Language portfolio: description of learning technology, characteristics, pros and cons

2024 Author: Angel Austin | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 03:53

Studying foreign languages does not weaken every year, but only gains momentum. Knowledge of English is becoming more and more a prerequisite for employment and further career development. Today it is not at all necessary to graduate from a specialized educational institution in order to feel comfortable in a different speech environment.

Foreign means alien

In modern schools, the second language is already taught from the second grade, but, despite the early introduction into the program, this does not provide the proper level of mastery of non-native speech by the end of its graduation. And for many years it continued to be not just foreign, but truly alien to most students against the background of all other subjects. Of course, the point has always been in its isolation from the practical needs of application for the child.

And as a result, a rare student left the walls of an educational institution with the ability to easily and concisely express his thoughts in a non-native language. Plenty of time has been spent though. So how has the situation changed in recent years?

Introduction of new technologies

Modern teaching methods are not complete without the use of all kinds of gadgets, and this is the most optimal approach to solving the problem. At the current stage, the practice of teaching foreign speech includes both project and information technologies, as well as a language portfolio.

What is he? This is a kind of diary, but not quite personal. It includes a collection of materials and tasks that are designed to reflect the individual experience of the student, i.e. the initial data are the same, but how they will be processed and what they are filled with depends on each individual student. This is a real field for creativity and self-development, controlled by a mentor.

For younger students, a language portfolio is a diary with bright and colorful images, designed in accordance with the age category and level of learning a foreign language, which contains exciting tasks that are interesting for children.

Such a journal makes it possible to track the amount of work done and the growth of achievements (both independently and together with a mentor - a teacher or a parent), it also very well displays the dynamics of mastering the subject in various aspects.

Early learning relevance

What is the difference between primary school and later education?

First of all, the fact that little children go there with a desire, open to new challenges and achievements. They are already initially motivated, thanks totheir inquisitive nature, and here it is extremely important to maintain this interest in life within the walls of an educational institution. And the effectiveness of the very process of teaching a language at a junior level is due not so much to the direct study of the material, which requires a high degree of awareness and perseverance, but to the ability to lively interact with the teacher and peers, share the knowledge gained with parents. It is very important for a small person to “feel” his mental baggage and use it in reality.

If we go specifically to the subject under consideration, the technology of the English language portfolio is a successful combination of game and real life, in which not only students and teachers participate, but also their parents. It depicts the student's personal experience, not textbook characters.

When a child from a young age is included in adult processes, but in a child's package, it prepares him very carefully, naturally and imperceptibly for the "real" life, into which he comes with the appropriate baggage of skills. In the future, live learning forms the student's ability to think independently, see cause-and-effect relationships and adequately assess the environment.

Goals and essence of the YaP

Based on the foregoing, the following tasks for implementing this technology are identified:

The main idea of the technology lies in “switching attention” from the object of the giver to the receiver, i.e. the center is not the teacher, but the student, who is now not justpassively perceives knowledge, but sees the meaning in their implementation in practice and application in everyday life

The language portfolio acts as a "lever of autonomy", in other words, it stimulates the student to form responsibility and independence through the need to use their personal mental potential and experience and the inability to copy ready-made answers from a classmate

And as a result, the goal is to increase interest in the study of the subject and understanding the importance of intercultural communication

And in conclusion, the fundamental foundation of the development is the comparison of the Russian education system with European standards

What underlies

The European Language Portfolio as a tool for self-control and at the same time managing the process of mastering knowledge and learning outcomes was formed in 2000 and implemented in more than 30 countries, including Russia, and is intended for use in the process of teaching non-native languages.

What EJP norms include

This is a document that records various experiences of language learning and intercultural communication. It contains the following data:

Language passport is information about the student, hisgoals and achievements in learning a non-native language.
Time abroad to learn the language.
Courses, seminars, lectures.
Diplomas, certificates.
Used materials, literature.
Biography is the story of learning to speak. It involves planning the process itself and including the most optimal ways of learning the language.
The dossier, or piggy bank is the “information collection department”, in other words, it is possible to store creative works, essays, design works, final tests, and other important achievements in this direction.

Working principle

For a teacher, PL serves as a method for developing students' reflection skills regarding the material covered and the work done.

At the younger stage, the task of the mentor is to maintain interest, as well as provide children with the necessary arsenal for productive activities in order to master non-native speech and develop in them a desire to acquire knowledge on their own.

An indicative content of an English language portfolio might look like this:

Greeting or diary name.
Student's portrait (full name, date of birth, hometown, etc.).
Study goals (why is it important to me and why is it needed). Goals help to form a mentor.
Progress in English.
Section "I can speak…" (topics, specific words, phrases, situations, etc.).
Homework, reports.
Tests, assessment of learned material.
School project in a team of guys.
Individual project, mini essay.
My favorite job.
Mentor evaluation.

Since the language portfolio is a so-called public, but still a diary, the child himself is responsible for its design, selection of tasks and inclusion of those works that reflect his successes and achievements. The teacher plays the role of guiding, motivating and controlling. Also, recommendations for filling the JAP are given in the relevant chapters of the textbook.

Benefits

Obvious advantages of technology:

The ability to track your own progress, doing it autonomously and throughout the entire period of study.
Motivating form of process: fun activities designed to develop creativity.
Practical functionality: full connection with everyday life and the reality of a particular student.

Negative points

But, like any technology, there is a downside. What is it in the case of working with PL?

First of all, it is standardized, but not standard, that is, not quite the usual format. And as a result, it leads to spending extra time with the mentor to discuss with each student his project.
Secondly, it becomes extremely important to include parental help in the process. This, unfortunately, is not always possible. It is assumed that children perceive the process as an exciting game, but for this to be true,and not only in calculations, it is necessary to clearly build the creative process with imperceptible interference in it.
Any standardization may be opposed, resulting in the technology not being applicable to all students.

My Language Portfolio

Let's take a look at what is included in the most popular portfolio created for students of all ages in schools in Russia - the Spotlight series.

"English in focus" - language portfolio, which consists of 4 sections:

1. Language passport (language passport) - records confirming the success and achievements of the student.

2. Language Biography (Language Biography) - skills and speech competencies, goals and objectives are also included in the section:

All About Me - everything about me or who I am (general data, the meaning of the language in the student's life, aspirations, etc.).
How I Learn - how I learn (what helps in mastering, what methods the student uses to memorize words, features of thinking and perception, what means are not so effective for a particular student, etc.).
My World of English - my world of English (includes stories read, poems and songs that the student knows by heart, videos watched and the like).
Now I Can - and now I can (involves the use of self-assessment sheets to help in the analysis of formed language skills and acquired skills: what can read, what to tell, how well he understands speech by ear, what level of proficiency he has reached inaccording to the generally accepted scale, etc.). At the end of each month, it is recommended to look into this section in order to control the level of your knowledge.
Future Plans - plans for the future (further actions of the student to develop speech in a foreign language).

3. Dossier - a piggy bank of "material evidence" of mastering the English language: creative projects, essays, completed control tasks, and the like.

4. Additional Materials (Extra Activities) - may contain anything that was not included in any of the above sections and the student considers it appropriate to add to his document.

Language Portfolio Grade 2

At this stage, students perform creative tasks on the topics of the module, which allows them to work independently from an early age and, already relying on a small but personal experience, make decisions, and also develops an active attitude to learning.

Indicative individual language portfolio in English (Grade 2) includes the following aspects:

Passport - autobiographical section (name, date and place of birth, hometown, school).
Family tree - a story about a family, about what languages are spoken in the family.
Language biography - biography, achievements and self-assessment table.

I can read	- Short messages on postcards - Short stories with pictures - Simple dialogues - Match words with pictures -Advertising signs
When I listen, I understand	- Numbers and times - What is the name of the interlocutor and how old is he - Simple commands - Nursery rhymes and songs
When I talk, I can	- Greet the interlocutor and ask how are you - Introduce yourself, say your name and where you live - Thank the other person - Ask for an item to be given to me - Count to 100 - Name colors, animals, vegetables, fruits - Say what you like and don't like - Recite a poem in English
I can write	- A little story about family - List your interests - Basic colors, names of animals, vegetables, fruits - Greeting Cards

Dossier - a piggy bank where pictures, photographs, postcards, completed tasks, projects, and other creative results are put

Next step

The indicative individual language portfolio in Grade 3 includes the following aspects:

Language passport - autobiographical section: my portrait, the purpose of the study (for which I need to know English).
Language biography - successes and achievements.

I can read	- And understand texts with new words - Simplepersonal letters
When I listen, I understand	- Simple requests and instructions - Dialogue between classmate and teacher - Content of short texts
When I talk, I can	- Tell me about yourself (name, where I live, favorite activities, pets) - Ask the interlocutor what he likes and dislikes to do - Tell what kind of sport I do and ask the interlocutor about it - Ask a classmate what he likes to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner - Tell me about your daily routine - Describe the animal, body parts - Happy Holidays - Discuss what kind of birthday present to buy - Name your favorite time of the year and relevant activities in each of them
I can write	- Words on the topic under study - Write out words, sentences from the text - Answers to simple questions - Congratulations