Back to Teaching > French and Francophone Courses > Beginner French and Francophone Language and Culture

My beliefs about second language acquisition:

All students have the ability to learn another language, regardless of age:

• Can learn to speak French very well with:
• Good teaching
• Right at-home environment, study skills
• Hard work

Students learn from environment (All American children learn English)

Student commitment to speaking French outside of class and keeping up-to-date on studying and homework is most important part of home environment.

Always find something you’ve done well in your attempt to learn a language! Be proud of your efforts.

Make sure you have the proper set-up for success.

Time: I recommend at least 2 hours a day in studying (1 is minimum)

Computer: be familiar with the web site for classes

Supplies: dictionary, book, etc.

Participate in at least one fun social French activity a week (lunch table, French club activity, etc.)
Connect with a French-speaking person on campus

Go to the learning center and connect with the French tutor

Organize all your class materials in a 3-ring binder with folder (just for French!)

French speaking triangle

• Teacher – leader
• Student – self-coach
• Classmates – learn to co-operate, communicate together

Student supports teacher and encourages others to respect the language learning environment in the classroom

• Follow teacher’s lead to speak French

Communicative Language Teaching: Like a good recipe—don’t change the recipe!
Learning: conscious to unconscious, starts in conscious mind. . .

• Your brain forgets but once your body has formed a habit, it knows it forever.

Daily practice: connections are formed, new connections happen

• Daily listening to French
• Class time
• Exams
• Teacher-student relationship
• Student-student relationship
• Student – francophone speaker peer, friend, or tutor relationship

Student’s Jobs:

• Listen to French (music, on-line video, film, other French speakers) as many hours a day as possible!!!
• Learn the basic grammar rules and structures, as well as vocabulary at home (spend class-time on fine-tuning)
• Do repetitions as in sports (for speaking—your mouth has muscles!)
• Start with short, daily practice speaking French
• copy what we do in class.

Purpose of the first year: create a container for language learning, learn basic structure of the language.

Benefits

• develop character as well as French language skills
• confidence.
• attention span.
• compassion.
• sense of humor.
• diligence and dedication.
• humility, like a baby, walks and falls down, 1000s of steps before reliably walk.
• being part of a group, diminish self consciousness.
• read, listen to Francophone literature, film, music etc.
• learn an internationally spoken language.
• direct benefits in school, improves test scores and study skills.
• most effective if student chooses to learn French for themselves and doesn’t feel pushed or forced into learning the language.
• enthusiasm goes up and down, the daily discipline of studying shows maturity, studying stays the same.
• builds a strong foundation for learning new things as an adult.