briannorthwhat does the cefr mean in practice? what's new?

What does the CEFR mean in

practice?

What’s new?

Brian North

The CEFR:

A heuristic

not

an answer

to all problems

CEFR Aims

Stimulate Reflection

– Consider relevant aspects

– Evaluate current practice: Does it make

sense?

Provide Common Reference Points

– CEFR levels, illustrative descriptors

Common Reference Points

Specifying content:

– What is taught and assessed

Stating criteria:

– How performance is interpreted

Describing the levels of programmes,

tests and exams:

– How comparisons can be made

Common Reference Points

Descriptors and Levels:

– Categories of descriptors

– Profiles

– Salient characteristics of levels

Relevance of CEFR: – Networking

– Joined up thinking

– Learner focus

Descriptors Informal Discussion B2

• Can take an active part in informal discussion in

familiar contexts.

• Can with some effort catch much of what is said

around him/her in discussion, but may find it difficult

to participate effectively in discussion with several

native speakers who do not modify their language in

any way.

• Can account for and sustain his/her opinions in

discussion by providing relevant explanations,

arguments and comments.

Communicative Activities

Communicative

Strategies

Communicative

Language Competencies

Reception Production

Understanding

a native speaker

Conversation

Informal

Discussion

Formal

Discussion

Obtaining Goods

and Services

Interviewing &

being interviewed

Spoken Written

Interaction Mediation

Overall Language Proficiency

Communicative

Activities

Communicative

Strategies

Communicative


Reception Production

Understanding

a native speaker

Conversation

Informal

Discussion

Formal

Discussion

Obtaining Goods

and Services

Interviewing &

being interviewed

Spoken Written

Interaction Mediation

Overall Language Proficiency

Communicative

Activities

Aspects of Competence

Communicative

Strategies

General

Linguistic

Vocabulary

Range

Range

Grammatical

AccuracyPhonological

Control

Vocabulary

Control

Orthographic

Control

Control

Linguistic Sociolinguistic Pragmatic

Communicative


Communicative

Activities

Overall language Proficiency

Communicative

Strategies

General

Linguistic

Vocabulary

Range

Range

Grammatical

Accuracy

Grammatical

AccuracyPhonological

Control

Phonological

Control

Vocabulary

Control

Vocabulary

Control

Orthographic

Control

Orthographic

Control

Orthographic

Control

ControlControl

Linguistic Sociolinguistic Pragmatic

Communicative


Communicative

Activities

Overall language Proficiency

Aspects of Quality B2

• Range: Has a sufficient range of language to be able to

give clear descriptions, express viewpoints on most general

topics, without much conspicuous searching for words,

using some complex sentence forms to do so.

• Accuracy: Shows a relatively high degree of grammatical

control. Does not make errors which cause

misunderstanding, and can correct most of his/her

mistakes.

• Fluency: Can produce stretches of language with a fairly

even tempo; although he/she can be hesitant as he/she

searches for patterns and expressions, there are few

noticeably long pauses.

Profiling

not

Levelling

Profiling

The label “B2” is always a convenient

summary of a complex profile.

Profiling Languages

Profiling – Activities

Profiling – Quality

Profiling – Prof. needs

The label “B2” is always a convenient

summary of a complex profile.

But people also expect a simple answer to

the question “What level is s/he?”

Common Reference Levels

A metaphor


• 20 year process of convergence

• 1976 “The Threshold Level” – “Waystage”

• 1978 Ludwighafen (Wilkins proposal for levels)

• 1991 Rüschlikon (Hargreaves “natural levels“)

• 1993-6 Swiss research project (North & Schneider)

• Levels and descriptors validated

• Qualitative validation (32 workshops)

• Mathematically scaled (2500 learners, 250 teachers)

• Post-validation projects (ALTE, Finland, DIALANG,

Pearson, English Profile, CEFR-J)


We simplify to communicate

Salient Characteristics A1

The point at which the learner can:

• interact in a simple way

• ask and answer simple questions about

themselves

• respond to statements in areas of immediate

need

rather than relying purely on a rehearsed

repertoire of phrases

Salient Characteristics A2

The majority of descriptors stating social

functions:

• greet people, ask how they are and react to news

• handle very short social exchanges

• discuss what to do, where to go and make

arrangements

Descriptors on getting out and about:

• make simple transactions in shops, banks etc.

• get simple information about travel and services

Salient Characteristics B1

Maintain interaction & get across what you

want:

• give or seek personal views and opinions

• express the main point comprehensibly

• keep going comprehensibly, even though pausing

evident, especially in longer stretches

Cope flexibly with problems in everyday life:

• deal with most situations likely to arise when

travelling

• enter unprepared into conversations on familiar

topics

Salient Characteristics B2

Effective argument:

• account for and sustain opinions in discussion by providing

relevant explanations and arguments

• explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages

and disadvantages of various options

Holding your own in social discourse:

• interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes

regular interaction with native speakers possible

• adjust to changes of direction, style and emphasis

A new degree of language awareness:

• make a note of "favourite mistakes" and monitor

speech/writing for them

Salient Characteristics C1

Fluent, well-structured language:

• good command of a broad lexical repertoire

allowing gaps to be readily overcome with

circumlocutions

• express self fluently and spontaneously, almost

effortlessly

• produce clear, smoothly-flowing, well-structured

speech, showing controlled use of organisational

patterns, connectors and cohesive devices

Salient Characteristics C2

Precision and ease with the language:

• convey finer shades of meaning precisely by using,

with reasonable accuracy, a wide range of

modification devices

• show great flexibility reformulating ideas in

differing linguistic forms to give emphasis, to

differentiate and to eliminate ambiguity

Relevance of the CEFR

• Networking and communication

• Joined up thinking:

– planning

– teaching

– assessment

• Learner Focus

Learner focus

• Teaching unplugged

• Learner as social user: needs analysis

• Learner as subject – not object: learner

experience at centre; personal meaning

• Links to previous knowledge, knowledge of the

world, real world skills

• Learner as plurilingual being – strategies/skills

transfer

• Steps towards self-direction (European

Language Portfolio)

Relevance of the CEFR

• Networking and communication

• Joined up thinking:

– planning

– teaching

– assessment

• Learner Focus

Joined-up thinking

• Planning: – Curriculum aims, schemes of work

– “Sign-posting” with Can Dos

• Teaching: – Action-oriented approach: language

and activity

– Practice and error

– A strategic approach

• Assessment and Certification

Signposting with Can Do‘s

• learners see why they are learning things

• learners and teachers set priorities

• teachers select appropriate communicative tasks

• learners focus on form during communicative tasks

• learners and teachers to assess progress

• schools to report progress to parents

Eurocentres

Listening

Understand everyday conversations and discussions

Understand a recorded story narrated clearly

Spoken Interaction

Ask for & give information about feelings and news

Talk about likes, dislikes and problems

Discuss opinions

Organise an event and solve problems

Give advice and recommendations

Talk about possibilities in the future

Communicate confidently during travelling and sightseeing

Compare and contrast choices. e.g. where to go and what to do

Explain a problem face-to-face or on the phone

Spoken Production

Describe and compare places

Describe hopes and ambitions

Give detailed directions and instructions

Describe events or experiences, express feelings and reactions

Communicative

Tasks

The most

important things

you need to do in

the language at

this level.

Reading

Understand descriptions of events and reactions to them (e.g. in personal letters)

Understand signs and notices and instructions

Understand the main points of a story

Understand letters, notes and emails from friends

Writing

Write a short letter (e.g. postcard)

Write 400 Chinese characters

Grammar

Use different adverbs like just

Use different expressions: besides, some… others,

Make questions with ba and rang

Make comparisons (bi) and not as good as

Language

Resources

The grammar and

vocabulary you

need to

communicate

successfully in

the

communicative

tasks listed

above.

Vocabulary

Cultural topics e.g. music, films

Feelings and emotions

Professions and work

Products

Language for giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing

Telephone language

Travel and services vocabulary

Joined-up thinking




and activity




Teaching Activity Sequence

The difference between good and bad language teaching

= mainly the connections between Language + Activity

Task-oriented:

Task-based:

Practice

• Task-orientation does not at all make practice

obsolete

• Learning a sport/skill requires controlled

practice, plus knowledge; players go jogging,

study tactics

• Learning a sport requires realistic experience

• Autonomous learners: Exposure > Systematic

Practice (form) > Non-systematic practice (sit.s)

• Contextualised practice (a) shifts new things into

“stable” competence; (b) enables automaticity

Implications

• Don’t focus on grammar and errors; use of new

structures, breath of expression, fluency, are

more important

• Don’t race through the book - recycle. Learners

need space, meaning-negotiation for transfer

• Do give fluency practice linking and activity

(grammar games, broader, structured tasks )

• Do demand accuracy with what should be

“scripts” learnt as a chunk for certain scenarios

Strategies: train students • how to work in groups: setting a frame;

formulating deep questions; summarising progress

(Interaction strategies)

• how to formulate and check a hypothesis of text

meaning; to infer meaning of new words, log and

practice new words (Reception strategies)

• how to plan (graphic organisers), use

circumlocution, consult dictionaries, draft /

redraft, monitor and correct “favourite mistakes”

(Production strategies)

Joined-up thinking




and activity




Start with Familiarisation

• People think they know the levels without

consulting descriptors & samples

• People associate CEFR levels with ones

they are familiar with

• People interpret the written word

differently – in descriptors too

Assessing CEFR level

• Specification:

– relating the curriculum to Can Do’s

– teacher (and self- ) assessment checklists

– defining/selecting activities, tests

• Standardisation:

– training with documented performance samples

– bench-marking “local” performance samples

• Validation:

– two sources (test/teachers; two assessors)

Specification = defining

Tasks / items:

• Select the communicative activities

• Design tasks

• Write items (Listening/Reading/Lang)

Criteria:

• Prioritise communicative competences

• Consult CEFR descriptors

• Create marking grids

Why do Standardisation?

Levels: See and agree – not just documents

Performance: What should we expect?

– Imperfect performances: Accuracy declines at B1

– Teachers often have unrealistic expectations

Assessment “Errors”: – Using own, private concepts and criteria

– Unconscious lead criterion (accuracy / fluency)

– Severity / lenience

– Refusal to give top grade/mark

EAQUALS Resources

Curriculum • Can Do’s (with plus levels)

• Core Inventory: English / French (November)

• Scenarios for teaching modules (in above)

• Curriculum self-help pack

• Curriculum case studies

Assessment • Performance samples

• Standardisation packs (speaking) E, D, F, I

• Assessment tasks (listen & reading) Eng, Fre (?)

Certification Scheme

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