Workshop “The CEFR – Beyond descriptors: mediation, plurilingualism, and the action-oriented approach” (21 May, online)
Workshop “The CEFR – Beyond descriptors: mediation, plurilingualism, and the action-oriented approach”
Online: MS Teams
Thursday, 21 May 2026
The profile of the language teacher has considerably evolved in the last years as a result of crucial advances in society. At the same time, global issues have pushed professionals to keep up with many changes that are here to stay.
How do we, as language teachers, choose and manage the breadth of topics, methods and approaches and decide what and how to teach/assess in semesters that are typically around 10 to 11 weeks long? How do we design our curricula and what is the rationale behind our choices? How do we ensure that our assessment is meaningful and has purpose?
Our workshops will offer a forum for language teaching colleagues across Higher Education to come together and discuss ideas which may lead to the creation of working groups.
The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Nottingham is pleased to host the fourth workshop in the Back to Basics in Language Teaching and Learning series. The series aims to foster the exchange of ideas and best practices, encouraging participants to rethink approaches to language teaching, learning, and assessment.
This workshop, entitled “The CEFR – Beyond descriptors: mediation, plurilingualism, and the action-oriented approach” invites participants to engage critically with the CEFR beyond proficiency descriptors, with particular attention to mediation, plurilingualism, and the action-oriented approach in language teaching and learning.
We are delighted to welcome Dr Brian North, one of the creators of the CEFR and current President of the Action-oriented, Plurilingual and Intercultural (API) Education Forum, an international community of academics, teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers, administrators, and policy makers in the field of language and literacy education. His presentation will set the stage for group discussions in which participants will reflect on and expand upon the key themes introduced. The session will conclude with an interactive, task-based activity, during which attendees will collaboratively design action-oriented scenarios that reflect the full pedagogical potential of the CEFR, applying the insights gained throughout the day. Download the Workshop 4 draft programme [PDF].
- When: 21 May 2026, 9:20 – 13:00 GMT (please note: NOT CET)
- Where: Online (MS Teams)
- Fee: £10 (free of charge to University of Nottingham staff)
- Booking deadline: 18 May 2026
More information is available at this link.