All About Learning French

[Cheval]

Most French teachers are more or less like that. It’s not necessarily a question of ‘irresponsible’ but rather the teaching style, in sharp contrast with local ways. My two kids passed 2+ years in France (P1-P2, P2-P4) and I did expect that the teachers put more "pressure" to the kids to have a solid base in the language. The sad fact is that even after primary school, French kids made a lot of errors in their writing: spelling, grammar, etc. Fortunately mine are Ok.


I sent my kids to Franco-kids class at Alliance Francaise for 1 semester. The effect was not great, but the fees are high, to me. A Canadian friend shares my view: his kids did not learn much there either. Now I plan to go there only for borrowing books – basically comics, plus I talk to them in French as much as I can. I find this way more efficient.

My case is quite different but I hope the above can help somewhat.

我不是法国人，是中国人。:D

[foreverj]

thanks Cheval for your feedback as well. Hmmm, it does seem that the classes at Alliance Francaise may not be much help other than to burn a big hole in my wallet


i guess with all languages, it helps much more if at least one of the parents speak the language and is able to reinforce with books and conversation at home. :celebrate:

[jejemum]

hi guys,


planning to shift my daughter to french class in lieu of MT. any suggestions on reputable tuition centres? im staying in choa chu kang area.

thanks!

[daniel.038046lim]

Totally understand your concern about maintaining interest and the level of proficiency of French.


Learning any language at-a-distance without actually going to its country of origin is a handicap.

My own experience learning French is still ongoing. Haven’t formally learnt it at university, I’m grateful that I’m still using it, at work with colleagues whose first language is French. but it hasn’t been easy because I had to surround myself with media (books, TV shows, movies etc.) and like-minded people. Earlier on at university I spent the summer in France on an immersion programme and boy, did that help (or force) me to speak French.

I think that idea of sending your kid to an overseas camp is ideal if you are fine with that. If not, he might need to surround himself with like-minded kids or get to know actual French or Francophone kids.

[bebebub]

Alliance francais singapur (pardon the wrong spelling) used to hv those short term crash couse (think shortest is 3 months, weekly class) French class for those who wants to hv a try at how the language sounds like, and basic phonics and conversation. And if the interest or proficiency is there, one can go on to do formal classes. Students who signed on to the association's membership can have access to their learning materials (films, literature, multi media sources) and knowing like-minded people to practice the language. No point learning the language and not having the opportunity to practice it.


Classes are all conducted by native French, so u get to observe their \"mannerism\" as well. After the initial few lessons, lessons are conducted
almost 100% in French. Can be :? , but good fun!

The above is based on my experience with them a couple of years ago. Pls verify with the association if u r keen. Back then, they had similar classes for kids.

[Wesim]

Hi

Anyone can recommend a private French tutor or school to teach a 4 year old?

[huskies]

Hi

I came up with French Toast Language Centre Singapore at Upper Thomson in an online search. Has anyone tried this school?

[Wesim]

Hi huskies,


I made an equiry at French Toast. At the moment, they do not have classes for young kids. They are trying to form a class early next year, depending on the demand.

How old is your kid? Frankly speaking, i don’t mind to give them a try as it is difficult to find a French class for my 4 year old daughter.

[huskies]

Hi Wesim

My boy is 5 years old. Currently K1. Do they have a proper curriculum or is it a fun immersion programme? Alliance Francaise will be starting their new term in March next year. Thinking of joining them. Found another school that teaches young children. Agape Language School but more expensive.

Wesim:

Hi huskies,

I made an equiry at French Toast. At the moment, they do not have classes for young kids. They are trying to form a class early next year, depending on the demand.

How old is your kid? Frankly speaking, i don't mind to give them a try as it is difficult to find a French class for my 4 year old daughter.

[rambutan77]

I find that for any language, frequent usage is utmost important.


If you learn and not use it frequently enough, you’re going to just give it back.

Besides looking for French tuition (Alliance Francaise, French Toast, private tutor, etc.) for your child, make sure he/she has enough opportunity to use the language, either speaking it, or at least listen to someone speaking it, on a very regular and frequent basis.

Once a week tuition is just not enough, no matter how good the teacher is.

You need to complement with playgroup (can be very very hard to find) if the child is very young, or for older learners, another exposure to the language preferably in a format different from the regular tuition’s.

Get books, videos, cartoons, songs, anything in the language your child is learning, for him/her to refresh and more importantly, reinforce what he/she has learned.

I find that Kinokuniya (fingers crossed they don’t turn out like Borders) is the best source of foreign language children books, although the selections may not be very good. Amazon is another one but you can’t really see the quality of the materials until they reach your doorsteps so you may have some misses there.

You can also visit the aforementioned language schools and buy the materials there although there might be some restrictions.

If your private tutor happens to teach the language in a local international school, learning materials can also be sourced from there.

The thing about learning a foreign language is to cultivate the interest and providing the best guidance and environment for your child to learn it.

Most importantly, act in your child’s interests, not yours. If you child is no longer interested in it, please do not force it. It will only make the child dislike it more.