Editorial

One of the most effective methods to learn a language is to immerse oneself in the target language (TL) by living in a TL milieu. For example, to learn French you go to France, to learn Japanese, you go to Japan. Although the classroom can be made a culturally and linguistically rich environment, there is nothing like going to a town or city where the language is regularly spoken to give language students that "besoin de communication." The world is becoming increasingly more accessible to language students through various study abroad and exchange programs. These experiences not only give students an opportunity to live amongst and communicate with native speakers, they also allow them to explore the cultural side of language.

Organizations like SEVEC (Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada), promote and encourage the use of these sorts of experiences as a valuable language learning tool. Many teachers who have organized trips, camps (e.g., http://www.anglofun.qc.ca), and exchanges for their students can testify to the value of such activities. Through these educational visits, students realize that the TL is a real, living language spoken by people not unlike themselves. While the similarities encourage students to try out their language skills, the cultural differences encourage them to inquire and explore.

Sally Rehorick, a professor at SLEC, has recently returned from Japan where she was teaching at the Miyazaki International College (MIC). One of the key elements of MIC's program is the study abroad program: "The experiences that students gain by living and studying at an English-speaking university in a foreign country are basic to the College's instructional goals… Students grow intellectually and emotionally while experiencing life in another culture. They gain confidence in their ability to communicate in English with people of diverse backgrounds and develop self-reliance as they confront new academic

and personal challenges. They learn to perceive their fellow world citizens with greater understanding and gain an appreciation both of the opportunities and the problems inherent in the global community. By learning about others, they will also learn about themselves and their own culture. They will draw upon these new sensibilities as they begin their advanced studies in comparative culture in their final two years at MIC.

The SLEC has also been involved in the EU-Canada teacher training exchange project. Five students from Europe have spent one academic term at UNB and five of our students have studied at European post-secondary institutions. One of the key goals in this exchange is to give future modern language teachers the opportunity to live in a different culture and to be a language learner. This experience has given the participating students a great deal of insight into teaching and learning which they will no doubt incorporate into their own teaching philosophy. The development of a global perspective and a sensitivity toward other cultures is another definite advantage of exchange programs.

In 1985, Anthony Mollica summarized the value of exchanges in the Canadian Modern Language Review (Vol. 41, No. 1). Although this article was written almost 15 years ago, before the communicative/experiential language teaching approach prevailed, many of his comments still hold true. He describes cultural exchanges as a way for students to "grow in an independent way," while enabling them to "gain more facility and confidence in oral communication." In addition he mentions that exchanges also provide "an opportunity to develop understanding and acceptance of cultural differences." One very interesting point he makes is that these experiences can affect the pedagogy of second language teaching because they encourage students to participate actively in their learning by sharing experiences and presenting

communicative situations in which to use language.

Those who research the field of motivation in a language learning context have described the motivational and attitudinal value of engaging in study in a TL milieu. Access to target language speakers is a social condition which motivates the language learner. If the language learner does not "see" the TL in use in their surroundings, the learner may not attach much value to the language learning experience. The perceived need to communicate is also an important factor in motivating students to learn a language. Living in a setting where the TL is spoken definitely presents learners, in a direct way, with the need to use the TL. Spolsky (1989, "Conditions for Second Language Learning") suggests that this "need" must be present for language learners to experience success.

"Good language learner" research suggests that the motivation to seek out opportunities to use the language as an important part of developing communicative competence. Good language learners also possess positive attitudes toward the target language and target language culture. Visits to places where the TL is spoken can only help to further encourage these sorts of positive behaviours and attitudes.

Finding real situations in which students can "try out" the language learned is often a challenge for teachers. Living in a bilingual country and province makes this somewhat easier but nonetheless the difficulty still exists. Networking with other teachers in areas where the TL is spoken can be an excellent means of organizing exchanges and educational visits. The availability of electronic networking makes it possible to create a virtual reality in the classroom as well. Although classrooms can be made into mini TL communities, finding authentic occasions outside the classroom to use the TL is also a key to success for language learners.

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