what does it mean to be bilingual
DESCRIPTION
Presentation to CARLA Immersion conference on DELF and Common European Framework- How does a language learner know he/she is really bilingual?TRANSCRIPT
What does it mean to be bilingual? Assessment and instruction with the Common European Framework of Reference for Language
Mais sommes-nous bilingues? Stories from the French Immersion classroom
What is the goal of a language program? How does the teacher know where the student is along the path to reaching that goal?
How does the student determine where they are on the path to reaching that goal?
Assessment in language programs Exams- produce a grade, out of 5, a percentage, a letter grade
Performance assessments
How do these translate into competency?
Placement tests
Often used to evaluate language competence
Varied from area to area and depending on objective
Not a common standard Language learner does not necessarily gain a clear understanding of their language competency
What am I able to do with my French?
Answer the phone? Write a formal letter? Make
a reservation? Present a research paper? Convince
someone of my political opinion? How to vote?
Explore the following How does using competency levels re-frame assessment?
How does the CEFR re-frame program development?
How does the CEFR re-frame classroom instruction?
History In the wake of a growing interest in a common
framework of reference for languages across Canada as a common basis for describing and measuring language proficiency, national standards and a national FSL proficiency test to track progress against proposed targets such as the Government of Canada’s Action Plan which proposed to double the proportion of secondary school students graduating with a functional level of proficiency in their second official language by the year 2013 (PCO, 2003).
History Council of Ministers of Education of Canada Initial research project examining the possible role of the CEFR in Canada ( Dr. L. Vandergrift,S. Rehorick) Increasing use in public education system of DELF exams ( 82 exams 2005, 2920 exams in 2011) Use of competency levels as the basis for language programs
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages The importance of the CEFR framework is due to
its provision of a comprehensive, transparent, and coherent account of language competencies
common basis for describing and measuring language proficiency across Canada
© Conseil de l’Europe / Les Éditions Didier, Paris 2001
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages • The provision of a common set of proficiency
statements will facilitate comparisons of objectives, levels, materials, tests and achievement in different systems and situations. A framework including both horizontal and
vertical dimensions facilitates the defi- nition of partial objectives and the recognition of uneven profiles, partial competen- cies.
© Conseil de l’Europe / Les Éditions Didier, Paris 2001
Description of levels of competency
Breakthrough is considered the lowest level of generative language use – the point at which the learner can interact in a simple way, ask and answer simple questions about themselves, where they live, people they know, and things they have, initiate and respond to simple statements in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics, Waystage It is at this level that the majority of
descriptors stating social functions are to be found, like use simple everyday polite forms of greeting and address; greet people, ask how they are and react to news; handle very short social exchanges;
Description of levels of competency
Threshold where the speaker has the ability to maintain interaction and get across what you want to, in a range of contexts and the ability to cope flexibly with problems in everyday life,
Vantage he/she acquires a new perspective, can look around him/her in a new way; a level described as ‘Limited Operational Proficiency and adequate response to situations normally encountered, a focus on effective argument; effective social discourse and on language awareness
Description of levels of competency
Effective Operational Proficiency which was called ‘Effective Proficiency’ ,by Trim ‘Adequate Operational Proficiency’ by Wilkins, and represents an advanced level of competence
suitable for more complex work and study tasks; good access to a broad range of language, which allows fluent, spontaneous communication Mastery . not intended to imply native-speaker or near native-
speaker competence; the degree of precision, appropriateness and ease with the language which typifies the speech of those who have been highly successful learners: convey finer shades of meaning precisely by using, with reasonable accuracy, a wide range of modification devices; 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.
Intermediate A2 Survival
4 of the 6 levels of competence
In our public school system,students in our French language programs generally can a=ain the following levels:
Introductory A1 Discovery
Independent B2 Avanced or independant
Threshold B1
• Oral comprehension (reception) • Oral production
• oral interaction
• Written comprehension
• Written production
The five competencies
How does this affect assessment? Self assessment grid Portfolio Authentic tasks as assessment tasks -DELF
Diplôme d’études de langue française An exam for each level (A1,A2,B1,B2,C1,C2)
Assessing each competency- listening comprehension, reading comprehension, oral interaction, oral presentation, written production
Authentic language tasks Trained examiners and correctors International standard of language competency
DELF in Canada 23 Centres d’examen DELF-DALF au Canada
repartis parmi les ministères d’éducation, des conseils scolaires, des universités et des Alliances françaises
3611 récipients en 2011
20e plus grand nombre de participants au monde
97% de récipients des diplômes viennent du DELF Scolaire
THE DELF in Canada: Stakeholder’s Perception September 2012
Teacher comments point to the washback effects of the DELF on their teaching. In other words, the DELF can and does change pedagogy. FSL classes become more communicative in orientation through increased practice of speaking skills and more emphasis on authentic documents for listening and reading.
Teacher comments ‘Ma compréhension du DELF et le concept du CECR m'ont fait changer mes méthodes d'enseignements qui sont maintenant beaucoup plus interactives, orales, incluent de la pensée critique et de l'instruction différenciée’
‘Je fais maintenant plus de compréhension de l'orale’
Teacher comments I believe that the DELF adds that little extra bit of "pressure" on the students in a positive way. They begin to realize that they do need to be accurate, and put effort into their work, in order to be well understood in a real life situation. I have started to base my evaluation less and less on very specific grammatical rules, and more to broad contextual evaluations, with a grammatical component.
Students ‘It is a great opportunity to challenge yourself
and experience something different’ ‘I think that it's a good way to challenge
yourself, and it made me more confident in the French language’
‘It is a great way to assess what you have learned and proceed further into the French language to extend you skills’
‘I was stressed at first, but it was actually comforting and makes me feel proud of myself that I could accomplish an exam like that :) ‘
Students ‘it is a good marker to see your level of French, and a way to compare yourselves to a certain standard’
‘Taking a test not given by your teacher is a great way to see how well you're doing in the course and it’s a great confidence booster...’
‘It provides an indication of French proficiency and encourages students to improve in areas where they struggle’
How does this affect curriculum development? Draft Revised French curriculum British
Columbia Based on the Common european Framework Structure: Provincially required learning outcome statements
Suggested Can-do statements Suggested profiency-based Can Do statements
Language learning Engages learners in meaningful and authentic
and purposeful language- learning tasks Is not additively sequential but recursive Proficiency includes both production and
comprehension Instruction takes learning styles and rates into
account Assessment reflects instructional goals and is
based on performance Draft Curriculum http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/french.pdf
Examples:
Provincially required learning outcome statements Suggested Can-do statements Suggested profiency-based Can Do statements
Other curricula
Second language program in the Atlantic provinces correlated with the CEFR
Second language program Province of Ontario inspired by the CEFR Programme de langues secondes en Ontario
Second language programs in Alberta (PONC) inspired by the CEFR
How does this affect classroom instruction Authentic tasks Student ownership of learning Classroom resources levelled Goal-setting with outcomes in mind
Impact on National debate Stakeholders’ Meeting on the
Implementation of CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) in Canada
March 11, 2011 Gatineau, Quebec
L'évaluation dans un contexte de mouvance individuelle et sociétale
Centre Canadien d’études et de recherche en bilinguisme et aménagement linguistique
28 et 29 avril 2011
references Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. (2010). Working with the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFR) in the Canadian Context: Guide for policy-makers and curriculum designers. Toronto, ON: Author.
Vandergrift, L. (2006). New Canadian perspectives: Proposal for a common framework of reference for languages for Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Heritage
OCDSB Quality Assurance Division. (2011). Grade 12 French proficiency test: Results from the 2010-11 administration. Mimeo.