Enjoy Affordable French Classes!
At OuiCommunicate, parents can offer their children the possibility of studying French while keeping control over the costs. For many parents, the term “French classes” is ill-defined and does not of itself say how long the learning might last for or what the end result will be. For this reason, it is perceived as a very unsafe bet to invest in these types of classes.
How are we affordable?
But what if there was a school that combined high quality learning with affordability and results? This is precisely what we are doing here at OuiCommunicate. The method of teaching we propose is the result of years of observation which then led to improvement. We knew we could do better for everyone: for the student, the parents and for us.
How does it work?
Before organizing a class, we want to class to have a purpose and a direction. The student will be assigned exercises and a small chunk of the French language to know of (for example a tense). The student logs into our website, does the exercises, checks the answers and makes an appointment for an evaluation with the French teacher.
It isn’t a test, rather more a friendly conversation on how the learning went. “Can you tell me about this part of the worksheet” might be an example of a question. At first, we will be speaking “about” French and the more we progress, the more we will speak French. The student receives guidance and feedback.
Why is this system effective?
Our method is an answer to a problem foremost. In the years we have been teaching, we noticed that the French class fell victim to diminishing returns. Some classes were less productive than others but parents were still put in the position of paying the same amount. Weeks down the line, as the novelty wore off kids produced less work. We wanted to find a system that “reset” the class every time so that every class was as good as the last and was worth its full value in money.
As teachers we knew all the while that the French language was at an arm’s length of the student. It was all online, and all they had to do was log in, do an exercise and check their answers. But too many kids waited to be in the class before doing the work they could very well have done alone. The progress took months instead of days. We wanted to eliminate the grey areas such as these and make sure that actual work was done before every class.
What of the quality?
Quality has always been at the forefront of the priorities here at OuiCommunicate. We ourselves are from the “old school” of learning and lovers of beautiful language: you don’t embark on a Master’s degree in Philology of you aren’t! As traditional as we are, it was time to look at traditional classes and see them for what they were: in need of a shakeup!
There was too much loss of quality learning. Too many students believed that the class was the sole place where learning took place and did not see the countless hours available to them between the classes. There was a much better way of putting our time to good use, precisely by asking of the student to prepare the work for the French class.
What of speaking French?
We all know that languages are spoken means of communication, which is why we assume that they should be spoken within a language class as a priority. But what if speaking French as a learner and learning French were two separate things? What if one was not a vehicle for the other? Countless times, students ask how to say “with” or “on” in French. They repeat the word when prompted but it does not enter their long-term memory. Precisely because they haven’t studied it. They will say “ah yes” and forget it just as soon.
Repeating words out loud at a beginner’s level is only partially linked to learning the language. Another meaningful argument against speaking at all costs is the age factor: below a certain age of reason, children do not have elaborate enough opinions to engage in lengthy conversations about an array of topics. A basic French conversation on the theme of “What do you think of smartphones” will often fall flat even for a teenager. Once more, we are back to the same initial concern which is maximizing our time in the best way by studying French.
What must the student prepare?
Our teaching philosophy is based on priorities foremost. In any sentence there is a communicative purpose: we are either making a statement, asking a question, expressing doubt, making a refusal and so forth. There are certain French words that need to be known as a priority, as well as tenses. (For example saying “I go” in the past, present and future) Our classes always focus on the most important notions of French to offer the student a foundation.
We want to teach our students how French works and guide them through the “mechanics” of French. The rest of their journey will be about adding new words of vocabulary once they have understood the key tools. That is what we offer each student: a tool for life which they can then develop in any way they want. We walk students through the harder parts of French and provide them with the ability to become independent.
What is the role of the teacher?
They say that teaching is a calling in life. Whether it is true or not, we certainly see ourselves as genuine teachers who are entrusted with an educational mission and a responsibility. Our short-term role is to bring French to the student, make the class engaging, structure and associate positive feelings with French.
Our larger mission is to serve as role models, promote positive thinking, awaken learners to their potential and pass on a method of learning that will serve beyond the French class. By learning French in the way we propose, students will develop pro-active attitude in which they will get out of it exactly what they put in. Naturally, we will be there to help them along !
Will my child end up speaking French?
We’ve been doing this long enough to verify that the number one cause of not knowing French is simply not having studied it. A class without a plan is the perfect recipe for the learning to last for extended periods of time with no result. For this reason, we made a foolproof method.
Between a student and French there is one little bridge that carries the name “study”. It’s so simple it’s almost funny. We call it “knocking down blocks”. Each new block of French that the student knocks down gets them closer to mastering French.
Do the classes work for adults?
Our short 20 minute sessions work just as well for adults as they do for children. Busy lifestyles require a tight organization and nothing better than to know exactly what the French class will cover.
You will be able to study when it suits you and book a short class according to your schedule. The background work is done in your own time with the autonomy and independence you enjoy.