6th Saarbrücken Conference on Foreign Language Teaching- Communication across Borders -Teaching, Learning and Speaking the Languages of the World, Saarbrücken, Germany, 27 - 29 October 2021, pp.6
The case for incorporating Virtual Exchange (VE) into
all second and foreign language curricula is becoming stronger. Research into
the benefits of VE shows conclusive evidence for this. The problems ahead are:
convincing policy makers that VE be included in the curricula, and creating
means for language teachers and their students to easily access it. When
achieved, cross-border communication will become the norm for foreign language
classrooms as the ability to communicate internationally will be inbuilt into
the curricula. An example of this happening, one which has achieved success, is
The International Virtual Exchange Project (IVEProject). Supported by both qualitative
and quantitative data, this presentation will outline research on a number of
different groups but focus on one particular group. It shows that Turkish pre-service
EFL teachers' intercultural competence development and VE experiences were
positive. The outcome of the study demonstrates that students’ intercultural
sensitivity increased through participation in the IVEProject and they enjoyed
this cross-border communication. Other outcomes of
the project will also be discussed.
The IVEProject gives students
an easy way to communicate internationally as the platform has students from
over 20 countries (that number is increasing) interacting via text, video and
audio. The majority of the students are studying English but there are examples
of dual-language VE as well. This borderless platform is changing students’ and
teachers’ philosophy of communicative language learning. The relatively
authentic means of communication ensures foreign language classes have a very
“real” feel about them promoting borderless communication which doesn’t involve
native speakers. Research is beginning to show this is better received by
students of EFL and of more value to them. The presentation will finish with a
brief outline of how teachers can join this or similar projects and ideas on
how to incorporate VE into the foreign language curriculum.