Advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP

Taking into account my personal teaching context, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP with my groups?

English Language Portfolio.

As we can read in the report of the Ministry of EducationThis document is a record of language skills, qualifications and experiences. It is part of a European Language Portfolio, which consists of a Passport, a Language Biography and a Dossier containing materials which document and illustrate experiences and achievements. Language skills are defined in terms of levels of proficiency presented in the document "A Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment".

The Language Passport lists the languages that the holder has some competence in. The contents of this Language Passport are as follows:

-          a profile of language skills in relation to the Common European Framework.

-          a résumé of language learning and intercultural experiences.

-          a record of language certificates and diplomas.

The advantages of English Language Portfolio are:

-          You know you language level according with the international scales

-          You can delimitate your objectives and write your improvements.

-          You can discover your learning way and increase it.

-           You can understand better and respect the linguistic and cultural differences that are between you and your friends or between different groups of people.

As a conclusion we are trying to increase the student autonomy and respect with the rest of the group.

From my point of view, implementing ELP in Vocational Training or Bachiller, the course where the students could study economics, is quite difficult. I say that because our educative system doesn´t value your language knowledge, the system values if you pass or fail an exam. And currently this exams aren´t in L2.

The other reason I say that it´s because we are trying to implement that in the firsts primary courses, and we are introducing ELP gradually, maybe in eight years, this problem will be fixed.

When we think in the youngest students doing their own assessment, all of us easily could imagine all of them writing the truth; but is it possible when we are thinking in teenager? Is the teenager ready to write he has less level than the rest of the class? In few years I´m sure it will be possible, but now is quite difficult.

Finally, I think, ELP needs continuity, and maybe, economics in bachiller and one or two subjects in a vocational training degree aren´t the best examples of this continuity.