Abstracts
Abstract
Linguistic risks are situations in which learners are pushed out of their comfort zone to use the target language in meaningful and authentic settings. This article outlines a novel pedagogical and research approach to language learning through linguistic risk-taking. I review the construct of linguistic risk from interdisciplinary perspectives and describe the context, rationale, and development of an innovative initiative for supporting French and English language learning at the University of Ottawa, the largest bilingual (English-French) university in the world. Data from 554 participants collected through a Linguistic Risk-Taking Passport, a tool allowing learners to self-report risk-taking patterns, propose additional risks, and add qualitative comments are analyzed to validate the approach. Avenues for transformation of the tool into a digital app and its relevance to other contexts and other languages are also discussed.
Keywords:
- Linguistic Risk-Taking Initiative and Passport,
- language teaching and learning,
- innovation
Résumé
Les risques linguistiques sont des situations dans lesquelles les apprenants sont poussés à sortir de leur zone de confort afin d’utiliser la langue cible dans des contextes significatifs et authentiques. Cet article présente une nouvelle approche de la pédagogie et de la recherche concernant l'apprentissage des langues par la prise de risques linguistiques. Nous examinons la notion de prise de risques linguistiques d'un point de vue interdisciplinaire et décrivons le contexte, la raison d'être et le développement d'une initiative innovante visant à soutenir l'apprentissage du français et de l'anglais à l'Université d'Ottawa, la plus grande université bilingue (français-anglais) du monde. Afin de valider notre approche, nous analysons les données recueillies auprès de 554 participants par le biais d'un passeport de prise de risques linguistiques. Cet outil permettant aux apprenants de rendre compte de leurs pratiques concernant la prise de risques, de proposer des risques supplémentaires et d'ajouter des commentaires qualitatifs. Nous discutons également des pistes pour la transformation de l'outil en une application numérique et de sa pertinence pour d'autres contextes et d'autres langues.
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