Autonomy, Motivation, and Training of European Mutual Comprehension: Contribution from ICE Method

Autonomy, motivation and training of European mutual comprehension: contribution from ICE method Dr. Eric Castagne University of Rheims Champagne-Ardenne eric.castagne@univ-reims.fr http://logatom.eu/

SUMMARY 1. The concept of mutual compréhension 2. The ICE research program 3. The ICE method 4. Basic principles of the ICE method 5. Results and conclusions

1. The concept of mutual comprehension Mutual comprehension between languages means to understand various languages without speaking them. Mutual comprehension thus makes it possible to practise an asymmetrical form of (linguistic) communication when each person speaks their own mother tongue and understands the mother tongue of the other.

1. The concept of mutual comprehension Example of mutual comprehension: when a French-speaking people understand a German-speaking people or inform them, each speaking their own mother tongue and understanding the mother tongue of the other.

1. The concept of mutual comprehension Mutual comprehension aims at understanding various and varied linguistic uses while speaking in her own mother linguistic system (that is to say without needing to speak (including partially) in at least a foreign language).

1. The concept of mutual comprehension Mutual comprehension is to be distinguished from the (linguistic) intercommunication. This is the situation of unilingual or multilingual communication when people, generally from heterogeneous linguistic origins, speak in at least one foreign language or linguistic mixture (spanglish, fragnol, etc).

1. The concept of mutual comprehension Example 1of intercommunication: when a French-speaking people and a German-speaking people speak English. (= symmetrical intercommunication).

1. The concept of mutual comprehension Example 2 of intercommunication: when a French-speaking people speaks in French to a Swedish-speaking people who answers him in English, both understanding the language used by the other (= asymmetrical intercommunication)

1. The concept of mutual comprehension Mutual comprehension is also to be distinguished from the translation by the fact that it by no means needs the development and the formulation of a text in another language to feel it and to represent it. We all did the experiment to understand in a given language the contents of a text without to be able to reformulate it in another language, including the mother tongue.

2. Le programme ICE The aim of ICE research program is to do investigations (with a collaborative and interdisciplinary spirit) on the mutual comprehension between the European peoples. For more details, I refer to the website: http://logatom.eu/ice/

3. The ICE method The ICE team does theoretical researches and develops applications in various sectors. One of these applications developed by this program is the ICE method of simultaneous education in the mutual comprehension of the languages related and/or close the mother tongue.

3. The ICE method One of the aims of ICE method is as follows: Educating in an efficient mutual comprehension: 6 languages from 2 separate families in less than 150 hours.

3. The ICE method • Thanks to the initial strategic choices of the ICE research program, a wide pattern of dissemination is possible. • We have already created, tested and validated two ICE modules: • ICE Module of Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian) • ICE Module of Germanic languages (German, English, Dutch).

3. The ICE method • Other modules are already in progress (under development): • Oral mutual comprehension. • Specialized mutual comprehension.

3. The ICE method • Other modules are planned (are already in project): • ICE Module of Nordic languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) • ICE Module of Slavic languages (Polish, Russian, Slovak, Czech, Ukrainian).

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method The basic principles of the ICE method have been established starting from the empirical observations collected weekly for 8 years on many persons at the ICE workshops.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method 4.1. The valorisation of personal experience. Following the empirical observations, we know that we have to adapt the methodology to learners rather than adapting learners to the methodology. We have to develop and operate in multilingual habits, skills and procedures already practiced in mother tongue.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method 4.1. The valorisation of personal experience. We do not teach any method and any knowledge (no list of words, no table of conjugation, etc.). We have to show empirically that they already possess all the methods of reading and a lot of the knowledge necessary to mutual comprehension. I will give two examples.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method • Extracting practices rather than inserting methods. Adult learners know a certain practice of the mother tongue. They must become aware of this richness. Sometimes it must be developed and definitely it must be exploited.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method For example, we all did the experiment of mutual comprehension in our mother tongue in front of speakers who practice special uses from an area which is not ours, in front of speakers who practice uses relating to a professional universe and which appear obscure to us. We all did the same experiment in front of a text which deals about a theme, an event or a concept which are unknown or even only ignored by us.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method We propose to learners to apply in multilingual situation of mutual comprehension these procedures which they already practice daily in mother tongue.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method • Extracting knowledge rather than inserting scholarship. Adult learners have some knowledge of the world. They must become aware of this richness. Sometimes it must be valued because it will help them to understand much in another language.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method We help them to realize empirically that they know much, more than what they are aware of. We help them to realize empirically that their knowledge will be a decisive assistance in their attempt to understand a text in both mother tongue and foreign language. Becoming aware of it is always accompanied by “reliances” in situation.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method These “reliances” allow to set the procedure for the learners, to inform the other participants on the path that has followed their colleague, to make each person aware of the fact that each course of interpretation is particular to each person, and to show that the interpretation of a text depends on the knowledge of each person and so is multiple.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method 4.2. The dynamic construction of meaning in interactive networks. The dynamic personal access to the network is more efficient than the passive reception of individual pieces of knowledge. I will give two examples.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method • Learning simultaneously 3 languages. Since a long time, we have known that a system (of organization, thought, etc.) operating in a network is more efficient.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method For example, discovering (simultaneously in the same session) 3 related languages allows to establish an active network of similarities and dissimilarities between four languages (more than putting traditionally simple equivalences between two languages).

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method This approach avoids interference and confusion between languages, observed in a monolingual and sequential learning. It installs the best conditions to get an understanding (comprehension) of these languages in all its dimensions.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method • Collaborative approach. The session is organized with a collaborative spirit and a total interactivity.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method For example, at each stage, learners comment the texts together, put up little by little the network of similarities and dissimilarities, and choose the level of sufficiently stable and satisfactory comprehension and approximation.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method Facing a seemingly unsolvable obstacle, learners can ask some help from their fellows: respecting the spirit of the method and playing the occasional role as educators, they offer clues in various forms that can put them on track for a solution. This dual experience of learners and educators increase their occasional practice, and accelerate the awareness and the integration of mechanisms.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method The official educator, remained invisible until now, can then enter in the circle as a companion and complete the not explored proposals. In case of deadlock, one of the fellows or the official educator proposes finally a solution of interpretation and the way to achieve this solution.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method 4.3. The non-devaluation of the approximation, the gap and the error One of the successful conditions is to place learners in the best possible conditions. In the ICE method, the approximation, the gap and the error is not devalued.

4. Some basic principles of the ICE method 4.3. The non-devaluation of the approximation, the gap and the error On the contrary, they were incorporated into the construction of the ICE methodology as fundamental bases: they can go across the difficulties of all kinds in the construction of meaning, understanding and knowing.

5. Results and conclusions The ICE methodology allows to give an education of a practical and efficient mutual comprehension that makes the “communicance” easy:

5. Results and conclusions a) Communicance in the field of the acquisition of information: it makes it possible, in a very practical way, to get inform (more efficient informational and technological knowledge management) in original version.

5. Results and conclusions b) Communicance in the field of the communication of information: it helps communicate synthetically, clearly and precisely in the mother tongue in multilingual context (which is capital in the industrial trade and economics).

5. Results and conclusions Since 2005, the University of Rheims proposes the Professional Master Multilingual Knowledge Management (“Gestion Multilingue de l’Information” in French): http://gmi.reims.free.fr/

5. Results and conclusions This diploma has been built around the concept of mutual comprehension and the ICE method. It offers a training in Information Extraction (IE) in at least 7 languages: English and French languages listen-read-written-spoken + Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch read

5. Results and conclusions In this diploma, ICE modules of mutual comprehension represent less than 150 hours for 6 Romance and Germanic languages.

5. Results and conclusions The ICE methodology makes it possible to experiment training of foreign languages happy. During our courses, students take great pleasure to reflect on the language and on the languages, on their own identity and on the identity of speakers of these languages. As a result of this experience, they often want to learn more or are eager to meet the “stranger” (film, country or person).

Autonomy, motivation and training of European mutual comprehension: contribution from ICE method Dr. Eric Castagne University of Rheims Champagne-Ardenne eric.castagne@univ-reims.fr http://logatom.eu/

Autonomy, Motivation, and Training of European Mutual Comprehension: Contribution from ICE Method