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

The study of foreign languages ​​does not weaken every year, but only is gaining momentum. Knowledge of English is becoming more and more a necessary condition for hiring and further development on the career ladder. 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, they begin to learn the second language already 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 completion. And for many years he continued to be not just foreign, but truly alien to most students against the background of all other subjects. Of course, the point was always in his isolation from the practical need of application for the child.

And as a result, a rare student left the walls of the educational institution with the ability to easily and concisely express his thoughts in a language other than his own. Although enough time has been spent. So, how has the situation changed in recent years?

The introduction of new technologies

Modern teaching methods cannot do without using all kinds of gadgets, and this is the most optimal approach to solving the problem. At the present stage, the practice of teaching foreign speech includes both design and information technologies, as well as a language portfolio.

What is he like? This is a kind of diary, but not entirely personal. It includes a collection of materials and assignments that are designed to reflect the individual experience of the student, i.e., the initial data is the same, but how it will be processed and what it is 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 fascinating tasks that are interesting for children.

Such a magazine makes it possible to track the volume of work performed and the growth of achievements (both independently and together with the mentor - teacher or parent), and it also shows very well the dynamics of mastery of the studied subject in various aspects.

Early relevance

What is the difference between primary school and subsequent education?

First of all, the fact that little children go there with desire, open to new tests and achievements. They are already initially motivated, thanks to their curious nature, and it is extremely important here to maintain this interest in life within the walls of an educational institution. And the effectiveness of the process of language teaching at the 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 opportunity to lively interact with the teacher and peers, to share their knowledge with parents. It is very important for a small person to “feel” his mental baggage and use it in his reality.

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

When a child from a young age is included in adult processes, but in children's packaging, this prepares him very carefully, naturally and imperceptibly for the “real” life into which he comes with the corresponding baggage of skills. In the future, live learning forms the student’s ability to think independently, to see causal relationships and to adequately assess the environment.

Goals and essence of YaP

Based on the foregoing, the following tasks of implementing this technology are distinguished:

• The main idea of ​​the technology lies in “switching attention” from the object of the giver to the receiver, that is, it is not the teacher who is in the center, but the student, who now not only passively perceives knowledge, but sees the point in its 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 his personal mental potential and experience and the inability to write off ready-made answers from a classmate.

• And as a result, the goal is to increase interest in studying 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 is the basis

The European language portfolio as a tool of self-control and at the same time management of the process of learning 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.

It is designed to promote the establishment of a single area of ​​mastering relevant European languages, the development and preservation of intercultural diversity, primarily aimed at focusing the student’s role in the educational process, encouraging him to act and forming reflection in the process of mastering foreign speech.

What are the rules of the Nuclear Forces

This is a document in which various kinds of experience in learning a language and intercultural communication are recorded. It contains the following data:

• A language passport is information about a student, his goals and achievements in learning a foreign language.
• Time abroad to learn the language.
• Courses, seminars, lectures.
• Diplomas, certificates.
• Used materials, literature.
• A biography is the story of mastering speech. It involves planning the process itself and the inclusion of the most optimal ways to learn the language.
• A dossier, or a piggy bank, is a "department for collecting information", in other words, it is possible to store creative works, essays, design works, final tests, and other important achievements in this direction.

Principle of operation

For the teacher, YP serves as a method for developing students' reflection skills in relation to the material passed and the work done.

At the youngest stage, the task of the mentor is to maintain interest, as well as provide children with the necessary arsenal for productive activities with the aim of mastering out-of-native speech and in developing the thirst in them to acquire knowledge independently.

The indicative contents of the English language portfolio may look as follows:

• Greeting or diary title.
• Portrait of a student (name, date of birth, hometown, etc.).
• Learning objectives (why it matters to me and why I need it). Aims help shape a mentor.
• Success in the English language.
• Section “I can speak ...” (topics, specific words, phrases, situations, etc.).
• Homework, reports.
• Tests, assessment of the acquired material.
• School project in a team of guys.
• Individual project, mini composition.
• Favorite job.
• Assessment of the mentor.

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

Benefits

Obvious advantages of the technology:

• The ability to track your own progress, doing it autonomously and throughout the entire training period.
• Motivating form of the process: exciting tasks aimed at developing creative potential.
• Practical functionality: full conjunction 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 YP?

• Firstly, it is of a standardized, but not standardized nature, that is, a not entirely familiar format. And as a result, it leads to a waste of extra time with the mentor to discuss with each student his project.
• Secondly, it becomes extremely important to include parents in the process of assistance. 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 just in calculations, a clear line-up of the creative process with imperceptible interference in it is necessary.
• Any standardization can meet opposition, which will be reflected in the inapplicability of technology to all students.

My language portfolio

Consider what includes the most popular portfolio created for students of all ages in Russian schools - the Spotlight series.

English in Focus is a language portfolio that consists of 4 sections:

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

2. Language Biography (Language Biography) - skills and speech competencies, the 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 study (which helps in learning, what methods a student uses to memorize words, especially thinking and perception, what tools are not so effective for a particular student, etc.).
• My World of English - my world of English (includes read stories, poems and songs that the student knows by heart, watched videos and the like).
• Now I Can - and now I can (involves the use of self-assessment sheets to help analyze the formed language skills and acquired skills: what can I read, what to talk about, how well I understand speech by ear, what level of proficiency I achieved in accordance with the generally accepted scale and t . d.). 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” for mastering the English language: creative projects, essays, completed control tasks, and the like.

4. Additional materials (Extra Activities) - may contain everything 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, based on their small but personal experience, make decisions, also develops an active attitude towards learning.

The indicative individual English language portfolio (Grade 2) includes the following aspects:

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

• Dossier is a piggy bank where pictures, photographs, postcards, completed tasks, projects, and other creative results of activities are invested.

Next stage

Indicative individual language portfolio in the 3rd grade includes the following aspects:

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

• Dossier - a piggy bank with creative tasks.

Language portfolio in grade 4

At this stage, training includes the following aspects:

• Language passport - autobiographical section - my portrait (name, age, phone number, description of appearance, hobbies, what I love / don't like to do, etc.).

• Language biography - successes and achievements.

• Dossier - a piggy bank with creative tasks.