• ConnEcTEd
• [IO 8] Project- and professionoriented etandems in Foreign Language Teacher Education

Name of the institution(s) or teams

• Université Côte d’Azur and University of Education Freiburg (PHFR)

• Institute of German Studies/Nice and Institute of Romance Studies/Freiburg

Format

PDF and PowerPoint

Title

Project- and professionoriented etandems in Foreign Language Teacher Education.

Keywords

Virtual exchange, etandems, professionalisation, project-based learning

Topic

Various – virtual exchange on transcultural learning/digital learning

Goals

Originally, the objective was to “connect” students in France and Germany that were (thinking) about to study a bilingual teacher education program in a binational project work in the course of which they had the possibility to collaborate transnationally and to reflect individually on their perspectives of becoming a language teacher.

Gradually, the concept was further developed and opened for more target groups and phases of study; it was soon no longer a preparatory project for a binational program, but a virtual exchange approach which could connect courses between France and Germany (and beyond) through a common task-based course design and transnational project work (ideally followed by a “real mobility”, i.e. in the form of a student conference, as in the example below.

Thus, in general, the objective of the approach is to internationalize the curricula, to open thematic (subject-related, subject-related didactic or partially integrated) seminars for a transnational dialogue, to enable course participants to experience valuable changes of perspective and thus to deepen their intercultural communicative and methodological competencies.

Domains/aspects of internationalization (fill in the category from the grid)

Internationalisation of the curriculum, blended mobilities, virtual exchanges

Target group

Teacher education students, partly also associate schools

Educational level and study year

Bachelor/Master of Education

Context information users would need to understand the digital tool
(e.g., about the TE system, curricular integration)

The format was developed and piloted in 2016 in the context of the DFH/UFA-funded binational Teacher Education program “ITS”.

Language of the example

English

License

• Power Point/PDF with theoretical background: CC O
• Concept sketch with examples/fotos: Copyright

In how far does your approach strengthen the internationalization (of the curriculum) in Teacher Education?

As stated above, the approach addresses several dimensions of internationalization (of the curriculum), since it connects educators, students and, partly, also schools from Germany and France through blended collaborations that combine virtual/physical staff mobilities, virtual exchanges, transnational collaborations/project work.

Which dimensions of digital transformation in teaching for teacher educators did you incorporate (utilize)?

Firstly, the digital infrastructure is vital for the virtual exchange approach since it shaped the teaching and learning environment of the etandems. Just important, however, was the implication of the digital pedagogy used, mostly based in a virtually supported task-based-approach.

Besides, digital competencies were a) needed for the realization of the VE as well as b) themselves the topic of some cooperations. The competence framework used in this context was the DigiComEdu framework of Digital Competences of Teachers by the European Union.

How have you utilized digital tools/methods/resources in your teaching practice to strengthen coherent/integrative and/or international approaches, and what specific strategies or techniques have you found to be effective in achieving this objective?

See above. 

How have you employed co-creative approaches and/or participatory design in your use of digital tools to enhance student learning and engagement, and what have been some of the successful outcomes that you have observed as a result?

Co-Creative approaches were applied in the design, implementation and evaluation of the course.