Andi Hernando Explored How to Mobilize Language Learners and Teachers
Andi Hernando received the Georgetown Americas Institute grant in Fall 2024 to present her project “A comparison of traditional versus task-prompted teletandem: A look at language, culture and enjoyment” at the Mobilizing Language Learners and Teachers (MOBILLE) International Conference in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Her interest in telecollaboration comes from its potential to reduce unequal access to language learning opportunities outside the classroom. Teletandem, an online language exchange program developed in Brazil in the early 2000s, was created to offer students the chance to practice languages through virtual conversation, regardless of geographic or financial limitations. Since then, the model has been successfully adapted in various contexts around the world, including at Georgetown.
The GAI grant gave her the opportunity to present a research project that explored the nature of teletandem conversations. Specifically, the study aimed to determine whether open-ended conversations (as encouraged in the traditional teletandem model) or more structured, step-by-step classroom-style tasks were more likely to elicit discussions about language or culture, and which format students enjoyed more. Her findings suggest that while guided tasks tend to generate more talk about language, open conversations lead to more cultural discussion. Interestingly, students reported enjoying both formats equally.
Thanks to the GAI grant she was not only able to share my research findings but also learn about similar projects and to connect with other researchers in the field of technology and language learning.