Maria Gabriela Schmidt*, Noriko Nagai, Naoyuki Naganuma and Gregory Birch Teacher development: Resources and devices to promote reflective attitudes toward their profession https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2019-0024 Abstract: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has been increasingly used to inform language policies and teaching practices in Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Education proposed in 2011 that objectives of English curricula at the secondary education level ought to be stated using the “Can do” schemata of the CEFR and then announced a new English examination system for college enrolment to be launched in 2020. This top-down approach to implementing the CEFR, however, has caused practitioners great confusion and led to mis-conceptualisations of the CEFR. A group of practitioners conducted a research project aiming to develop a practical guide to CEFR-informed learning, teaching and assessment. It attempts to provide practitioners with CEFR-related resources and tools to implement the CEFR for course design. To design a course, users of the CEFR need to modify scaled illustrative descriptors in principled ways to fit local needs. The modified descriptors become the basis for daily lesson plans, and function as an assessment tool for teacher and learner self-assessment. This report summarises the research project and work- shops held in 2017 and 2018. Keywords: CEFR, CEFR/CV, curriculum/course design, teacher development, assessment, learner autonomy *Corresponding author: Maria Gabriela Schmidt, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan, E-mail: schmidt@chs.nihon-u.ac.jp Noriko Nagai, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ibaraki University, Mito, Japan, E-mail: noriko.nagai.kishimoto@vc.ibaraki.ac.jp Naoyuki Naganuma, International Education Center, Tokai University, Tokyo, Japan, E-mail: n.naganuma@tokai-u.jp Gregory Birch, Department of Psychology and Communication, Seisen Jogakuin College, Nagano, Japan, E-mail: gbirch@seisen-jc.ac.jp CercleS 2019; 9(2): 445–457 Brought to you by | Tulane University Authenticated Download Date | 1/2/20 1:24 AM