Simple Projects

While your imagination and free time take the lion's share of responsibility in determining the nature and scope of your projects, there are some basic patterns to follow. The underlying rule is that there be a start and finish to your project. Simply matching up students and giving them the e-mail addresses of their partners doesn't tend to make for a meaningful experience. For your group to look back on the project feeling it was valuable in some way, a sense of closure is important.

The simplest project is one in which partners introduce themselves to each other. With time limits set for responses, students mail questions about the initial introductions and then prepare a short presentation in the target language for the teacher and/or class. Students should finish with messages thanking their partners. If a student wants to continue writing and the partner isn't interested, match him or her with a partner who does want to continue corresponding. Keep in mind that it isn't a problem for a student to have more than one partner.

Adding a theme for students to discuss adds another level to a project. The topics can range from schedules, holidays, or communities to tactful political or religious discussions. The operative word for any project is "tactful". Remind students that if they read something that strikes them negatively, they may not have understood what the partner meant, and it is worth asking questions before assuming the message was obnoxious or insulting.

Surveying each other on a particular topic that you give the students or that they choose themselves can also be informative. You and your partner coordinator decide the topic, and then teams of students choose a few questions to ask students on each side. Finish with students writing each other with interpretations of the results.

Having students present what they learn is important for adding depth to a project, but that doesn't require oral presentations in front of the class. Instead, students can make web pages, a move which allows partners to see the presentations and add another avenue for the discussion. Web pages can also prompt parts of projects. A page with a set of pictures for students to discuss might produce interesting differences between what your students see and what their partners do. The pages you make can also be composed of what different teams on both sides of the project produce. This could be a new form of government the students create, a data bank of information on annual surveys, or even a virtual community.

We are planning to gather information on types of projects and links to web pages of exchange projects. If you have anything to add, even if it is simply commentary on the material on this site, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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