The development of a framework for learning in action: Placing language students

This paper discusses a community engagement program for language students offered at Flinders University. For a few years now, the Language in Action program has provided placement opportunities for language students in a range of community settings such as aged-care agencies and cultural associations. From an educational perspective, Language in Action draws from experiential
learning, and in particular, from the Deep Approach to World Language Education, an approach that places students in charge of their learning experience and promotes meaningful interactions with communities. The program is designed to encourage students' prosocial behaviour, in order to facilitate their pursuit of 'doing good' in the community, by establishing social connections with migrant groups while improving their language and intercultural skills in near immersion settings. This paper focuses on developing a framework for language placements. It also outlines the placement experiences of language students (Modern Greek, Italian, Spanish and Indonesian) in different contexts. It presents the rationale of the Language in Action program in light of some core educational principles. It discusses the program's implementation and reports on students' experiences.