This Seminar, jointly organized by Padua University Language Centre and CercleS (European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education), is a follow-up to the one held at University College Dublin Applied Language Centre in June 2007, the first international academic event to focus specifically on the role of the ELP (European Language Portfolio) in higher education.
CercleS is a confederation of independent associations from 22 countries in Europe, representing 300 language centres, departments and institutes, which is committed to the highest possible standards in language education and research. The Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR), now available in 38 different languages, was produced by the Council of Europe in order to provide professionals involved in language teaching in Europe with a common basis for the development of syllabi, curricula and examinations. In this way, the CEFR aims to promote plurilingualism in Europe and to facilitate European mobility. The European Language Portfolio (ELP) was developed by the Council of Europe to mediate the CEFR to learners: with its reporting and pedagogic functions, it seeks to encourage learners to record and to reflect on their language learning and cultural experiences and to help them become more autonomous. The CercleS version of the ELP was approved by the Council of Europe ELP Validation Committee in 2002, and is now available in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Czech and Slovak.
The Seminar aims to give those involved in university language education in Europe the opportunity to share research, ideas and practical experiences regarding the impact and the applications of the CEFR and the ELP. It is hoped that this will help participants to consolidate and to further develop their work with these tools at their own institutions, thus contributing to the CEFR’s aim of “promoting international cooperation in the field of modern languages”.
