Taking A Leaf Out Of Canada" s Book - Give Your Students A Gallic Kick-start With The French Languag
With more students than ever taking GCSEs and A-Levels in French, German and Spanish, schools are as eager as possible to ensure that they get the highest results possible (to improve their standings in the annual league tables as much as for the children and their futures). While many schools throughout the UK organise trips to the relevant countries for a week or two so that the students can practise speaking the language and immerse themselves in the nation's culture, the pressure schools are under to deliver fantastic exam results have led them to take more drastic measures, notably for those students learning French.
The French language immersion technique began in Canada, notable for its substantial French-speaking areas, in the 1960s. Parents living in those areas have the choice of enrolling their children, who are usually not native French speakers, in schools which offer this programme. Those children are not only taught French in French class, but all of their other classes are taught in French so they get a good handle on everyday use of the language and it permeates their subconscious, with achieving fluency the programme's ultimate aim.
While this technique has begun to spread across the world, notably to the United States, there are few schools in the UK which offer the French immersion option. However, there are a growing number of foreign travel companies which work with schools to organise trips to centres throughout France that offer French immersion to really give students, whatever level of education they're at, a kick-start when it comes to learning the language. These centres are usually located within easy reach of towns and points of interest so students and their teachers aren't confined to their rooms and some practical, real-life experience can be gained.
While at the centres, everyone will be expected to converse in French throughout the activities on offer there and, by the end of the stay, every student's ability to speak the language should have improved in leaps and bounds. Parents are often amazed at the breadth of vocabulary their children come back with, as well as their increased confidence, and exam results often speak for themselves.
The centres are available throughout the year to receive school travel groups and provide accommodation and meals for the duration of the stay. Because teachers may be unsure about the effectiveness of the programme and if it's worth asking parents to shell out so that their children can attend, some centres also allow them to come and stay for a weekend so that they can see the facilities first-hand and ask any questions they might have before making any commitment to book a stay. What better way to make sure that the French immersion technique is really as good as everyone says it is?
The French language immersion technique began in Canada, notable for its substantial French-speaking areas, in the 1960s. Parents living in those areas have the choice of enrolling their children, who are usually not native French speakers, in schools which offer this programme. Those children are not only taught French in French class, but all of their other classes are taught in French so they get a good handle on everyday use of the language and it permeates their subconscious, with achieving fluency the programme's ultimate aim.
While this technique has begun to spread across the world, notably to the United States, there are few schools in the UK which offer the French immersion option. However, there are a growing number of foreign travel companies which work with schools to organise trips to centres throughout France that offer French immersion to really give students, whatever level of education they're at, a kick-start when it comes to learning the language. These centres are usually located within easy reach of towns and points of interest so students and their teachers aren't confined to their rooms and some practical, real-life experience can be gained.
While at the centres, everyone will be expected to converse in French throughout the activities on offer there and, by the end of the stay, every student's ability to speak the language should have improved in leaps and bounds. Parents are often amazed at the breadth of vocabulary their children come back with, as well as their increased confidence, and exam results often speak for themselves.
The centres are available throughout the year to receive school travel groups and provide accommodation and meals for the duration of the stay. Because teachers may be unsure about the effectiveness of the programme and if it's worth asking parents to shell out so that their children can attend, some centres also allow them to come and stay for a weekend so that they can see the facilities first-hand and ask any questions they might have before making any commitment to book a stay. What better way to make sure that the French immersion technique is really as good as everyone says it is?
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