LinguaFolio® Virginia

A Tool for Tracking Progress in

Language Learning

Dr. Lisa A. Harris

Specialist for Foreign Languages and International Education

June 27, 2017

Why LinguaFolio®?

Teaching = Learning?

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

In Two Words:

Student Empowerment

By facilitating goal

setting, evaluation,

and reflection, LFO

empowers learners to

take charge of their

own learning.

Source:

globaldigitalcitizen.org

Credit: Stephanie Knight, CASLS

Portfolios stimulate student efficacy

• Self-efficacy refers to a learner's beliefs about their ability to accomplish a task.

• Students who reflect upon their language acquisition gain confidence in their ability to progress.

• Student self-perception is a useful tool to identify learning strategies and skills to help boost confidence.

The National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC), a consortium of Georgetown University, The George Washington University, and the Center for Applied Linguistics. http://www.nclrc.org/portfolio/8-6.html

4 Credit: Jennifer Carson, VBCPS

• comprehensive, portable record of

learner language proficiency & ongoing

progress

• record of cultural experiences and

intercultural growth

What Is

LinguaFolio®?

Credit: Ryan Wertz and Ruta Couet

• standards- and proficiency-based tool

for language learners

• self-directed goal-setting and formative

assessment

What Is

LinguaFolio®?

Credit: Ryan Wertz and Ruta Couet

What Are The LinguaFolio®

Components?

1. Passport

The Language Passport is a Snapshot of:

• All Languages Learned

• Language-Learning Experiences & Competencies

• Self-Assessments of Proficiency

• Formal Qualifications, Diplomas, Seals and Awards Received

• Summative Test Scores and Other External Assessment Results

Documents Language background through:

Language Activities Inventory

Learning Inventory

• Requires learners to consider all of the ways in

which they’ve used the target language.

“How Do I Learn?” Inventory

• Has learners better understand their individual

learning styles by considering the learning

strategies that are most effective to them.

2. Biography

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements

3. Dossier

Examples of Evidence:

• Role Play (Digital Recording)

• Poster Board (Digital Photos)

• Text message or e-mail

• Written Presentation (Scanned)

• Oral Presentation (Mp3 File)

• Blog Entry

• Multimedia Presentation

Lingua

Folio®

Identify

proficiency /

Chart language

progress

Set

measurable

goals

Select

and use

learning

strategies Reflect

on learning

(self-assess)

Chart

intercultural

growth

Respond to

Can-Do

statements Collect

and house

evidence

What Does LinguaFolio® Help Learners To Do ?

Credit: Ryan Wertz and Ruta Couet

Goal Setting

One of the most successful strategies according to scholars in the field is to

• set goals and have students participate in that goal setting process

• devise an action plan that allows the learner to achieve the goal, and

• engage in reflection to see if the goal was met and at what level.

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

“Goal setting influences learning and

motivation by providing a target and

information about how well one is

doing.”

(Alderman, 2005, pg. 105)

Learning Goals Matter

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

Moeller, Theiler and Wu (2012) conducted a five

year quasi-experimental study with 23 school

districts and determined that the ability of

language learners to set goals is linked to

• higher motivation

• language achievement

• growth in proficiency

Has it been tested?

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

Findings

• High school students (n=1544) and teachers (n=21) were

followed for five years and proficiency samples in reading,

writing and speaking were archived and reviewed each year.

• The study revealed a significant relationship between growth in

goal setting ability and growth in language achievement (HLM,

p<.001).

• Students who were taught and participated in short and long-

term goal setting via “Can do” statements achieved higher levels

of language proficiency as measured by the STAMP test

(Moeller & Theiler, 2012).

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

Transfer skills to other disciplines

Dema Clarke (2013) conducted an ex post facto study to

determine whether students who experienced LinguaFolio® as

an intervention in the foreign language classroom achieved

higher academic outcomes as measured by cumulative GPA

and ACT scores in math, science, reading, and English in

comparison to students who were not exposed to LinguaFolio®.

Her findings revealed:

• LinguaFolio® students performed better on the ACT exam

in all 4 sections (math, science, reading, and English)

• LinguaFolio students had higher cumulative GPA

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

Classroom Implications

LinguaFolio® has the power to promote learning through goal-setting, task-based language learning, and reflection because it shifts learning from a top-down process to a collaborative conversation between teachers and students.

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

Setting goals

+ documenting progress

+ self-assessing learning

------------------------------------

= student achievement

Credit: Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

How can my learners and I

access LinguaFolio?

Option #1: Customize your own version.

http://ncssfl.org/linguafolio/

Click on “Registration”

Download components

21

How can my learners and I

access LinguaFolio?

Option #2: Ready-to-use online version.

• Go to LinguaFolio Online website at https://linguafolio.uoregon.edu/

• Register and pay $2 per user per year.

Organized, Simplified Storage of Work

LFO provides unlimited digital storage for the

work students produce.

Efficient Feedback

Holistic Can-Do scale allows for feedback that is

rapid and succinct.

Credit: Stephanie Knight, CASLS

Keys to Success

• Set goals and engage in backwards design to meet those goals.

• Assess students in an ongoing fashion; weave LFO into the fabric of the classroom.

• Develop a proficiency-based classroom to produce adequate evidence.

• Use reflection to set new goals.

Credit: Ryan Wertz and Ruta Couet

LinguaFolio ® Virginia

Special Pilot for 2017-2018

• Aug 9-10: Two-day leadership training for

language supervisors and/or lead teachers

• Oct 4-5: Two-day implementation training

for teachers

• Aug 2017 – June 2018: Free access to

online version of LinguaFolio® Virginia

• 2018: Customized LinguaFolio® Virginia

resources

Acknowledgements

This presentation draws from information shared

by the following people, without whom this project

would not have been possible:

• Dr. Ali Moeller, University of Nebraska

• Stephanie Knight, CASLS

• Ryan Wertz, Ohio Department of Education

• Ruta Couet, SC Department of Education (retired)

• Helen Small, Newport News Public Schools

• Faye Rollings-Carter, Consultant

• Jennifer Carson, Virginia Beach City Public Schools

• The Southern Atlantic Language Collaborative (SALC) and the

National Council of State Supervisors for Languages

(NCSSFL)

For More Information…

Dr. Lisa A. Harris Specialist for Foreign Languages and International Education

Office of Humanities and Early Childhood

Email: Lisa.Harris@doe.virginia.gov

Office Phone: (804) 225-3666

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/foreign_

language/index.shtml