LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Solo learning module: Giving control to the learner over materials and learning session design
Normal practice in course construction is to supply learners with pre-selected material chosen by the teachers to illustrate a grammar syllabus or progression. This paper will discuss the reversal of this process. The learners will be invited to select the material they wish to learn from according to their needs and interests. The tutor will provide a bank of exercise typologies, graded for level of difficulty and by skill, and guide the learners on how to select a balanced learning session from the bank which is commensurate with their level of expertise and the skills they wish to concentrate on. This method will make maximum use of the motivation of the learners to work with material which they are already interested in and which may be of direct use to them. It will also allow them to specify which skills they wish to acquire or to prioritise.

Identifying student needs for the year abroad preparation
The author examines student needs in preparing for the year abroad, looking at the relationship between metacognitive learning strategies and linguistic development during the year abroad, and how students' subjectivities relate to their linguistic development. The author summarises her findings by producing a list of steps that would ideally be included in a year abroad preparation course.

An interim assessment of the introduction of accredited portfolios in introductory French courses
This paper reports on the introduction of accredited portfolios into an ab initio French language course at the University of Stirling. These were introduced to help students progress from a teacher-led learning environment into one in which a more autonomous approach was required. Student feedback was mainly positive, whilst a slight improvement in grades was also reported. However, some areas of difficulty would benefit from further development.

Applying the CEF to Slovak university courses
The author starts her presentation with the historical background and current trends towards the application of the Common European Framework (CEF) in Slovak schools. Giving an example of an English course for Social Sciences, she then describes the specific phases of the application of the CEF.