La photographie, déclencheur d'interaction en classe de langue : négociations entre apprenants

• Main Author: Catherine Muller
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: ACEDLE 2009-04-01
• Series: Recherches en didactique des langues et des cultures
• Subjects: oral interaction; conversational negotiation; interculturality; course material
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/rdlc/2172

This contribution deals with participant observation of students learning French as a foreign language. Artistic photographs were used to trigger oral expression. The analysis of the corpus examines the specificities of the interaction, and its relevance to foreign language teaching. The interaction highlights disagreements between students; thus the notion of “negotiation” can be used to account for the participants’ efforts to find common ground. Initial negotiation is metalinguistic. Students debate about signs and their references. The activity also drives students to confront their opinions on the interpretation of the photograph. The negotiation of content leads to a co-construction of the meaning of the picture. Finally, students negotiate their cultural identities. While commenting on the photograph, they refer to their cultural worlds. The activity thus encourages students to have intercultural exchanges and to learn from their peers.