From Learning to Transfer: ATL Skills in Action through a Language & Culture Exchange Project
- Mu Mei Hsueh
- 21 hours ago
- 6 min read
In this project, Mr. Kenny Fang (Bilingual Scouting Teacher at NSJH, Taiwan) and I collaboratively designed an ATL-based assessment that goes beyond communication, focusing on how students meaningfully apply and transfer their learning to real-world contexts. Through the project, students engaged with international partners and reflected on how these skills could be used in future situations, such as travel or global collaboration.
1. Context & Rationale（教學脈絡）
This project was designed as an authentic language and cultural exchange between Vietnamese and Taiwanese students.
The purpose of this learning experience was to:
provide a meaningful, real-world context for language use
develop students’ intercultural understanding
support students in applying and transferring ATL skills beyond the classroom
Rather than focusing on memorisation, this project intentionally emphasized:👉 communication in authentic contexts👉 inquiry-based learning👉 student agency and reflection
2. Learning Objectives（學習目標）
Students will be able to:
communicate ideas clearly in a real-world context (Communication Skills)
research and organize information about cultural topics (Research Skills)
analyze and compare cultural similarities and differences (Thinking Skills)
collaborate effectively with international peers (Social Skills)
manage time, emotions, and responsibilities (Self-Management Skills)
apply and transfer language skills to authentic situations (Transfer Skills)
3. ATL Skills Mapping（對齊 IB ATL）
ATL Category | In Action (Student Experience) |
Communication | Presentations, Padlet recordings, Q&A with partners |
Research | Finding information about food, culture, daily life |
Thinking | Comparing cultures, reflecting on learning |
Social | Partner collaboration, intercultural communication |
Self-Management | Planning, meeting deadlines, managing emotions |
Transfer | Applying classroom Chinese/English in real interactions |
4. Learning Process（學習歷程）
Phase 1: Inquiry
Students explored authentic and relatable topics such as daily life, local food (e.g., “Introduce Your Meals” and “Must-Try Foods in Our Country”), and cultural practices. They also generated their own questions for their Taiwanese partners (“My Curiosity”), which helped spark genuine curiosity and gave students a strong sense of ownership from the very beginning.
Many students showed natural engagement when the topics connected to their real lives, and they became more willing to ask questions and explore beyond the textbook.
Phase 2: Collaboration
Students worked in pairs or small groups and engaged in meaningful interaction with their Taiwanese partners. Through Padlet posts, voice recordings, and written responses, they exchanged ideas, asked questions, and responded to different perspectives.
Some students demonstrated strong collaboration skills, even when they had different opinions:
💬 “We had different opinions but could still work well together. —Ｇ8 Student”
Others highlighted how the experience helped them grow in confidence:
💬 “I learned to listen to others and share my opinions with confidence. —Ｇ8 Student”
These reflections show not only the development of social skills, but also students’ ability to navigate intercultural communication with respect and openness.
Phase 3: Creation
Students created a variety of meaningful outputs, including Christmas or Lunar New Year cards exchanged between countries, recorded presentations, Padlet posts, and bilingual communication tasks.
These tasks required students to actively use language to express real meaning, rather than relying on memorisation. For example, several students shared that recording their speech was both challenging and rewarding:
💬 “When I tried to record the speech, I became better at expressing my ideas clearly.” — G7
Students also demonstrated growing confidence in using language for authentic communication, rather than just completing a task.
In addition, students developed authentic research skills by using digital tools:
💬 “I used websites and videos to collect information and learned how to choose reliable sources.” 💬 “I was surprised by how much information is available online.” — G7
This reflects increasing independence in learning, as well as students’ ability to evaluate information critically.
Beyond academic skills, some students also connected their work to meaningful human experiences. For example:
💬 “When you received our cards and shared your thoughts, it meant a lot to me.” — G7
This highlights that the creation phase was not only about producing work, but also about building genuine connections through language and culture.
Phase 4: Reflection（ATL in Action）
Students completed structured self-reflections focusing on ATL skill development, including communication, research, thinking, social, and self-management skills.
Their reflections showed a range of depth:
some students identified specific skills they developed
others described how they applied these skills in the project
more advanced students demonstrated transfer to real-life and future contexts
For example:
💬 “I use what I learned in class to communicate with my friends.”💬 “In the future, I can use these skills to better understand Chinese people.”— G8
💬 “These skills will be useful in my future studies and daily life.” — G7
Some students also expressed deeper personal insights, particularly in terms of intercultural understanding:
💬 “I realized that friendship is not about distance—we can still be friends even if we have different cultures.” — G7
These responses highlight students’ growing metacognitive awareness, as well as their ability to connect classroom learning to real-world experiences and future possibilities.
5. Assessment Design（評量設計）
Assessment in this project focused on ATL skill development rather than content knowledge alone.
Key criteria included:
Communication
Social Collaboration
Thinking
Self-Management
Applying & Transferring Skills (core focus) ⭐
Students were assessed using a 4-level rubric:
Beginning
Developing
Proficient
Advanced
A key strength of the assessment design was the emphasis on transfer, ensuring that students were not only learning language, but also applying it in authentic contexts.
6. Evidence of Student Learning（學生學習證據）
Student outcomes collected through Padlet demonstrated a clear progression in ATL skill development.
Evidence of Student Learning (Padlet):
👉 These responses demonstrate:
real-world application of language skills
development of collaboration and communication
emerging ability to transfer learning beyond the classroom
increasing metacognitive awareness
7. Reflection on Teaching Practice（教師反思）
What Worked Well / Key Success
This project really reinforced for me how important it is to scaffold reflection thoughtfully. I could see that some students were already able to think more deeply and demonstrate real learning transfer, while others still needed more structured support to move beyond general or surface-level responses. It reminded me that reflection is something we need to teach and guide, not just ask for.
One of the most meaningful takeaways was how much more engaged students became when learning felt authentic, interactive, and purposeful. I observed that when students were actually using language to communicate real ideas, rather than just memorising or completing exercises, their motivation and confidence increased naturally.
I also noticed that ATL skills became much more visible when they were intentionally taught, practiced, and assessed. Instead of being something assumed, they became something students could actively recognize and talk about in their own learning.
A particularly important success of this project was embedding “Applying and Transferring Skills” as a core assessment focus. This helped shift the emphasis from simply learning language, to actually using it in new and unfamiliar contexts—which was truly at the heart of this project.
Challenges
One of the main challenges was that this project was not part of the formal assessed curriculum. Because it was not graded, some students became less motivated and more passive in their participation.
Another challenge was logistical. Due to my limited Vietnamese and unfamiliarity with updated postal regulations, I experienced significant difficulty communicating with the post office. As a result, the gifts sent from the Taiwanese partner school were returned, which was disappointing for both students and our partners.
Responses
To address student motivation, I intentionally aligned the project more closely with my regular lessons. I integrated it into lesson objectives and incorporated ATL-based reflection tasks, helping students understand that the project was not an “extra activity,” but a meaningful part of their learning. This significantly improved student engagement.
To respond to the logistical challenge, I shifted the focus from physical exchange to digital interaction. Students continued to communicate through Padlet, recordings, and messages, which maintained the authenticity of the exchange.
I also used this situation as a real-world learning opportunity, encouraging students to reflect on global communication, problem-solving, and adaptability.
Professional Growth
This experience strengthened my understanding of the importance of:
aligning innovative projects with curriculum and assessment
maintaining flexibility when unexpected challenges arise
supporting student engagement through clear purpose and structure
On a personal level, navigating communication barriers with the post office was stressful, but it became a meaningful opportunity for growth. It strengthened my resilience and reminded me of the concept of “Sisu”—the ability to stay determined and composed in the face of challenges.
Overall, this experience has made me more adaptable, reflective, and intentional in my teaching practice, especially when designing authentic, real-world learning experiences that promote transfer.
8. Next Steps（未來發展）
To further enhance this unit, I plan to:
incorporate more student-led inquiry to increase ownership
Instead of providing fixed topics, students will design their own inquiry questions based on their interests.
For example:
“What are the differences between school lunch in Taiwan and Vietnam?”
“Why are certain foods popular in different cultures?”
Students will:
create their own “My Curiosity” questions
decide what information they need
choose how to present their findings
👉 Impact：This increases student ownership, agency, and motivation, as students feel they are learning something personally meaningful.
provide differentiated reflection scaffolds to support all learners
Example（分層超重要！）
I will provide tiered reflection supports:
🟢 Level 1（Support）
Sentence starters:
“I learned…”
“I felt…”
🟡 Level 2（Developing）
Guided prompts:
“How did you use this skill?”
“Give one example.”
🔵 Level 3（Advanced）
Open reflection:
“How can you apply this in a new context?”
“Why is this important?”
👉 Impact：Supports all learners and helps students move from: general → specific → transferable thinking
expand the project into a longer interdisciplinary unit
integrate digital portfolios to support ongoing reflection and documentation of learning
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