There are many advantages in adopting this Framework, and you, yourself, may perceive advantages that are not mentioned here as you start to implement the Framework. One of the main advantages is the standardization of English teaching across institutions of higher education. This would allow students across all institutions of higher education in Israel equal access to CEFR-aligned EFL/EAP courses. This would also facilitate mutual recognition of levels of English achieved by students if they transfer from one institution to another.
An additional advantage is that the Framework is aligned with the CEFR, which is a common internationally recognized framework for learning, teaching and assessing language. Adopting a CEFR-aligned framework for English courses would enable Israeli teachers and students to benefit from over 40 years of accumulated research conducted by the University of Cambridge and many other leading institutions, as well as by a wide range of experts in the field of EFL.
The CEFR focuses on communicating effectively in four different domains that include both the academic and occupational domains. By adopting the Framework for English Teaching in Higher Education in Israel, teachers can provide students with the English language skills and knowledge they need to succeed both in their academic studies as well as in the 21st century workplace.
Finally, the beliefs about language learning inherent in the Framework accord with current understandings of what language knowledge comprises, referring to multiple literacies such as research literacy and digital literacy. These beliefs also include the importance of using different modalities to convey meaning in all four language skills – reading, writing, speaking and listening.
