Components of a portfolio What should be in a portfolio for learners in the secondary education?

Components of a portfolio

What should be in a portfolio for learners in the secondary education?

ELP / Language passport

• Language passport (standard or adapted for the age group?)

• Dossier

ELP / Biography

• Biography– My languages (spoken in my family, in other situations?)– Where did I learn these languages (holiday, private

tutoring, ….– At school– Contact with other languages– Languages I would like to learn– Learning tips: What kind of learner? (learning style)– Tips for studying languages– Methods to learn languages– Consideration and strategies for developing the skills– Checklists for self-evaluation

• How many levels?• How many descriptors per level?• Explanations? Communicative situations?

ELP / Biography

• What are intercultural experiences

• Intercultural experiences abroad

• Intercultural experiences in own country

• Questions to ask

Dossier

CEFR and interculturality(Common European Framework of Reference, 2001)

• The cultural impact of language learning on the individual learner:– Learner becomes plurilingual and

develops interculturality– Linguistic and cultural competences:

• contribute to intercultural awareness, skills and know-how

• Enable to develop – an enriched, more complex personality– an enhanced capacity for further language

learning– greater openness to new cultural experiences

CEF and interculturality(Common European Framework, 2001)

• Intercultural awareness includes an awareness of … diversity. Intercultural skills and know-how include:– Ability to bring culture of origin and foreign

culture into relation with each other– Cultural sensitivity/ability for a variety of

strategies for contact– The role of cultural intermediary– Ability to overcome stereotyped relationships

ELP and intercultural aspects (Principles and Guidelines, 2004)

• Language Passport describes …. significant language and intercultural learning experiences.

• Language Biography is organised to promote plurilingualism …

• Dossier offers the opportunity to select materials to document and illustrate … experiences

The problem of intercultural competence

• There are no validated scales with descriptors (not yet)

• There would not be a direct relationship between those scales and levels of language proficiency

• According to Schneider and Lenz lists of objectives on 'aspects of socio cultural knowledge' and 'components of intercultural competence that should be acquired (…)' would be valuable (2001)

The problem of intercultural competence

• But: Cultural knowledge is not the same as intercultural competence (Little/Simpson, 2003)

• Intercultural competence needs relevant cultural knowledge (including knowledge of culture of origin)

• Intercultural competence also depends on other factors

• It is difficult to judge own intercultural competence because of the fact that many learners are not in position to do so.

Role of the ELP

• Little and Simpson (2003) pointed out that ELP could and should play an important role in stimulating thinking about :– Cultural differences– Reflection on experiences (in terms of

location and intensity)• Location: work, travel,study• Intensity: frequency, duration, involvement,

significance for oneself.

Recording and reflecting intercultural experiences

• Questions to be considered designing ELP pages:– Where, with whom and in what context

(location)?– What kind of experience (intensity)?– What was my response?– Why did I respond the way I did?

• Other criteria (see Little/Simpson, p.5)

In the classroom

• In many cases language learning takes place in the classroom

• Possibilities bringing the other culture into the classroom:– Natives (neighbourhood, international companies)– Media (journals, newspapers, internet)– Correspondence projects (e-mail, letters, chatsessions)– Virtual exchanges– All kinds of simulations

• But:Take account of cultural similarities and focus not only on cultural differences as well as of 'own' culture

An example of simulation activities

• Background information

• Developed in cooperation with teachers and learners of secondary schools

• Aim: stimulating spoken interaction in the classroom

• As a consequence of school reform: only listening and speaking skills

The project

• Develop a biography of a person in the target language. During a couple of lessons the biography will be enriched with all kinds of information.

• First part: collecting knowledge• By checking information through resource persons

(teachers, natives, ….) awareness raising. • Combining with exchange programmes (real or

virtual) intercultural experiences possible• Be aware of: resource persons are in eyes of

learner always 'experts of their own culture'

Activities

• Develop your own (foreign) identity:– Name, year of birth, city, the place you live in,

school, family, occupation of parents, – Search for information about city,

neighbourhood.

• (Young) learners two goals:– Intercultural experiences by checking,

exchange information with other learners– Awareness of own culture

• Looking for realisations of 'can do's' in ELP

• All kinds of possibilities to develop the person further:– By making appointments (visiting

something that will take place in real life: football match, movie, theatre, concert

– By reading (local) newspapers, journals (on the internet)

• At the end and during the project: check the collected information (knowledge) in real or virtual communicative situations.

Outcomes

• There was a continuous discourse between foreign and own culture

• Spoken interaction became a natural part of the classroom

• ELP can do's in spoken interaction: no problem

• Intercultural experiences through verification sometimes difficult

• Learners and teachers were very enthusiastic about the project (and developed it further)

References

• Groenewold,P.,1997:'Land in Sicht'. Landeskunde als Dialog der Identitäten am Beispiel des deutschen-niederländischen Begegnungsdiskurses, Groningen. [Dialogue of identities: Dutch-German imagological discourse]

• Little,D. and B.Simpson, 2003: European Language Portfolio. The intercultural component and Learning how to learn. Strasbourg: Council of Europ

• Schneider,G. and P.Lenz, 2001: European Language Portfolio: Guide for developers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe

• Develop your own (foreign) identity:– Choose a country/region.– Use the biography part. Use the knowledge you

have of the 'target' culture to collect information for the biography.

– Take role of 15/16 year old learner and write in biography:

• Name, year of birth, city, the place you live in, school, family, and so on ….

– Check your 'identity' with a colleague from that country during coffee break.