INTERNATIONAL BILINGUAL CONFERENCE

(English and French)

30, 31.8 & 1.9.2007

University of Turku, Finland

Assessing language and (inter-)cultural competences in Higher Education

Registration Accommodation Turku Important dates

Guidelines for submitting your article

Target audience:

- Staff working in foreign language teaching in higher education (Departments of foreign languages, language centres, institutes for foreign students, etc.);

- Language and (inter-)cultural test developers for/in higher education;

- Graduate and postgraduate students interested in foreign language teaching/learning in higher education;

- Teacher trainers/trainees;

- Intercultural trainers involved in language teaching;

- Researchers in language assessment.

Aims of the conference

The main aim of the conference is to provide a forum for discussing concepts and methods related to assessment of foreign language learning in higher education, with an emphasis on:

- Linguistic competences;

- Pragmatic and discursive competences in interaction;

- (Inter-)cultural competences.

Papers are invited on any of the following themes (among others):

- self-assessment & peer-assessment

- representations / discourse on assessing language and (inter-)cultural competences (teachers & learners)

- restraints imposed on by institutional contexts in terms assessment

- grammar/vocabulary vs. pragmatic and discursive competences

- impact/use of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in assessing competences in higher education

- the use of new technology in assessing competences

- opportunities for assessing (inter-)cultural competences

Plenary speakers:

Professor Michael Byram

University of Durham, UK

Intercultural competence – shall we assess or evaluate?

Professor Danièle Moore

Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada

Developing Intercultural Competences for Teachers in Multicultural Contexts. Voices, Choices and Challenges.

Associate Professor Marion Pescheux

Université Jean Monnet, St Etienne, France

Conceptualisation métalinguistique et évaluation des compétences langagières en classe de FLE: réflexions sur le positionnement de l’enseignant en formation initiale à l’université

Professor Claude Springer

Université de Provence, France

New competences, new modes of evaluation for a socially situated plurilingual/pluricultural communication.

Professor Sauli Takala

University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Reconciling national assessment practice with CEFR-based assessment: (How) Can it be done?

Scientific Committee:

- Nathalie Auger, University of Montpellier, France

- Michael Byram, University of Durham, UK

- Fred Dervin, Department of French Studies, University of Turku, Finland

- Aleksandra Ljalikova, Department of French Studies, University of Tallinn, Estonia

- Päivi Sihvonen, Department of Romance Languages, University of Helsinki, Finland

- Eija Suomela-Salmi, Department of French Studies, University of Turku, Finland

Contacts:

Tel: +358 (0) 23336041

Fax: +358 (0) 2 3336560

E-mail: assessing@utu.fi

Snail-mail: Assessing language and (inter-)cultural competences, Department of French Studies, Henrikinkatu 2,20014 Turun Yliopisto, Finland.