The European Profiling Grid
The European Profiling Grid, or EPG, is a framework with descriptors spanning six ‘development phases’ in a language teacher’s professional evolution.
The EPG is available in 13 languages and is being used by schools, universities and language teaching institutions in many countries to help language teachers assess their professional strengths and training needs, and to support people who are managing and supporting teachers.
What does the EPG contain?
The descriptors in the Profiling Grid cover four key areas:
- Qualifications, teacher training, and experience
- Core competences:
- methodology – knowledge & skills
- lesson and course planning
- interaction with and monitoring of learners
- assessment
- ‘Enabling skills’, such as language awareness, intercultural competence and the ability to use digital media.
- Professionalism
What is the e-Grid?
The e-Grid website, which contains the EPG descriptors in electronic form, is the best and easiest way to use the EPG. It enables teachers, teacher trainers and managers to carry out assessments online. More details about the e-Grid can be found here
How can the EPG be used?
The EPG and the e-Grid are valuable tools for raising awareness about language teaching competences and teaching quality and are also important aids to teacher training and development.
If you know and use the EPG or e-Grid and wish to introduce it to other potential users or institutions in your context, Eaquals has prepared helpful support in the form of free guidelines and an adaptable questionnaire. Please contact info@eaquals.org to obtain these.
Eaquals welcomes brief reports from users of the EPG/e-Grid about their experiences and the impact on teachers, student teachers and others involved in their use. Some examples are provided here.
More information about the EPG and e-Grid is available via the following links
- The European Profiling Grid booklet with full details of the EPG and learn about its practical applications (available in eight languages)
- Further information and case studies illustrating how the EPG has been used
- Brief information about the EPG and the 2011-2013 EPG project in English, French, German and Spanish
- A talk by Professor H.J. Krumm (University of Vienna) about the European Profiling Grid and its value to the international language teaching profession, given at the launch of the EPG
- A presentation on the EPG and e-Grid, including the validation of the descriptors and the EPG User Guide, by Richard Rossner, Brian North and Galya Mateva
- A webinar on the EPG and e-Grid