What benefits will my class get from using
the IRC Français software?
The interactions between students using this software have been shown
to be much more involved and useful. Preliminary research has shown
that classroom interactions are generally one-on-one in nature, whereas
IRC Français seems to encourage interactions directly between
students without intervention by the teacher. Because of this, we have
observed much more involvement and enthusiastic use of the foreign
language, which is beneficial to the student. The discussions have
proven to no longer be dominated by only the professor and one or two
confident students, but instead there has been much more even
participation noted in the online conversations. These are early
results and we’re still conducting the research to find out precisely
how students are benefiting from the software.
How do I host a session?
At the beginning of the semester you pick an hour and day that you
will be able to be online during every week (though in reality hosts may
end up hosting only every other week). At that hour, you log onto IRC
Français and present a topic to the students participating in
that chat session. Then you see where the conversation goes from there!
Hosting IRC Français sessions is similar to being the host of a
party. As long as the conversation is running smoothly, sit back and
enjoy. If it seems as if there’s a struggle to find things to say,
step in and try to get the group talking. Every week you will need to
email us by Friday telling us the topic for that week so we can announce
it to the students in an email sent out Sunday. Just to make sure you
don’t forget, we’ll even email you a reminder on Wednesday that
your topics are due in two days.
What kind of topics should we discuss when I
host?
You should choose any topic that you believe the students will be
interested in discussing. Whatever the topic, make sure that the
students have enough knowledge of it so that there will be enough to
discuss for an hour. In the past, some of the more successful
conversations were those that discussed topics that students will have
opinions about, as this will invoke a lively discussion or debate. Some
other successful topics asked students to talk about their lives, their
travels, their summers, and their future plans. Topics that have been
less successful include more traditional conversations about culture and
history.
How will my students know when the sessions
are?
Every Sunday an email will go out to the students telling them the
session times, hosts and topics. You must let us know by email on
Wednesday what the topic will be for your session the next week. You
may also want to remind your students in class about the times of the
sessions. Also, there is an online calendar the students can check at
www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/irc-francais/events/index.html.
What happens if the students get off the
topic and start talking about something else?
This is one of the more exciting aspects of IRC Français. In
the classroom, students have very little control over the topic. In
this program, if the topic doesn’t interest the students or if they
have something they’d rather discuss, we suggest you allow the
conversation to change rather than force the topic on them. Students
will have plenty more to say about things that they’re interested in,
so it’s advantageous to both you and the students to allow them to
get off the topic.
Should I correct all mistakes made by
students?
There will be many mistakes made in spelling and grammar throughout
the online conversations. We suggest that in order to maintain the
integrity of the conversation you do not interrupt to correct small
mistakes. If a student types a word in English you should supply him or
her with the translation. Also, if it’s an error that is repeatedly
made you may choose to correct it. Some students may even correct other
students. But of course, you are the expert here. Use your discretion.
I teach a foreign language class that is not
conversation-based. Would this still be helpful?
Yes! IRC Français creates an environment where students can
get to know one another, which may in turn make them less hesitant to
speak in class. Using the chat sessions as a way to squeeze in an extra
hour of discussion is always helpful to both the student and the
teacher. The teacher is able to discuss extra things that may not be in
the curriculum but are important to him or her. The students will
obviously benefit from the extra exposure to the foreign language.
