1. 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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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

12. 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

13. Merci beaucoup ! Language center PL 4 (Vuorikatu 5, C335)
University of Helsinki
Tel