The European Language Portfolio (ELP): advantages and disadvantages

In this post, I am going to speak about the European Language Portfolio. Firstly, I will define it and I will explain which its parts are. After that, I am going to think about its advantages and disadvantages.

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) is “a document in which those who are learning or have learned a language - whether at school or outside school - can record and reflect on their language learning and cultural experiences.” It is composed of three parts: the Language passport, the Europass Language Passport and, finally, the Language biography.

If I would use the European Language Portfolio in class, I think that it will be useful because: 

•  It is a public tool, useful in all the European community.
• It let teachers to know the language knowledge of their pupils. It is especially interesting in multicultural or bilingual societies. In this way, teachers can get benefit from this situation to turn language class into a multilingual experience.

• It let parents to be conscious about their children improvements. Sometimes, children are exposed to other languages because they have friends, classmates, teachers who speak or teach them another language.
•  It let children valuate their language knowledge and reflect on their language experiences.
• It increases the children’s motivation to learn more language.

However, it can imply some disadvantages:

• Children can be of the opinion that European Language Portfolio is not useful.
• The process can be a little complicated or confusing.
• Some teachers are not prepared to use European Language Portfolio because they don’t know it. For this reason, someone have to prepare them if, finally, we considerate the European Language Portfolio Useful. It means that someone have to spent time and money doing it.

To sum it up, I think that the suitability of the use of the European Language Portfolio depends on the teacher who has to use it. I personally consider that this tool should be used if pupils are going to get benefit from it. I think that this tool have to be a way because if we assume it as a purpose we are really wasting time.