French Only

In French classes, teachers usually want to encourage students to speak only in French. Practice makes perfect and the more French students speak in class the more they will learn and remember. However, it can be difficult to enforce French only, especially when you have a large class and students are doing group work - some groups finish the French exercise faster than others, and then English conversation usually follows. When a call for help was posted on the Profs de français forum, teachers responded with a variety of creative and effective techniques.


Unorthodox but effective

Something that works great with my students is to tell them that they are allowed to speak English if and only if they use a ridiculous, stereotypical French accent (think Maurice Chevalier in Gigi). Students would rather make a few mistakes in French than look truly foolish in English in front of their peers. If a few decide to give it a shot (generally the class clown), it also forces them to think about the sound and rhythm of spoken French, so it's not all bad. Chances are no one will take you up on the offer. Your students will just think you're fun and goofy. If they revert back to English without an accent, commend them on their beautiful American accent. Ask them if they've been working with a coach. Tell them you might even mistake them for a "real" American!

Another trick is to listen to their chatter in English (regardless of how large or small your classroom is, you can always pick up a sentence or two) and repeat it back to them in French in the form of question. "I went to the movies with my roommate last night" becomes somehow funny when you approach the chatterboxes and say Ah, bon ! Tu es allé au cinema avec ton colocataire ? C'est cool ! Qu'est-ce que vous avez vu ?

The whole point is to make them feel self-conscious about their English in class. Sometimes just catching their eye in the right way and giving them a look of "if you don't speak French, I swear I'll do something drastic" is all you need.

arp225

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Hold debates on very controversial topics (abortion, death penalty, politics, etc.) and score each side not only on the quality of their arguments, but also on how well they manage to stay in French even when debating a hot topic. In other words, one side might have a more convincing argument, but if they can't express it in French they lose the debate. (I remember debating in a high school French class, and I had such a strong opinion that I found it difficult to express it in French. The teacher kept forcing me back into French - and also provided the vocabulary that I was having trouble with - and I was eventually able to get my point across in French. That new vocabulary was also permanently seared into my brain :-)

LKL



These French only tips were shared on the Profs de français forum, where French teachers from all over the world discuss everything from making lessons interesting to dealing with problem students. Visit the forum to trade ideas and tips with your virtual colleagues.

General tips | Reward + Punishment | Unorthodox but effective

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