“My languages portfolio”: an alternative to formal accreditation
Taking a formal examination can be a daunting experience for a young child. Helping a primary school age pupil complete the European Languages Portfolio (ELP) might be a good idea. The portfolio is only 'European' in the sense of being a common tool across Europe. It is not language-specific, but a very open record of what a child can do in any target language. There is no testing involved, just recording of practical competences in different skills. You can download it for free from the NACELL website. The hard copy costs £3 and the Teacher’s Guide costs £4. A pupil in Year 7 or 8 in secondary school might still enjoy recording their proficiency in this way.
For older pupils there is an adult version of the ELP, which is a useful way of documenting for employers the young person’s language profile. Teenagers can sometimes be embarrassed by their language competence in their desire to fit in with their monolingual peers, but their community language is an asset for the world of work.
