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    CEFR Companion Volume implementation toolbox

CEFR Companion Volume implementation toolbox

How to help teacher educators use and disseminate the ideas of the CEFR Companion Volume

With a focus on the vocational and university sector these resources offer insights into the innovative aspects of the CEFR Companion Volume in language learning, teaching and assessment. The modules offered on the website allow for easy access to key concepts, such as the action-oriented and task-based approach, the four modes of communication, mediation, online interaction and constructive alignment of teaching, learning and assessment.

The VITbox resource website addresses teacher educators and teachers in the field of vocational and university language teaching, learning and assessment. This overview website provides information on how to use the VITbox resources in initial teacher education, professional development programmes and self-study and on how they may be used or adapted to specific contexts.

Why the CEFR Companion Volume is relevant

The CEFR Companion Volume (CEFR CV) was published in 2020 in its final version, and it offers a new vision of language teaching, learning and assessment. This has caused a paradigm shift as it puts a strong focus for example on the action-oriented approach, on mediation, on plurilingual and pluricultural aspects and as it provides a new database of validated illustrative descriptors. For key references please see the section “Bibliography” on this site. This new vision has motivated the VITbox team to develop ideas on how to implement the concepts presented in the CEFR Companion Volume at university and in vocational training.

Why use VITbox resources?

VITbox aims to support institutions, teacher educators and teachers in the process of implementing key concepts of the CEFR Companion Volume to enhance innovation in teaching and assessment and ultimately to prepare learners better for situations of communication at the workplace, at university and in research; for example, by working with real-life scenarios. This includes the idea of strengthening an action-oriented and task-based approach in teaching and also in assessment in order to manage innovation in university and vocational language teaching and assessment.

What VITbox resources offer for teacher educators and teachers

The VITbox resources provide digital resources that show how the ideas presented in the CEFR Companion Volume can be implemented in language teaching at university and in vocational training. The resources have been produced for teacher educators to be used in their training courses, but also for language teachers for self-study purposes. The VITbox resources consist of short videos, text files, sample tasks for use in teacher education, checklists, templates and sample classroom material, such as tasks which language educators can use in their contexts and adapt to their individual purposes.

The material is available in English and French, but examples in other languages - for example of classroom activities - are also included in the VITbox toolbox, so that teachers or teacher educators focusing on other languages can use it as well. Users can choose from this toolbox the materials that they would like to use for their individual purposes and can adapt them to their individual needs. This might also motivate them to create their own materials.

Video

Aims and objectives of the VITbox Project

This module gives a short overview of the VITbox Project, i.e. presenting the reasons for this initiative and the expected outcomes and outputs. It addresses all interested parties.

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Script of the video

A script of the video, for those who prefer reading to watching.

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www.ecml.at/companionvolumetoolbox

ID: 4
Name: CEFR Companion Volume implementation toolbox
Shortcut: www.ecml.at/companionvolumetoolbox
FlyerUrl: https://www.ecml.at/Portals/1/6MTP/documents/project-results-6mtp-EN.pdf
Type: ENFR
Year: 2023
Authors: Johann FISCHER, Laurent ROUVEYROL, Barbara SAWICKA, Julia ZABALA-DELGADO
En: True
Fr: False
De: False

Resources

modules with resources for teacher education and professional development activities as well as self-study purposes
materials for reflection to support the implementation of key concepts of the CEFR Companion Volume
sample teaching and assessment tasks for teacher education

Target groups

  • teacher educators and curriculum designers
  •  teachers concerned with language teaching and assessment in university and vocational language training

Project team

Johann FISCHER
Coordinator
Germany

Laurent ROUVEYROL
France
Barbara SAWICKA
Poland
Julia ZABALA-DELGADO
Spain

Supported by: CercleS (European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education), Acles (Asociación de centros de lenguas en la enseñanza superior), AKS (Arbeitskreis der Sprachenzentren an Hochschulen), RANACLES (Rassemblement National des Centres de Langues de l'Enseignement), SERMO (Stowarzyszenie Akademickich Osrodków Nauczania Jezyków Obcych), ACERT certification system, CertAcles, CLES certification system, and UNIcert (German Language Certification System UNIcert® certification system).

View project pages

 Key references 

Glossary

Show glossary

How to use the VITbox resources

All VITbox modules provide videos, corresponding PowerPoint presentations and recorded PowerPoints describing the VITbox resources, with a focus on specific key concepts of the CEFR Companion Volume. Teacher educators can use these files in their professional development workshops or in teacher education seminars. They can use the documents as they are or adapt them to their individual needs. Furthermore, teachers and teacher educators can use them for self-study purposes.

Videos

How to use the VITbox resources - Introduction

A video that provides a short summary of how users can use, adapt and complement the VITbox resources

Download PowerPoint presentation

Download PowerPoint presentation with audio

How to use the VITbox files for professional development activities

Download PowerPoint presentation

Download PowerPoint presentation with audio

How to adapt the VITbox files and create your own materials

Download PowerPoint presentation

Download PowerPoint presentation with audio

Script of the videos

A script of the videos, for those who prefer reading to watching.

Download script

Resources for professional development

Template for a classroom task

A Word file that can be used as a template to describe and present a classroom task. This can be used e.g. in professional development workshops.

Download

Example of a PowerPoint for a professional development workshop

A PDF file that shows the PowerPoint that combines different elements of the VITbox resources for a two-day professional development workshop. 

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