Tandem - English
Tandem - Italiano
Tandem - English
Tandem - Française
Tandem - Deutsch
Tandem - Español
What is the Tandem programme?
Tandem is a language exchange opportunity, a sort of loosely-based learning
pathway for students speaking different mother tongues to meet in order to
practise and improve a foreign language.
It is based on two different but simple ideas, i.e. mutual help and self-study.
Each year several hundreds of foreign students, mostly from the Erasmus exchange
programmes, study at the different Roma Tre Faculties. To do their courses they
must acquire an adequate knowledge of Italian. To this purpose the CLA (the Roma
Tre Language Centre) runs intensive courses in September and February.
Many Italian students are also engaged in learning one or more foreign languages
as part of their curricula or to go abroad on Erasmus programmes.
Tandem is meant for these two groups of students. It will enable two students
speaking different native languages to learn from each other. The drawing of the
‘two-seater bicycle’ above gives an idea about expectations: participants will
be helping each other in order to reach a common goal. But Tandem is not only a
way to practise and improve a foreign language. It is also an excellent way to
learn more about a culture other than one’s own.
Who can join in?
Anyone studying at Roma Tre is eligible for the
Tandem programme: not
only Italian and Erasmus students but also students from non-EU countries,
“Marco Polo” students from China, post-graduate, master and doctoral students.
How can you join in?
Fill in the enrolment form (you can find a fac-simile online). Pay attention:
you can enrol only at the computers located in the CLA! You can enrol at the
beginning of every semester. On the web site you will find the
opening and closing enrolment dates. Erasmus students can enrol at any time of
the year.
Depending on the number of enrolments, the CLA will combine two tandem partners
and will contact them by email.
How are pairs matched?
Each foreign student will be assigned to an Italian Tandem partner. Pairs will
be matched by the CLA for the language(s) indicated by participants.
You will receive an e-mail with the meeting date at the CLA for the acceptance
of your tandem patner. It is essential that when filling in the registration
form you insert all the relevant information (if you have just arrived in Rome
an e-mail address is the best way to be contacted).
It is up to you to fix the dates for your meetings. The CLA will just ask you to
report briefly on the programme. If you do not receive any news from the CLA,
this will probably mean that no Italian student has asked to be assigned to a
Tandem partner to practise your language.
How to verify your progress?
Tandem is not a teaching programme and cannot substitute for your Italian
classes. It is a language exchange opportunity mainly based on conversation
between two people sharing common needs and interests. You must therefore be
strongly motivated and aware that Tandem works on the basis of mutual help and
self-study. You decide not only where and how frequently you want to meet your
partner but also how you want to organize your meetings. A precise schedule is
not necessary but regular meetings are desirable.
However if you need suggestions on how gaining major advantage from Tandem you
may refer to our diary to keep a record of your activities. You can print it or
download it to make notes in it each time you meet, writing down what you have
done and for how long. This way you will be able to monitor your progress.
On the CLA website you will also find a list of useful links to other sites and
many other suggestions on how to use the Tandem programme at its best. There
will also be a Tandem assistant available: you can contact them for further
details and to sort out minor problems. When you are finished the CLA will ask
you to fill in a feedback form in order to help us improve the programme.