Tandem Programme

A neutral location (e.g., the cafeteria) on campus is a good option for the first meeting.

To maximize learning success, we recommend regular meetings (one or two times a week). You should discuss the desired duration of the meetings, as well as their frequency with your partner. Making a regular appointment (e.g., in a free period) is advisable.

Both languages should be spoken alternately and in equal parts in order to enable learning on both sides. Furthermore, the languages should always be practiced separately in order to create a fluid conversation in the respective language. It is advisable to agree on when and for how long the respective languages should be spoken right from the beginning. For instance, meetings could be set for one hour with each language being practiced for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you could agree to alternate the languages at each meeting.

Before starting the practice, it is very helpful to consider which learning objectives each of you would like to achieve. Should a particular situation be practiced (e.g., an interview, a presentation)? Or should goals concerning fluency, pronunciation, grammar, etc. be achieved? These objectives should be discussed with your partner ahead of time so that they know which aspects to consider when giving feedback.

Regular exchanges concerning the positive as well as negative aspects of the tandem are helpful. It should be discussed which goals each person wants to achieve in their own learning processes and how such accomplishments will be determined. Additionally, the nature of the feedback should be addressed.

• Opt for polite, constructive feedback.

• Discuss the manner of delivery and type of feedback beforehand. For example, you might discuss which aspects (pronunciation, grammar, lexis, etc.) require special attention. Should, for instance, mistakes be corrected immediately, or should all feedback be saved for the end of the meeting so as not to interrupt the flow of communication?

• In general, when giving feedback, it should be differentiated between slips of the tongue (mistakes) and errors which repeatedly appear and which the learner is not aware of. The former can be largely ignored, while the latter should always be addressed.

• Refrain from interrupting your partner. Especially with beginners of a language, mistakes occur frequently, however, it is still important to develop a fluent conversation in which both partners are able to express what they want to say.

• Be patient and allow your partner to find words and formulations on his or her own.

• Help each other out if finding words is difficult.

• It is advisable to firstly test and evaluate different feedback and correction methods to find one that both partners approve of.

• Focus on the conversation, not on the mistakes.