The CLIC Project: Creating Spaces for Reciprocal Learning in University L2 Programs

Nuria ALONSO GARCíA¹

Jaime DEMPERIO et Martyna KOZLOWSKA²

¹Providence College, Rhode Island, É.-U.

²École de langues, Université du Québec à Montréal

Zoom 861 6815 8629

The multicultural and plurilingual nature of second language learning and teaching contexts provides unique opportunities to tap into the diversity of student and instructor realities. We bring our cultures, languages, identities, and prior experiences to these learning communities as we develop of new linguistic and cultural competencies and negotiate our evolving identities.

Diversity offers fertile ground for reciprocal learning to emerge. The challenge is creating and sustaining such spaces so that everyone feels supported as they explore and discuss their sense of belonging, and empowered to take ownership of their learning. In these spaces, student agency and leadership, collaborative engagement, personal narratives and reflective practice take center-stage. 

As instructors, we strive to provide and maintain such a space in the form of the CLIC (Culture, Language, Identity and Community) project—a community platform for students in our ESL programs. CLIC provides a forum for learner-driven events that build upon students’ sense of identity, leadership potential and multilingual experiences. The purpose of our presentation is to describe how this project is unfolding, highlight the benefits we have observed thus far, and discuss the challenges we have encountered with this initiative in the university context.