The Cambridge English Teaching Framework is a professional development framework, designed by Cambridge English Language Assessment, which is used by English language teachers to self-assess and plan their own development.
The framework describes four stages of a teacher's development (Foundation, Developing, Proficient and Expert) across five categories of teacher knowledge and skills:
Each category describes the key competencies for effective teaching at each stage of a teacher's development. The five categories are then divided into a number of components so that teachers can identify specific needs.[2]
English language teachers use the framework to self-assess where they are in their career, decide where they want to go next, think about the knowledge and skills they would like to develop[3] and identify the courses, qualifications and resources which will help them to progress.[4]
History
The Cambridge English Teaching Framework was designed to encapsulate the key knowledge and skills needed for effective teaching at different levels and in different contexts, and to show how Cambridge English Teaching Courses, Qualifications and professional development resources map to this core syllabus of competencies.
The framework was developed by experts at Cambridge English Language Assessment and validated by primary and secondary schools, private language schools and higher education providers around the world. During this validation stage, a group of teacher trainers were asked to match the framework competency statements to the different stages, in order to check whether the statements in the framework were placed at the correct stages. In addition, teachers around the world were asked to complete a questionnaire version of the framework. The teachers and their managers were then asked their opinion as to whether the framework had provided a fair assessment.[5]
The first version of the framework was launched in April 2014 at the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) conference.[6] This first version had four categories, with Language Ability originally covered in the ‘Language Knowledge and Awareness’ category. However, ongoing research showed that English language ability needed to be given greater prominence, so a Language Ability category was added in the second version of the framework, launched in September 2014.[7]
Format
The Cambridge English Teaching Framework is a profiling grid, rather than a performance assessment tool. It is designed to show stages of a teacher's development at different points in time, rather than provide a profile of ‘a good teacher’. This approach recognises that teachers’ development is not only defined by their years of experience, but that most teachers’ development will be ‘jagged’. At any one time, teachers will be at different stages across each of the categories of teaching knowledge and skills.[8]
On the horizontal axis of the profiling grid are four stages of teaching competence (Foundation, Developing, Proficient and Expert) and on the vertical axis of the grid are five categories of teaching knowledge and skills:
1. Learning and the Learner
This category looks at a teacher's understanding of key language learning theories and concepts, their awareness of different learning styles, and their ability to apply this understanding to plan and facilitate language learning.[9]
2. Teaching, Learning and Assessment
This category looks at a teacher's ability to plan and manage language learning, make effective use of learning resources, understand teaching language systems and skills, and assess learning.[10]
3. Language Ability
This category looks at a teacher's own language ability, their understanding of the language points taught at different levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and their ability to use language accurately and appropriately when interacting with learners and other teachers.[11]
4. Language Knowledge and Awareness
This category looks at a teacher's understanding of key terms and concepts used to describe language, their use of strategies to check and develop their language awareness, and their ability to apply such knowledge practically in order to facilitate language learning.[12]
5. Professional Development and Values
This category looks at understanding and practice in the areas of teacher learning, classroom observation, professional development and critical reflection.[13]
Each category describes the key competencies for effective teaching at each stage of a teacher's development, as shown in the summary framework below. This summary version is for illustrative purposes only. Teachers should refer to the full competency statements or the Cambridge English Teacher Development Tracker when assessing their own development.
Cambridge English Teaching Framework: a summary
Support
A free online tool is available for teachers to establish their current competency stage and identify their continuing professional development needs.[14] The Cambridge English Teacher Development Tracker guides teachers through the framework categories with simple questions and a range of possible answers.[15] Teachers can add other people (e.g. their managers or trainers) as reviewers. Reviewers can use the Tracker to compare the competency profiles of a number of teachers at the same time (e.g. to understand the skills profile of their whole team).
Teaching courses, qualifications and resources
The Cambridge English Teaching Framework provides teachers with an overarching view of which Cambridge English Teaching Courses, Qualifications and resources correspond to each stage of a teacher's development.[16]
Cambridge English Teaching Qualifications and Courses[17]
Framework stage(s)
CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
Foundation and Developing
YL Extension to CELTA (Young Learner Extension to CELTA)
CELT-P (Certificate in English Language Teaching – Primary)
Foundation and Developing
CELT-S (Certificate in English Language Teaching – Secondary)
Foundation and Developing
Language for Teaching
Foundation, Developing and Proficient
ICELT (In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching)
Developing and Proficient
Delta (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
Proficient and Expert
IDLTM (International Diploma in Language Teaching Management)
Proficient and Expert
Certificate in EMI Skills (English as a Medium of Instruction)
Proficient and Expert
Train the Trainer
Proficient and Expert
Most of the teaching qualifications and courses above straddle more than one stage of teaching competence on the framework. For example, some CELTA candidates start the course with some previous classroom experience and may already be at the Developing stage, whereas other candidates start the course with no previous teaching experience and will therefore be at the Foundation stage.
Candidates ending a course and obtaining a qualification may also straddle different stages. For example, TKT modules are awarded a band from 1 to 4.[18] Candidates who achieve a band 4 result are more likely to be at the Developing stage than those who achieve a band 1 result.
In addition to these teaching qualifications, Cambridge University Press English Language Teaching (ELT) was consulted during the development of the framework, and their teaching methodology books and materials are being mapped to the framework to aid teachers in their development.[19] The content on the online professional membership, Cambridge English Teacher, is also mapped to the stages and categories of the framework, so that teachers who know where they are on the teaching framework can easily find relevant courses and resources for each framework stage and category.[20]
Usage
English language teachers use the framework to self-assess and plan their own development. In addition, Directors of Studies and Heads of Departments may choose to use the framework as the basis for professional development discussions with their staff and to set professional development goals for them.[21]
The framework is also being used by teacher training organisations, such as the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE), to develop and align their professional development courses for teachers.[22]
Once teachers have identified where they are on the framework, they can access recommendations for development activities and free development resources via the Cambridge English website. There are recommendations for every stage of each category, providing teachers with suggested reading, videos and actions to incorporate into their teaching practice, along with professional development courses and qualifications.
Research and development methodology
The first stage in the development of the framework was a review of existing CPD frameworks in the field, including:
Frameworks used in language education
BALEAP Competency Framework for Teachers of English for Academic Purposes, UK (2008)
British Council CPD Framework for Teachers of English, UK (2011)
CAELA Framework for Professional Development, Center for Applied Linguistics, USA (2010)
The European Association for Quality Services (EAQUALS) Profiling Grid (2013)
Frameworks used in general education
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), Australian Institute for Teaching and Schools Leadership, Australia (2011)
Competency Framework for Teachers (CFT), Departments of Education and Skills, Western Australia (2004)
Framework for Teaching, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, USA (2008)
Professional Standards for Teachers (PST), Department for Education, UK (2013).
The development of the Cambridge English Teaching Framework was also informed by Cambridge English Language Assessment's experience of developing teaching qualifications such as CELTA, Delta, ICELT and TKT. Data from teacher assessments, carried out as part of those qualifications, provided information about classroom practice and the processes that teachers use when planning and reflecting on their teaching, at different stages of their careers and in different contexts around the world. This evidence was used in designing the teaching framework, alongside an expert review of the CELTA, Delta and ICELT syllabuses and teaching education literature.[23]
The International English Language Testing System, is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world.
CELTA is an initial teacher training qualification for teaching English as a second or foreign language. It is provided by Cambridge Assessment English through authorised Cambridge English Teaching Qualification centres and can be taken either full-time or part-time. CELTA was developed to be suitable both for those interested in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and for Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The full name of the course was originally the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults and is still referred to in this way by some course providers. However, in 2011 the qualification title was amended on the Ofqual register to the Cambridge English Level 5 Certificate In Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) in order to reflect that the wider range of students that teachers might have, including younger learners.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated in English as CEFR or CEF or CEFRL, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly, in other countries. The CEFR is also intended to make it easier for educational institutions and employers to evaluate the language qualifications of candidates for education admission or employment. Its main aim is to provide a method of learning, teaching, and assessing that applies to all languages in Europe.
Cambridge Assessment English or Cambridge English develops and produces Cambridge English Qualifications and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The organisation contributed to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the standard used around the world to benchmark language skills, and its qualifications and tests are aligned with CEFR levels.
Cambridge English: Young Learners, also known as Young Learners English Tests (YLE), is a suite of English language tests specially designed for children in primary and lower-secondary school. The tests are provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment.
DELTA is an English language teaching (ELT) qualification for experienced Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). It is provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment through authorised Cambridge English Teaching Qualification centres and can be taken either full-time or part-time. The full name of the course was originally the Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults and is still referred to in this way by some course providers. However, in 2011 the qualification title was amended on the Ofqual register to the Cambridge English Level 7 Diploma In Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (DELTA) in order to reflect that the wider range of students that teachers might have, including younger learners.
The Licentiate Diploma in TESOL, also known as LTCL DipTESOL, is a professional qualification awarded in the teaching of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) by Trinity College London. It is an advanced teaching qualification, often seen as a follow-up to the CertTESOL, and is accredited in England by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority at Level 7 on the UK National Qualifications Framework as are master's degrees in related subject areas. Holders of the LTCL DipTESOL are also eligible for credit transfer on some master's degree programs.
Recognition of prior learning (RPL), prior learning assessment (PLA), or prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR), describes a process used by regulatory bodies, adult learning centres, career development practitioners, military organizations, human resources professionals, employers, training institutions, colleges and universities around the world to evaluate skills and knowledge acquired outside the classroom for the purpose of recognizing competence against a given set of standards, competencies, or learning outcomes. RPL is practiced in many countries for a variety of purposes, for example an individual's standing in a profession, trades qualifications, academic achievement, recruitment, performance management, career and succession planning.
The ELTons are international awards given annually by the British Council that recognise and celebrate innovation in the field of English language teaching. They reward educational resources that help English language learners and teachers to achieve their goals using innovative content, methods or media. The ELTons date from 2003 and the 2018 sponsors of the awards are Cambridge English Language Assessment and IELTS. Applications are submitted by the end of November each year and they are judged by an independent panel of ELT experts, using the Delphi Technique. The shortlist is published in March and the winners announced at a ceremony in London in June. The 2018 awards were held in a new venue, Savoy Place, Institute of Engineering and Technology, London, UK.
B1 Preliminary, previously known as Cambridge English: Preliminary and the Preliminary English Test (PET), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English.
C2 Proficiency, previously known as Cambridge English: Proficiency and the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English.
C1 Advanced, previously known as Cambridge English: Advanced and the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English.
B2 First, previously known as Cambridge English: First and the First Certificate in English (FCE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English.
Trinity College London ESOL is an international English Language examinations board delivering assessments in English language learning and teaching and has been offering English language examinations since 1938. Trinity College London's exams are taken by over 850,000 candidates in over 60 countries each year.
A2 Key, previously known as Cambridge English: Key and the Key English Test (KET), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English.
Michigan Language Assessment (MLA), also known as the Cambridge–Michigan Language Assessment (CaMLA) and previously the "English Language Institute Testing and Certification Division at the University of Michigan", has been providing English language assessments, learning resources, teacher development, consultancy and research since 1941.
The Cambridge English Scale is a single range of scores used to report results for Cambridge English Language Assessment exams. It was introduced in January 2015, with Cambridge English Scale scores replacing the standardised score and candidate profile used for exams taken pre-2015. The scale aims to provide exam users with more detailed information about their exam performance than was previously available.
The Michigan English Test (MET) is a multilevel, modular English language examination, which measures English language proficiency in personal, public, occupational and educational contexts. It is developed by CaMLA, a not-for-profit collaboration between the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge and has been in use since 2008.
The Examination for the Certificate in Competency in English (ECCE) is a high-intermediate level English language qualification that focuses on Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Cambridge English Qualifications are a graduated series of exams designed to assess competency in English for learners of English as a second or foreign language. The Cambridge English Qualifications are based on the candidate's scoring on the Cambridge English Scale which is a single range of scores used to report results for Cambridge English Language Assessment exams. It was introduced in January 2015, with Cambridge English Scale scores replacing the standardised score and candidate profile used for exams taken pre-2015. The scale aims to provide exam users with more detailed information about their exam performance than was previously available.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
