The advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP

In my English course I have to answer this question:

Taking into account my personal teaching context, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP with my groups?

First of all, I have to say that I had never heard the term ELP (European Language Portfolio) before starting this English course in order to teach some school subjects. So, if you are in the same situation, it’s convenient to describe what ELP is.  The European Language Portfolio is a document, or a group of documents, for the learner created by the Coucil of Europe. It has been designed “to support the development of learner autonomy, plurilingualism and intercultural awareness and competence”, and “to allow users to record their language learning achievements and their experience of learning and using languages”. There’s a huge variety of portfolios, but all of them must have these components: language passport, language dossier, and language biography.

The ELP is not so famous in Spanish education. In fact, there are only a few schools which use it. However, this is an important instrument to learn languages in the rest of Europe. That’s why we can find several differences between the Spanish ELP and the English ELP, which is more attractive, clearer and easier to use than the first one.

           So, if I had to use an ELP, I definitely would choose the English ELP. Nowadays, I’m working as a teacher, but I see very far the use of the ELP in the Spanish schools. Maybe, that’s because we don´t know its benefits:

       Firstly, the ELP is a proper way to learn languages at school because children can acquire as knowledge as possible instead of use the typical book. The learning of languages have to change into attractive methodologies: ELP is very fun, because children are conscious about their own learning. They can assess themselves, add their own vocabulary and become more confident in each contexts they are. This process gives them autonomy to produce their own knowledge.  They are the protagonists of their own teaching-learning process and I think that this is the most important!

       In addition, the assessment is organized by topics and it permits the teacher to program his classes in real contexts where the pupil moves and the child can check his achievements. It develops the autonomy and the independent work. They are not puppets, they are the authors of their learning.

 

In spite of the advantages of using ELP in the school, there are some disadvantages, especially in Spain, where we are not get used to change the languages methods to achieve improvements in our linguistic competence.

ELP needs an exhaustive preparation by the teacher and sometimes it is not possible.  The teachers’ time is so limited and we only have forty-five minutes a day to achieve the curriculum’s objectives. That’s why I think the ELP is not going to be used in Spain. Here we have a lot of contents to teach but the most important things are forgotten.

       To sum up, ELP is a wonderful instrument but it’s too difficult to integrate in our current Education System.  We have to change!