).
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TOPIC3. Dimensión Europea de la Educación. El desarrollo de las Lenguas a partir de los Programas
Europeos. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza,
Evaluación. Los estudios Europeos de Evaluación de la competencia lingüística. El Portfolio Europeo de
las Lenguas.
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