eTandem
Information for foreign language teachers

For many years tandem and eTandem have been the focus of research and development efforts in which foreign language teachers from secondary and post-secondary schools as well as from other educational (language teaching) organizations have been substantially involved.

The question in particular as to how eTandem can be integrated into existing curricula has been to the fore. As a result, very concrete suggestions and experience reports are now available for various countries and institutions.

Language courses and tandem

eTandem can enrich and supplement any language course.

Each and every language learner can expand what he is learning in a language course through work in an eTandem partnership - this is because he can:

• apply newly learned material in real communication situations
• concentrate on his individual learning needs and objectives
• also profit in the bilingual work with his partner from the partner's professional, cultural and other knowledge
• prepare for life-long learning through this self-directed work (learner autonomy)

The increase in his learning motivation will also positively influence class work.

Integration in the classroom

As a teacher, you have various opportunities to integrate eTandem into your class. You can, for example:

• make your course participants aware of the possibility of practising the foreign language outside of class in an eTandem partnership
• occasionally have students bring their eTandem experiences into the classroom
• make the students' eTandem work more effective through individual learner coaching
• systematically prepare the students in your course for independent, life-long learning and use eTandem as a possibility for practising this.
  

Finding eTandem partners

The Tandem Agency or Parvis will help you:

• find eTandem partners for your students
  and/or
• search for a partner class in a target language country for your class to work with over a certain period of time

The chances for finding eTandem partners naturally increase the more commonly your students' native language is learned in the target language country.

But you can also contribute to increasing the supply of eTandem partners by telling colleagues abroad about eTandem and its potential.

Publications

Tandem handbooks, which are primarily directed towards teachers, are now available in various languages.

Suggestions and ideas for exercises for tandem work, developed through practical experience, are regularly published on the Tandem Servers.

A continually updated summary of reports from research and experience can be found in the Tandem Bibliography on this server.