We wanted to give our students who study French and German the opportunity of language and culture immersion in the capitals Paris and Berlin, in cooperation with and through meetings with students and teachers in local schools. We wanted our students to increase their motivation for learning languages and practice their language skills in authentic situations, and hence experience the possibility of mastering the language better. We also wanted our students to experience the European community through meeting youth from other countries and learning about other European cultures through own experiences.
Aust-Lofoten Upper Secondary School offers training in several languages as a third language but has experienced a decline in recruitment to French and German. Most students don’t have the possibility of practicing the language they study in authentic situations, and the language becomes “a school language” only. The low motivation for learning a third language, together with insecurity when it comes to using the language in the classroom, can be seen as a consequence of the lack of authentic and meaningful situations to practice the language in. The physical distance between Lofoten and Central Europe is long, and the feeling of being part of a European community is not apparent. Students’ experiences with other European cultures mostly come through classroom activities. This was strengthened during the Covid pandemic when students did not even travel with their families for holidays to European countries.