Using LinguaFolio

What is LinguaFolio?

LinguaFolio is a self-assessment tool that encourages you to record and reflect on your language learning and cultural experiences.  As a language learner, you will set goals that will guide your language learning process so you can focus on particular language learning tasks that will benefit you the most.

The individual parts of the online LinguaFolio tool allow you to document the evidence that supports your language learning and identifies tasks that clearly show what you can do in a language and how well you perform those tasks.   That evidence, along with the clearly defined descriptions of what you can do in the language, help to inform not only you of your progress, but also gives others a much clearer understanding of your language abilities than grades alone can do.

Why should I use LinguaFolio?

Using LinguaFolio helps you:

  • Manage and analyze your own learning process
  • Set personal short-term and long-range goals and map out ways to achieve them
  • Evaluate and describe your language proficiency
  • Identify and use learning methods that work best for you
  • Identify your strength and weaknesses in learning languages
  • Change the way you think about learning a language
  • Document language learning experiences inside and outside the classroom
  • Provide a clearer understanding of what you can do with language
  • Provide a clearer description of your language abilities than a set of grades or test scores.

 

LinguaFolio is divided into three main components with various sub-sections. The online version of LinguaFolio is organized slightly differently, but still contains the same components.

Component Examples
Biography:
Background History
of Individual Language Learning
  • Students’ previous experiences with language learning
  • Intercultural Encounters or Experiences
  • Can-Do Statements to describe proficiency
  • Evidence to support achievement of Can-Do Statements
Dossier:
Work samples
  • Audio-files (either computerized or on digital reorder)
  • Visuals(with or without audio)
    • Streaming video clips
    • Digital media presentations
    • Digital photos (via digital camera or cell phone) of a product or poster
  • Writing samples (picture of poster, upload of PDF or Word document)
    • Essays
    • Summaries
    • Correspondence
  • Interpretive reading (what a learner did with the information they acquired)
  • Awards
  • Certificates
Passport:
Snapshot or summary of information
  • Awards
  • Achievements
  • External test scores
  • Description of competencies with one or more languages