WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

Hi Everyone,

Today was our last formal class.  Liz talked to us about testing and the criteria for determining what level students are at...

Check out the sites below if you're interested in learning a bit more about what we've been studying here in BCN.

Here is a great site to look at regarding English as a second or foreign language:  

EXCERPT:  English is a language which has great reach and influence; it is taught all over the world under many circumstances. In English-speaking countries, English language teaching has essentially evolved in two broad directions: instruction for people who intend to live there and for those who do not. These divisions have grown firmer as the instructors of these two "industries" have used different terminology, followed distinct training qualifications, formed separate professional associations, and so on. Crucially, these two arms have very different funding structures, public in the former and private in the latter, and to some extent this influences the way schools are established and classes are held. Matters are further complicated by the fact that the United States and the United Kingdom, both major engines of the language, describe these categories in different terms.^[1]

Click to read more:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_as_a_second_or_foreign_language

Here is another great site that talks about the Cambridge English Language Assessment:

Cambridge English Language Assessment is part of the University of Cambridge and has been providing English language assessments and qualifications for over 100 years.^[1]

The first Cambridge English examination, the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), was launched in 1913. The 12-hour exam had just three candidates, all of whom failed.^[2] One hundred years on, Cambridge English provides more than 20 exams for learners and teachers, which are taken by over 4 million people each year.^[3]

Cambridge English Language Assessment contributed to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its examinations are aligned with the CEFR levels.^[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_English_Language_Assessment

And finally a site that talks about the frameworks for placing students:

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment,^[1] abbreviated as CEFR or CEF, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly, in other countries (for example, Colombia and the Philippines). It was put together by the Council of Europe as the main part of the project "Language Learning for European Citizenship" between 1989 and 1996. Its main aim is to provide a method of learning, teaching and assessing which applies to all languages in Europe. In November 2001 a European Union Council Resolution recommended using the CEFR to set up systems of validation of language ability. The six reference levels (see below) are becoming widely accepted as the European standard for grading an individual's language proficiency.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

Here is the framework we discussed today....

BELOW:  We handed in our course books and finished updating our portfolios....

Love and hugs,

Ellie and Gary