A quality approach to CEFR implementation

A Quality Approach to CEFR Implementation: the QualiCEFR project

Enrica Piccardo & Brian North

©Eaquals 06/08/2014 1

A Quality Approach to CEFR Implementation

• What the CEFR is about

• Impact of the CEFR

DISCUSSION TASK 1

• The planned research

• A QA template (“The Quality Guide”)

DISCUSSION TASK 2 ©Eaquals 06/08/2014 2

What the CEFR is about

• Levels • National standards,

exams, textbooks,

courses

• Can Dos for

curriculum

• Eaquals schools & some

national curricula

• Action-oriented

approach

• Not noticed much

• Competence-

based teaching

• Not noticed at all

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Can-do Descriptors

Potential: • Relate objectives to real needs • Provide “signposting” to learners, parents,

sponsors • Give a framework to action-oriented learning • Relate assessment criteria to CEFR descriptors

Impact: • Radical improvement in quality of descriptors

produced • Curriculum design from descriptors (mainly

Eaquals) • Teacher reporting & self-assessment

Action-oriented approach

• Learner as social agent: descriptors used for needs analysis

• Learner experience at centre; personally meaningful; teaching unplugged

• Real-world scenarios as basis for language work

• Varied connections between language input and communicative language use

• Steps towards self-direction (e.g. ELP)

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Competence-based

• Linguistic (range of resources as well as just accuracy)

• Pragmatic (discourse competences, genres, scenario schemata as well as just functional)

• Sociolinguistic (register and conversational schemata as well as just politeness)

• Intercultural (attitudes and behaviour as well as cultural facts)

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DISCUSSION TASK 1




Impact of CEFR

2005 survey of 111 institutions • Levels and descriptor scales most useful

• Most useful to exam providers (2.88 / 3.00)

• Mostly used by teachers, teacher trainers, test

developers, materials writers

BUT

• Needs drastic simplification for teachers; next

generation will find it easier

• Lack of awareness of richness – reduction to levels

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Impact of CEFR

2006 survey of 46 member states • Used in action plans, curricula, assessment

guidelines, initial & in service teacher training,

course books, for residence/citizenship, civil

servant requirements

• Perceived as neutral, well known in institutions

and quite well accepted by teachers

BUT

• Not yet relevant to teaching profession at a

school level

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Impact of CEFR

2013 EU study of 6 member states (2)

• majority implemented the CEFR in tests or

examinations and display learning outcomes

as CEFR levels.

BUT

• Lack of empirical evidence provided by

research studies for the link between the

CEFR and learning outcomes, objectives of

curricula, examinations … a main obstacle

for implementation of the CEFR.

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Impact of CEFR

2011 ECEP project: • more freedom in relation to curriculum (plan in terms of

tasks, guided by the descriptors)

• new vision of error, expressed best by a teacher in France as erreur constructible

• value of providing profiled grades, rather than a single mark, which could be demotivating

• effectiveness of awareness-raising use of criteria and sharing of responsibility

• appreciation of assessment as a support to learning

BUT

• Teachers felt lost faced with the complexity of the CEFR if not accompanied by effective guidance 11

Discussion Task 1

Brainstorm in pairs

• What support would help

teachers and academic managers

engage effectively with the

methodological implications of

the CEFR?

©Eaquals 06/08/2014 12




DISCUSSION TASK 1




QualiCEFR Research

• Analyse CEFR-related projects in

Switzerland and Canada

• State of the arts (documentary search),

Interviews with key players, Questionnaires

• Identify techniques that make a difference

in quality of CEFR implementation

• Present the techniques with a QA template

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QualiCEFR Research

Identify techniques that make a

difference in the quality of CEFR

implementation at three operational

levels:

• Innovation

• Academic management

• Classroom teaching

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DISCUSSION TASK 1




QA Template: Stages

• Design The process of analysing and planning to provide for needs in context

• Implementation The process of providing a positive learning environment and of adapting planned provision flexibly and appropriately to circumstances

• Outcomes The process of assessing gains in context in relation to resources and of ensuring satisfaction

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Principles of Quality

• Relevance

• Transparency

• Reliability

• Attractiveness

• Flexibility

• Generativeness

• Participation

• Efficiency

• Socialisation

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Discussion Task 2

• What technique(s) can you think of for your stage (Design or Implementation or Outcomes) that makes a real difference to the quality of teaching and learning?

• Identify the operational level of your technique (innovation or academic management or teaching)

• List the principles (and sub-principles) you think your technique relates to.

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Discussion Task 2

Example (Design)

Ontario Achievement Chart: 4 grades:

... limited … / … some … / … considerable

… excellent or outstanding

• Replace or supplement with transparent

CEFR-based descriptors

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Discussion Task 2

Examples (Implementation)

There is a transparent CEFR-based assessment grid

• Sharing tasks for teaching/assessment INNOV • Regular standardisation discussions MANAGE • Team teaching/assessing MANAGE • Observation with grid during end of

“module” tasks TEACHING

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Discussion Task 2

Example (Outcomes)

A transparent CEFR-based assessment grid

is used regularly

• descriptors to explain grades to parents

• descriptors to report strengths / weaknesses

to students

• data to inform teaching

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Discussion Task 2

Example (Outcomes)

A transparent CEFR-based assessment grid is used regularly

• descriptors to explain grades to parents

MANAGE • descriptors to report strengths / weaknesses

to students TEACHING • data to inform teaching INNOV

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Discussion Task 2

• What technique(s) can you think of for your stage (Design or Implementation or Outcomes) that makes a real difference to the quality of teaching and learning?

• Identify the operational level of your technique (innovation or academic management or teaching)

• List the principles (and sub-principles) you think your technique relates to.

©Eaquals 06/08/2014 25

A quality approach to CEFR implementation

Education

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