Telecollaboration and plurilingualism

Plurilingual education portal

Subject classification: this is an education resource.

Type classification: this resource is a course.

Starting Activity

Imagine you are participating in an online language exchange with students from different countries. You and your peers speak different first languages, but you also share some knowledge of additional languages (e.g., English, Spanish, French, Italian). During your video meetings, group chats, and collaborative projects, you are encouraged to use all your linguistic resources to communicate, clarify, and co-construct meaning.

Reflect and respond:

Which languages might you choose to use during the exchange? Why?
How would you draw on your knowledge of different languages to make yourself understood—and to understand others?
Have you ever used more than one language in a single interaction? What did you notice about how communication worked?
What strategies might help you deal with misunderstandings or unfamiliar words?
In your opinion, what are the potential benefits of using multiple languages in a collaborative learning setting?

Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

Define key concepts such as plurilingualism, telecollaboration, tandem learning, and linguistic mediation.
Explain how telecollaborative practices support plurilingual education and intercultural communication.
Identify digital tools and communicative strategies that facilitate meaningful multilingual interaction.
Analyze examples of telecollaborative projects through a plurilingual lens.
Reflect on your own linguistic repertoire and how it can be activated in virtual exchanges.

Keywords

Plurilingualism, telecollaboration, intercultural competence, digital language exchange, linguistic mediation, online interaction, tandem learning, virtual exchange.

Introduction

Telecollaboration is increasingly understood as an action-oriented and collaborative educational approach, rooted in real-world tasks that mirror authentic communicative and professional scenarios. In such contexts, learners are not merely exchanging language forms—they are co-constructing meaning, negotiating across linguistic and cultural repertoires, and developing transversal skills. Typical tasks include the reciprocal explanation of culturally embedded concepts, the co-creation of multilingual media (e.g., digital menus, promotional videos, brochures), and collaborative problem-solving that requires learners to navigate semantic ambiguity and cultural nuance.

When informed by a plurilingual perspective, telecollaboration becomes a powerful tool to valorize learners’ entire linguistic repertoires. Rather than enforcing a shared lingua franca, educators may encourage for instance intercomprehension strategies, where participants communicate using different languages and rely on partial understanding, contextual cues, and mutual scaffolding. This approach, supported by projects like ComunicaRT and IOTT (Paone, 2024; Leone & Garbarino, 2019), affirms that effective communication is not about native-like proficiency, but about the ability to adapt, mediate, and collaborate across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

Such plurilingual telecollaborative practices are closely aligned with inclusive, learner-centered pedagogy. They foster strategic competence, metalinguistic awareness, and a reflective attitude toward language use, all of which are essential for navigating complex multilingual societies. Learners develop as plurilingual agents who are equipped not only to communicate, but to mediate understanding between diverse linguistic and cultural communities.

History of the concept

Telecollaboration, often referred to as virtual exchange, originated in the early 1990s as a pedagogical response to the increasing accessibility of internet technologies. Its core idea was to connect language learners from different geographical and cultural backgrounds through online communication tools, thereby fostering both linguistic competence and intercultural awareness. Early implementations—typically based on email exchanges, discussion forums, and asynchronous writing tasks—were shaped by the emerging field of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and influenced by theories of network-based language learning (Warschauer, 1997; Kern, 1996).

As digital technologies evolved, so too did the modalities of telecollaboration. Synchronous tools like video conferencing, collaborative platforms, wikis, blogs, and social media enabled more interactive, multimodal, and project-based exchanges. This led to the development of richer tasks that emphasized collaboration, co-construction of meaning, and intercultural reflection. Telecollaboration thus expanded from a tool for language practice into a comprehensive pedagogical model embedded in task-based and action-oriented learning.

In the 2000s and 2010s, scholars such as Robert O’Dowd played a key role in conceptualizing and consolidating the field. O’Dowd (2018) distinguishes between telecollaboration as a more open-ended educational practice and virtual exchange, which often refers to institutionally supported and structured programmes, such as those sponsored by the European Union (e.g., Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange). These initiatives highlight the potential of online intercultural encounters not only for language development, but also for advancing global citizenship, digital literacy, and inclusivity in education.

Telecollaboration’s evolution has also been supported by interdisciplinary insights from CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning), intercultural communication, and plurilingual education. With the growing focus on learner agency, plurilingual competence, and social constructivist approaches, telecollaboration is now widely regarded as a powerful action-oriented, learner-centered practice that promotes authentic communication across languages and cultures.

Definitions

Plurilingualism refers to an individual's capacity to flexibly and dynamically use multiple languages, integrating linguistic knowledge across various languages rather than viewing them as isolated systems. This holistic approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of languages within a person's repertoire, allowing for fluid movement between languages depending on the context and communicative needs.

Telecollaboration involves the use of digital communication tools to connect learners from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds for educational purposes. This approach facilitates intercultural exchanges and language learning through online platforms, enabling participants to engage in collaborative projects, discussions, and activities that enhance both linguistic proficiency and cultural understanding.

Tandem Learning is a (telecollaborative) method where two individuals with different native languages partner to assist each other in learning their respective languages. This reciprocal arrangement allows each learner to benefit from the native proficiency of their partner, promoting authentic language use and cultural exchange. Sessions typically involve equal time dedicated to each language, ensuring balanced learning opportunities.

Linguistic Mediation encompasses the ability to interpret, facilitate, and relay information between speakers of different languages. It is a crucial component in plurilingual telecollaboration, as it enables effective communication and understanding in multilingual contexts. Mediators employ their linguistic skills to bridge language gaps, ensuring that meaning is accurately conveyed and comprehended across language barriers.

Collectively, these concepts underscore the importance of integrating multiple languages and cultures in educational settings, leveraging digital tools and collaborative methods to enrich language learning and intercultural competence.

Practical examples

Example 1: Intercomprehension in Telecollaborative Mentoring

In a transatlantic telecollaborative project, heritage Spanish speakers in California engaged in Italian language learning through mentoring sessions with Italian university students. These sessions encouraged the use of Spanish as a pivot language to support the acquisition of Italian, promoting intercomprehension based on the typological proximity of Romance languages. Learners were encouraged to draw on their plurilingual repertoires to negotiate meaning and build metalinguistic awareness during real-time Zoom interactions (Cortés Velásquez, Donato, & Ricciardelli, 2023).

Example 2: Intercomprehension and Teletandem in the IOTT Project

The IOTT project, a collaboration between the University of Lyon 2 and the University of Salento, implemented a telecollaborative learning scenario combining intercomprehension and teletandem methodologies. Students from different linguistic backgrounds engaged in synchronous oral sessions via VoIP technologies, utilizing their respective Romance languages to communicate. This approach emphasized the development of receptive skills in intercomprehension, allowing learners to understand related languages without prior formal instruction. The project also incorporated reflective practices, such as learning diaries and self-assessment tools, to enhance metalinguistic awareness and foster autonomous learning strategies. Findings indicated that this integrative model effectively promoted plurilingual competencies and intercultural understanding among participants (Garbarino & Leone, 2020).

Example 3: The Trans-Atlantic and Pacific Project (TAPP)

TAPP connects classes from Europe and the US in joint professional and linguistic projects. In multilingual group tasks, students collaborate on writing, usability testing, and translation. For example, US engineering students produced presentations peer-reviewed by European students. These exchanges promote co-writing and multilingual mediation, with English often used as a lingua franca, but with growing attention to local languages and translation practices as tools for intercultural understanding (O’Dowd, 2018).

Example 4: Digital Storytelling in Multilingual Settings

In a university course, students participated in a virtual intercultural exchange via Google+ and Google Drive. One of the key tasks involved creating a digital story in teams. Learners used multiple languages for narration and subtitling, leveraging their full linguistic repertoires. These digital products were shared and peer-reviewed across institutions, showcasing the integration of multimodal literacy, plurilingual resources, and intercultural storytelling (Nicolaou & Sevilla-Pavón, 2016).

Example 5: Tandem Feedback and Plurilingual Awareness through Focus on Form

In a virtual exchange between heritage Spanish-speaking American students learning Italian and Italian university students studying foreign languages, participants were paired in plurilingual dyads to engage in peer feedback on written texts in their respective target languages. Each student revised their partner’s writing and then participated in oral discussions to explain and negotiate language use—doing so in their own L1 or stronger language.

The exchange was designed to encourage indirect written corrective feedback combined with oral prompting, a strategy that proved especially effective in stimulating active negotiation of form. Crucially, the learners relied on their plurilingual repertoires—including Spanish, English, and Italian—to reflect on and compare linguistic structures. This interaction enabled not only grammatical development, but also the activation of metalinguistic awareness and cross-linguistic transfer, as participants explored differences and similarities among the languages they knew. The experience offered a concrete example of how telecollaboration can leverage multilingual identities to promote both language development and intercultural competence (Cortés Velásquez & Nuzzo, 2021).

Take-Home Messages

Plurilingualism and telecollaboration enhance language learning by integrating real-world communication and intercultural experiences.
Digital tools (e.g., Zoom, Google Docs, Padlet, Flipgrid) facilitate authentic multilingual interactions.
Linguistic mediation and translanguaging strategies help learners navigate and negotiate meaning across languages.

Self-Assessment

Multiple choice

Point added for a correct answer:
Points for an incorrect answer:
Ignore the questions' coefficients:

	A) It ensures students only use their strongest language.
	B) It promotes interaction with speakers of different languages and cultures.
	C) It replaces traditional face-to-face language learning.
	D) It eliminates the need for language teachers.

	A) Memorizing vocabulary lists before an online exchange.
	B) Helping a partner understand a complex idea by rephrasing it in simpler terms.
	C) Using only one language to avoid confusion in communication.
	D) Writing a summary of a conversation without using any digital tools.

Reflection

Think about your own language repertoire. How could you use your different languages strategically in a virtual exchange to support communication and collaboration?

Resources to Go Further

Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange: https://europa.eu/youth/erasmus-virtual
Council of Europe – Platform of resources and references for plurilingual nd intercultural education: https://www.coe.int/en/web/platform-plurilingual-intercultural-language-education
Tandem Language Learning Platforms: https://www.tandem.net/
Series: Telecollaborative learning and Virtual Exchange in Education, edited by Melinda Ann Dooly Owen and Robert O'Dowd: https://www.peterlang.com/series/te

Bibliography

Cortés Velásquez, D., & Nuzzo, E. (2021). Minding the gap: A small-scale study on negotiation of form in telecollaborative tasks. Instructed Second Language Acquisition, 5(2), 232–257. https://doi.org/10.1558/isla.19812

Cortés Velásquez, D., Donato, R., & Ricciardelli, R. (2023). Mentoring and intercomprehension in telecollaboration: A plurilingual approach to teaching Italian to heritage Spanish speakers [Manuscript in preparation].

Garbarino, S. (2019). Plurilingual practices and telecollaboration: Towards inclusive and learner-centered pedagogies. In P. Leone (Ed.), Plurilingual approaches to language learning and teaching (pp. 75–91). FrancoAngeli.

Garbarino, S., & Leone, P. (2020). Innovation dans un projet de télécollaboration orale en intercompréhension : bilan et perspectives du projet IOTT. Alsic, 23(2). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349002904

Kern, R. (1996). Computer-mediated communication: Using e-mail exchanges to explore personal histories in two cultures. In M. Warschauer (Ed.), Telecollaboration in foreign language learning (pp. 105–119). University of Hawai’i Press.

Leone, P. (2023). Plurilingual telecollaboration: Mediation and intercomprehension in virtual exchanges. In P. Leone & S. Garbarino (Eds.), Plurilingualism in language education and content learning (pp. 143–158). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Nicolaou, A., & Sevilla-Pavón, A. (2016). Exploring telecollaboration through the lens of university students: A Spanish-Cypriot telecollaborative exchange. In S. Jager, M. Kurek, & B. O’Rourke (Eds.), New directions in telecollaborative research and practice: Selected papers from the second conference on telecollaboration in higher education (pp. 113–119). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2016.telecollab2016.497

O’Dowd, R. (2018). From telecollaboration to virtual exchange: State-of-the-art and the role of UNICollaboration in moving forward. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 1(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2018.jve.1

Paone, L. (2024). Plurilingual approaches and real-world tasks in language education: A pedagogical framework [Unpublished manuscript].

Warschauer, M. (1997). Computer-mediated collaborative learning: Theory and practice. The Modern Language Journal, 81(4), 470–481. https://doi.org/10.2307/328890

Credits

This resource has been created by Projet PEP (discuss • contribs) (Erasmus+ project, co-financed by the European Commission) :

Diego Cortes Velasquez (Universitá Roma Tre).