The seminar was coordinated by SWPS University lecturer Grzegorz Gatner, MA, and included students from USWPS campuses in Katowice and Wroclaw. The Polish delegation conducted a series of workshops for twenty-five students from University of Paris 8. The program combined psycholinguistic and socio-psychological perspectives to examine how language functions within real-world social and cultural contexts.
Active Learning
During the three-day seminar, the students from Poland shared insights into the cognitive processes that occur in the brain during communication. Participants worked together to analyze the following topics:
- Language processing mechanisms and the role of memory in communication
- The influence of cultural norms on daily interaction
- Communication barriers in multilingual environments
The seminar moved beyond traditional lectures, focusing on active learning through interaction, collaborative problem-solving, and the analysis of authentic materials, such as social media and cultural texts from both countries.
Highly Valuable Experience
For the SWPS University students, the trip to Paris provided more than just an opportunity to practice teaching; it was, above all, a deeply enriching personal experience. The collaborative atmosphere was excellent, ranging from initial social integration to in-depth discussions regarding the linguistic differences between Poland and France.
“It was an intense and inspiring time. Having the opportunity to lead classes in an international environment and seeing students from different countries reach conclusions together is incredibly rewarding. It provides a great deal of motivation for further academic work,” the participants emphasized.
