Reflecting on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and its Companion Volume

David Little is a Fellow Emeritus of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He has been a regular contributor to the Council of Europe’s language education projects since the 1980s. In 2010, the National University of Ireland awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contribution to language education in Ireland and further afield.Neus Figueras coordinated the development of foreign language curricula and certificate examinations for adult language learners in the Catalan ministry of education in Spain for over 20 years. She has been involved in international projects and collaborated with the Council of Europe in the dissemination of the CEFR. She was one of the authors of the Manual for Relating Examinations to the CEFR (Council of Europe, 2009).

• AcknowledgementsContributorsDavid Little and Neus Figueras: IntroductionPart 1: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Past, Present and FutureDavid Little: IntroductionChapter 1. Masashi Negishi: The Impact of The CEFR in JapanChapter 2. Margaret E. Malone: ACTFL and CEFR: Relationships, Influences and Looking ForwardChapter 3. Brian North: The CEFR Companion Volume Project: What Has Been Achieved Part 2: The Action-oriented Approach: A Change of Paradigm?David Little: IntroductionChapter 4. John H.A.L. de Jong: The Action-oriented Approach and Language Testing: A Critical ViewChapter 5. Mark Levy and Neus Figueras: The Action-Oriented Approach in The CEFR and The CEFR Companion Volume: A Change of Paradigm(s)? A Case Study from SpainChapter 6. Constant Leung: Action-oriented Plurilingual Mediation: A Search for Fluid FoundationsPart 3: Plurilingualism, Plurilingual Education and Mediation David Little: IntroductionChapter 7. Bessie Dendrinos: A Data-driven Curriculum with Mediation Descriptors for Plurilingual Education Chapter 8. Peter Lenz: Some Thoughts about the Testing of MediationChapter 9. Déirdre Kirwan and David Little: Implementing Plurilingual Education: The Experience of an Irish Primary SchoolPart 4: Descriptors, Scales and Constructive AlignmentDavid Little: IntroductionChapter 10. Armin Berger: Refining the Vertical Axis of the CEFR for Classroom Purposes: Local Reference PointsChapter 11. Elaine Boyd: Commonality versus Localization in CurriculaChapter 12. Elif Kantarcıoğlu: The CEFR Companion Volume and Mediation: An Assessment Perspective  Part 5: AfterwordChapter 13. Barry O’Sullivan: Making the CEFR Work: Considerations for a Future RoadmapIndex

The authors of the different chapters are experienced users of the CEFR who provide a wide range of contrasting and complementary perspectives. Their contributions demonstrate the open, dynamic nature of the reference instrument, and while the book adopts a positive approach to the CEFR and the CV, the authors also point to issues that require further work. This publication is a timely reminder of the challenges in implementing plurilingual and intercultural education and the further potential of the CEFR and CV in that regard.