Language learning with international students by Course Assistant Programme CERCLES 22.9.2016 Suvi Punkkinen, MA, French teacher Nina Sulonen, MA, Coordinator (International affairs) Language centre University of Helsinki

Outline of the presentation Course Assistant Program Aim & target French language teaching & learning context Theoretical framework : model for developing intercultural communicative competences Participants’ experiences in light of the theoretical framework Conclusions

Course Assistant Programme Language Centre wide programme official kick-off Spring term 2014 40-60 assistants each semester For all international students at the University of Helsinki who are native speakers of… Arabic, English, French, Danish, German, Italian, Icelandic, Japanese, Russian, Spanish or Swedish Assistants act as native peers for the local students on Language Centre courses Tässä voi mainita, että saksa, japani, ranska ovat suosituimpia assarikieliä.

Aim of the Course Assistant programme Integrating international students into the University community Giving international students the opportunity to meet local students and LC teachers : practice presentation, group work and cooperation skills learn about language teaching and oneself earn credits 1 - 3 ECTS credit(s) and get a Certificate of Completion Internationalization at home for the Finnish students Bringing new aspects to language learning and teaching It’s educational & fun ! Tässä voi mainita, että toimintaa koordinoidaan ja assarit saavat ohjeistusta ja tukea toimintaan.

Course Assistants’ activities Hosting pronunciation clinics Mentoring different course related projects Helping with conversation skills Working on-line in e.g. Moodle Giving presentations (e.g. about one's home country, city, student life) Participating in oral exams Hosting Language Clubs

Course Assistants’ activities Hosting pronunciation clinics Mentoring different course related projects Helping with conversation skills Working on-line in e.g. Moodle Giving presentations e.g. about one's home country, city, daily life Participating in oral exams Hosting Language Clubs

Theoretical framework for intercultural communicative competence (ICC) Byram, M. 1997; 2009

Communicative competences in French teaching (linguistic competences : grammatical, lexical phonological, semantic ) Byram Discourse Expressing one’s opinion & argumentation skills ways of reacting debating Sociolinguistic Politeness conventions: addressing formally or unformally, language registers, dialects and accents Extralinguistic gestures, facial expression, body language, nonverbal communication Fonologia, leksikologia, kielioppi, semantiikka, oikeinkirjoitus

Intercultural competence (Byram) Critical cultural awareness savoir s’engager Skills of interpreting and relating (a text, a video) savoir comprendre Attitudes curiosity, openness Readyness to suspend one’s beliefs and values savoir être Skills of discovery / interaction Ability to operate & create new knowledge in real-time communication savoir apprendre/faire Knowledge of social groups, practices savoirs

Case study in autumn 2014 : How does the course assistant programme contribute to intercultural communicative learning in French courses? Students’ answers : 1. Linguistic & discourse competence help in writing, speaking and finding right words, reacting in an appropriate way 2. Sociolinguistic competence help in understanding cultural references of a text, a song or video-clip (even better than the teacher!) 3. Skills of discovery and interaction authentic, real time communication 4. Attitudes, curiosity, openness questions & answers, learn about different ways of living, realize things in common, understanding hidden values

Theoretical framework for intercultural communicative competence (ICC) Byram, M. 1997; 2009

Conclusions Suitable for in and out-of-classroom learning, for all levels (A1-C1) Long term learning process which changes : structure of a lesson or a course, even one’s teaching & learning philosphy power relations in the classroom : everyone learns from each other Course assistant: learns about the culture(s), learns about French language & teaching Teacher: becomes a mediator (culture) & facilitator (tasks) Student: becomes and effecient intercultural communicator Challenging, yet positive experience: ”Hard in the beginning but rewarding in the end” Flexibility, commitment and open mind

Merci beaucoup ! Language center PL 4 (Vuorikatu 5, C335) University of Helsinki Tel. 02941 23549 suvi.punkkinen@helsinki.fi Nina.sulonen@helsinki.fi