Paper short abstract:

This presentation describes/outlines a collaborative learning project based on the concept of "acquisition-oriented lessons" and the principles of CLIL. I discuss the potential of such a project to raise participants' awareness of democracy and forge democratic relationships among participants.

Paper long abstract:

After World War II, European countries began to collaborate in order to achieve permanent peace. The founding of the Council of Europe in 1949 represented one of the first steps in this project, and it has been playing a very important role, especially in the area of culture and education, where it has argued for the importance of nurturing a democratic culture for the fostering of mutual understanding and peace. (Council of Europe 2016).

I was introduced to the concept of "acquisition-oriented lessons" and "dramatic knowledge" advocated by Jun Watanabe (Watanabe 2014) through workshops held in Paris in 2017. His model focuses on developing "independent and democratic learners", encouraging students to deepen their learning through the use of drama work. I acknowledge its worth and potential and have been practicing it in my classes.

This presentation describes/outlines a collaborative learning project based on the concept of Watanabe and the principles of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning: Thomson & McKinley, 2018) at a graduate school in Italy, using Japanese as a lingua franca with Japanese university students. CLIL is highly valued in foreign language education because the language one is learning is used authentically and directly. This project emphasizes an engagement with social phenomena occurring outside the classroom, viewing learners as democratic citizens in a broad social context, who build democratic relationships with peers and teachers. After the Italian students presented a social problem using drama work, they and the Japanese students reflected on it together and learned from each other. We used the internet to allow interactions over large geographical distances. At the beginning and at the end of the project, a self-assessment and a descriptive questionnaire were conducted and I analyzed the transformation of the participants. The self-assessment table and questionnaire were prepared by the Italian students and me in reference to the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (2018) and CEFR (2001) by the European Council. I discuss the potential of such a project to raise participants' awareness of democracy and the role of teachers in forging democratic relationships with students.