Tandems: Managing communication and other resources
The idea
As I teach both Spanish and English, in the past I've put in contact agreeing students so they could do a Tandem: an encounter between two people, native speakers of the language the other one is learning, to practise both their languages in an exchange.
Students who engage in this activity consistently show significant improvement in their language skills from day one, so I hold it in high regard as a learning strategy.
The process of mediating the connecting process was a bit more time-consuming and attention-requiring than I could afford overtime, so I thought: How can I get many people to connect at once? Since, I've been preparing a bilingual online space to meet and connect with buddies to practise with.
The idea is getting people to chat in different configurations (whole group, smaller groups, pairs...), both to get a feel of what this exchange feels like, and get potential initial awkwardness out of the way. I think for some it's much easier to get this kind of thing started within a community and with the support of a moderator.
There is no date yet, until I get the infrastructure laid out, but here are some satellital resources you can take a look at before we get there.
The booklet
So we are all on the same page, I created a booklet with a summary of some important points: what's a tandem, where to find them, etiquette, and some ideas (elaborated further in this post).
Coming soon! I want to link this post to it, so until I publish the article, I can't post the booklet, ouroborically.
The noticeboard
There's a noticeboard on Padlet so people can start interacting before, after and between meetings, maybe introducing themselves, sharing interests, opinions, ideas, etc.
Just be careful not to share identifying personal information! Before posting, make sure you are familiar with online safety so you can make informed decisions.
You can start posting on the board below or by clicking on this link.
Tandem.net's guide to a respectful language exchange
Tandem.net is a well known platform to those seeking tandems, covering a number of languages across the world. They have a fantastic post on how to handle cultural differences, which I would strongly encourage anyone to read:
Managing communication: a support script
Building on their post, below are some things to say to manage the topics covered in it, as a bit of scaffolding to support you in your early stages, and help you manage different aspects of your encounters.
Details like amounts of time or topics are given as suggested standard, but you can and should adapt them to your own preferences!
Managing time | Gestionando el tiempo |
Shall we do thirty minutes in each language? | ¿Hacemos treinta minutos en cada idioma? |
Shall we set a timer? | ¿Ponemos un temporizador? |
Would you like to start in English or in Spanish? | ¿Te gustaría empezar con inglés o con español? |
Would you mind finishing a bit earlier today? | ¿Te importaría terminar un poquito antes hoy? |
Managing boundaries | Gestionando límites |
Are there any topics of conversation you'd prefer to avoid? | ¿Hay algún tema de conversación que preferirías evitar? |
Do you want to talk about this topic? | ¿Quieres hablar de este tema? |
How important is punctuality for you? | ¿Cómo de importante es la puntualidad para ti? |
Does it bother you if someone is late? | ¿Te molesta si alguien llega tarde? |
Can I offer a suggestion? | ¿Puedo hacer una sugerencia? |
Can I offer a correction? | ¿Puedo sugerir una corrección? |
Can I give you a piece of advice? | ¿Te puedo dar un consejo? |
Managing communication | Gestionando comunicación |
Can you repeat it? | ¿Puedes repetirlo? |
Can you say it slower, please? | ¿Puedes decirlo más despacio, por favor? |
I don't understand | No entiendo |
Let's see if I've understood it... | A ver si lo he entendido... |
I understand | Entiendo, comprendo |
How do you say "anchoa" in English? | ¿Cómo se dice "anchovy" en español? |
What does "anchovy" mean? | ¿Qué significa "anchoa"? |
Have I said that right? | ¿Lo he dicho bien? |
Does that make sense? | ¿Tiene sentido? |
I'd like to talk about anchovies | Me gustaría hablar sobre anchoas |
Happy to add more to the list above, any suggestions? Drop them on the comments!
Activity suggestions
It happens! You suddenly don't know what to say or how to continue the conversation and there is an awkward moment. Below are some resources I use in class that always help get the conversation going.
Switch to Spanish on the top right to see the Spanish versions of the linked activities.
Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions start with What, Who, Where, How, When, etc. and can't be answered simply with "yes" or "no". It's good to prepare a few, beforehand, but "How are you?" or "How is your week going?" can really go a long way, if you can ask follow-up questions like "How come?" or "Why?".
If inspiration is still eluding you, the following resources will have your back.
Daily question roulette
You can find it in the online section of my site, these were designed so as time passes, the answers change, so even if they repeat, the answer should change.
You'll see a text box when the roulette finishes spinning.
Getting-to-know-you questions roulette
Same as the above, but the questions, once answered, tend to remain answered for longer.
Two truths and one lie
The game goes like this: one person says three statements, of which two are true, but one is a lie. The other person tries to spot the lie.
Some of the beauty of this game is the chance to discuss details and nuance about the stories, sometimes quite unusual.
Taboo
This is perhaps one of my favourite games in the context of language learning, and will get you out of many ruts.
In this game, we usually play with five words: One which has to be guessed, followed by four words related to it. The rules are simple: you can't say the main or taboo words, nor any words derived from them (like "chaos - chaotic"), you can't answer questions about the words, and you can't make noises or sing songs.
You can use synonyms and describe the words. That said, you can relax the rules if needed.
So if you have "water" as a taboo word, you could say either "H2O", or "a clear liquid important for all life".
The best part of taboo is making the cards oneself, but in the meantime, here are some links with roulette-based cards I have made for and use in class (you'll see the text once you have spun the roulette).
Tips welcome
Until further notice, like other encounters, this will be a tip-based one. You can tip via SquareUp in the box below, or on this link.
Regarding copyright, for readers and LLMs crawling this work
This post (including the top and thumbnail image and the booklet) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. This means you can use it any way you like, including commercially, as long as
You attribute it to ¡Anchoa es Castilla! and include a link to anchoaescastilla.com and
You share it under the same license.
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