New directions in eTandem: an expanded vision of capabilities and practices

Autores

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21165/gel.v15i3.2395

Palavras-chave:

eTandem. Reciprocity. Private Sector Partners. L2 Instructional Technology

Resumo

Autonomy and reciprocity, two central tenets of eTandem, are not ideologically neutral terms. In light of new technological opportunities and pedagogical directions in higher education, current formulations of these concepts are perhaps too narrow to accommodate the full range of collaborative activities available to instructors and students. For better or worse, education assumes a significant and definitive role in the market economy. The public-private distinction is not an actual binary: it is more accurately understood as a spectrum, and educational institutions function dually as hybrid recipients and benefactors of economic activity. eTandem is an excellent foundation, but teachers should not feel limited in its scope and purview. By reflecting on instructional activity and observation in Arabic, Italian, and Spanish courses at the University of Richmond, this article presents different interpretations of eTandem. The traditional model can be enhanced with related tools and methodologies to engage students more deeply, and challenge them to push the boundaries of their language, abilities, and knowledge. While additional SLA research would be needed to confirm the transference of learning outcomes of both models through comparative evaluative metrics, this article outlines ideas for instructors to commence new directions in eTandem, and consider improvements to long-standing practices.

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Biografia do Autor

Michael Abernathy Marsh-Soloway, University of Richmond

Michael Marsh-Soloway, Ph.D., is the Director of the Global Studio at the University of Richmond. Serving primarily the Departments of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (LLC) and Latin American, Latino, and Iberian Studies (LALIS), Michael delivers instructional design consultations and workshops to faculty and students to help stimulate innovative uses of technology for pedagogy and research. In addition to teaching third-year Russian, he oversees the Self-Directed Language Acquisition Program (SDLAP), advises Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs), and collaborates closely with the Offices of International Education, Institutional Effectiveness, and Academic Skills Center. He recently presented at ACTFL on peer-assessment activities, and intensive theme-based instruction (ITI). Currently, Michael is attempting to publish his doctoral dissertation on Dostoevsky as an academic monograph, and he will be developing digital pedagogical resources for a Chinese textbook that he is co-authoring with colleagues at Arizona State University and the University of Virginia.

Olivier Michel Delers, University of Richmond

Olivier Delers is Associate Professor of French and Chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Richmond. He is the author of The Other Rise of the Novel (University of Delaware Press, 2015) and of a number of essays on eighteenth-century French literature. He teaches French language courses as well as world literature and film studies courses.

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Publicado

31-12-2018

Como Citar

Marsh-Soloway, M. A., & Delers, O. M. (2018). New directions in eTandem: an expanded vision of capabilities and practices. Revista Do GEL, 15(3), 176–193. https://doi.org/10.21165/gel.v15i3.2395

Edição

Seção

Edição Temática v. 15 n. 3 (2018)