European language standards spread through Middle East with Dubai conference
More than 500 language educators and specialists will attend a landmark conference on October 20 & 21 in Dubai, which will examine the expanding global use of European language standards for measuring language ability.
The first biennial CEFR Conference - The CEFR and its implication for the Gulf States , under the theme of The CEFR: Principles of Good Practice, will look at the increasing global use of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and how it is being, and can be, used in the MENA region. The CEFR is now used to set standards all over the world and has been pioneered by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL).
The two-day conference, which is the first of its kind in the region, will help to raise awareness in the MENA region of the CEFR and how it is being used around the world. H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al
Nahayan, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor, Higher Colleges of Technology will give the opening address on Thursday, October 20.
The conference will be held at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Dubai Men’s College, and is jointly hosted by HCT and Cambridge ESOL, as part of ongoing collaborations between the two institutions.
Educational language practitioners from around the world will share practical information on how to make use of the CEFR in teaching, assessment, structuring curriculum, and in education policy, both at local and national levels. It will benefit education policy makers and professionals engaged in language education (Arabic & English) and it will give delegates a unique opportunity to hear global perspectives and see how the CEFR is implemented in different educational systems.
The keynote speaker will be Dr Mike Milanovic, Chief Executive of Cambridge ESOL, who will give an overview of the CEFR in the opening plenary session, which will set the scene for a number of related themes during the conference. Dr Milanovic will be joined by several other international and UAE-based language experts at the conference. Specialized case studies and workshops will cover how the CEFR is increasingly used in teaching, assessment and educational policy making.
For full details of the conference visit http://cefr.hct.ac.ae/