Events

Q & A (will be updated soon)

Description of the workshop

This workshop targets practitioners who wish to intervene and improve current practices following core concepts and philosophy of the CEFR and using various scaled descriptors of the CEFR but have not initiated action. The workshop begins with the talk by Dr. Neus Figueras, who is a co-author and co-editor of recent books, Aligning language education with the CEFR: A handbook (to appear) and Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Towards a Road Map for Future Research and Development by Multilingual Matters (2021) and then discusses participants concerns about their practices in small groups.

The main objectives of the workshop are to provide background information on alignment to the CEFR and to analyze and discuss the implications of embarking on an alignment project (see outline below). This dossier contains some readings introducing the contents which will be discussed in the workshop.

• Section 1 provides general information on the CEFR and the CEFR CV,
• Section 2 outlines what alignment is and why it is relevant in the field of language education,
• Section 3 introduces mediation, a key feature in the CEFR CV with a reflection task for participants,
• Section 4 provides links to the documents referred to.

 Workshop schedule ワークショップのスケジュール

15:00      Welcome 挨拶, Introduction to the project and the tools

15:05      Talk by Neus Figueras: Why is alignment to the CEFR important?

15:55      Q & A

16:10      Themed Discussion and Q & A. Presentation of one example of alignment in practice.

16:30      Group work on alignment

16:45      Discussion and Q & A

17:00      Main characteristics of a mediation task. Presentation & discussion of examples of mediation tasks

17:15      Conclussions and takeaways

17:30      Closing

Bio of Dr. Neus Figueras

Dr. Neus Figueras started her career in 1981 as a teacher of English and was seconded in 1996 to the Catalan Ministry of Education, Spain, where she coordinated the development of foreign language curricula and certificate examinations for adult learners for over 20 years.

She has been involved in a number of international research and development projects related to assessment at different education levels (Dialang, Speakeasy, Ceftrain, Dutch CEFR construct project, EBAFLS) and has given courses and presented in universities in Spain, in various European countries, in Asia and in the USA. She has carried out consultancy work in assessment (University of Bilkent, Turkey; BIFIE -Centre for Assessment and Innovation-, Austria; University of Saint Petersburg, Russia, Quiyas, Saudi Arabia, British Council, UK., Trinity College London, UK).and in curriculum design (U.N. New York and Geneva).

She collaborates regularly with the Council of Europe in the uses and the dissemination of the CEFR in language testing and assessment and is one of the authors of the Manual for Relating examinations to the CEFR (Council of Europe, 2009).

She is a founding member of EALTA (European Association for Language Testing and Assessment, www.ealta.eu.org), and was the first President (2004-7) of the Association. She is currently the coordinator of the EALTA CEFR SIG.

She was granted the International British Council Assessment Award in 2015.

Her interests include assessment literacy and the development of context relevant assessments.

Recent publications of Dr. Neus Figueras

Figueras, N. and Levy, M. (2022) The action-oriented approach in the CEFR and the CEFR Companion Volume: a change of paradigm(s)? A case study from Spain. In Little, D. and Figueras, N. (Eds) The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Towards a Road Map for Future Research and Development. Multilingual Matters

Figueras, N. and Boyd, Elaine (2021) Mediation as described in the CEFR Companion Volume (CEFR CV) and reflected in an existing oral examination. Collated Papers for the ALTE 7th International Conference, Madrid. Available at https://www.alte.org/resources/Documents/ALTE%207th%20International%20Conference%20Madrid%20June%202021.pdf

Figueras, N. (2021) Success in language learning: what role can language assessment play? In Gebril, A. (Ed).  Learning-oriented assessment: Putting Theory into Practice Routledge.

Figueras, N. and Puig, F. (2019) La evaluación de Lenguas: ¿De camino hacia el cambio? In López Ferrero, C. and Pujolà, J.T. (Eds) La didáctica de lenguas de par en par. Diálogo entre teoría y práctica. Homenaje a Ernesto Martín Peris. Editorial Difusión.

Figueras, N. (2019) Developing and Using Tasks for the Assessment of Speaking. In Grandfelt, J. (Ed.) Assessing Speaking. APPLES. Journal of Applied Language Studies

Figueras, N. (2017) Exploring the link between assessment and language awareness: a way forward? In Cots, JM. and Garret, P. (Eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Language Awareness. Routledge

JALT 2021 - Conference Reflections and New Perspectives This year's JALT 2021 conference was held fully Online:

 November 12th - 15th, 2021 Online Conference

 See more details and click here for JALT 2021 conference or JALT edzil.la event space click here

CEFR & LP SIG Forum was held online Sunday November 14th, 2021 from 10:45 to 12:15, Room 25 

Presenters are: A CEFR-Informed Action Research Model: Reflecting on the AR Cycle

Maria Gabriela Schmidt - Nihon University; Noriko Nagai - Ibaraki University; Gregory Birch - Seisen Jogakuin College; Jack Bower - Tezukayama University; Naoyuki Naganuma - Tokai University; Engel Villareal - Tsuchiura Nihon University Senior Highschool

The CEFR & LP SIG Forum will present an ongoing collaborative Kaken research project entitled “Language Education reform using action research: Putting the CEFR’s educational principles into practice”. Project participants will reflect on the research plans they implemented using a CEFR-informed Action Research Model (CARM) developed by the SIG, and on the first and second year, workshops before discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the CARM model and the goals for the third year of the KAKEN project.

 CEFR & LP SIG AGM will be held online Sunday November 14th, 2021 from 12:45 to 13:30, Room 25 

  Presentation related to the ongoing Kaken research project in August 2021

JACET 2021 wasl held its 60th International Convention on August 28th and 29th, 2021 online. 

大学英語教育学会　国際大会 

Members of CEFR & LP SIG will have a presentation related to the Kaken Research project at JACET 2021

Sunday, August 29th, 2021: 10:40 - 11:05 (room 6)

Day after the event, August 21st,  2021

A big thank you very much to Anne Burns, the presenters and to all who attended the Workshop with Anne Burns on August 20th, 2021 (Friday) 14:00 - 17:15 and made it a very good example of collaboration and research, a mutual exchange in a very supportive mood. 

The event went very well, we had a splendid lecture by Anne, an intensive and deep going discussion with everybody involved.

The information will be available, please contact the SIG coordinator or the research team if you are interested in the topic. 

8月20日 (金） 午後 2:00 - 5:15

Schedule スケジュール

14:00 - 14:10: Opening and Welcome 開始挨拶　

14:10 - 15:25: Lecture on Action Research and Q & A 講演

15:25 - 15:40: Break 休憩

15:40 - 17:10: Workshop ワークショップ

17:10 - 17:15: Closing 閉会挨拶

 Workshop on Action Research with Anne Burns

CEFR-focused アクションリサーチワークショップ：

言語教育におけるアクションリサーチのスペシャリストとして国際的に著名な

Anne Burns教授による招待講演及びアクションリサーチ取り組みへのアドバイス

Held online

14:00 開始 Opening, Welcome and Introduction (Maria Gabriela Schmidt) 

 Session 1: Lecture on Action Research  アクション・リサーチの講演  (14:10 - 15:25)

 Anne Burns    Action research:

A powerful way to engage yourself in professional development

アン バーンス先生の講演： アクション・リサーチの要点（コンセプト、アプローチ、プロセス）についての講演

Anne Burns will give an hands-on introduction to Action Research and how to apply it to your language teaching environment. 

 The workshop aims at helping busy teaching professionals conduct research putting CEFR educational principles into practice using an action research approach, which ensures organized, systematic, and rigorous conduct of research. The workshop consists of three parts.

このワークショップは、多忙な教育者・研究者が、アクション・リサーチ・アプローチを用いて、CEFR教育理念を実践するための研究を支援することを目的としています。アクション・リサーチ・アプローチは、組織的、体系的、かつ厳密な研究の実施を保証するものです。ワークショップは3部構成になっています。

 In Part I, Dr. Anne Burns will talk about the essentials of Action Research: concepts, approaches, and processes, which will be followed by questions and answers. 

 第1部では、アン・バーンズ博士によるアクション・リサーチの要点（コンセプト、アプローチ、プロセス）についての講演があり、その後、質疑応答が行われます。

Abstract of the talk

There is growing evidence that research conducted by teachers is seen by them as one of the most important and lasting means for professional development. This evidence is supported by the idea that, where teachers can carry out PD in their own contexts of work and investigate teaching and learning issues that are of central importance to them and their learners, this has a strong and positive impact on what can be achieved in the classroom, and more generally the school. In this session, I will provide an introduction to the key concepts and ongoing processes of action research (AR). I'll discuss where AR fits into the wide range of approaches that can be taken in research, and describe the main steps and cycles, and the kinds of outcomes teachers can consider. I'll also provide some illustrations of AR conducted by teachers I've worked with to give participants a sense of the kind of research that can be achieved. Participants in the session who are already involved in AR will have a chance to discuss their research, but the session will also be relevant to participants who may be thinking about AR (or even puzzled by it!) and want to know more. 

Read More on the bio of Anne Burns アン・バーンズ博士

Professor Anne Burns is an internationally renowned TESOL educator and scholar. She is Professor of TESOL at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, a Professor Emerita at Aston University, Birmingham (UK), an Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney and an Honorary Professor of The Education University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include language teacher education, language teacher cognition, applications of genre theory to language teaching, curriculum development and change, literacy, and written and spoken discourse analysis. She is best known for her work in the theory and practice of action research, and particularly for her book Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching: A Guide for Practitioners (Routledge, 2010) which is a foundational text on action research in second and foreign language education. The English Australia-Cambridge English Action Research Program she has conducted since 2010 with the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector in Australia won an award in 2013 for Innovation-Best Practice.  She is an academic adviser, with Diane Larsen-Freeman, for OUP’s Applied Linguistics Series and is series editor, with Jill Hadfield, of Research and Resources in Language Teaching (published by Routledge). Several books in this series have been shortlisted for The British Council ELTons Awards. Her book in this series, Sustainability in Action Research (with Emily Edwards and Neville Ellis) will be published in 2022.

アン・バーンズ博士

国際的に著名なTESOL教育者・研究者の一人。アン・バーンズ博士は、オーストラリアのシドニーにあるニューサウスウェールズ大学のTESOL教授、イギリスバーミンガムにあるアストン大学の名誉教授、香港の教育大学の名誉教授、シドニー大学の名誉教授です。バーンズ教授は、言語教育におけるアクション・リサーチについて幅広く執筆しており、オーストラリアや海外で大規模なアクション・リサーチ・プロジェクトを主導してきました。教授の著書Doing Action Research in the Language Classroom: A Guide for Practitionersは、第二言語・外国語教育におけるアクション・リサーチの基礎的なテキストです。

Session 2: Workshop on CEFR and Action Research with Anne Burns (15:40 - 17:15)

In Part II, Dr. Burns will provide specific input and suggestions on four pre-recorded presentations which demonstrate topic/theme, reviewed literature, research questions, intervention plan, data collection and some preliminary findings.

第2部では、 アン・バーンズ博士が、テーマ、リサーチ・クエスチョン、介入計画、レビューされた文献、データ収集、いくつかの予備的な調査結果を示す4つの事前に録画されたプレゼンテーションについて、具体的な意見や提案を提供します。4つのプレゼンテーションは以下の通りです。

The four presentations are:

1. Diffusing Program-wide Use of CEFR Illustrative Descriptors by Colin Rundle
2. Using CEFR/CV Mediation Illustrators to navigate meaning in a CLIL classroom: First steps of action and reflection by Rebecca Schmidt
3. Using an online European Language Portfolio (e-ELP) to promote learner autonomy by Gregory Birch
4. CEFR-informed Textbook Selection by Nicole Sonobe

 * Workshop participants are asked to watch the pre-recorded video of these presentations before the actual workshop. A link to the videos will be provided upon registration.

 * ワークショップ参加者の皆様は、これらのプレゼンテーションを録画したビデオを事前ご覧いただき、質問、コメントをお寄せいただけます。ビデオ、質問やコメント投稿へのリンクはお申し込み時にお知らせします。

In Part III, the group discussion we kindly ask all workshop participants to get involved in the mutual exchange among peer-colleagues, to share and learn from each other. All workshop* participants will be divided into smaller groups to discuss: 

 (1) what research you are interested in

    (2) what kind of action you want to take

    (3) what you plan to do

    (4) what you learned at the event

　 (5) what is your take-away from the workshop

*One of the small group discussions will be conducted in Japanese.

 第3部では、 グループディスカッションを行います。ワークショップ参加者全員が、小グループに分かれて以下の点などを議論します。

    (1)どんな研究に興味があるのか

    (2)どのようなアクションを起こしたいのか

    (3) 何をしようとしているのか

    (4) どのような障害に直面したか、直面する可能性があるか

　　(5) どのような支援が必要か

*スモールグループディスカッションのうち1つは日本語で行われます。

 The pre-recorded videos (about 10 min. each) are available, please contact the research team.  

 We say thank you to all who attended the workshop. If you are interested, you have any questions, please contact the coordinator of the CEFR & LP SIG. 

 This event is supported by JSPS Grant-in-Aid project (C)  no. 20K00759

全国英語教育学会 - JASELE 2021 conference 第46回長野研究大会:

Link to the JASELE 2021 conference JASELE conference schedule

Members of CEFR & LP SIG will have a presentation related to the Kaken Research project at JASELE 2021 on August 8th, 2021:

Sunday, August 8th, 2021: 10:55 - 11:20

 CEFR & LP SIG Forum at PanSIG 2021: A CEFR-informed Action Research Model: Developing a research plan

Sat, May 15, 14:30-16:00 JST

The JALT CEFR & LP SIG is currently supporting teacher-researchers through a collaborative Kaken research project entitled “Language Education reform using action research: Putting CEFR’s educational principles into practice”. During the Forum, project participants will share the research plans they designed using Stage 1 of a CEFR-focused Action Research Model (CARM) developed by the SIG. These plans were designed in part through collaboration facilitated during workshops held in the first year of the project. The SIG forum will be an opportunity to discuss Stage II, the implementation of the research plan which involves two aspects: the participants’ plan to (1) trial proposed solutions to their teaching-learning dilemma (i.e. the focus of their research plan), and (2) collect data to critically examine the effectiveness of this solution. Forum participants are encouraged to contribute to this ongoing collaborative process to help move these research projects forward, as well as reflect on their current practice and consider how the CEFR and CARM might be utilized in their own contexts. The forum will conclude with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the CARM model and the goals for the second year of the KAKEN project.

There were 8 CEFR or SIG members related presentations at PanSIG 2021

Takanori Omori, How to Enhance Japanese University Students’ Self-Esteem. - An Attempt on Self-Affirmation in Written Form - Sat, May 15th, 09:30 ~ 09:55 JST

Nowadays, a growing number of institutions and educators in English Language teaching (ELT) has been highlighting its psychological aspect. Particularly, self-affirmation methods that contain psychological effects on students’ academic achievement are noticeable in a recent study (Cohen et al, 2009). The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a regular self-affirmation in written-form can improve the degree of self-esteem, specifically, Global Self-Esteem (GSE) and Foreign Language Self-Esteem (FLSE). The research design is quantitative research using online surveys as the main instrument. The participants of this study were 55 university students who were from three different faculties of a private university in Tokyo. The research examined and compared their GSE and FLSE of two experimental groups and a control group at the beginning and the end of the semester. Whereas self-affirmation in written form was mandatory for the experimental groups in every class, the control group was not asked to do any self-affirmation. The results showed that the students’ self-esteem in the experimental groups was boosted by self-affirmation in written-form to some extent. The findings of this study will benefit numerous educators and students since the enhancement of students’ self-esteem is a profound source for their language learning.

Yukie Saito, Possibility and Challenges of Online Language Exchanges Sat, May 15th, 13:00 ~ 13:25 JST

The spread of Covid-19 has made it difficult for university students to study and travel abroad, which may affect students’ motivation to learn English negatively. Hoping to motivate first-year Japanese students to learn English in a class of a private university in Japan, I conducted five online language exchanges with the Japanese students and university students learning Japanese in the U.S. The Japanese students wrote a journal about the contents and feedback in English after every exchange. After the five exchanges, the students also answered a questionnaire survey with closed and open questions. The closed questions were made in terms of oral comprehension, production, and interactions from CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2020), cultural understanding, foreign language anxiety, motivation, and pragmatic competence. The results showed that most of the students were able to improve their listening and speaking skills, understand different cultures, reduce foreign language anxiety, be motivated to learn English, and maintain a conversation. The open question also showed their positive opinion toward the exchanges. In the presentation, I will discuss the possibility and challenges of online language exchanges for the new normal era after Covid-19 based on analyzing the students’ journals and the questionnaire survey.

SAT 14:30 – 16:00 SIG Forum

Bradley Irwin / Diego Oliveira, Creating and Implementing an Online Placement Test, Sat, May 15th, 14:30 ~ 14:55 JST

This short presentation will describe the experience of moving from a third-party, paper-based English proficiency placement test to an original online version created by the presenters. We will discuss practical approaches to designing a placement test for first and second year undergraduate English language learners that aligns with CEFR bands (A1-B2/C1) and its implementation using Google Forms. The test consisted of 60 multiple choice questions covering listening skills (true/false statements, specific/global comprehension), vocabulary and grammar understanding (sentence completion, word definitions, synonyms, etc) and reading comprehension skills (analyzing content of an advertisement, short and long passage comprehension and interpretation). Students were instructed to complete the test within 90 minutes. Because our test included listening, vocabulary, grammar, and reading items, we will be able to give a comprehensive overview of the process for creating audio content and including appropriate target language. We will describe the collaborative challenges of creating a test entirely online and give advice for others who are interested in creating their own placement tests. This presentation will be of particular interest to anyone who wishes to learn about creating an online CEFR-aligned placement test. It will also be valuable for educators who are interested in conducting online testing using Google Forms.

Nami Takase, Video Letter Exchange to Oral Development, Sat, May 15th, 16:00 ~ 16:45 JST | Zoo 11

Engaging students in online exchange has numerous positive effects; one is to keep students connected to the international community (Blake, 2000). This presentation focuses on how CEFR A1- to A2-level English learners engage in authentic communication with native English speakers through an online application during the pandemic as part of a two-month project. The purpose of this presentation is to share the project’s classroom practice and the effectiveness of its online communication exchange for speaking development and cultural understanding. In this project, university students learning English in Japan exchanged a video with students learning Japanese in the US. The main language used in the video was English. However, the topics included intercultural aspects, such as sharing stories about their favorite heroes. At the end of the project, the post-test speaking test showed increased gains in English learners’ fluency, accuracy, complexity, and lexical diversity, as the English learners may have picked up native terms from their video exchange partners. This presentation also provides feedback and comments from students from both countries and highlights issues that may arise during the project to assist future project organizers who are interested in conducting an international video exchange project.

Bob Gettings, Teach it! Write! What We Can Learn from CEFR, Sun, May 16, 09:00-09:45 JST

Do our students write more than students used to 25 years ago? The internet and smartphones have changed the way that we communicate and interact in our daily lives - even with foreign languages. CEFR offers some insights into how we learn and can teach languages. The presenter will outline the changes in the CEFR Companion Volume (2020) descriptors and suggest practical ways to integrate them into teaching L2 writing. The Companion Volume updates and extends the original CEFR with new descriptors relevant to teaching writing - especially for the lower levels (pre-A1 to B1), as well as for online interaction, plurilingual/ pluricultural competence, and mediation. The new descriptors for mediation offer insights into ways to use students’ L1 or other languages (L3, L4 . . .) in target language learning and assessment. The Companion Volume also continues to view students as active social agents in their own learning, to encourage an active learning approach, and to focus on what language learners "can do" - not on what they cannot. In particular, the presentation will focus on CEFR as related to CALL and extensive writing task design.

John Bankier, Adapting CEFR Can-dos to Self-access Learning, Sun, May 16, 10:30-10:55 JST

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) describes a six-point scale for language abilities/competencies as can-do statements. According to the University of Cambridge (2011), CEFR is frequently used as a planning tool for development of language learning textbooks, examinations, syllabuses and curricula. As well as allowing comparisons of different contexts and programs, when adapted, the can-do statements can clarify the goals and objectives of language curricula into clear and achievable competencies. This presentation will describe a process of aligning existing self-access centre (SAC) facilities to CEFR by adapting can-do statements. Facilities included multi-lingual conversation lounges, an English writing centre and a test-preparation consultation service staffed by students and faculty. I will explain the selection and adaptation of can-do statements and how this process led me to reconsider whether the SAC provided learners the best opportunities to develop their language skills and autonomy. While the pandemic prevented the project’s on-the-ground implementation in 2020, the planned next steps for dissemination of the can-do statements will be described. The presenter will also address the general benefits and challenges of aligning language learning curricula and self-access programs to frameworks like the CEFR.

SUN 11:00 – 11:25 Cancelled

Barry Condon, Netflix x CEFR: What should our students really be watching?, Sun, May 16, 11:30-11:55 JST

Recommending that students watch TV shows and films in their second language has long been common practice among educators. While all L2 exposure is to be encouraged, not all content is created equal. We may suggest that students watch a particular show or movie for a variety of readily apparent reasons such as general suitability, subject matter, and entertainment value while perhaps the most important factor that should be considered, the true level of language input, often remains oblique. This presentation will examine the results of a text analysis of a variety of television shows and films that are typically available to students in order to determine which content contains the most comprehensible input for learners across each level. Moreover, an explanation of the methodology behind the analysis will be presented, giving educators the tools to conduct similar analyses and to provide better-informed future recommendations.

These were the events at JALT 2020 Online:

November 16th-23rd, 2020 JALT 2020 Communities of Teachers and Learners (Conference Online) see details https://jalt.org/conference/jalt2020

With various presentations related to CEFR & LP SIG:

November 17th, 2020 19:30 - 20:30 Adapting can do descriptors to remote teaching

November 20th, 2020 19:45 - 21:15 CEFR & LP SIG Forum & AGM: Aligning CEFR to current practices  -  First steps for action research

November 21th, 2020

     10:45 - 11:45   Colin Rundle, Koki Tomita, Tetsuko Fukawa Initiating a CEFR Alignment Project

     11:55 - 12:20   Jean-Pierre Richard TOEIC L&R and CEFR-J Can-Do Self-Assessment Scores

     12:50 - 13:50   Jim D'Angelo Alexander Imig Academic Writing and Mediation – CEFR-informed

     14:00 - 14:25   Tyson Rode, Patrizia M.J. Hayashi Steps to a Successful CEFR-Aligned Placement Test

The conference was held from Monday, November 16th to Monday, November 23rd, 2020.

Presentations related to CEFR & LP SIG

Tuesday November 17th, 19:30 - 20:30

JALT 2020 Online Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning: 

Adapting can do descriptors to remote teaching (CEFR & LP SIG)

Workshop (ID #788) - Presenters: Maria Gabriela Schmidt, Yukie Saito, Engel Villareal

Summary: ‘Can do’ descriptors are an important tool to make learning outcomes transparent to learners and stakeholders. The extended version of the CEFR, the CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe 2018), offers ‘Can do’ descriptors for telecommunication. This workshop will examine a range of related descriptors, discuss their applicability, including an online oral assessment using CEFR as a rubric base, and give hints to adapt the descriptors to various contexts of emergency remote teaching and learning.

Abstract: This workshop aims to examine ‘Can do’ descriptors which are an important tool to make learning outcomes transparent to learners and stakeholders. This is indispensable in emergency remote teaching and learning scenarios. The CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe 2018), an extended version of the CEFR, introduced an update to the CEFR illustrative descriptors by “responding to demands ... for descriptors for other communicative activities such as online interaction, using telecommunications” (CEFR/CV COE 2018, 23). In relation to online communication, or machine-mediated interaction, the addendum implies acknowledgment of the difference between that of mediated and face-to-face interaction. “There are emergent properties of group interaction online that are almost impossible to capture in traditional competence scales focusing on the individual’s behavior in speech or in writing. For instance, the availability of online resources that can be shared in real-time. For instance, the availability of online resources that can be shared in real-time. On the other hand, there may be misunderstandings that are not spotted (and corrected) immediately online, which is often easier done with face-to-face communication. Some requirements for successful communication are: the need for more redundancy in messages; the need to check that the message has been correctly understood; the ability to reformulate in order to help comprehension, dealing with misunderstanding; and the ability to handle emotional reactions.” (CEFR/CV COE 2018, 96-98) This workshop will present a range of descriptors, examine, and discuss their applicability for online teaching, and give hints to adapt the descriptors to specific contexts of emergency remote teaching and learning. It will include a case study of an online oral assessment using CEFR as a rubric base.

The CEFR & LP SIG Forum and the AGM

on November 20th, 2020 from 19:45 - 21:15 online

Aligning CEFR to current practices - Identifying needs of learners and teachers / in the classroom -

 First steps for action research

CEFR & LP SIG will have a joint Forum and AGM on Friday, November 20th, 2020 from 19:45 to 21:15 held online as part of JALT 2020 International Conference Online. The Forum and the AGM (Annual General Meeting) can be attended by anyone who registered for the JALT conference. Here is the link: https://jalt.org/conference/jalt2020

1) The CEFR & LP SIG Forum will be held from 19:45 to 20:45 and will explain about the new kaken project, its aim and objective and the call for collaborators.

2) The CEFR & LP SIG AGM is open to all SIG members and will be held from 20:45 to 21:15. SIG members will be informed and invited indivually by email.

* * * * * * *

Other CEFR & LP SIG related presentations at JALT 2020 online are on Sat November 21st:

 Sat November 21st, 2020: 10:45 - 11:45

Initiating a CEFR Alignment Project - Colin Rundle (Soka University), Koki Tomita (Soka University), Tetsuko Fukawa (Soka University)

This presentation reports on the process of aligning an existing freshman English communication course with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The presenters detail their bottom-up approach, highlighting pitfalls and successes of including instructor and student voices in the alignment process. Actual examples of the new curriculum, input and feedback from instructors, and results of a needs analysis conducted among students will be shared.

Sat November 21st, 2020: 11:55 - 12:20

TOEIC L&R and CEFR-J Can-Do Self-Assessment Scores - Jean-Pierre Joseph Richard (The University of Nagano)

This replication study of Runnels (2016) investigated relationships between TOEIC L&R and CEFR-J can-do self-assessment scores. Participants (N = 54) completed an online-form with the CEFR-J statements. First, CEFR-J levels performed as predicted, with no mismatching but some overlapping of ability levels. Second, weak-to-moderate correlations between TOEIC Reading and reading self-assessment scores were found, and none-to-weak for listening. The results and the implications of these findings, and in relationship to Runnels, are discussed.

Sat November 21st, 2020: 12:50 - 13:50 

Academic Writing and Mediation – CEFR-informed - Alexander Imig (Chukyo University), James D'Angelo (Chukyo University)

After the explanation of the key (academic) writing concepts in context of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the concept of (language) "Mediation" (from the 2018 CEFR Companion volume, a download from the Internet is recommended) the workshop part give participants the opportunity to Mediate concepts themselves or (in another group) to evaluate texts from students in order to familiarize teachers with Mediation strategies.

Sat November 21st, 2020: 14:00 - 14:25  

Steps to a Successful CEFR-Aligned Placement Test - Tyson Rode (Meikai University), Patrizia M.J. Hayashi (Meikai University)

In this presentation, two university educators will discuss from a practical perspective, the methodologies involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating a CEFR-aligned placement test for 1st-year and 2nd-year non-English majors students at a Japanese university. This presentation explains the challenges involved and the solutions undertaken in moving from an official third-party exam to an original CEFR-aligned exam.

Sat November 21st, 2020 Best of JALT Ceremony:

CEFR & LP SIG, Best of JALT 2019, nominated in 2020, are the nominees are Colin Thompson and Tim Woolstencroft

This is a joint event of JALT CEFR & LP SIG, JALT Akita Chapter and Akita International University (host).

With increased interest in the integration of CEFR and CLIL, this international symposium & workshop serves to further the educational discussion within CEFR in all levels of education, with the additional understanding of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Instruction). Our goal is to create a forum for discussions promoting the understanding of concepts related to, applications of, and future directions of CEFR and CLIL in Japan and beyond.

We are aiming to bridge the research and practice divide and will provide a rich context for discussion throughout the conference. The intended goal is to engage the audience in the themed discussions and provide theoretically informed ideas, activities, and procedures they can integrate in their classrooms. Presentations (thematic discussion, poster and workshop) will be arranged in thematic block sessions including discussion sessions. These discussions are based on the conference theme and will be moderated.

Invited Speakers are

 Dr. Yuen Li LO (University of Hong Kong)

Dr Yuen Yi Lo is an Associate Professor at the Teacher Education and Learning Leadership (TELL) Unit of the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. She received her doctorate at the University of Oxford. Her research interests include bilingual education, Medium of Instruction policy and classroom interaction. In recent years, she has been investigating the professional development of teachers in content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and issues related to CLIL assessment. She has recently published her book “Professional Development of CLIL Teachers”. Dr Lo is well experienced of running CLIL workshops for teachers in Hong Kong and China, assisting them in applying CLIL in classrooms.

 Dr. Masashi Negishi (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)

Dr Masashi Negishi is a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan. He received his PhD from the University of Reading, UK. He has participated in a number of research projects, including national education surveys and the development of several English proficiency tests in Japan. He heads the CEFR-J Project, and his current interests include the application of the CEFR to language teaching in Japan and the development of the CEFR-J based tests. 

See more details at the following link, a special  CEFR and CLIL site click here

In spite of an increase in educational and in-company programmes, Japan is among the four countries (together with China, Russia and South Korea), where employers notice the highest gap between English skills required in the workplace and those available. What support could the CEFR Companion Volume (2018) and the use of BELF offer? Many consider these two topics as an enormous shift of paradigm for all the stakeholders involved. Some even think that the use of BELF is also an Anglo-western threat to Japanese norms of communication.

Katrin Lichterfeld will provide you with a kind of BELF toolbox to bridge the gap between theory and practice in this webinar. She will address how to deal with a societal need for global English and a lack of exposure to English in the daily lives of Japanese learners? Additionally, she will discuss activities can raise Japanese learner’s BELF awareness toward increasing their linguistic repertoire as well as intercultural communicative competence.

After working in the export department of a beverage group, Katrin Lichterfeld did an MA (Second language acquisition) and a CertIBET. She has been working as an in-company trainer (business communication skills and intercultural competence) in Germany for nearly two decades.  She is also a participant of the EU-funded ENRICH project “English as a Lingua Franca practices for inclusive multilingual classrooms”.

(Article from 2019 of K. Lichterfeld ( https://www.hltmag.co.uk/apr19/business-english-as-a-lingua-franca).

Pan SIG 2020 Online was held on June 20th (Sat) and 21th (Sun), 2020.

PanSIG 2020 Online was held and it was a superb event. Thank you all who took part in it and joint the CEFR & LP SIG Forum as a CEFR- Talk. We had time to share and discuss various aspects of the CEFR and the CEFR/CV we would like to persue.

CEFR – TALK – A CEFR & LP SIG Special PanSIG Online Forum

This Forum is an open CEFR – Talk. CEFR & LP SIG members and anyone who is interested in the CEFR, the CEFR/CV and related topics are kindly invited to this lunchtime talk on the CEFR. There are various topics to share: First is the new research project (Kaken) on “Language Education reform using action research: Consulting the CEFRs educational principles” 「アクションリサーチの手法を用いた言語教育改善: CEFRの教育理念を参考にして」. We are looking for people getting involved using the CEFR and doing action research. Second, the recent development in remote emergency teaching could be an incentive to do research on online teaching and the CEFR & CEFR/CV, discussing and adapting for example related ‘Can Do’ descriptors. Third, other fields were CEFR & CLIL (conference in October), CEFR & tasks for teaching/assessment, CEFR & mediation, ... As format for the forum this could be a general talk (all) or with breakout sessions (thematically). The new normal opens up different pathways. Looking forward meeting people interested in the CEFR! You are welcome!