EUROPEAN LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO

European Language Portfolio was  designed as a tool to express in detail language proficiency of individuals in accordance with a multilingual and multicultural Europe targeted by the European Council. Currently, there are centres in 14 European countries entitled to issue the Portfolio. Turkey is the fifteenth country furnished with authority to issue the Portfolio and TÖMER is the second institution in Turkey, after the Ministry of Education. TÖMER is the first and only centre in Turkey that issues European Language Portfolio for adults.

CONTENT OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO

European Language Portfolio consists of 3 sections.

1. Language Passport: This document is a record of an individual’s language skill, language proficiency and intercultural experiences. Language skills are defined through proficiency levels presented in the framework for common criteria. This criteria is both a self-assessment list and an essential part of the language passport.

Language Passport includes:

-          Profile for language skills

-          Summary of language learning and intercultural experience

-          Records of certificates and diplomas

2. Language History: This section is record of an individual’s language learning history. It helps the individual to determine language learning targets, record language proficiency and progress on the self-assessment scheme. Language history differs from language passport in that it can be used as a diary throughout the language learning process.

Language history section explains the history of language learning, assessment of the language learning process, experiences between languages and cultures and personal language achievements.

3. Language File: In this file, the individual provides information on personal language level with examples. In other words, individuals provide a concrete picture of what they can achieve. This section also includes certificates and diplomas of the portfolio owner.

AIMS OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO

- Strengthen language learning and experiences,

- Encourage the learning of multi languages,

- Provide transition between educational and vocational fields,

- Improve democratic citizenship in Europe,

- Provide support for individual learning and encourage learners of all ages to learn,

- Demonstrate variability of linguistic values,

- Facilitate free unrestricted circulation within Europe by presenting language proficiency clearly and in a fashion valid at international level,

- Highlight the importance of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism and help contribute a common understanding in Europe,

- Improve self-learning and self-assessment skills;

European Language Portfolio aims that learners should

- self-evaluate and describe their own language proficiency,

- assess their language proficiency on a language scale valid in the European Council,

- Document their language learning and intercultural experiences in and out of schooling,

- Provide information about their language proficiency in different languages for people concerned, for example when changing schools, starting a language course, attending an exchange programme or applying for a job,

- Determine their of language aims and plan further steps.

European Language Portfolio aims that teachers, schools and other educational institutions should

- Determine needs and motivations of as well learning aims of language learners and compile programmes,

- Provide information about previous language experiences of language learners either at or outside schooling,

- Document language performances according to a criteria divided according to levels,

- Organize certificates and other documentation in accordance with the Common European Framework for the Teaching of Foreign Languages,

- Describe their own language teaching programmes and design documents to prove language learning levels.

European Language Portfolio aims that companies, offices and employers should

- Have an access to an overall picture of their employees’ or applicants’ language proficiency and make use of their skills accordingly,

- Determine proficiency needs of employees and design in- and out-service training programmes.

- Design foreign language use evaluation graphics and professional development phases in other linguistic areas.

ISSUING EUROPEAN LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO AT TÖMER

TÖMER can grant European Language Portfolio to persons below, upon payment:

1. Currently registered learners: All currently registered TÖMER learners, regardless of their course, language or length of studentship at TÖMER.

2. Former learners of TÖMER: Learners who hold a certificate, diploma, course attendance and achievement document or learners who can document that they attended courses at TÖMER for at least one semester.

3. Those who are not currently registered at TÖMER but apply for certificate or diploma tests (regardless of whether they succeed in these tests or what their test score is).

3. Workers, members or students of institutions that have arranged a protocol with TÖMER (within the framework of conditions set by the protocol).

PURCHASING TÖMER EUROPEAN LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO

Anyone willing to purchase the Portfolio should apply Registrar’s Office and document that they are entitled to purchase European Language Portfolio. (Applicants need to provide TÖMER certificate, diploma, course attendance document or achievement document, an old TÖMER identification card or old registration record, or registration number. Those within the framework of a protocol need written document from TÖMER unit that had organized the protocol.)

European Language Portfolio is 25 YTL. This fee is paid before the Portfolio is given. Those who are not currently registered at TÖMER and willing to enter certificate or diploma tests pay fees for the test and the Portfolio separately.

FILLING IN TÖMER EUROPEAN LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO

European Language Portfolio is filled in in accordance with a personal declaration basis; therefore, it needs to be filled in by the person who purchased it. Yet, TÖMER learners are assisted by their current or old teachers. Those who are not currently registered at TÖMER and willing to enter certificate or diploma tests can get assistance from department directors.

For forms in the Language History section of European Language Portfolio, no extra fee is required for additional pages to be given for additional languages. Owners of European Language Portfolio can also request these forms later on.

Because information provided in European Language Portfolio, especially that concerning language skills and related sections, will change in time, learners are advised to fill in related sections in European Language Portfolio in pencil.

TÖMER CERTIFICATES AND DIPLOMAS AND CORRESPONDING EUROPEAN LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO LANGUAGE LEVELS

In TÖMER, different language courses consist of different number of levels. Therefore, languages levels in European Language Portfolio and levels in TÖMER certificates and diploma display differences for each language. As the graph below shows, European Language Portfolio required that different number of levels for each languages should be completed successfully. In cases when European Language Portfolio levels correspond to intermediary course levels, learners can make use of their intermediary level achievement documents or participation documents to document their language level.