Untitled

saxelmwifo enis swavlebis sakiTxebi:
problemebi da gamowvevebi
Issues of State Language Teaching;
Problems and Challenges
of foreign language learning, development of curriculum etc. 1 It represents an important instrument on an international
scale for unification and certification of the exams. That is why the framework of reference obtained
striking resonance and recognition since its publication. Twenty-three specialists in didactics (from
Germany and Austria) of German, as a foreign language, according to their research field, have given the
highest assessment to the framework of reference as “the most important document of the language policy”
in the area of common European education (Raupach, 2003, P. 156). With the aim of further specification
and development of the framework of reference, many empirical researches have taken place, base documents
have been drawn up, the foreign languages portfolio (ESP) of which we should name, projects: “ALTE” and
“DIALANG”, German-speaking Swiss cantons project “IEF” etc. (GI, 2001, P. 218, 232, Appendix: B, C,
Europarat: European Language Portfolio)
Unlike early normative documents, the framework of reference embraces all those newly determined parameters
thronged in the uniform system that is necessary for language learning, teaching and assessment. The
most major concepts of recommendation frameworks are: a) The change of paradigm in the field of the foreign
language lesson, its aims and content and b) Differentiated system 2 of six-level scale, which describes the
levels of communicative activities and language competencies.
This system contains the knowledge and skills, by which the language learners must be able to implement
language activities in social, professional and private field. The phased system of levels has vertical and
horizontal dimensions. The vertical dimension represents the language competence level (A – elementary usage
of the language, B – independent usage of the language, C – competent usage of the language) and content
of the levels that are illustrated by a global scale. The global scale represents one of the most important scales
of the framework of reference, on which all the rest of the scales are oriented on the global scale. The competence
level of a language learner with defined descriptors for each level is characterized not in negative, by
listing deficits of their knowledge, but in a positive way: what skills they own, to be able to gain their competence
level. Feasibility and adequacy (validity) of the suggested descriptors are empirically researched in the
Swiss project by B. Nort, G. Schneider and other scientists and are based on the experience of teachers working
in different education sectors, who regard these descriptors as transparent, feasible and relevant. Each descriptor
is examined by hundreds of experiments in three languages (English, German, French), as for the
scales, they are composed based on the statistical data (see Schneider, 2000; GI, 2001, Chapter III, Appendix
A, B regarding Swiss project). Despite this, the description of the levels descriptors is suggested in the form of
recommendation that “must incite us to thinking, discussing and further improvement of descriptors, on the
ground of an objective description of the gained experience and facts in this field (GI, 2001, Chapter III;
Quetz, 2001,559). The authors of the framework of reference offer the users critical assessment of the scaling
system and descriptors that really represent a topical issue up to date. Such famous specialists as: K.R.
Bausch, H. Christ, F.G König and H. I. Krumm primarily initiated criticism of the framework of reference
in the field of the language test. Test authors, who must utilize the framework of reference descriptors, remark
that the recommendation framework does not provide clear instructions for composing an examination test
(Rausch, 2003, P.145-155; Quetz, 2003, P.553-563). It does not take into account the control of all those factors
that condition the complexity of a test task. Some critics remark that the framework of reference is too
normative, “Mcdonaldized”. It does not offer us the advice, related to the education aims and lesson methods.
Above all, in the framework of reference such important skills scales, as: translation, intercultural skills, nonverbal
communication, strategy of studies etc.are not given. The reason for criticizing the six-level scale and
descriptors is due to the fact, that it is not always possible to correspond to the given language competencies
precisely to any levels of the framework of reference within the framework of general language competence
and competence profiles. The framework of reference user “during the language competence level” or “by the
time of describing a special problematic sphere, needs the formulation of a more precise subcategory, until it
is contained by the classification of the framework of reference”. Though, the scales descriptors are necessary
1
The teachers’ poll, which took place in 2007 by the European Council, certifies that they regard the framework of reference
necessary and helpful: 90% - for curriculum; 87% - for assessment of the teaching level/compiling of the tests; 78%
- for the qualification of teachers (TestDaF Institut, 2010).
2
We can view the six-level-scale elements in the curriculum "Threshold Level" (http://www.linguee.de/englischdeutsch/uebersetzung/threshold
+level.html) created by the European Council in the 70’s.
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