Tandem language learning is an approach to language acquisition that involves reciprocal language exchange between tandem partners. In this method, each learner ideally serves as a native speaker of the language the other person intends to learn. Tandem language learning deviates from traditional pedagogical practices by eliminating the teacher-student model. Numerous language schools worldwide, including those affiliated with TANDEM International, as well as several universities, incorporate this approach into their language programs.
Background
Tandem language learning encompasses various methods of instruction. The most prevalent form involves face-to-face meetings between participants (referred to as face-to-face tandem). With the advent of communication technology in the 1990s, etandem (also known as distance tandem) emerged, facilitating language practice through email correspondence and written communication. Tele-collaboration emphasizes cultural integration and intercultural understanding as integral components of language learning. Tandem exchanges are characterized by reciprocal autonomy, with participants engaging in mutual language learning. Time is equally divided to ensure a fair distribution of language exchange. For instance, a Portuguese speaker and a German speaker may converse in German for half an hour and then switch to Portuguese for the remaining half an hour. Through partnerships with native speakers and exposure to social and cultural experiences, participants become fully immersed in the target language and culture. Learning is supported through various means, such as worksheets, textbooks, or informal conversations. The tandem method serves different purposes, including self-directed tandem partnerships (involving two individuals supported by counselors) and binational tandem courses (designed for groups and facilitated by moderators). The prerequisite for participating in self-directed Tandem is a lower intermediate level of language proficiency (lower B1 threshold). The can-do statements outlined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) provide a clear description of language ability at the B1 threshold in several European languages.
History
The concept of "language learning by exchange" or the "tandem approach" encompasses various teaching systems for exchange students abroad, including partner learning, peer teaching, tutoring models, and "Zweierschaften" (Steinig) or 'one-on-one discipleship'.
Here are some key points:
In the early 19th century, Joseph Lancaster and Andrew Bell introduced the "mutual system" in England, which involved students assisting each other in school, complementing the teacher's role. Peter Petersen, a German educationalist, developed a similar approach in the "Jenaplan schools," and tutoring models inspired by this concept emerged in the USA from the 1960s onwards.
The "tandem" concept, where two individuals learn the same language together, first appeared in 1971 in connection with Wambach's "audio-visual method." It was later applied to binational German-French youth meetings.
Klaus Lieb-Harkort and Nükhet Cimilli introduced this model in their work with immigrants in the German-Turkish area of Munich. Similar courses were subsequently offered in Bremen, Frankfurt, and Zürich.
In 1979, Jürgen Wolff developed the tandem learning partner mediation for Spanish and German. This course program, along with one developed by Wolff and colleagues in Madrid, formed the foundation of the TANDEM network, which later became the TANDEM schools network.
Since 1983, the TANDEM model has been adopted as an alternative language learning method, with elements of language courses abroad, youth exchange programs, cultural tours, class correspondence, and other cross-border activities replicated in selective schools across Europe.
The TANDEM network collaborates with various educational institutions, including the E-Tandem Network, which was founded in 1992 and later renamed the International E-Mail Tandem Network in 1993.
TANDEM Fundazioa, headquartered in Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain, was established in 1994 to promote scientific cooperation, education, and advanced training.
In 2016, Tripod Technology GmbH obtained a license from TANDEM Fundazioa to create the Tandem app.
The majority of schools affiliated with the TANDEM Network formed the association 'TANDEM International," with its headquarters in Bremen, Germany. Since March 2014, TANDEM International has owned the 'TANDEM' brand.