TEASIG – The CEFR CV and the Handbook: what’s in them for teachers?
The CEFR was originally published in 2001 and, more recently, in 2020, the Companion Volume to the CEFR (CEFR CV) was published with new and updated scales. However, many practitioners are still unfamiliar with how these two documents can be used to align teaching and assessment materials to the CEFR. With this in mind, the publication, ‘Aligning Language Education with the CEFR: a handbook’, was published.
The main objective of this webinar is to familiarise practitioners with the CEFR CV and the Handbook and to present a variety of ways to approach and use these two documents. We will start by briefly describing the objectives and the structure of the two documents, and then proceed to propose different points of entry to their content with different activities which can contribute to improve teaching and assessment in different education levels.
Speakers:
Neus Figueras
Neus Figueras started her career as a teacher of English. She lectures part-time at the University of Barcelona and has given courses and presented in universities in Spain and in different European countries, in Asia and the USA. She has been involved in a number of international projects and collaborated with the Council of Europe in the dissemination of the CEFR. She is one of the authors of the Manual for Relating examinations to the CEFR (Council of Europe, 2009) and of Aligning language education with the CEFR: a Handbook (2022). She edited, with David Little, Reflecting on the CEFR for languages and its Companion Volume (2021), published by Multilingual Matters. She was the first President (2004-7) of EALTA, and has coordinated the EALTA CEFR SIG for over 10 years.
Carolyn Westbrook
Carolyn Westbrook is a Test Development Researcher at the British Council. She has been involved in various test development, CEFR alignment, and language assessment literacy projects. Formerly an Associate Professor in EFL, she is a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) and has also worked as a teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer for over 30 years. She has a wide range of experience teaching and assessing General English, Business English, EMI, ESP, EAP and Language Assessment in Europe and the UK. She has produced publications on integrated assessment, EAP assessment, EMI, CEFR alignment and language assessment literacy.
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Event details
Event type:
IATEFL Webinar
Date:
17/06/2025
TEASIG – Teachers’ Language Assessment Literacy (LAL): Research and Pedagogy
Given their continuous engagement in assessment, language teachers are key stakeholders informing language assessment literacy (LAL) research. In this webinar, the presenter will discuss current trends and challenges in studying teachers’ LAL, signaling possible directions in future research. He will also problematize instructional approaches to foster these stakeholders’ LAL. For these interrelated topics, the presenter will overview LAL studies and, most importantly, will provide pedagogical insights based on his research with Latin American teachers of English participating in language assessment courses.
This webinar might be useful for those interested in or tasked with the development of assessment courses for language teachers.
Speaker:
Frank Giraldo is a professor at the Foreign Languages Department of Universidad de Caldas in Manizales, Colombia. His main academic and research interest is the interface between language assessment literacy (LAL) and teachers’ professional development.
21/05/2025 – 17:00
TEASIG: How does assessment shape student identities?
When students enter education, they do not simply start ‘learning’ and ‘studying’ but begin a journey of becoming someone new in relation to themselves and to society. One of the key purposes of education is to shape students as certain kinds of learners, people and citizens. However, the role of assessment in forming student identities has received less attention in research and practice.
This presentation thus discussed the importance of understanding assessment from the viewpoint of student identities. The presentation revisited the traditional ideal of ‘fair and objective assessment’ that should be standardised for all students, regardless of their identities.
At the same time, it discussed how assessment shapes students’ identities, and what the consequences of these social mechanisms are. It was argued that assessment is one of the most powerful tools through which educational institutions shape students.
Speaker:
Dr Juuso Nieminen
Dr Juuso Nieminen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE), Deakin University, Australia. His research focuses on student experiences of assessment and feedback, student formation in assessment and inclusive assessment.
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