To ensure creative synergies at institutional level in the pursuit of common goals CercleS cooperates actively with European organisms:
Council of Europe
The European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML)
The European Centre for Modern Languages is an Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe that was established in Graz, Austria in 1994, and which currently has 35 member states. Situated at the interface between policy, research, teacher education and practice, the ECML’s activities are articulated in a series of four-year programmes. Individual members of CercleS have contributed to a wide range of ECML projects and to its training and consultancy service. CercleS is a member of the ECML’s Professional Network Forum, which brings together international associations and institutions that share common values and have overlapping expertise in the field of language education and assessment.
An overview of the ECML’s work in language education from 1994 to 2021 is available here.
Several members of CercleS are involved in a project with ECML and CercleS is an associate partner of the ECML project “CEFR Companion Volume Toolbox – VITbox”.
In addition, CercleS has two delegates who regularly participate in ECML events.
For more information about the Council of Europe, please see this informative text written by Prof. D. Little:
Please find below the ECML publication: “Rethinking language education after the experience of Covid”
ECML Rethinking language education after the experience of Covid.pdf
1.00 MB 2980 downloads ...Please find below the reports by Libor Štěpánek, who attended the ECML meetings in December 2022, December 2023, and December 2024 as the CercleS ECML representative.
European Language Portfolio (ELP)
The European Language Portfolio is a personal document in which learners of all ages can record their language learning and cultural experiences both within and outside formal education. It also provides a framework for learners to assess their own language competences.
The European Language Portfolio (ELP) was developed by the Language Policy Programme of the Council of Europe
- to support the development of learner autonomy, plurilingualism and intercultural awareness and competence;
- to allow users to record their language learning achievements and their experience of learning and using languages.
More information about the history and development of the ELP is available here.
A list of accredited and registered ELPs by country can be found here.
You can also find some examples of ELPs in the members’ area of our website.
In a 2003 article by Mary Ruane (CercleS Secretary General 2000-2004) emphasised the contribution of language centres to the advancement of language learning via their proactive role in the development of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) for university students. (DOI: 10.4000/asp.1127)
Ruane, M. (2003). Language centres in higher education - facing the challenge
183.61 KB 533 downloads ...
The European Language Council (CEL/ELC)
The European Language Council actively promotes European co-operation between institutions of higher education in the area of languages.
CercleS and its partners (with whom it signed memoranda of cooperation) share information about activities of common interest, exchange expertise and support participation in workshops and projects. They may also plan joint activities.
