ERIC Number: ED585181
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
'It's a Shame That We Haven't Met Earlier!': Facilitating a Tandem Language Exchange Programme at Queen's University Belfast
Wang, Liang
Research-publishing.net
Tandem Language Exchanges (TLE) have been recognised for their pedagogical value in language learning, especially when developing learner autonomy through providing language learning support to each other in a friendly and social learning environment. Unlike many projects which incorporate cross-site practices in a collaborative teaching paradigm, the TLE programme at Queen's University Belfast aims to support all students and staff who wish to practise with a native speaker of the target language on campus via a platform that facilitates searching, interaction, and socialising functions. Drawing on observation, survey results and self-reports, this study reviews the obstacles to active engagement and reports a case study (Chinese-German) to demonstrate how they felt about their practice and participation. The study concludes with some considerations for implementing this TLE approach as a useful opportunity in complementing formal language learning at university level. [For the complete volume, "Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Integrating Informal Learning into Formal Language Education," see ED585162.]
Descriptors: Universities, Instructional Innovation, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Personal Autonomy, Socialization, Native Speakers, Observation, Case Studies, Surveys, Chinese, German, College Students, Informal Education, International Educational Exchange, Computer Mediated Communication, Program Descriptions, Computer Assisted Instruction
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Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Belfast)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A