Making films in French and Italian: A collaborative approach to language learning

While collaborative group projects are common across most areas of study at tertiary level, long-term group projects in the area of second language learning are less common. This contribution will describe the implementation of two similar group projects in first year advanced French and Italian courses at two Melbourne universities. In the Italian case, we will describe how film can be used as a tool to assist students to critically evaluate text. For French, we will report on some measurable outcomes and the students' perception of the group project. Our experiences suggest that implementing creative projects of this nature goes beyond simple novelty and allows students to connect meaningfully with their learning.