Tandem Class
‘Tandem’ originally referred to a two-seater bicycle, and a tandem mode of learning means people with different native languages learning each other’s foreign language, while helping one another with their language learning. For example, the Korea and Germany Culture Comparison course taught in the second semester of 2014 was a tandem class which aimed to raise students’ awareness of the cultural differences seen in the everyday life of Korea and Germany, and to enhance their understanding of the differences. Korean and German students each compared the distinctions between their own and the others’ culture, detailing their two sets of characteristics. The students also taught their native language to their partners, with Korean students teaching German students Korean, and vice versa, so that they both taught their own and learned their partner’s language. The learning and teaching of language among peers creates a freer and more open-minded atmosphere compared to learning from teachers, and this learning experience is widely viewed as more productive.