1. DESCRIPTION OF A SUCCESSFUL CASE

1.1 Scope of the initiative

 

Success case: Tandem programme at the Independent Language Learning Centre (ILLC – SLZ);

Target: Foreign students (e.g, Erasmus students) and (language) students of the Free University Berlin (FU Berlin) (language students as well as students of all disciplines);

Institution carrying out the initiative: Independent Language Learning Centre (ILLC – SLZ) as a part of the Language Centre of the FU Berlin. In particular the initiative is presently being carried out by two people (the head of the ILLC, a teacher of German as a foreign language and two student assistants).

Other partners involved within the University: FU-BEST, FUBIS, Studienkolleg, which are institutions providing fee-based language and cultural programmes for foreign students or language courses for exchange students at the FU.

About the tandem programme:
The tandem programme is an extracurricular initiative of the Language Centre, but it is intended to fit into the university context and into the study programmes of students. See also 1.3. Learning outcomes, and 2.2 Strategic goals of the initiative.

 

1.2 Range of languages studied

 

No language constraints are set within the tandem programme. Students can offer their first language and seek any other language. The range of languages offered and/or requested by the students is on average about 25-30 languages (from Arabic to Hungarian, to Farsi, Chinese, see table 2).

1.3 Learning outcomes

 

The tandem programme is focused on language learning in a university context. Tandem learning is not just about spending time together and making conversation with the tandem partner; it is primarily focused on language learning relative to study subjects and skills, and the use of language in meaningful contexts. Although it is difficult to generalise, since the learning outcomes are different for different students, depending on their language competence, their dedication to the tandem programme, their specific goals, etc., we can nevertheless say that most of the students involved in tandem-learning work on learning goals strictly related to their individual needs within their academic career, such as writing a paper in the foreign language, preparing an interview for a job, understanding lectures etc. See also 2.2 Strategic goals of the initiative.

 

 

1.4 Practical realisation

 

The present tandem programme is a further development of an earlier tandem project organised by a teacher of German as a foreign language. Based on an evaluation of the previous programme, some features have been modified. Two major changes were made in regard to the language competence required for participating in the programme: The first major change is the opportunity for cross-language tandems (in the previous programme only students with either German as a first language or seeking German as a foreign language could take part); the second major change is that students can offer more than one (first) language, assuming they have very good skills in these languages (e.g. a school or university degree), along with any first language(s). The goal of both these changes is the promotion of multilingualism. The programme is open to the entire student population of the FU and other universities in Berlin.

In particular, the tandem programme at the ILLC is based on:

• an online application form collecting student data about languages (sought and offered), age, study programme, language competences, interests and hobbies, goals for tandem learning, etc.);
• a data base of students having submitted an application form;
• a general tandem agreement (Tandemvereinbarungen), which students sign when they apply for the tandem programme (e.g. students are supposed to spend the same amount time on each language, to respect one another, to negotiate their learning goals);
• a general tandem meeting at the beginning of each term to give students the possibility to meet and choose their own partners;
• ongoing work by the tandem team at the ILLC to arrange tandem partners (students are informed by e-mail);
• tandem training in the form of workshops directed at all languages, focussing on tasks, strategies, materials for tandem learning;
• language advising for tandem partners;
• the possibility to sign a tandem contract with the partner and an adviser in order to obtain a certificate for the tandem work (ECTS credits may be provided);
• the possibility for tandem partners to work with ILLC resources;
• general information about the tandem programme (handouts, tips for tandem learning, tandem agreement);
• collaboration with other departments and institutions within the university and in Berlin in order to establish partnerships among students and language learners from different languages (e.g. FU-BEST, FUBIS).

 

2. BACKGROUND TO THE INITIATIVE

2.1 Context

• The FU Berlin is a world-recognised university with an institutional policy which targets at internationalisation;
• large international student population at the FU Berlin: exchange students, Erasmus students, mostly from France, Spain, Italy, but also students from all over Western and Eastern Europe, PhD students from all over the world;
• the city of Berlin is attracting more and more young people from different countries;
• the Language Centre offers a comprehensive programme of courses in German as a Foreign Language for exchange students (1086 in 2007);
• the Independent Language Learning Centre (ILLC - SLZ) is visited by a large number of students enrolled in Language Centre courses or learning a language on their own (about 100 students daily during the term).

The tandem programme is very popular at the FU: it is integrated in the university context, where it creates a language learning environment with a wide range of languages. Students involved in the programme have access to the ILLC facilities (resources, language advising, workshops). Most of the tandem partners coming to the advising sessions or to the ILLC focus their tandem learning on study-related content and skills.

2.2 Strategic goals of the initiative

Goals of the tandem programme are:

• to establish tandem partnerships between students of different languages in order to:
• improve their skills in foreign languages they are learning or have learned;
• increase their intercultural awareness and competence;
• promote  the development of student autonomy in language learning;
• motivate students to undertake further language learning;
• increase multilingual awareness and competence;
• promote internationalisation;
• promote cultural openness;
• and, more generally
• to integrate foreign students coming at the FU both linguistically and socially in the university context and in the city of Berlin;
• to allow students to take advantage of the great language diversity presented by the student population in Berlin and at the FU.

 

3. SUCCESS INDICATORS

 

a) quantitative indicators:

• increasing number of students participating in the tandem programme (see table 1 (WiSe 2006/07 513, SoSe 2007 527, WiSe 2007/08 755);
• increasing number of students finding a tandem partner through the programme (see table 1 WiSe 2006/07 273, 52%, SoSe 2007 337, 63,94%, WiSe 2007/08 755, 80,13%);
• the offering of a wider range of languages (see table 2) and the possibility to make cross-language tandems;
• increasing number of students signing a tandem contract for a tandem certificate (see table 3)
• increasing number of students attending at least one advising session with their tandem partner (see table 3);

b) qualitative indicators:

• greater awareness among the students about the fact that languages are crucial for their study and professional life;
• achievement of learning goals by the tandem partners;
• student feedback in the advising sessions provide insight into their tandem learning: wide variety of working methods, increased competence in study skills;
• study-related content of the tandem learning (e.g. tandem partners help each other to understand lectures and study-related literature, to prepare presentations and papers, to work out study-specific vocabulary, etc).

 

4. SUCCESS FACTORS

The following factors contribute to the success of the tandem programme:

• international population at the FU Berlin – and in Berlin;
• students willingness and motivation to learn languages and to achieve concrete goals in their language learning;
• the pedagogical skills and motivation of the language advising staff;
• the motivation and the commitment of the student assistants working in the tandem team;
• the ILLC facilities (resources, learning environment, language advising).

 

5. LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

5.1 Lessons to be learned at an institutional level

 

The tandem programme at the Language Centre of the FU is a success story. Although a systematic evaluation of the programme has not yet been done, the experience of the three semesters since the new programme began already shows some lessons to be learned as well as the need for further action.

The following features can be considered positive for the tandem programme:

• allocating tandem at the ILLC;
• offering cross-language tandems;
• moving away from the mother tongue model toward a multilingual model (which corresponds to the reality of many students);
• offering tandem workshops and language advising;
• maintaining communication (by e-mail) with participants in the tandem programme during the term.

On the other hand, further action is required on the following points:

• reducing the imbalance between supply and demand for some languages (Spanish, French, English) through cooperation/partnerships with other institutions, e-mail and distance tandem;
• encouraging more students to sign tandem contracts in order to obtain tandem certificates (e.g. by allocating ECTS credits for tandem learning);
• attracting more students to the workshops.

In particular, the following steps have to be taken into account in order to improve the programme and develop it further:

• introducing ECTS credits for tandem learning (at least for the tandem certificate);
• introducing new forms and/or extending already existing forms of self-assessment for tandem learning (e.g. through ELP);
• investing in existing resources, exploit and making the best use of it, such as introducing training for students (e.g. for language specialists) in order to work as tutors for the tandem programme;
• expanding language advising for tandem partners (e.g. via e-mail advising, or implementing a tandem forum);
• defining at an institutional level the role of language advising within the activities of language teachers;
• purchasing specific learning materials also for cross-language and multilingual language learning;
• introducing a regular evaluation of the tandem programme;

The crucial question: how to afford all these goals with limited resources?

5.2 Broader implications

The following lessons could potentially be relevant to other institutions:

• looking at their own context and making the best use of existing resources (e.g. foreign students);
• learning to support a tandem programme beyond the expectations of an existing language learning-teaching context;
• obtaining support at an institutional level;
• developing commitment and skills of the staff;
• involving staff in training and research in the field (action research).