Alliance Française de Pékin adopts the interactive or action-based learning approach, which is the mainstream teaching method in the world. Compared with the conventional teaching method (i.e. from words, grammar, texts to translation), there is less intervention of the mother tongue or other languages in class (the translation of the textbooks or classroom instructions), and it is more interactive in the teaching process. Teachers here are different from their conventional counterparts. Instead of standing on the opposite side of students to cram knowledge, teachers are advocated to explore the French language together with students as their partners.
AF de Pékin also offers courses on French culture and free cultural activities to help students enhance their understanding of the French culture and the Francophone nations and be competent in international communication while learning French, hence contributing to students’ academic performance, life and career planning.
Language learning is different from other disciplines. Effective communication in a foreign language cannot be possible without constant input and output in a given context, which is crucial for French language students in non-French-speaking countries. Therefore, we are committed to creating an atmosphere in class for students to feel and use the language.
At the very beginning, you may feel uneasy, for much of what the teachers impart is something you have not learned before. However, in an unfamiliar language environment like this, you can feel the language through gestures, sounds, emotions, expressions, words and images and then be able to communicate, which are the essential elements for effective communication in a foreign language.
Alliance Française de Pékin is a place where you are constantly stimulated by speech signals in an environment close to the real context, which provides you a platform to feel, learn, practice and use the language efficiently.
Take your time, and teachers will expound and repeat key knowledge in Chinese when necessary. Generally speaking, students will embrace a gradual transition to French-taught courses at all levels of A1. Whichever level you are at, you are welcome to talk with your teacher or the department if you encounter an insurmountable obstacle in understanding during your study.
To be precise, Chinese and foreign teachers play the same role and embrace the same goal at Alliance Française de Pékin, that is, to achieve the teaching objectives through the task-based language learning method. They will try to teach in French as much as possible under the condition that students fully understand them. In addition, Chinese teachers will focus on listening and speaking practice, while foreign teachers will teach grammar. Whenever you have any question, teachers are ready to help you.
Certainly, Chinese teachers have an edge over their foreign counterparts in communication with students. Therefore, they are allowed to use a little Chinese to explain language points when necessary, on the premise that it shall not affect the overall learning atmosphere. Do not hesitate to ask your teacher for help at the end of each term when you have difficulties in understanding.
To be sure, it is helpful but not necessary to have prior knowledge or experience in learning a foreign language. Occasionally in order to facilitate students’ understanding, Chinese or foreign teachers will use another language to help students understand the course more quickly. If you do not have any learning experience with another foreign language, you can inform the teacher of it directly or through the course consultant, the teaching management team, or other students, and the teacher will make timely adjustments to the teaching strategy.
Asking for help is the most effective way when you can’t understand the course, and it is necessary for you to inform your instructor of that. Besides, you can also talk with your teacher about the difficulties you meet in detail during the break. In some cases, due to different teaching strategies, students may be provided with more difficult materials when appropriate.
If so, please handle relevant learning materials in strict accordance with the requirements set by your teacher. With our teaching method, you don’t need to understand every word and every sentence on every piece of paper. Timely review after each class is another important way in boosting your learning curve. We suggest that you summarize what you have learned at the end of each class. The pre-class review is also necessary to make sure you are not at a loss when the teacher reviews what has been taught in French.
Be brave enough to speak French with your classmates and teachers in and after class! Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, for the core function of language is to express one’s mind and to communicate. If you are too shy to speak French because you worry about the sentence structure or the word choice, then language learning, unfortunately, will lose its charm. When you try to communicate in French, please try to imitate the sentence structure emphasized by your teacher or presented in the textbook and use the newly learned words as many times as possible. Linguistic competence is trained through continuous imitation and repetition. When you meet with teachers or classmates in the hallway, please be confident enough to greet them in French!
No matter what kind of teaching method teachers adopt or how the curriculum is designed, you have to invest time in learning any language.
Therefore, we advise you to make a schedule for the weekly review once you decide to join our program.
It doesn’t necessarily take much time to review French. You can decide, according to your life and work schedule, whether to have an intensive review before class or to do it in fragmented time every day.
A1 is the basic level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). While the A1 courses may seem simple, they are fundamental as you move up, especially those you will learn in Unit 0 for effective classroom communication. These simple sentences will stay with you throughout your language learning experience and is the key for you to communicate smoothly with teachers and classmates in subsequent courses. As for whether you can chat with a French speaker after this term, it depends on what you want to talk about. If you want to talk about basic personal information and interests, it will be sufficient. But if you want to express your ideas systematically and logically, you’ll definitely need more time for study and practice.
Alliance Française de Pékinaims to train your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in an all-around way. No language skills can be improved alone when other skills are extremely weak. It is acknowledged that reading lays the foundation of writing while listening and speaking can be mutually reinforced.
If you have taken a placement test to determine your class level atAF de Pékinbefore registration, you are recommended to follow up the level based on your test result. You may have learned some French previously, but as we have mentioned above, the purpose of learning a language is to use it. Our goal for you is not merely to know a language, but to master and use it. If you didn’t take the test, or you don’t think you performed well on the day of the test, you can talk to your instructor after class or ask the course consultant for a test again.
