Thanks to All Participants!

Just one more thing before we go back to the important work of carving ...

Speaking for myself at least, I think we had a good time of sharing today. Your enthusiastic participation made all the difference--so thank you once again!

Yet in a sense, the session is not over yet. Do feel free to continue commenting on this blog, sending in your blog URLs to be linked on the right, and/or just dropping me a line from time to time using the feedback form (also on the right).

As you add to your blogs, if they're linked to my blog roll, we'll all be able to see the new stuff that you put in. I can't wait to see all the cool ideas you have for managing all the demands of the anticipated PBLA.

Of course, if you still haven't done so, please complete this survey for our good hosts, TESL Toronto.

So, that's all I can think of for now ... it's back over to ya!

Welcome to This Hands-On Workshop!

It's gonna be pretty hands-on (or paws-on).

Here are your tasks for today:

1. Check out as much of this website as possible in the first 15 minutes, clicking through any online presentations, leaving comments, and visiting links to actual learner samples. If you get bored or have to wait at any time, there's a page on Things to Do While Waiting for Help on the green bar up top. 

An Interim Solution: Learner-Maintained Online Portfolios

Workshop: Learner-Maintained Online Portfolios of CLB Tasks
Description: Evidenced-based portfolios have been a challenge for many
LINC schools since the publication of the 2012 CLB document. Besides the
question of motivation, there's also the challenge of storage. The blogging
platform offers a motivating and easy way to host the tasks suggested by CLB
document. Challenges remain, but here is one way to address the situation in
the interim. Attendees should bring headphones with a microphone if possible.

Under Comments, below, list three likely hurdles or objections to such an interim solution.

Long Term Storage Solutions for a Traditional, Paper-Based PLBA

Here are some suggestions on the archival of PLBA:

1. Bankers Boxes 
2. Vertical sliding shelving
3. Archival scanning

  

And what do the learners get to bring home?



Share your alternatives, ideas, and comments below!

Vectors Favouring Porfolio-Based Language Assessment

1. Joanne Pettis's Online Ubiquity

Portfolio Based Language Assessment (PBLA): Maximizing Assessment for Learning from Joanne Pettis

2. Chudnovskaya, Kayed, and Colette Pepin's Language Portfolio for Internationally Educated Engineers

3. CLB2012 on Portfolio Assessment:

Instructors may find it effective to have learners maintain a portfolio of examples of performance on a range of language tasks contextualized in a variety of social situations and aligned to the CLB Competency Statements. The portfolio may be complemented by the use of a variety of evaluating techniques in the classroom, including checklists of outcomes, anecdotal records, externally developed tests and peer assessment. 

4. CIC Funding for PLBA via CCLB "as a standard feature of Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) and the Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada (CLIC) programming beginning with contributions for 2013–2014," in which:

(1) CCLB Regional Coaches will be trained, mentored and supported on PBLA to prepare and hone their skill sets; (2) They will train, mentor and support  a number of Lead Teachers from Service Provider Organizations; (3) Lead Teachers will then train, mentor and support Classroom Teachers within their program. CCLB is working with CIC to coordinate a phased-in rollout of PBLA in most parts of Canada by 2016.

What do you see as the trajectory of PLBA program specifically and the LINC program in general? Post your comment below!