Beyond The Abstracts: Teletandem and Learning-to-Learn – Adelia Peña (S2e2)

Description

“I think Teletandem as such does not develop autonomy. I think it's a very good trigger for autonomy and that's the way I would define it. Why is it a very good trigger? Because it gives the student the opportunity to practise this autonomy in the sense of reflecting on his own, trying to make decisions about what he needs to do in order to improve for the next session of the Teletandem. However, it needs guidance…Teletandem with a good guidance from the advisor, or a good mediation, could develop autonomy very, very well, because it gives the students the opportunity to practise it…Yes, I would say Teletandem is like the means for autonomy. That's what I would call it.”

• Adelia Peña

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In this episode, Tom speaks with Adelia Peña from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).  Adelia is a full-time professor at the National School of Languages, Linguistics and Translation (ENALLT). She currently serves as an English advisor in the Mediateca at ENALLT and is responsible for the AVLE Teletandem project (Aprendizaje Virtual de Lenguas Extranjeras en tandem) within this self-access center. She earned her MA in Educational Technology from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico and a second MA in Virtual Learning Environments through the Organisation of Iberoamerican States (OEI), Virtual Educa, and the University of Panama. Her main research interests include learner training, learner autonomy, and teletandem.

Adelia has worked in a self-access centre in Mexico since it opened to university students in 1996. Her early focus was on learner training, offering workshops designed to foster classroom autonomy to enhance performance in the self-access setting. She later developed a methodology for creating effective "learning to learn" workshops that support advising. In addition, she contributed to the design of a diploma program for language advisors and has conducted numerous workshops for both teachers and students. Her primary area of expertise is learner training and advising.

During her master’s studies, she became involved in telecollaboration and is now responsible for a Teletándem program (virtual exchange) that integrates components of learner training. While Teletándem exchanges traditionally involve native speakers, they have also been implemented with students proficient in foreign languages. The program currently offers sessions in Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Russian.

In this episode

Adelia shares her 30 years of experience supporting language learners through self-access and learning-to-learn workshops. We focus on the Teletandem program, which connects UNAM students with international partners for language and cultural exchange. Adelia explains how Teletandem supports autonomy when paired with advisor guidance and reflection. She also offers advice for others starting similar projects.

Learn More

• Mediateca SELF-ACCESS
• UNAM
• Peña Clavel, M. de la P. A. (2010). La autonomía de los estudiantes de la mediateca del Centro de Enseñanza de Lenguas Extranjeras de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México con base en tres dominios (Aprendizaje, Individualidad y Comunicación): Un estudio de caso.[Tesis de Maestría]. Tecnológico de Monterrey.
• Peña Clavel, M. de la P. A., & Porras Pulido, J. (Eds.). (2014). Investigación en Lenguas: paradigmas, prouestas y perspectivas(1st ed.). Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
• Peña Clavel, M.P.A. & Aragon Lopez, M. del R. (2004b). Los materiales didácticos para centros de autoacceso: selección, adaptación y elaboración. Leaa Lenguas En Aprendizaje Autodirigido. Revista Electrónica de La Mediateca Del CELE-UNAM, 1(0). http://cad.cele.unam.mx/leaa/cont/ano01/num00/0001a04-A.html
• Peña Clavel, M.P.A., Martinez, A., & Camara Hagen. (2006). Dos enfoques para promover la autonomía: la Teoría de las Inteligencias Múltiples y la instrucción basada en estrategias. In El Aprendizaje Autodirigido en la UNAM Una experiencia con historia(1st ed.). CELE-UNAM.