Exchanges

L'Echange Virtuel

A presentation and a practical guide to essential points for getting started

Ruth Bourchier (National Adviser for French, New Zealand 2007-2011) in her presentation (below) that virtual exchanges through the Internet are an authentic, effective and motivating way to develop intercultural communication skills.

Ruth is convinced the main motivation to learn a language is to establish and maintain contact with native speakers. Giving learners of French in NZ a means to communicate with French speakers more readily would provide them with the opportunity to enhance their intercultural capabilities.

Yet while technology allows for such contacts, few virtual exchanges are currently established in the New Zealand classrooms. Ruth is providing both background information and strategies to try and test in her presentation:

- how virtual exchanges can reflect the vision of the NZ curriculum and the Principles of intercultural communicative language teaching and learning
- how it fits at years 7 to 10
- themes to investigate for an intercultural approach
- themes to build a virtual exchange on
- some of the challenges
- some key points to consider for success.

Ruth's presentation (below) lends itself well to be used as a basis for discussion between teachers while embarking on the virtual exchange challenge. Colleagues within a department or across a cluster may want to get together to look at the themes and at how they could work together to give a virtual exchange a go. Combining a range of skills, tools and contacts as well as establishing a high level of motivation derived from team work could go a long way into finding ways forward for virtual exchanges. Ruth would love to hear from your trials and tribulations and she can be contacted at french[at]ilanz.ac.nz

Le Marché aux Echanges

Coming soon!  Categories for individual exchanges both virtual and person to person

This section is intended for New Zealand and French-speaking schools seeking partner schools for virtual and/or person-to-person exchanges. To find a prospective class to correspond with, scroll down through the partnership requests until you find the required level (Primary / Year 7 - 10 / Year 11- 13) When you have selected a school you may email directly the contact English teacher (at the address given near the end of the form, rather than the school address).

Since it is important that the list of available partners remain current, there is a section below for you to let us know when a correspondence has been successfully established so that we can remove the forms from the list.

If you and your class would like to get involved in a partnership but haven't yet completed the request form, you can download the blank form below, fill it in, save it to your Documents file and email it to french@ilanz.ac.nzIt can then be uploaded onto Le Marché aux Echanges.  You may complete either the French or the English version of the form.

Cette rubrique est destinée aux établissements scolaires néo-zelandais et francophones qui cherchent à établir un partenariat virtuel et/ou un échange physique. Pour repérer un partenaire éventuel il faut parcourir les demandes de partenariat jusqu'à ce que vous trouviez le niveau requis (Primaire / Collège / Lycée) . Quand vous aurez sélectionné une école, vous pouvez contacter directement par email le professeur de français qui a fait la demande (l'adresse en bas du formulaire).

Puisqu'il est important que la liste de partenaires disponibles soit courante , vous trouverez ci-dessous une section qui vous permettra de nous contacter quand vous aurez réussi à établir un échange, pour qu'on puisse supprimer votre formulaire de la liste. Si vous et votre classe voudriez vous impliquer dans un partenariat mais vous n'avez pas encore rempli le formulaire de demande, vous pouvez télécharger le formulaire vierge ci-dessous, le remplir, le sauvegarder dans votre fichier Documents et puis l'envoyer à french@ilanz.ac.nz  On peut par la suite l'afficher sur Le Marché aux Echanges. Vous pouvez remplir la version française ou anglaise du formulaire mais vous aurez éventuellement plus de succès à trouver un partenaire au niveau Primaire et Collège (surtout 6ème, 5ème) si vous le remplissez en anglais.

Etablissements néo-zélandais recherchant partenaires francophones

Lycée

Collège

Primaire

Francophone schools seeking New Zealand partners

Y11-13

Primary

Keep us in the loop; email us when you have set up a partnership french@ilanz.ac.nz

Tenez-nous au courant. Envoyez-nous un mél quand vous aurez établi un partenariat french@ilanz.ac.nz

Support documents relating to exchanges

 Les échanges scolaires. 

In the presentation below (NZALT Conference 2008), Dominique Suquet outlines to following points: a history of school exchanges, the constraints facing New Zealand-France school exchanges, some ways round these constraints, as well as some themes on which to base possible exchanges.  Dominique also gives a selection of useful addresses in France including access to a registry of Teachers of French around the World.

The Tahiti Exchange

This successful exchange programme has been operating every year since 1965, with Tahitian students hosted by schools and families all over NZ for a month in July and NZ students hosted by Tahitian schools and families for a month from just after Christmas each year. It is not compulsory to be a host in July, but willingness to do so is a plus. In 2008 a subsidy from the Fonds d'Amitié France-Nouvelle-Zélande has enabled Rob Grant (North Island) and Kay Wilson (South Island) to reduce the cost of airfares.  The Tahiti Exchange is a cheaper opportunity than going on a school trip to France and provides participants with great value, financially, culturally and linguistically.  The month in a new culture in a tropical country, with two weeks in a school, offers students the chance to immerse themselves fully in an enriching and challenging environment.  Email Rob or Kay for more information or visit The Tahiti Exchange  website.

NZIIU Exchange Programmes

The New Zealand Institute of International Understanding (NZIIU) is a local, non-profit trust dedicated to providing exchange experiences for NZ students at the lowest possible cost. We have been arranging exchanges to France and a dozen other countries for more than 20 years. Our most popular French exchanges are for six weeks from the end of NCEA exams and for one and two semesters. These longer ones are often taken up by gap year students.
 
The main limits are age (15-18 on departure), a student's demonstrated ability and interest in French language and culture and our perception of a student's ability to survive and prosper in a French environment. Students do not have to be able to score more than "Achieved"  academically but it can help to regularly receive "Merit" and Excellence" awards. Placements in France can be anywhere in the country but most are in the northwest between Bordeaux  and St Malo.
 
All longer exchanges begin with four weeks in a Paris language school with afternoons free for exploration. Returnees speak enthusiastically of this experience but it is optional. The six week exchanges include three days and two nights touring Paris if there are enough students. We can also arrange 2, 3 and 4 month exchanges.
 
The growth in language facility can be spectacular, especially with younger students who have a natural talent and interest. The application process is detailed and careful so that the experience is as risk-free as possible. Host families are vetted and support is provided for the whole time in both countries.
 
For more information, visit the NZIIU website or e-mail ian@nziiu.co.nz or phone Ian or Cathy on 0800 924 264.

Beyond Borders

Ruth Bourchier (National French Adviser) is keen to add a link to this very interesting project which seems to be gaining momentum.
Beyond Borders is an award-winning, collaborative learning community, offered for free by Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning, Australia.

Students from around the world can join a diverse range of communities in a secure environment for learning, often communicating in a non-native language in order to collaborate, achieve and create. Communication tools include email, forums, live text chat, voice mails, wikis, and an audio chat facility. Language students flourish with Beyond Borders as they have a chance to use what they're learning to communicate with peers around the world.
Here is the short and sweet mid-term newsletter that Steve Collis (the French teacher who runs Beyond Borders) has sent.  Read on and see for yourself how this project promotes exchanges.