Foreign language learning outside school

Learning opportunities outside school are met with increasing interest. Not only the visual character of leisure time venues supports foreign language learning, but also their aesthetic quality is enjoyed by students and teachers. Other learning venues outside school like work places and places visited during stays abroad are appreciated for their interactional support. However, as the ten papers of this volume show, the opportunity to experience free choice learning and hence the chance for life-long learning has to be well balanced with the scaffolding and the sheltered space that language learners need. Only if this dove-tailing works out well, resources can be better used and students can benefit in terms of motivation, cultural awareness, and increased foreign language competence.