The Common European Framework of Reference: The Globalisation of Language Education Policy

Languages for Intercultural Communication and Education #23

by Michael Byram (Editor), Lynne Parmenter (Editor)

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages was published a decade ago and has been influential ever since, not only in its European 'home' but throughout the world. This book traces the processes of the influence by inviting authors from universities and ministries in 11 countries to describe and explain what happened in their case. There are everyday factors of curriculum development – which sometimes include coincidence and happenstance – and there are also traditions of resistance or acceptance of external influences in policy-making. Such factors have always existed in bilateral borrowing from one country to another but the CEFR is a supra-national document accessible through globalised communication. The book is thus not only focused on matters of language education but is also a Comparative Education case-study of policy borrowing under new conditions.

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Michael Byram taught languages in secondary school and adult education. At Durham University since 1980, now emeritus, he has researched the education of linguistic minorities and foreign language education. His most recent book is From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship (Multilingual Matters) and he is the editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning.

Reviews

[Aliya Khasseneyeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book describes CEFR, its aims, history and application. It gives a review of CEFR application in differnet countries outside the UK: France, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland, Argentina, the USA, Colombia, China, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand.
It is interesting to know that China foreign language teaching is quite similar to the teaching in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has the same problems with students preparing only to the test instead of acquiring skills and knowledge.