On Thursday, February 9, 2023, the Laboratory for Languages, Literatures, Societies, Cross-Border and International Studies (LLSETI) at the University of Savoie Mont Blanc is hosting a seminar on language and culture pedagogy on the topic:“Comparing Practices, Comparing Languages: What Are the Benefits for FLE Classrooms?” in Room 502 on the Jacob-Bellecombette campus.
Admission is free, and the seminar is open to everyone. To watch the seminar remotely, a live stream will be available via the link below:
https://zoom.us/j/92580128679?pwd=NWNXb2t6V1lIMEN4bUdsam9VZDBtQT09
On the agenda
The speakers for this event will be Emilie Kasazian, Assistant Professor at the University of Lille, STL Laboratory – Knowledge, Texts, Language (UMR 8163 – CNRS), and Claudia D’Amelio, a doctoral student at the University of Savoie Mont Blanc, LLSETI Laboratory. Their presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The following topics will be discussed:
- “Teaching French Grammar to Beginner Learners: Comparisons of Teaching Practices and Discourse” by Emilie Kasazian (STL Laboratories): While often studied from a methodological perspective, grammar teaching practices also involve techniques and discourse that are specific to individual teachers but remain under-documented in language pedagogy. Based on classroom observations, we will present a comparative analysis of grammar teaching practices among different French teachers working in 6th-grade middle school classes in England. The analysis examines various techniques used (semiotic, physical, mnemonic) and highlights the specific nature of the grammatical discourse employed in the classroom to help students conceptualize a language point.
- “Comparing Languages and Dialects: An Effective Approach to Addressing Negative Transfer?” by Claudia D’Amelio (LLSETI): In language classrooms, the right to make mistakes has always been a hotly debated topic. Initially perceived as a sign of weakness on the part of the learner, and later as an inherent part of the learning process, error lies at the heart of language and cultural acquisition. It is essential to take this into account in order to benefit from this stage of language acquisition. Remediation is therefore a key moment that is both necessary and delicate. Drawing on a study conducted in Italy last year, we will propose a multilingual teaching approach aimed at reducing errors in FLE classrooms and raising awareness of the benefits of cross-linguistic connections. Here, the errors addressed will be negative transfer from Italian, German, and English, which will serve as the basis for multilingual remediation. This remediation will result from a six-step protocol based on oral repetition and visual memorization. Languages and dialects will be compared to stimulate near-unconscious memorization of the proposed positive transfers and to foster multilingual metalinguistic reflection.
Learn more
- Seminar coordination:
- Maude Vadot: Assistant Professor of Language Sciences and Language Education at USMB
- Raphaële Fouillet: Assistant Professor at USMB in Language Teaching, French as a Foreign Language
- Anne-Sophie Morel: Assistant Professor at USMB