Developing a Badge System for a Community ESL Class Based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks

Oct 15, 2026

Teaching multilingual, multilevel language classes creates persistent challenges, especially aligning instruction with students’ level-appropriate needs. In community adult ESL settings, learner motivation and attendance often decline because a single teacher cannot fully address individual gaps. This exploratory practice-based article adapts the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) into a badge system to set and track personalized language learning goals, detailing badge purposes, development methodology, and feedback from students and instructors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Developing a Badge System for a Community ESL Class Based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks

The Challenges of a Multilevel Classroom

Classroom engagement and task fit

Placement and clarity of program objectives

Developing a Badge System for a Community ESL Class Based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks Robb Mark McCollum Southern Utah University Elena Tornar Reed Southern Utah University Abstract Teaching multilingual, multilevel language classes presents many challenges including helping students learn level-appropriate language. This learner-centred approach is complicated in a multilevel classroom where the teacher cannot always focus on each student’s needs. As a result, learner motivation and attendance are frequent problems. This article details the adaptation of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) into a badge system to help learners in a community English as a Second Language (ESL) program set and track personalized language learning goals. The authors explain the purposes of badges, including motivation and assessment, and describe how to create a CLB-based badge system for curriculum and assessment purposes. The authors also share feedback from students and instructors in the community ESL program about the badge-based curriculum. Résumé L'enseignement dans des classes multilingues et à multiniveaux présente de nombreux défis, y compris la nécessité d'aider les étudiants à apprendre et à pratiquer la langue de manière adaptée à leur niveau. Cette approche centrée sur l'étudiant est compliquée dans une classe à niveaux multiples, où l'enseignant ne peut pas toujours se concentrer sur les besoins dechaque étudiant. Par conséquent, la motivation et l'assiduité des étudiants sont un problème fréquent. Cet article détaille l'adaptation des Niveaux de Compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) à un système de badges, pour aider les étudiants dans un programme communautaired'anglais langue seconde (ALS) à définir et à suivre des objectifs d'apprentissage linguistique personnalisés. Les auteurs expliquent les objectifs des badges, y compris la motivation et l'évaluation, et décrivent comment créer un système de badges basé sur le NCLC en l’incorporant à leur curriculum et leur système d’évaluation. Les auteurs partagent également les commentaires des étudiants et des instructeurs du programme communautaire d'anglais langue seconde vis- à -vis le curriculum basé sur les badges. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Special Issue: 23, 2 (2020): 228-236 CJAL * RCLA McCollum & Reed 229 Developing a Badge System for a Community ESL Class Based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks This article is an exploratory study investigating the potential application of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) as a badge system for adult learners in a multilevel English as a Second Language (ESL) community education course. This practice-based article outlines the challenges of multilevel classes and explains the benefits of a badge system for such a context. The authors detail a recommended methodology for developing a badge system and summarize their own application of this methodology to a community ESL curriculum and share feedback from students and teachers on the suitability of the CLB for a badge-based curriculum. The authors conclude with classroom recommendations as well as suggestions for future research in badge-based language learning. The Challenges of a Multilevel Classroom Teaching multilingual, multilevel language classes presents many challenges including helping students develop skills in a classroom environment where the teacher cannot always focus on each individual student’s needs. In such situations, students may become discouraged when portions ofthe class are targeted at a level too high or too low for their current proficiency level. Such is often the case in adult ESL community education courses where there is typically one teacher assigned to a class of students with varying levels of proficiency. Teachers can best support learners’ language development and improve their motivation to participate by selecting tasks that match learners’ needs. The challenge is that some tasks will suit t

FAQs

What problem does the badge system aim to solve in a community ESL class?

It helps address level-appropriate language learning in a multilevel classroom where teachers cannot always focus on each learner’s needs, which can harm motivation and attendance.

How are the Canadian Language Benchmarks used in the badge system?

The article describes adapting CLB for adults learning English in a community ESL course, using badges to set and track personalized language learning goals.

What challenges do multilevel classrooms create for both learners and teachers?

Different proficiency levels can make some students discouraged or bored depending on whether tasks are too high or too low, and placement or objective clarity can also be difficult.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Anna Hans