The Personal Project: a learning activity relevant to (most) LANSOD contexts

Résumé En

Heterogeneity and diversity are terms frequently associated with the keyword “LANSOD” (LANguages for Specialists of Other Disciplines). Researchers and practitioners frequently comment on the variability of the students' language and motivation levels, as well as their professional objectives (e.g. Poteaux, 2015, Sarré & Whyte, 2016). The teachers' diverse backgrounds and the multiplicity of teaching objectives and curricula of LANSOD classes are also regularly discussed (Brudermann et al., 2016, Frath, 2005, Terrier & Maury, 2015). If that diversity can certainly be regarded at times as an asset, it remains clear that many teachers can find it difficult to offer a training course that suits the needs of (almost) all learners. The activity termed “the Personal Project” was devised to trigger learner motivation and autonomous learning and to individualise the learning path, whatever the student's discipline or level might be. It is based on the principles of the “pédagogie du projet” (Bordallo & Ginestet, 2006) and project-based learning (Blumenfeld et al., 1991), and draws on similar activities proposed by researchers like Terrier (2017) and Toffoli & Speranza (2016). Students are asked to choose a project based on their personal needs to improve their English, work on it for several weeks with teacher guidance, and present their final work to the group at the end of the course. The activity was very successful in the various contexts it was set up, whether it was with undergraduate students and professionals, in STEM fields and in the humanities alike. It proved popular with teachers too, as they found it accessible and refreshing. In this presentation, we will explore how the Personal Project was implemented in LANSOD contexts that were widely different in terms of disciplines and language levels.