Enrica Piccardo

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Digital pedagogies of empowerment are needed to shift discourses on marginalization, facilitate additional language learning, and sustain multilingualism. Grounded in plurilingualism and decoloniality as theoretical frameworks, this transformative mixed methods study explored the affordances of PluriDigit, a plurilingual, decolonial, and digital ap...

Hizkuntzen ikas-irakaskuntza hezkuntza ekintzara bideratutako / ekintzan oinarritutako irakaskuntzara daraman egungo aldaketaren aurrekariak aurkezten ditu liburu honek, eta ekintzara bideratutako ikuspegiaren (EBI) teorizazioa eskaintzen du. EBIrako bidea ireki zuten kontzeptu eta teoriak aztertzen ditu, eta hizkuntzen hezkuntza-eskoletan ulertzek...

This paper presents the Action-oriented Approach (AoA), which responds to current societal needs by preparing learners to act as informed social agents who strategically employ their diverse linguistic and cultural resources to achieve collaborative goals. Rooted in scenario-based learning, the AoA prioritizes learner agency, mediation, and plurili...

This paper explores how the concept of plurilingualism is positioned to act as an impetus for linguistic and cultural inclusion in human-rights-based language education. Drawing on frameworks foregrounding descriptors for plurilingualism and democratic citizenship, the paper employs discourse analysis and sorting techniques to identify and align st...

Vingt ans après sa sortie officielle, le Cadre européen de référence se renouvelle. Cet outil, qui a eu une grande influence sur tous les acteurs impliqués dans l’éducation aux langues aux différents niveaux en Europe et dans bien des contextes extra européens, a fait l’objet d’un travail profond de renouvellement et d’expansion. En particulier, un...

This paper presents a methodology for directly aligning ‘can do’ frameworks to each other. The methodology, inspired by the manual for relating examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) (Council of Europe, 2009) and Kane’s (2004, 2013) interpretative argument, takes account of bo...

This article explains the integrated, complex, situated view of languages and language education that is gradually replacing the linear, ‘Cartesian’ view of languages as inert objects to be dissected, which has long dominated language education. It discusses the way mediation can act as a prism. Exactly as a prism decomposes white light into the sp...

The CEFR action-oriented approach presents the user/learner as a social agent mobilizing, combining and extending language and general competences plus strategies through carrying out language activities in the accomplishment of tasks in specific contexts. The CEFR outlines four modes of communication: reception and production (= the traditional fo...

For decades, international researchers and educators have sought to understand how to address cultural and linguistic diversity in education. This book offers the keys to doing so: it brings together short biographies of thirty-six scholars, representing a wide range of universities and countries, to allow them to reflect on their own personal life...

This final chapter helps readers reflect on the notion of innovation in language education and conceptualize its features and implications through a complex and ecological lens. Drawing on the complementary perspectives presented throughout the book, this final chapter discusses both the lessons learned throughout the LINCDIRE project and the chall...

This volume of case studies reports on experiences in a wide variety of contexts with the concepts and descriptors of the CEFR Companion volume, which broadens the vision of the CEFR 2001, enriching the CEFR model in the areas of plurilingualism and mediation. The studies report on classroom practice and awareness-raising activities from all over...

This chapter critically discusses the development of plurilingualism and the potential of real-life oriented teaching and learning to leverage pedagogical innovation in language education. The chapter then introduces the notion of a scenario, which is core to the action-oriented approach. This approach builds on the advances in the task-based langu...

The shift to remote classes due to COVID-19 required teachers to reimagine their pedagogical practice and develop new strategies for providing quality language education in online environments. The sudden transition also meant teachers had to intentionally create affordances for online interaction or risk reverting to methods that ignore the intera...

To better understand the factors facilitating or impeding the translation of “promising controversies” (Taylor & Snoddon, 2013, p. 439) of plurilingualism theory into meaningful practices, this article presents a synthesis of 30 empirical studies on plurilingual pedagogy as enacted and experienced by educators and learners in various global K–12 an...

This book challenges the reader to rethink and reimagine what diversity in language education means in transnational societies. Bringing together researchers and practitioners who contributed to the international LINguistic and Cultural DIversity REinvented (LINCDIRE) project, the book examines four pillars of innovation in language education: the...

Key findings shared during the presentation: -The use of an online, plurilingual, action-oriented tool called LITE (Language Integration Through E-Portfolio) had a positive impact on distance language education in Italy -Teachers identified collaborative activities, group work, and learner engagement as main challenges in teaching languages online...

Pronunciation is a common topic of interest in ELT but teachers may be unsure of what features of pronunciation to prioritise, especially in multilingual classes. While research calls for explicit pronunciation instruction that focuses on improving intelligibility and comprehensibility, implementation is still a challenge. This article presents ped...

Language teaching methodologies over the past decade have been gradually moving towards more plurilingual approaches to language teaching (Conteh & Meier, 2014; May, 2014; Taylor & Snoddon, 2013; Lau & Van Viegen, 2020). The call for a multi/plurilingual turn in language education marks the move from language separation to integration of languages...

The CEFR Companion Volume (2020) replaces the 2018 provisional version. It updates and extends the CEFR, adding descriptors for aspects of mediation, online interaction and plurilingual/pluricultural competence. The 2018 version has been slightly restructured and modified. Descriptors have been edited to make them modality inclusive (suitable for s...

Plurilingual/pluricultural competence, introduced in the Common European Framework of Reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) (Council of Europe, Common European framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001) from its first drafts in 1996 and supported by Cos...

Impact of the Common European Framework of Reference worldwide

In spite of the spark that plurilingualism has given throughout Europe and beyond to the idea that linguistic and cultural diversity is an asset rather than an obstacle, the term plurilingualism itself has not frequently been used in the English-speaking world. Beginning with an analysis of this issue, this paper aims to help readers better underst...

The CEFR’s action-oriented approach, including its concept of the user/learner as a social agent mobilising a plurilingual repertoire, represents a significant development from the communicative approach. The CEFR moves beyond the traditional four skills (spoken and written reception and production) to also include interaction and mediation, openin...

The use of many languages has been around for many years; indigenous communities have used languages, dialects and variations of their languages to make meaning and share culture. Plurilingualism as a theory and educational approach looks at people’s language(s)repertories and how they use them at any given moment to communicate. In this interview...

In response to increased mobility and the consequent multiplication of cultural and linguistic diversity, a new paradigm is emerging in language education and its conceptualization that stresses interconnection, interdependence, and a synergic vision. The notion of plurilingualism is a cornerstone of such a paradigm. In this paper, plurilingualism...

Post-industrial societies are characterized by a high degree of mobility which manifests itself through waves of migration and affects all knowledge domains and all aspects of both individual and collective lives. This situation presents challenges under the pressure of a powerfully uniformizing globalization. However, the exponential increase of d...

developing a new scale for phonological competence

https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/CJAL/article/view/24472 Abstract This article proposes a research agenda for future inquiry into the use of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in the plurilingual Canadian context. Drawing on data collected from a research forum hosted by the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers in...

Task-based learning and the action-oriented approach have introduced a shift in second language education, opening new possibilities for anchoring language learning in real-life practice. The collaboration of over 80 partners in the Region of Durham (Ontario, Canada) led to the development of an online community-based immigration portal for newcome...

The notion of mediation has been studied in psychology, pedagogy and the social sciences. The emerging vision of language acquisition as socialization into communities of practice through the mediation of material signs and its implications in the field of language education informed a Council of Europe project that has produced CEFR illustrative d...

Diversity is inherent in many societies around the world, and this is the case in both Canada and the United States. Despite linguistic and cultural diversity being part of North America’s social phenomenon, language education and applied linguistics still treat languages as separate entities. While little attention is given to the use of students’...

In response to increased mobility and the consequent multiplication of cultural and linguistic diversity, a new paradigm is emerging in language education and its conceptualization that stresses interconnection, interdependence, and a synergic vision. The notion of plurilingualism is a cornerstone of such a paradigm. In this paper, plurilingualism...

The notion of mediation has been the object of growing interest in second language education in recent years. The increasing awareness of the complex nature of the process of learning – and teaching – stretches our collective reflection towards less explored areas. In mediation, the immediate focus is on the role of language in processes like creat...

La mobilité grandissante de nos sociétés contemporaines s’accompagne d’une augmentation exponentielle de la diversité culturelle et linguistique. Face à ce constat, deux réactions opposées s’avèrent possibles : d’un côté une homogénéisation linguistique et culturelle progressive, de l’autre une valorisation de la pluralité en tant que ressource. La...

In 2010, the Herder Institute of the University of Leipzig, the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) jointly hosted a conference for debating the (possible) alignment of the two major existing frameworks of learning, teaching, and assessing foreign language skills....

Available at http://www.curriculum.org/storage/241/1410360061/TAGGED_DOCUMENT_%28CSC605_Research_Guide%3B_French%29_03.pdf within the website of the project From Communicative to Action-Oriented : Illuminating the Approaches funded by the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada/Canadian Heritage. English version: Piccardo, E. (2014). Fro...

La recherche dans le domaine de l'apprentissage des langues s'est com-plexiiée au cours des dernières décennies. Elle s'articule de plus en plus autour de trois composantes : communication, cognition et socia-lisation, qui sont parfois présentées séparément au lieu d'être vues comme interdépendantes. De plus, dans l'analyse de ces composantes et de...

The growth of interest in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in Canada has moved from academic discussions and feasibility studies to the publication of institutional documents informing language education policies. Far less attention has been given so far to the need for professional development aimed at helping teachers grasp the c...

Contemporary globalized society is characterized by mobility and change, two phenomena that have a direct impact on the broad linguistic landscape. Language proficiency is no longer seen as a monolithic phenomenon that occurs independently of the linguistic repertoires and trajectories of learners and teachers, but rather shaped by uneven and ever-...

The growing availability of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools opens up some interesting perspectives in the domain of additional languages teaching. Several studies confirm that ICT can contribute to making students more engaged and courses more “authentic” as ICT encompass up-to-date resources which have not necessarily b...

L’évaluation en langues d’Emmanuelle Huver et Claude Springer se donne un objectif ambitieux : faire le point sur l’évaluation, un « objet de recherche » (p. 6) assez complexe et parfois controversé en didactique des langues (DDL). La tâche que les auteurs poursuivent avec passion, presqu’avec acharnement dans certains passages, est une des plus lo...

Résumé Malgré la mobilité croissante de la société globale, la diversité linguistique n’est souvent pas reconnue, et encore moins valorisée. L’introduction du concept de plurilinguisme avec son caractère dynamique et évolutif est en train de faire changer la vision des langues en tant que phénomènes codifiés, de redimensionner le rôle d’une lingua...

A decade after the publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR, Council of Europe 2001), practitioners' relationship with this fundamental tool is still rather ambivalent and certainly not homogeneous. Very often teachers feel hesitant, asking themselves if what they are doing is consistent with the CEFR guidelines...

Résumé : En classe de langue, l'évaluation est un moment de l'action didactique où l'enseignant mesure s'il y a eu apprentissage des élèves et à quel niveau. Ceci se traduit en général par une évaluation des savoirs et capacités par le biais d'une performance. Cet article s'interroge sur une autre variable, rarement prise en considération par l'ens...

Research in the domain of second / foreign language acquisition has become more complex these last decades. It increasingly structures itself around three components, communication, cognition and socialisation, which are sometimes taken in isolation instead of being considered as interdependent. Furthermore, in the analysis of these components and...

Alors que le CECR affirme que la compétence à communiquer langagièrement se décline dans des activités communicatives pouvant relever au même titre de la réception, de la production, de l’interaction et de la médiation, cette dernière n’a pas vraiment été développée par les auteurs du CECR, et, par conséquent, n’a pas non plus été illustrée par des...

This article intends to discuss complexity of assessment by presenting its several layers and dimensions as they are conceptualized in the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) and to show how the CEFR advocates an inclusive vision of assessment able to inte- grate several perspectives. After presenting the CEFR perspective of...

This handbook answers all of your questions about the CEFR: - What is the CEFR? - Why should I want to know? - How can I use it? Understand how the CEFR provides a framework to inform practices for instruction and assessment within the K-12 Canadian FSL classroom. Learn the global value in oral language acquisition and appreciate the origins and...

Writing instruction and training for ESL students at tertiary schools in North America have focused on academic writing with an emphasis on the acquisition of appropriate register. While helping prepare students for the type of writing required for their courses, this can lead to the use of formulaic text structures and expressions, and to avoiding...

Résumé : En classe de langue, l'évaluation est un moment de l'action didactique où l'enseignant mesure s'il y a eu apprentissage des élèves et à quel niveau. Ceci se traduit en général par une évaluation des savoirs et capacités par le biais d'une performance. Cet article s'interroge sur une autre variable, rarement prise en considération par l'ens...

Résumé Le CECR apparait de prime abord comme un document assez « indigeste ». Etant le produit d’un compromis entre plusieurs traditions pédagogiques et cherchant à couvrir un grand nombre de domaines conceptuels qui se nourrissent de recherches assez disparates, il montre une complexité de structure et d’organisation qui peut s’avérer gênante pour...

Parcours d'évaluation, d'apprentissage et d'enseignement à travers le CECR Parcours d'évaluation, d'apprentissage et d'enseignement à travers le CECR Parcours d'évaluation, d'apprentissage et d'enseignement à travers le CECR 1 10 0 € € / / 2 20 0 U US S$ $ http://book.coe.int Editions du Conseil de l'Europe Cette publication est destinée : • aux fo...

http://www.coe.int ISBN 978-92-871-7159-7 1 10 0 € € / / 2 20 0 U US S$ $ http://book.coe.int Council of Europe Publishing This publication is targeted at: • teacher educators looking for user-friendly and flexible resources to help them design training modules on the fundamental concepts of the CEFR in general and on assessment in particular; • la...