What would be the advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP?

The ELP is a personal document of a learner. In this document learners of all ages can record their language learning and cultural experience at school or outside school. A learner using the ELP takes over ownership of his learning process. He develops strategies to plan, monitor and evaluate his own learning. This learning it becomes more efficient and effective and very motivating.

The ELP  helps making the language learning process more motivating by involving the learner in the decision making the goal setting and the evaluation of learning achievement. In this way the ELP:

1. Encourages lifelong learning of languages

2.  Helps to develop language learning and intercultural skills

3.   Facilitates mobility

This ELP also have advantages for the teacher, teachers can benefit from using the ELP in class with their students by building on two functions of the tool:

1.   The pedagogic function

                2. The reporting/informative function

The pedagogical function is based to make the language learning process more transparent to learners and to foster the development of learner autonomy; that is why it assigns a central role to reflection and self-assessment. The ELP is engaging learners to share responsibility for the learning process, to think critically when they plan, monitor and evaluate their learning and to develop appropriate target language use.

The reporting function, completes information provided by official diplomas, This means that allows the owner to document language learning that has taken place outside as well as inside formal education.

All this that I explain is based on the advantages that has the European language portfolio  and the disadvantages that could have is that some teachers have find it difficult about the levels and descriptors because the communicative behavior in which one learner group can vary from another.

The portfolio in Infant education is work from 3 to 8 years old. It use the structure and format of an illustrated tale. It way to initiate the user into the contact with languages and cultures.

Finally to give the end to this post I can say about this European Language Portfolio, is a positive tool for children because, support their learners’ thinking about their language learning. It help their learners to understand the central aim of language learning and teach their learners how to assess themselves. Increase their learners’ motivation and help their learners to take their own initiatives. The ELP help their learners to understand what they can already do and decide for themselves what they want to achieve. Promoting explore different ways of evaluating their learners’ progress, the learners to overcome their fear of speaking in a foreign language. Another reason is that show their learners how they can collect and display evidence of what they have learnt. Supporting the development of their learners’ autonomy and learn something new and increase their professional skills.