The Common European Framework in its political and educational context What is the Common European Framework?

Leisure skills: the ability to carry out effectively the actions required for leisure acti-
vities, e.g.:
•
arts (painting, sculpture, playing musical instruments, etc.);
•
crafts (knitting, embroidery, weaving, basketry, carpentry, etc.);
•
sports (team games, athletics, jogging, climbing, swimming, etc.);
•
hobbies (photography, gardening, etc.).
5.1.2.2
Intercultural skills and know-how 
These include:
•
the ability to bring the culture of origin and the foreign culture into relation with
each other;
•
cultural sensitivity and the ability to identify and use a variety of strategies for
contact with those from other cultures;
Users of the Framework may wish to consider and where appropriate state:
•
what practical skills and know-how the learner will need/be required to possess in order to
communicate effectively in an area of concern.
Users of the Framework may wish to consider and where appropriate state:
•
what prior sociocultural experience and knowledge the learner is assumed/required to
have;
•
what new experience and knowledge of social life in his/her community as well as in the
target community the learner will need to acquire in order to meet the requirements of L2
communication;
•
what awareness of the relation between home and target cultures the learner will need so
as to develop an appropriate intercultural competence.
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment
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•
the capacity to fulfil the role of cultural intermediary between one’s own culture and
the foreign culture and to deal effectively with intercultural misunderstanding and
conflict situations;
•
the ability to overcome stereotyped relationships.
5.1.3
‘Existential’ competence (savoir-être)
The communicative activity of users/learners is affected not only by their knowledge,
understanding and skills, but also by selfhood factors connected with their individual
personalities, characterised by the attitudes, motivations, values, beliefs, cognitive styles
and personality types which contribute to their personal identity. These include:
1.
attitudes, such as the user/learner’s degree of:
•
openness towards, and interest in, new experiences, other persons, ideas,
peoples, societies and cultures;
•
willingness to relativise one’s own cultural viewpoint and cultural value-system;
•
willingness and ability to distance oneself from conventional attitudes to cul-
tural difference.
2.
motivations:
•
intrinsic/extrinsic;
•
instrumental/integrative;
•
communicative drive, the human need to communicate.
3.
values, e.g. ethical and moral.
4.
beliefs, e.g. religious, ideological, philosophical.
5.
cognitive styles, e.g.:
•
convergent/divergent; 
•
holistic/analytic/synthetic.
6.
personality factors, e.g.:
•
loquacity/taciturnity;
•
enterprise/timidity;
•
optimism/pessimism;
•
introversion/extroversion;
•
proactivity/reactivity;
Users of the Framework may wish to consider and where appropriate state:
•
what cultural intermediary roles and functions the learner will need/be equipped/be
required to fulfil;
•
what features of the home and target culture the learner will need/be enabled/required to