ECML/CELV > ECML-Programme > Programme 2016-2019 > Guide to teacher competences

These pages contain one sentence descriptions of the various tools examined during the course of the project. Beside each description there is a visual representation relating the content of the tool to key dimensions. The aim of these spidergrams is to offer a visual profile of each instrument, e.g. for a quick initial comparison of different resources. The spidergram values are to be read from the centre of the visualisation.

Clicking on ‘view details’ enables the user to read more details about the purpose and contents of the tool, its origins and so on.

There are two ways of searching for relevant tools: you can use the matrix of topics/dimensions on the right to click on a specific area of interest, or/and you can narrow down your search using the filters listed below.

In the lower part of the main page a link can be found to brief descriptions of some important frameworks describing learner competences as well as various key Council of Europe and other background documents relevant to the issue of teacher competences. Last but not least, there are links to more detailed descriptions of the piloting and further development of a few existing resources in the context of this project.

21 items found for "teaching of other subjects / teaching across the curriculum"

Teaching competences – Common Framework
A general framework of competences aimed at improving the training offered to teachers in Europe

teaching of other subjects / teaching across the curriculum primary lower secondary upper secondary Language schools English German Lithuanian Portuguese Teaching and learning Attention to learners’ individual needs Professional development Orientation: other subjects

Link	www.edu.xunta.gal/centros/erasmusplusmccpd/en/node/47
Focus / content	A general framework of competences aimed at improving the training offered to teachers in Europe
Objective / structure	This framework encompasses 9 categories of teacher competence: 1. (Inter) personal skills 2. Collaborative 3. Communicative 4. Communication technologies for learning 5. Promoting health and well-being 6. Promoting social justice, diversity and global citizenship 7. Professional knowledge and understanding 8. Continuing personal and professional development 9. Assessment. Each of these is divided into sub-areas providing brief general descriptors for 3 successive levels of competence: ‘beginning’, ‘competent’ and ‘advanced’.
Target group	Those responsible for teacher education in the partner countries and across Europe (teachers of all subjects)
Institution / authorship	Developed by a group of 6 diverse partner institutions in Austria, Lithuania, Portugal, Scotland and Spain as part of an Erasmus + project
Date	2018
Languages	English, Galician, German, Lithuanian, Portuguese
Further information and comments	The Framework is linked to a ‘needs assessment’ instrument organised in a series of self-assessment ‘can-do’ questions for each competence area.
Further reading	European Commission, Education and Training (2013), ‘Supporting teacher competence development for better learning outcomes’.

Link	https://www.danielsongroup.org/download/?download=448
Focus / content	A generic instrument for teacher evaluation based on Danielson’s original Framework for Teaching, and primarily designed for use in the United States. “The Framework for Teaching identifies those aspects of a teacher’s responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and theoretical research as promoting improved student learning. […] These responsibilities seek to define what teachers should know and be able to do in the exercise of their profession.”
Objective / structure	The Framework is divided into 4 main ‘domains’: planning and preparation (subdivided in 6 component areas), the classroom environment (5 components), instruction (5 components), and ‘professional responsibilities’ (6&nbps;components). Each component contains a brief description, a list of ‘elements’ and a list of indicators. The evaluation checklists for each component (22 in total) contain ‘critical attributes’ and ‘possible examples’ of teacher behaviours for 4 levels of teacher competence from ‘unsatisfactory’, ‘basic’, satisfactory’ and ‘distinguished’.
Target group	Teacher educators, teachers, evaluators of teachers
Institution / authorship	Charlotte Danielson, Danielson Associates
Date	2013
Languages	English
Further information and comments	The Framework was originally published in 1995 and has been updated most recently in 2013. It claims to be based on extensive research and is primarily aimed at authorities in US state responsible for evaluating teachers working in public schools from kindergarten to grade 12.
Further reading	Danielson C. (2016), The Framework for teaching: Six clusters supporting high level learning.

Link	www.schulministerium.nrw.de/docs/bp/Lehrer/Lehrkraft-werden/Vorbereitungsdienst/Kerncurriculum.pdf
Focus / content	A detailed ‘spiral’ core curriculum for teacher education in North Rhine Westphalia (Germany), based around 6 key areas of competence
Objective / structure	This core curriculum is applicable for teacher education across the state. It has a transversal dimension, ‘accepting diversity as a challenge and an opportunity’, with 5 other competence areas: teaching heterogeneous classes, taking account of the educational task during teaching, stimulating, documenting & assessing learning and achievement, advising pupils and parents, and taking a cooperative developmental approach to the system and the school.
Target group	Teacher educators and student teachers in North Rhine Westphalia
Institution / authorship	Ministry for Schools and Further Training, North Rhine Westphalia
Date	September 2016
Languages	German
Further information and comments	For each main area there are ‘operative situations’ (examples of activities), key developmental questions, and content guidelines. These are followed by a list of competences expressed as standards.
Further reading	KMK-Standards für die Lehrerbildung: Bildungswissenschaften für die theoretischen Ausbildungsabschnitte (KMK 2004 - 2014)

Link	www.nffl.education.ed.ac.uk/
Focus / content	The framework contains language-related teacher competences for initial education in Scotland.
Objective / structure	The National Framework for Languages (NFfL) aims to support all students and teachers throughout initial teacher education (ITE) and career-long professional learning (CLPL) to develop an understanding of the role of languages in and for education. The framework is built on three pillars: Professional Values & Personal Commitment; Professional Knowledge and Understanding; Professional Skills and Abilities. These pillars are overarched by a set of principles and context: Plurilingualism, Diversity, Policy & Legislation, and Transformative practices.
Target group	Teacher educators designing programmes for initial teacher education, student teachers, teachers
Institution / authorship	Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE) Languages Group
Date	2018
Languages	English
Further information and comments	The framework is complemented by two resources: The LENS (Languages Education Network Scotland) is a resource bank of studies and research findings from (inter)national contexts, organized according to themes relating to language teaching and learning. The LEAP (Languages Education Academic Portfolio) is a reflective tool to support the implementation of the framework. It combines aspects of two earlier ECML publications, EPOSTL and PEPELINO.

Focus / content	Key competences needed by instructors working in workplace environments.
Objective / structure	A visual map divided into four main areas showing the relevant competences: Planning training; Instruction and assessing learning; Assessing students’ competences; Personal professional development. Intended for use as a self-assessment tool and to facilitate the identification of additional professional training needs.
Target group	Adult education trainers providing training on workplace environments
Institution / authorship	Heljä Hätönen (Educa-Instituutti Oy) Published by the Finnish National Board of Education Funded by the Finnish National Board of Education
Date	2014
Languages	English, Finnish, Russian
Further information and comments	Attractive design and very flexible adaptation of the descriptors to the diverse working environments of trainers. However, intended for use only by trainers providing training in workplaces. The appendix contains useful self-assessment forms and maps.
Further reading
Examples of use in practice

Link	https://rm.coe.int/a-handbook-for-curriculum-development-and-teacher-training-the-languag/16806af387 (appendix 3)
Focus / content	An aid for personal reflection by teachers of all subjects about the language demands implicit in the different subjects and the extent to which these are taken into account in their teaching.
Objective / structure	Lists of descriptors divided into six areas 1. Transparency of language requirements in setting up attainment targets and tasks for subject-specific learning; 2. Use of language by the subject teacher; 3. Classroom interaction and opportunities for the students to speak; 4. Scaffolding academic discourse skills, strategies and genres; 5. Linguistic appropriateness of materials (texts, different media, teaching/learning materials); 6. Linguistic aspects of evaluating academic language and content achievement
Target group	Policy-makers, teacher educators and teachers of all subjects
Institution / authorship	Jean-Claude Beacco, Mike Fleming, Francis Goullier, Eike Thürmann, Helmut Vollmer, with contributions by Joseph Sheils
Date	2016
Languages	English, French (German)
Further information and comments	The six lists of descriptors, expressed as first person behaviours, include many examples of language use and references to the language competences related to subject teaching that invite teachers to reflect on the ways in which they help learners to develop the language-related competences they need.
Further reading	An extended version of this checklist has been published in German: Thürmann E. and Vollmer H.J. (2012),“Schulsprache und Sprachsensibler Fachunterricht: Eine Checkliste mit Erläuterungen”, in Röhner C. and Hövelbrinks B. (eds.), Fachbezogene Sprachförderung in Deutsch als Zweitsprache, Juventa, Weinheim, pp. 212-233.

Link	www.ecml.at/pepelino
Focus / content	A tool for personal reflection on professional competences for students who are embarking on initial training to become pre-primary educators, focusing on the plurilingual and intercultural dimension of work with pre-primary children.
Objective / structure	This is a portfolio for individual reflection about professional development and competences for people working with or preparing to work with pre-primary children.
Target group	Pre-primary student teachers undergoing initial teacher education and practicing teachers
Institution / authorship	European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) of the Council of Europe
Date	2015
Languages	English, French, German
Further information and comments	This Portfolio encourages reflection on the degree to which language-related and intercultural teaching competences are being acquired. It promotes reflection as a key means of furthering one’s own professional learning. It underlines the complementarity of attitudes, knowledge and skills
Further reading	Frequently asked questions about Pepelino (www.ecml.at/pepelino)

Link	www.ciep.fr/sources/bibil/2006/novembre/regards.htm#elaboration
Focus / content	The instrument describes teacher competences for bilingual education, distinguishing between different teacher roles (language vs. subject teachers).
Objective / structure	The competence framework was written in the context of French-Polish bilingual schools in Poland. It distinguishes between common competences for all teachers, and specific competences for French as a subject, and non-linguistic subjects taught in French. It uses a distinction between teacher’s savoirs, savoir-faire, and savoir-être that correspond to different missions, such as classroom teaching, cooperation with stakeholders, and the teacher’s lifelong development. The notion of collaboration between different teachers for projects of bilingual learning is highlighted in a separate section of the document (Partie IV).
Target group	Teachers of French as foreign language, and French-language subjects
Institution / authorship	Frédérique Moreau, Centre de linguistique appliquée de Besançon, Université de Franche-Comté
Date	2006
Languages	French
Further information and comments	The instrument can serve as a valuable model for contexts of bilingual education / CLIL both in the area of the teachers’ necessary language competences, and further domains.

Link	www.miriadi.net/en/refdic
Focus / content	REFDIC is a list of teaching competences related to intercomprehension across five Latin languages which has three main dimensions: policy and ethics; communication and language; and education and teaching.
Objective / structure	The list contains descriptors of the competences in question introduced by explanatory texts concerning the aims, the rationale and materials available.
Target group	Teacher educators, teachers, and authors of teaching programmes and teaching materials
Institution / authorship	Institutions participating in the EU MIRIADI project (www.miriadi.net/): Ana Isabel Andrade, Filomena Martins and Ana Sofia Pinho (University of Aveiro), in collaboration with Maddalena De Carlo (Università di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale), and Mathilde Anquetil (University of Macerata). ICT aspects: Maria José Loureiro (University of Aveiro).
Date	2015
Languages	English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish
Further information and comments	A useful Instrument covering various important competence areas relevant to pluralistic approaches. It demonstrates the usefulness of relating teacher competences to learner competences in the same domain, i.e. REFIC, the framework of communicative competences in intercomprehension. Accompanied by suggested teaching and assessment activities in various related
Further reading	De Carlo M. (2015), Miriadi, Prestazione 4.4 – Expérimentation des réalisations – rapport. (www.miriadi.net/sites/default/files/prestation_4.4.pdf)
Examples of use in practice	Miriadi, Prestazione 4.4 – Expérimentation des réalisations – rapport. (www.miriadi.net/sites/default/files/prestation_4.4.pdf)

Link	www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards
Focus / content	The “Australian Professional Standards for Teachers” is a generic national standard for school teachers’ initial training, professional development and career progression.
Objective / structure	Addresses the competences of all teachers, not only those concerned with languages. Covers professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement. Descriptors are organised in subsections of the above three categories and are structured across four professional career stages: ‘graduate’, ‘proficient’, ‘highly accomplished’ and ‘lead’. They are linked to 325 ‘illustrations of practice’ on video.
Target group	Teachers, school leaders, teacher educators, teacher organisations, professional associations and the public
Institution / authorship	The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL)
Date	2011
Languages	English
Further information and comments	Much of its content is relevant to language teaching. It is an outstanding example of a framework that is part of a whole programme for teachers. It is linked to professional development and certification as well as to ‘illustrations of practice’ on video. It includes familiarisation activities, a self-assessment tool, and app.
Further reading	Resources: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/unpacking-and-implementing-the-australian -professional-standards-for-teachers

Link	https://ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2017-12/2013_INTASC_Learning_Progressions_for_Teachers.pdf
Focus / content	The InTASC (Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium) standards are an American competence framework for the initial education and lifelong development of teachers of all subjects in obligatory school.
Objective / structure	The standards are organized in ten dimensions, which are assigned to four categories: the learner, learning environments, instructional practice, and professional responsibility. Within each dimension, a distinction is made between the teacher’s performances, the underlying essential knowledge, and the related critical dispositions.
Target group	Teachers in obligatory schooling (‘K-12’) in the United States
Institution / authorship	Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) of the Council of Chief State School Officers (USA)
Date	2011 (original publication)
Languages	English
Further information and comments	The 2013 version of the instrument contains progressions, i.e. three levels of increasing competence in the different standards. The progressions are accompanied by a description of typical professional learning opportunities for teachers to advance in these areas.

Link	www.et-foundation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/new-overarching-standards-for-ttt-in-lifelong-learning-sector.pdf
Focus / content	A set of interrelated descriptors of values, professional knowledge and understanding, and ‘professional practice’. The standards are designed to aid the development of a qualification system for teachers and trainers working in adult lifelong learning.
Objective / structure	The above sets of descriptors are divided into six ‘domains’: Professional values and practice; Learning and teaching; Specialist learning and teaching; Planning for learning; Assessment for learning; Access and progression.
Target group	Organisations involved in providing courses for lifelong learning in the UK
Institution / authorship	Lifelong Learning UK
Date	2006
Languages	English
Further information and comments	A rich list of descriptors aimed to provide a basis for qualification unrelated to means of acquiring the competences specified. The clear layout indicates how the values, knowledge and professional skills specified relate to one another.

Link	www.spm-ram.org/conteudo/ficheiros/legislacao/ecd/DL204-2001_30Ago.pdf
Focus / content	The General Profile of Professional Competences, the general framework for Portuguese teachers, gives a global overview about teacher competences.
Objective / structure	The objectives concern mainly following aims: teacher’s development and professionalism, teaching and learning, methodology and assessment, learning resources and environments, attention to learners’ needs, research and evaluation, education for democratic values. The Profile is subdivided into four main dimensions: The professional, social and ethic dimension; Development of teaching and learning; Participation in school activities and links to the community; Long life professional development.
Target group	Teachers and teacher educators, national/regional education administrators and evaluators, certification authorities
Institution / authorship	INAFOP (National Institute of Teacher Education and Accreditation), under the responsibility of the Portuguese Ministry of Education
Date	2001
Languages	Portuguese
Further information and comments	This framework has a special focus on inclusive teaching in different contexts, and taking the learners’ repertoires in to account. The instrument can serve as a tool for reflection. It includes descriptors for education in general and research in education. The formulation is clear and understandable. The framework can be adapted to different contexts.

Link	www.education.gouv.fr/cid73215/le-referentiel-de-competences-des-enseignants-au-bo-du-25-juillet 2013.html
Focus / content	A set of standards listing the attitudes, knowledge and skills needed for the teaching of all subject and for the roles of other personnel in education and training in France.
Objective / structure	The list is divided into sections covering: Competences required by all teachers and other staff in the education system; Competences required by all teachers; Competences required specifically by teachers working in roles related to educational and library resources; Competences required specifically by those working in advisory and counselling roles in schools.
Target group	Teachers and educators in the educational system, teacher education institutions and those in charge of validating the provision of teacher education
Institution / authorship	French Ministry of Education
Date	July 2013
Languages	French
Further information and comments	The focus is on ethical and pedagogic principles common to all members of the education professions irrespective of subject area. The standards include competence in the language of schooling (French) and the ability to use another language as required by the job. The standards are followed by an interview with the then Director General of School Education on the training and development of the teachers of tomorrow.
Further reading
Examples of use in practice

Link	www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards
Focus / content	A list of general standards required of teachers of all subjects in the UK divided into two main sections: ‘teaching’ and ‘personal and professional conduct’.
Objective / structure	Following an introduction and a short glossary, each main section contains a list of general standards. There are eight such main standards under ‘teaching’, each of them subdivided. The ‘personal and professional conduct’ section contains a shorter list covering ethical, safeguarding and legal issues etc.
Target group	School governors and managers, teachers of all subject's and institutions providing teacher education
Institution / authorship	Department for Education – UK
Date	2011
Languages	English
Further information and comments	The main standards under ‘teaching’ cover motivating and challenging pupils, promoting good progress and outcomes, subject and curriculum knowledge, lesson planning, adapting to the strengths and needs of pupil, including those for whom English is a second language, good use of assessment, and behaviour management and safeguarding. The standards listed include a mixture of attitudes, knowledge and skills.

Link	www.jet.org.za/clearinghouse/projects/primted/standards/literacy-teacher-standards/litstds/the_reflective_profession_3rd-edition.pdf/view
Focus / content	A detailed list of competences including values, attitudes, knowledge and skills designed to encourage reflection in initial training and professional practice.
Objective / structure	After a lengthy introduction and guidance for users, the booklet covers 27 areas of competence, many of them subdivided by ‘aspect’ of the competence in question. Descriptors are provided for four phases of professional learning: initial teacher education, induction, early professional development, and ‘Continuing Professional Development, Collaborative Practice and School Improvement’.
Target group	Teachers of all subjects and at all levels wishing to reflect on and further develop their competences, as well as teacher educators and mentors
Institution / authorship	General Teaching Council of Northern Ireland
Date	2015
Languages	English
Further information and comments	The approach and competences in the booklet are in line with the Code of Values and Professional Practice and the Northern Ireland Charter for Education (reproduced at the end of the booklet).
Further reading
Examples of use in practice

Link	www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/the-standards/standards -for-registration-1212.pdf
Focus / content	Two of the standards from the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Professional Standards, namely ‘Standard for Provisional Registration’ and ‘Standard for Full Registration’ (legal requirement for any teacher teaching in a Scottish state school).
Objective / structure	The professional standards contain descriptions of the following dimensions: Professional values and personal commitment Professional knowledge and understanding Professional skills and abilities
Target group	Teachers, authorities and initial teacher educators
Institution / authorship	General Teaching Council for Scotland
Date	2012
Languages	English, Scots Gaelic
Further information and comments
Further reading
Examples of use in practice

Link	/www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/ukpsf_2011_english.pdf
Focus / content	A framework to support the initial and continuing professional development of teachers in higher education.
Objective / structure	The Framework has various objectives including to foster dynamic and creative approaches to teaching and learning through continuous development, and helping individuals and institutions to gain formal recognition for ‘quality-enhanced approaches to teaching and supporting learning’. It focuses on three interrelated aspects of teacher competence: ‘areas of activity’, ‘core knowledge’, and ‘professional values’.
Target group	Staff in UK higher education who are engaged in teaching and supporting learning in any subject or discipline
Institution / authorship	The Higher Education Academy with Guild HE and Universities UK
Date	2011
Languages	English
Further information and comments	Focuses on five areas of teacher activity: planning, teaching and supporting learning, assessment, providing support and guidance for students, and engaging in professional development and research. Each area is subject to four common professional values and presupposes six common areas of ‘core knowledge’. Descriptors are provided for four successive stages of Higher Education Academy recognition: Associate Fellow, Fellow, Senior Fellow, and Principal Fellow. The descriptors are of professional practices, engagement and knowledge demonstrated by teachers, alongside which are typical individual roles and/or career stages.
Further reading	See also the BALEAP Accreditation Scheme Handbook and Competency Framework, which is aimed at teachers of English for academic purposes in the UK and reflects similar stages of recognition: www.baleap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/TEAP-Scheme-Handbook-2014.pdf

Link	http://oesz.at/OESZNEU/main_01.php?page=016&open=34
Focus / content	The framework describes language-related competences relevant for the initial education of teachers of all subjects.
Objective / structure	The Basiskompetenzen are conceived as a modular curriculum for teachers of all subject, with strong emphasis on plurilingualism and interculturality, as well as language-sensitive subject teaching. There is a combined focus on the language of schooling as a second language, all languages present and learnt at school, and the language(s) in all subjects. The resource was written in the context of Austrian schools, and is based on the Austrian "Plurilingualism Curriculum" (Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit, see link below), a framework for plurilingual learner competences.
Target group	Student teachers of all subjects, from primary to upper secondary
Institution / authorship	Österreichisches Sprachen-Kompetenz-Zentrum
Date	2014
Languages	German
Further information and comments	The competences, which predominantly refer to kinds of knowledge (for example about plurilingualism), are linked to suggestions for concrete activities within the context of a 2 semester, 6 ECTS module in Austrian teacher education.
Further reading	Reich H.H., Krumm H.-J. (2013), Sprachbildung und Mehrsprachigkeit. Ein Curriculum zur Wahrnehmung und Bewältigung sprachlicher Vielfalt im Unterricht, Waxmann, Münster. www.oesz.at/download/cm/CurriculumMehrsprachigkeit2011.pdf

Link	www.eucim-te.eu
Focus / content	The EUCIM-TE curriculum describes teacher competences for the inclusive learning of academic language, with a focus on immigrant pupils learning the language of schooling as a second language.
Objective / structure	The resources features descriptors for language-related competences (attitudes, values and skills) for teachers of all subjects with immigrant pupils in three areas: (1) language acquisition in the context of schooling, (2) methodology for inclusive academic language learning and teaching (IALT), and (3) school organisation to facilitate inclusive academic language teaching.
Target group	Teachers, teacher educators, policymakers
Institution / authorship	Consortium of a EU-Comenius project
Date	2011
Languages	English, Slovene, German, Portuguese, Swedish
Further information and comments	The content and style of the framework presuppose some familiarity with the academic discourse on inclusive second language learning.
Examples of use in practice	The framework has been implemented in Germany (North Rhine Westphalia) – see www.eucim-te.eu/data/eso27/File/Material/NRW.%20Adaptation.pdf.

A guide to teacher competences for languages in education

Find resources according to orientation for teacher education and development

Filter the resources

Learner frameworks and key background documents

Frameworks, standards and documents included in the online guide

Link	www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/320/Speaking_for_Excellence.pdf
Focus / content	The framework describes language competences of teachers for certification in Canada, with a focus on the teachers’ different roles and the corresponding language functions.
Objective / structure	The framework contains detailed language performance descriptors for three levels. It describes general competencies for writing, speaking, reading and listening, as well as “occupation-specific performance outcomes” and concrete examples of language use in different domains. For the latter, three main categories are distinguished: (1) managing the classroom and student behavior, (2) instructing and assessing, and (3) communicating with parents and professionals.
Target group	Teachers of all subjects who were not originally trained in the language(s) of schooling
Institution / authorship	Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC)
Date	2013
Languages	English, French
Further information and comments	The framework is based on a very thorough literature analysis, which is described in the first part of the instrument.