Category: Tasks

In a globalized world with the great amount of useful ICT that internet provides, all aspects of daily life as well as all the disciplines have changed drastically. Here can be included the educational field. The classes continue changing from a teacher-centered approach to a more student-centered in which they are the focus of the classes with their active participation and responsibility about their own learning process. That is the reason why, this project aims at developing different skills such as: language skills, communication skills, critical thinking, intercultural competence, among others of the foreign languages community of the university of Pamplona by means of the development of three sessions called “swap meetings” in which students from around the world participate in an unicollaboration class by exchanging knowledge and cultural aspects of their hometowns.

You have to have at least 4 sessions of approx. 40 minutes where you will speak 20 minutes in Spanish and 20 minutes in English.
You have to write a paper in English with what you have talked about during these sessions. What have you learned? What has surprised you most? Etc

1^st session: Present yourself, what are you studying, why are you studying this, do you have any siblings, where they live, etc. The university: What is it like. Describe your university, how is normal university day, your subjects, your favorite subjects, why.

2^nd session: Free time. Talk about hobbies, what you like to do in your free time, what type of music do you like, movies, museums, cooking, etc. Do you travel? Where have you been, where you would like to go, why or why not, what do you like to do when you travel, etc.

3^rd session: Life in your hometown. Talk about your culture, traditions or food of your country. What do you think your partner would enjoy from your country? What would he not, If he came to your city, where would you take him? Why? Where would you not take him? Why not?

4^th session. Stereotypes and recap. Talk about things of your country you think would seem strange or that would interest your partner if he came to Spain/Valladolid or USA. Talk about what the average Spaniard/American would know about the other country.

Final project:

You have to write a small essay about your cultural exchange experience. Briefly write about your partner and what you have learned from this experience. What was the most interesting part? What was the most surprising part? How did you feel communicating? Was is it difficult? Did it get better? How did you solve the communications problems if you had any. Did you learn anything about your own culture or identity?

Students select an ad for a job or an internship in France, they write their CV and a cover letter. They upload all this material in a google folder. They are partnered with a French student (Université Clermont Auvergne). Their partner have also uploaded an ad, a CV and a cover letter. They make contact, are given access to their partner s material and negociate an online meeting to interview each other for the job they are applying for.

A document with a timeline and all relevant instructions regarding the project is shared with students in both institutions. Tutors monitor and follow up on each stage of the project. In class, students learn to write a CV an cover letter in French, they prepare questions for the interview and practise with their classmates. Several debriefing sessions are conducted in
class to reflect on and discuss the project.

When you start a break-the-ice conversation, you aim at getting as much general information as possible
about the person
you speak to. You ask a lot of questions and you receive answers. You can record all this. It s pair work in one of the languages learned by one of the 2 students. The other student is using his mother tongue and can give grammatical and lexical feedback.

Then, there can be a second stage. It s very easy for you, if youwant,
to write a text about what you have learned: the life and likes of your tandem partner. You can write a biographical sketch. when ready you send your partner the biography you will have written. That can be looked upon as
your gift for taking part in the initial conversation.

Les étudiants devront organiser un voyage d études d une durée de 7 jours dans un autre pays. Ils seront en contact dans cet autre pays avec des étudiants francophones qui devront donner leurs commentaires sur l organisation de ce voyage et aider les étudiants à parfaire leur projet.

Dans leur plan d approche, ils devront fournir leur budget, le planning des activités prévues. Ils devront obligatoirement organiser une activité avec l université partenaire et également une activité avec une entreprise implantée dans ce pays.

De même, les étudiants francophones de l autre pays organiseront un voyage à Rotterdam, aux Pays-Bas sous les mêmes conditions.

A la fin du projet, les étudiants pourront véritablement organiser leur voyage et partir en voyage d études (dans le cadre d un projet Erasmus+).

Groups of students in two different institutions collaborate together to produce a short story which continues from an opening line given to them by the tutor. Using google docs, the students contribute to a story in their own language as well as one in the target language. They can all edit and add comments, correcting language and changing the direction of the storyline.

An exchange of physical gifts, small items between the two centres. Groups bringin items that they consider to be little known to the other culture, items are cheap/free but present an aspect of the home country s culture which may be unfamilar. Reactions are shared through photosharing and thank you notes/messages on a forum. An online classroom is availalbe as is an Instant Messenger tool for connecting synchronously.