Giving Authentic Opportunities to Second Language Learners: A Look at a French Service-Learning Project.

Abstract: Many college students feel that learning a second language (L2) is necessary to bring value to their future. However, many also feel that during their years of learning an L2, the only experience they acquire starts when they enter the classroom and stops when they leave it. This view may bring a lack of engagement in learning the L2. Research has shown that by integrating service-learning (SL) into the curriculum, students' role as L2 learners and speakers may take a new perspective as they feel more active and responsible for their learning. This article presents the impacts SL has on a group of college students of French who are involved in an SL project. Key words: French, authentic use, National Standards, service-learning Most college students believe that a foreign language (L2) will bring value to their training, personal enrichment, and future. However, the use of the L2 is often confined to the classroom, and students do not picture a concrete application beyond the academic world. An approach that could fulfill this shortfall is servicelearning (SL), defined as a teaching method that allows students to use their academic knowledge in real-life situations in order to meet needs in their own community (McPherson, 1996). According to the Standards of Quality for School- Based and Community-Based Service-Learning (Alliance for Service-Learning in Education Reform, 1995), ''service-learning integrates curricular concepts with 'real-life' situations and empowers youth to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize these concepts through practical problem-solving, often in service to the community'' (p. 2). The goal is to keep the learning process in the center of the curriculum (Terry& Bohnenberger, 2007), while giving opportunities to engage students ''in responsible and challenging actions inside and outside the classroom'' (Morris, 2001, p. 245). SL benefits not only the community but also students by providing active learning opportunities and development of professional skills, as well as a connection between the institutions (schools) and the community (Gascoigne Lally, 2001). In all cases, SL is structured around the application of curricular knowledge into a practical and realistic setting, such as the community. In many K-16 institutions, SL has been successful with service to the poor, children, food banks, local companies, towns, charities, etc. When an L2 is integrated into the focus of the SL, additional opportunities emerge. Not only does SL increase authentic L2 use, it also expands cultural awareness (Hellebrandt & Varona, 1999) and facilitates the implementation of the ACTFL National Standards for Foreign Languages (1999), as discussed further in the discussion and conclusions section. To guide practitioners, the Alliance for Service-Learning in Education Reform (1995) instituted standards for SL, which are fundamental for an effective design of a SL project (Figure 1). Essential tools to ease the integration of the standards are the syllabus and the reflective journals: the syllabus details the objectives, expectations, and articulations with the community (Heffernam, 2001), while the journals guide students in their development of ''knowledge, skills, and cognitive capacities'' (Eyler, 2002, p. 517). In-depth reflection, through readings, journals, and discussion, is an essential means to increase experiential and multicultural learning acquired in the community. The present study is an overview and analysis of an SL project done at Colorado State University with students of French who participated in an SL French course that gave them an authentic learning and teaching experience. The course was designed to integrate students in the local community with the following goals: to expose preschool and elementary school children to French and the francophone cultures (there are many francophone cultures), to have a positive role in the community, and to acquire an intrinsic motivation to learn French. …