Language workshop

Regular informal discussions in the work community link language learning to everyday tasks at work. Language workshops reinforce additional language courses, as the workshops focus on the specific language needed at work.
Kuvituskuva
Content:

A workshop to discuss work-related (language) issues and find solutions together.
For whom:

Language-learning employees. Led by an advanced learner or native speaker colleague.
Time:

For example, 1 hour every other week, with participants writing down observations and questions between sessions.
Current situation:

The working language is Finnish or Swedish, and the work community includes several employees whose language skills are limited.
Benefit:

Employees learn language relevant for their work.

A language workshop is a language discussion and learning scenario by the work community in which language learners can participate during working hours

The language workshop is built on the participants' own needs, wishes and challenges. Discussion is led by colleagues, language mentors, persons responsible for onboarding, or supervisors, as agreed in the work community. Language learners receive support and language learning tips from peers in the language workshop.

Language workshops are particularly suitable for workplaces where there is more than one language-learning employee. If there is only one or few employees learning language at the workplace, other methods can be used to support language learning, such as the pocketbook and language mentor. 

It is important to discuss models and phrases for interactive scenarios important to participants in workshops so that participants can adopt new models and phrases immediately. In the workshop, interaction can be practised, for example, by going through typical interactive scenarios at work together. 

Discussing wishes and needs of the participants in the first language workshop session is advisable. For example, the following questions may be asked in the first session: 

  1. What kind of language learning suits you best? What kind of a language learner are you? 
  2. What kind of situations at work cause anxiety? Where do you need support? 
  3. What work scenarios require you to speak Finnish? How would you like your colleagues to respond in these situations? 
  4. What level of Finnish proficiency are you aiming for? In what situations would you like to be able to use Finnish? What is your next concrete language learning goal? 

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Kuvituskuva

Language mentor

Content:

Operating model for facilitating language issues in the work community.
Time:

Training (e.g. 1 day), working time reserved for facilitation.
Benefit:

Language mentor model supports language learning and increases language awareness in the work community.
Kuvituskuva: Mies ja nainen keskustelevat pöydän ääressä ikkunan edessä.

Language learning plan

Content:

Editable material for drawing up a language learning plan.
Time:

Preparation 10 min, discussion 10-15 min.
Benefit:

Improvement of language proficiency is integrated into professional development.
Kuvituskuva

Learning professional language at the workplace

Content:

Video on supporting professional language learning at the workplace.
Time:

Video duration 22 min.
Benefit:

The work community receives concrete methods for supporting language learning.
Hands are holding a pen and there's a notebook on the table.

Pocketbook for supporting language learning

Content:

Method for learning professional language at the workplace.
Time:

Continuous work and regular discussion of observations.
Benefit:

Links language learning to the employee’s needs and work scenarios. 
Kuvituskuva

Tips for supporting Finnish learners

Content:

Tips for conversations with language learners and speaking clearly.
Time:

15 tips with examples.
Benefit:

Native-language employee learns to speak more clearly and to support the language learner in participating in discussions. 
ALT test in english

(Coming in English in 2024) Videot: Kieltä oppivan kollegan kohtaaminen

Content:

Kolme lyhyttä videota, joissa vinkkejä kieltä oppivan työtoverin kohtaamiseen
Time:

Yhteensä 2,5 minuuttia
Benefit:

Työyhteisön jäsenet oppivat suhtautumaan luontevasti erilaisiin kielitaitoihin vuorovaikutustilanteissa
Kuvitus kahdesta hahmosta työpaikalla. Toisella hahmoista on käsi nyrkissä ja hän osoittaa peukalollaan olkapäänsä taakse.

Phrases for the break room: booklet and video

Content:

Discussion booklet (and video) with spoken phrases for the language learner and tips for speaking clearly for the native speaker. 
Time:

15 themes, each with 3-4 phrases and a video of roughly a minute in duration (total video duration about 13 minutes); 15 tips for native speakers.
Benefit:

Encourages practising Finnish-language discussions in social situations at the workplace. 

©2024 Katriina Eronen, Johanna Komppa ja Eveliina Korpela

Kielityöpaja, elokuu 2024, jonka tekijät ovat Johanna Komppa ja Eveliina Korpela, on lisensoitu Creative Commons Nimeä 4.0 Kansainvälinen -lisenssillä. Materiaali on saatavilla osoitteessa kielibuusti.fi.

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