THE CONNECTION PLATFORMFOR LINGUISTIC TANDEMSIN SWISS HIGHER EDUCATION

LINGUISTIC TANDEMLOG BOOK

2

Place Robert-Walser 7PO Box 439 2501 Bienne

Internet www.bilinguisme.chEmail forum@bilinguisme.chTelephone +41 32 323 22 80

Edition 2020

Further information

3

SUMMARY

1. WHO, WHEN, WHERE AND HOW ..............................................4

2. TANDEM MEETINGS .................................................................7

3. SOME EXERCISE IDEAS ............................................................8

4. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................20

5. TANDEM MEETING SCHEDULE .............................................21

6. PERSONAL NOTES ....................................................................22

4

1. WHO, WHERE, WHEN AND HOW

Two people who speak different first languages pick one another as TANDEM partners, and each teaches his or her own language to the other in an autono-mous fashion. It is up to the partners to decide what they want to learn, and how to do so. Participants are both teachers and pupils. In each meeting, the available time is divided between the two languages (e.g. 30 minutes on Ger-man and 30 minutes on French).

With the TANDEM method:• You will be able to practice your partner’s language regularly• You can enrich your vocabulary and develop a lexicon• You can overcome the difficulties you face in oral expression• You get to know another culture

Who can take part, and under what conditions?Anyone who wishes to improve his or her linguistic skills. The only criteria are:

• Fluent knowledge of the language you offer (minimum C1)• Basic skills in the language you are learning (A1 if not A2)• Reliability, motivation, intellectual curiosity and mutual respect

When, how often and for how long should we meet?You should agree upon how often you meet and the length of each TANDEM. After a period of at least a semester, you should decide together if you want to continue, suspend or end TANDEM learning. Forum du bilinguisme/Forum fur die Zweisprachigkeit advises weekly meetings of one hour or fortnightly mee-tings of 90 minutes, for at least six months.

Where should we go to meet regularly?For face to face meetings, there are many places available: in cafés, in parks, by the lake, in the canteen of your place of work or education, at a restaurant in your lunch break, while taking a walk, or at one another’s homes. Varying the meeting place can stimulate your conversation, allowing you to share your interests and hobbies with your TANDEM partner.

5

With virtual meetings, there is no need to find a common location: all you need do is agree with your TANDEM partner which videoconferencing tool you want to use (Skype, Facetime, Zoom etc.).

How can we acheive our learning goals?What goals would you like to achieve, and how can you achieve them? To de-fine your goals, ask yourself the following questions:

1. In which situations or contexts do I want or need to use my partner’s lan-guage?• Everyday life: with friends, with the people around you and when dealing with daily admin• Professional life: welcoming clients, meetings, writing emails or documents and reading specific information• Study: discussions in class, presentations, technical reading and writing text

2. What do I want to improve, in linguistic terms?• Develop my vocabulary• Diversify my normal expressions• Improve my pronunciation• Communicate more fluently

3. What is the best learning method for me?• No particular framework• Using exercices, games, etc.• Using a particular text or method

It is important to talk together about your goals and those of your partner, so that you can plan your meetings as effectively as possible.

When and how should we correct one another?Decide together when and how you would like to be corrected. Always stay focused on what your partner wants to tell you, and do not just pay attention to the errors. Remember that your priority is to be understood in communicative contexts.

• Help your partner if you have not understood• Suggest a word if you think your partner is searching for it

6

• Correct frequent errors• Let your partner ask for corrections him-/herself

Here are some different ways of correcting your TANDEM partner:• Ask for details in your first language when you have not understood.• Reformulate correctly what your partner has said without revealing the error explicitly.• Identify the error explicitly and explain why the formulation is wrong. In this case, the conversation is briefly interrupted.• Note down the typical errors and review them together at the end of your meeting.

Be sure to try different methods, and adapt yourself to your TANDEM partner’s needs. Always have a notebook to hand, albeit remembering that

«It is better to express yourself incorrectly than to be silent correctly!»

7

2. TANDEM meetings

With your TANDEM partner, you are in control of your own learning: you define your goals, decide how to achieve them (exercises, standard conversations, ga-mes, etc.) and arrange your meetings according to Forum du bilinguisme/Forum fur die Zweisprachigkeit’s recommendations.

Preparing in advance lets you structure your meetings with your TANDEM partner. Ideally, you should prepare discussion subjects, questions, or an activity or a game: this will help you to avoid «dead air», and progress towards your personal goals.

For example, you might consider the following themes:• Exchanging information (about family, leisure, work, study, etc.)• Exchanging and discussing opinions and points of view (articles, news, films, reports, etc.)• Creative activities (describing photos, playing board games, etc.)• Acquiring deeper knowledge of the language (expressions, proverbs, the mea-nings of words, etc.)• Roleplaying (specific daily situations when you encounter difficulties expres-sing yourself in the partner language)

If you run into any problems during your TANDEM or you need any advice, you can contact Forum du bilinguisme/Forum fur die Zweisprachigkeit at any point by emailing tandem@bilinguisme.ch or telephoning +41 32 323 22 80.

8

3. Some exercise ideas

Here are some exercises you can use in your TANDEM meetings:

Exercise 1 – Personal informationIn advance: Revise the vocabulary you need to describe people, their private lives and their professional lives.

MethodParticipant A uses the blue grid and participant B uses the red grid.

A: For example, what does Charles do for a living?B: He is a biologist.And so forth, until all the information about the people has been re-vealed.

Exercise 2 – Who does which activity, and at what time?In advance: Revise time words and actions.

MethodParticipant A takes the blue grid and participant B the red grid. The par-ticipants take turns to ask questions. What are the people doing, and at what time?

A: What time does Phillip get to work?B: He goes to work at a quarter to six.Etc.

Exercise 3 – PrepositionsIn advance: Revise prepositions and adverbs: beside, opposite, between, left, right. Recite the «businesses» vocabulary.

MethodParticipant A takes the blue sheet and participant B the red sheet. The two partners take turns to ask questions about the businesses which appear on their list, and try to fill out their sheets.

9

A: Where is the butcher?B: It is between the launderette and the cinema / It is to the right of the cinema / It is opposite the department store.Etc.

Exercise 4 – Why / becauseIn advance: Revise the vocabulary

MethodParticipant A takes the blue sheet and participant B the red sheet. The two partners take turns to ask questions:

A: «Why are the children so happy?»B: «Because it is the holidays!»Etc.

Exercise 5 – What is in your fridge?In advance: Revise the vocabulary on food.

MethodDo you know everything you have in your fridge? Each partner picks 10 products which s/he has in his/her fridge without revealing them to his/her partner. Then, they take turns to ask questions, so each can work out which items the other has.

A: Are there strawberries in your fridge?B: Yes, there are.orB: No, there are no strawberries.And so on, until one partner has identified the 10 items of the other.

You can find other ideas and activities in the books mentioned in the biblio-graphy. You can use these exercises as they come, or as jumping off points to create new activities with your TANDEM partner.

10

Exercise 1

An

gelin

a

Alla

n An

n Ch

arle

s

Emm

a Pa

ul

Prof

essio

n

Bi

olog

ist

Teac

her

Arch

itect

City

Ca

iro

Paris

Lo

ndon

Coun

try

Egyp

t Fr

ance

En

glan

d

Wor

kpla

ce

Labo

rato

ry

Scho

ol

Offi

ce

Civil

sta

tus

Si

ngle

W

idow

M

arrie

d

Hobb

ies

Pl

ayin

g ch

ess

Cine

ma

Trav

el

11

Ange

lina

Al

lan

Ann

Char

les

Em

ma

Pa

ul

Prof

essio

n

Sale

swom

an

Jo

urna

list

Lawy

er

City

Rio

de Ja

neiro

Bo

ston

Vi

enna

Coun

try

Br

azil

USA

Aust

ria

Wor

kpla

ce

Supe

rmar

ket

Tele

visio

n O

ffice

, cou

rt

Civil

sta

tus

mar

ried,

1 c

hild

Sing

le Di

vorc

ed

Hobb

ies

Danc

e Hi

king

in th

e m

ount

ains

Pain

ting

12

Exercise 2

Phillip

Erin and Mark

Martin and Isa

Benjamin

Monika

Peter

Mr and Mrs

Schwarz

Bruno

Brandon

Sid

Renée

Eduard

Fred

Leslie

Sidney

What time… ?

13

Phillip

Erin and Mark

Martin and Isa

Benjamin

Monika

Peter

Mr and Mrs

Schwarz

Bruno

Brandon

Sid

Renée

Ed

Fred

Leslie

Sidney

What time… ?

14

Exercise 3

Mai

n St

reet

th

e pe

t sho

p –

the

book

shop

–

the

gree

ngro

cers

–

the

butc

her's

– th

e ki

osk

15

the

depa

rtmen

t sto

re –

the

laun

dere

tte –

th

e re

stau

rant

– th

e ci

nem

a –

the

post

offi

ce

M

ain

Stre

et

16

Exercise 4

The

child

ren

Bec

ause

: ho

liday

s

Pet

er

Why

: at

the

book

shop

Tom

my

Bec

ause

: de

licio

us p

izza

Mar

ia

Why

: no

t buy

ing

the

t-shi

rt?

Han

na

Bec

ause

: po

orly

Fran

k W

hy:

wor

ried?

The

boys

B

ecau

se:

foot

ball

fans

Eva

& B

jörn

W

hy:

hugg

ing

WWhhyy

-- bbee

ccaauuss

ee

17

The

child

ren

W

hy:

happ

y?

Pe

ter

Be

caus

e:

to li

ke to

read

To

mm

y

Why

: ea

ting

a la

rge

pizz

a?

M

aria

Beca

use:

t-s

hirt

too

expe

nsiv

e

H

anna

Why

: N

ot a

t sch

ool

Fr

ank

Be

caus

e:

Bad

grad

e in

sch

ool

Th

e bo

ys

W

hy:

Pain

ted

face

s?

Ev

a &

Björ

n

Beca

use:

Il

love

WWhhyy

-- bbee

ccaauuss

ee

18

Exercise 5

Your TANDEM partner’s fridge Yes No

19

Your TANDEM partner’s fridge Yes No

WWhhaatt iiss iinn yyoouurr ffrriiddggee??

20

4. BibliographyYou can find other ideas for activities and roleplays in the books below. Some of these books are available to consult at the Bilingualism Forum (on appointment) and others in PDF (document sent by email on request).

Dreke/Lind

2011 Wechselspiel A1-B2 Interkative Arbeitsblätter für die Partnerarbeit

Klett

Dreke/Lind

2018 66 Wechselspiele für die interaktive Partnerarbeit

Klett

Daum/Hantschel

2012 55 kommunikative Spiele A1-C1 Klett

Dreke/Lind/Mahnert 1992 Deux à deux - Situations communicatives par la pratique de dialogues Débutants et niveau avancé

Langenscheidt

Laurens/Guimbretiere

2018 Focus : Paroles en situation multi-niveaux

Hachette

Barféty/Beaujoin

2016 2017

Collection compétences expression orale Niveau 1 (A1-A2) ou niveau 2 (B1)

Cle International

Siréjols

2018 Communication en dialogues A2/B1 Niveau intermédiaire

Cle International

Sergio J. Lievano, Nicole Egger

2008 Hoi Et après Bergli Books

Nicole Egger 2014 Hoi Bergli Books

Pinheiro-Weber

2016 Dialäkt… A la rencontre des Alémaniques Editions La Sarine

Bailini/Consonno

2017 Ricette per parlare - Attività e giochi per la produzione orale A1 – C1

Hueber

Pandolfi/Christopher/Semenzi

2014 Capito? Comprendere l italiano in Svizzera

OLSI

Watcyn-Jones

1997 Pair Work 2. Intermediate Upper Intermediate, Penguin English

Pearson

Wallwork University

1997 Discussions A-Z. Intermediate A resource book of speaking activities

Cambridge University Press

21

5. TANDEM meeting scheduleYou can list your TANDEM meetings in the table below:

Date Time (from / to) Place Discussion subject Signature

1.

2.

3

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

22

6. Personal notes

23