Page 87 - Compétences plurilingues : perspectives et actions / Plurilingual competencies: perspectives and actions

Tandem Teaching Experience

who found themselves in unfamiliar academic environments. We should also mention that
this is closely linked to self-assessment, i.e. the ability of learners to make use of a wide vari-
ety of mechanisms and techniques through which they de ine and monitor their own learn-
ing progress. In this regard, however, it is crucial to keep in mind some important aspects of
self-assessment, especially those emphasised by Heidy L. Andrade: “This learning-oriented
purpose of self-assessment implies that it should be formative: if there is no opportunity
for adjustment and correction, self-assessment is almost pointless.” (2019)
In this course, continuous feedback elevated the educational activity, giving it an additional
meaning in the larger context. As a result, regular feedback turned out to be a greatly use-
ful means that helped students and teachers evaluate the learning/teaching process at any
stage. Atthe sametime, itmade thelearners re lectnotonlyonthe ful ilmentoftheintended
or declared goals but also on other circumstances outside the core focus but nevertheless
extremely important for the learner. Last but not least, in addition to fostering students’
academic development, regular feedback also attended to their speci ic needs, promoted
cultural awareness, and encouraged a supportive and welcoming learning environment.

Tandem Teaching Experience

As mentioned above, this course for a speci ic group of Ukrainian students implemented in
2023 was organised in such a way that two teachers with different expertise were involved
in tandem teaching. The tandem seminars were always designed in order to make the most
effective use of the presence of both teachers. The language teacher focused on activities
aimed at developing communication and presentation skills that inherently support com-
petences such as collaboration, self-expression and communication. At the same time, the
teacher-psychologist provided students with assessments that went beyond pure language
learning, addressing students’ emotional intelligence, resilience and self-awareness.
In practice, the main part of the seminars had a workshop format with different types of
activities dedicated to a speci ic topic. The students worked on a particular assignment that
was generally divided in three steps. The irst step always consisted in independent work,
such as analysing texts or videos provided in one language and summarising the main the-
sis and formulating their own value position on the issues raised in another language. The
second step was based on working in pairs or groups of three, where students both com-
pared their summaries of the main points and checked their level of understanding of the
texts or speeches. Here, space was also reserved for mediation. This stage was followed
by an exchange of points of view on a given topic, question, or issue in order to formulate
common conclusions. The third step was a whole-class session where students in pairs and
groups of three presented their conclusions to their classmates. This part of the activity
was open to creativity, as students were encouraged to use different formats for their pre-
sentations, such as mind maps, handmade posters, infographics, comic strips, or the like.
Finally, there was a discussion. It should be noted that students could choose the language
while presenting or discussing. This pedagogical scenario contributed to develop transver-
sal competences such as intercultural communication skills, cooperation, critical thinking,
and creativity.

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