Schedule: 2009-09-12 (10:45 - 11:30)
Parallel Session 2 (Room A-31)

Title: Critical events and facework in Multilateral Online Exchanges for Language and Culture Learning
Authors: Maud Ciekanski, Thierry Chanier
Abstract: Multilateral Online Exchanges for Language and Culture Learning aiming at the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) often fail to get over simple exchanges of information on the target culture. These exchanges are also characterized by a lack of commitment and the avoidance of risk-taking among learners, even if frequent "rich points" occur (Mangenot & Zourou, 2007). Whilst a number of investigations (Audras & Chanier, 2008, Jauregi & Bañados, 2008) show traces of the factors of Byram’s (1997) model of ICC relating to attitudes and knowledge, other factors ("skills of interpreting and relating", "skills of discovery and interaction", and "critical awareness") seem to happen at random and their traceability is still an open issue. To what extent tasks, technological tools, pedagogical settings support learners’ involvement in intercultural online communication?

In our projects (Audras & Chanier, 2008) we want to attempt a more dynamic approach to intercultural encounter. We gather participants in small groups from each institution, giving equal importance to the language and culture of the linguistic communities involved (even when language skills are unbalanced). The pedagogical scenario covers Byram’s model and aims at generating "critical events" (Jackson, 2003), key situations to arouse cognitive conflicts. The communication tools sustain both a dialogical and a reflective process among learners. The online exchanges take place in two different workplaces: a multi-authored blog for asynchronous writing communication and an audiographic conferencing system for synchronous oral communication. The online tutor (Tridem projects) or class teacher (Ecofralin project), experts in ICC, regulates participation and commitment, without intervening directly in the learners’ interactions.

Few educational researchers see conflict as an opportunity for learning (Schneider & von der Emde, 2006). Conflict is often interpreted in educational contexts as a miscommunication due to a lack of understanding and as a situation to avoid (Breta, 2006, O’Dowd & Ritter, 2006). However, this position seems to be irrelevant since, probably more so than in another kind of communication, learners are exposed to rules of interaction they do not master, and consequently have to cope with mutual vulnerability of face. Our claim is that according to the way learners manage critical events, they may be able to improve their ICC, enriching their facework competence (Brown & Levinson, 1978, Goffman, 1963).

We propose a longitudinal analysis of two Colombian-French groups who faced the same critical events in the Ecofralin project. The online exchanges, in the two languages, took place in small groups gathering 2 learners from each institution. The scenario proposed 4 dialogical situations, highlighting one of the specific factors in Byram’s model, introducing students to these situations in a gradual way, over 10 weeks. Based on Ting-Toomey’s (2005) model of facework, we study conflict styles used by learners and their role on the development of the ICC. Our initial conclusions highlight the interest of such sociolinguistic models to the study of multilateral online exchanges. These observations can also inform the development of new resources for tutors to help learners to manage critical events.
Keywords: ICFLE, Intercultural communicative competence, facework, critical events, videoconferencing, blog

Main topic: Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)

Biodata: Maud Ciekanski is a lecturer at the Université de Franche-Comté (France) since 2006. Her main researches concern interaction analysis in language learning contexts and in multimodal communication contexts. Her previous researches concern self-directed language learning, autonomy and adviser's training. Thierry Chanier is professor at the Université de Franche-Comté, France. His main domain of research over the 20 past years has been CALL. He is a member of the editorial board of several CALL journals, one of the co-creators of the Alsic journal, the initiator of another open access journal in Education and ICT, Sticef. He has been mandated by the French Minister of Education and Research to develop an open archive in this same field, Edutice.
Type of presentation Paper presentation

Paper category Research

Target educational sector Higher education

Language of delivery English

EU-funded project No

Schedule:	2009-09-12 (10:45 - 11:30) Parallel Session 2 (Room A-31)
Title:	Critical events and facework in Multilateral Online Exchanges for Language and Culture Learning
Authors:	Maud Ciekanski, Thierry Chanier
Abstract:	Multilateral Online Exchanges for Language and Culture Learning aiming at the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) often fail to get over simple exchanges of information on the target culture. These exchanges are also characterized by a lack of commitment and the avoidance of risk-taking among learners, even if frequent "rich points" occur (Mangenot & Zourou, 2007). Whilst a number of investigations (Audras & Chanier, 2008, Jauregi & Bañados, 2008) show traces of the factors of Byram’s (1997) model of ICC relating to attitudes and knowledge, other factors ("skills of interpreting and relating", "skills of discovery and interaction", and "critical awareness") seem to happen at random and their traceability is still an open issue. To what extent tasks, technological tools, pedagogical settings support learners’ involvement in intercultural online communication? In our projects (Audras & Chanier, 2008) we want to attempt a more dynamic approach to intercultural encounter. We gather participants in small groups from each institution, giving equal importance to the language and culture of the linguistic communities involved (even when language skills are unbalanced). The pedagogical scenario covers Byram’s model and aims at generating "critical events" (Jackson, 2003), key situations to arouse cognitive conflicts. The communication tools sustain both a dialogical and a reflective process among learners. The online exchanges take place in two different workplaces: a multi-authored blog for asynchronous writing communication and an audiographic conferencing system for synchronous oral communication. The online tutor (Tridem projects) or class teacher (Ecofralin project), experts in ICC, regulates participation and commitment, without intervening directly in the learners’ interactions. Few educational researchers see conflict as an opportunity for learning (Schneider & von der Emde, 2006). Conflict is often interpreted in educational contexts as a miscommunication due to a lack of understanding and as a situation to avoid (Breta, 2006, O’Dowd & Ritter, 2006). However, this position seems to be irrelevant since, probably more so than in another kind of communication, learners are exposed to rules of interaction they do not master, and consequently have to cope with mutual vulnerability of face. Our claim is that according to the way learners manage critical events, they may be able to improve their ICC, enriching their facework competence (Brown & Levinson, 1978, Goffman, 1963). We propose a longitudinal analysis of two Colombian-French groups who faced the same critical events in the Ecofralin project. The online exchanges, in the two languages, took place in small groups gathering 2 learners from each institution. The scenario proposed 4 dialogical situations, highlighting one of the specific factors in Byram’s model, introducing students to these situations in a gradual way, over 10 weeks. Based on Ting-Toomey’s (2005) model of facework, we study conflict styles used by learners and their role on the development of the ICC. Our initial conclusions highlight the interest of such sociolinguistic models to the study of multilateral online exchanges. These observations can also inform the development of new resources for tutors to help learners to manage critical events.
Keywords:	ICFLE, Intercultural communicative competence, facework, critical events, videoconferencing, blog
Main topic:	Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)
Biodata:	Maud Ciekanski is a lecturer at the Université de Franche-Comté (France) since 2006. Her main researches concern interaction analysis in language learning contexts and in multimodal communication contexts. Her previous researches concern self-directed language learning, autonomy and adviser's training. Thierry Chanier is professor at the Université de Franche-Comté, France. His main domain of research over the 20 past years has been CALL. He is a member of the editorial board of several CALL journals, one of the co-creators of the Alsic journal, the initiator of another open access journal in Education and ICT, Sticef. He has been mandated by the French Minister of Education and Research to develop an open archive in this same field, Edutice.
Type of presentation	Paper presentation
Paper category	Research
Target educational sector	Higher education
Language of delivery	English
EU-funded project	No