Using the ELP as a basis for self- and peer assessment when selecting "best" work in modern-language degree programmes

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) was designed as a tool that “supports reflective learning and fosters the development of learner autonomy” (Little 2009); it thus supports students in exploring, creating and documenting their own learning paths. This article will investigate an action-oriented approach to learning and teaching in an undergraduate language degree course at the University of Padova, Italy, based on the pedagogical principles of the ELP (Council of Europe 2011). Students who enrol on this degree course arrive with varying degrees of language ability and diverse language learning backgrounds; and due to the disparate nature of their proficiency levels, fostering language learning awareness is crucial. Task-based activities are fundamental to this approach, enabling students to explore and develop their communicative language competences through authentic target language use, and to reflect on their progress through guided self- and peer assessment. In the article, we will showcase examples of tasks which demonstrate the approach adopted. We will first explore how peer assessment of student audio recordings was used in a course where first-year students were aiming to develop their spoken production skills. We will then illustrate how second-year students engaged in self-assessment of their skills in activities designed to explore the language of interaction and production. Finally, we will focus on the use of the ELP Dossier as a pedagogical tool, with students compiling an “academic” Dossier and reflecting on the choices of work to include in it.