Training curriculum

OBJECTIVES

• to enable students to participate fully in the linguistic and cultural context of France and the French-speaking communities by building the 6 competences identified by the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): written and oral comprehension, written and oral production and interaction. This is to be carried out to the satisfaction of individual needs while maximising interaction within a multinational group.

METHODOLOGY

• the educational method is recommended by the Common European Framework of Reference. It is a communicative approach that practices morphological, grammatical, lexical and prosodic skills in oral use within everyday situations of French life. The method focuses on the relationship with self and others, with a view not only to internalising the French lifestyle, but also to playing a role within it.
• the method is “action-oriented” in that it appeals to students’ own experiences and avoids communication situations that are artificial, which ensures deeper learning. The real asset of the BLS training method is the special relationship between teacher and students that blends group dynamics with a genuine exchange of ideas, while respecting individual values. Specific learning difficulties are solved in small group activities within classes of 8 to 12 participants in Bordeaux and 8 to 14 in Biarritz. Occasionally, this number may be exceeded by up to 3 due to an unforeseen student placement.

TEACHERS

• BLS teachers are all graduates with several years’ experience in teaching French as a Foreign Language (FLE) both in France and abroad. They all share a passion for their profession and are prepared to devote time to help you solve any linguistic problem. They regularly review new publications and FLE teaching trends in a well-stocked resource centre and during training workshops. The BLS team of teachers seeks continuously to improve the practice of its profession.
• The Administration Coordinator leads the team and guides the teachers in their daily work, checks up on student progress and is ready to answer any questions relating to the teaching method.

TEACHING MATERIALS

• French as a Foreign Language manuals, authentic documents adapted for teaching purposes by our team of teachers, audio and video materials, Internet, CD-ROMs, DVDs, French films and songs, French press and literature, grammar and verb form handbooks, books on French and French speaking civilisations, etc.

SYLLABUS

• 6 learning levels are taught throughout the year. Course content is based on three manuals, which are the starting point for the fundamental language acts:

- Beginners: Ici 1 unit 1
- Elementary: Ici 1 units 2 to 6
- Upper elementary: Ici 2 units 1 to 6
- Intermediate: Version Originale 3 units 1 to 9
- Upper intermediate: Edito units 1 to 10
- Advanced: no manual*
- Upper advanced: no manual*

*

• Each unit is made up of language skills (oral and written), grammar and expression and cultural aspects.

PROGRESSION

• the manuals are divided up into teaching units, designed to ensure normal acquisition of the competences at a progressive learning rhythm, while taking into account difficulties stemming from differences in the culture, nationalities, socio-professional status and age of students.
• each teaching unit corresponds to a week’s learning. Participants who have progressed sufficiently in each unit move on to the next for their second week of training and so on. If participants experience difficulties or if they progress faster than the rest of the group, they can be moved to a group more suited to their level, after discussion between the teacher and the Administration Coordinator and depending on places available.

EVALUATION

• Students who register at our school submit a written level test with their registration form. This test is based on self-assessment and grammatical skills as demonstrated by the level of acquisition of verb tenses. A short letter is also requested at the end of the test, explaining why the student wants to come to BLS, in order to evaluate the level of vocabulary and the use of connecting phrases. This test enables the Administration Coordinator to assign students initially to different level groups. An individual interview or a teacher evaluation checks this initial group assignment on the first day the student arrives. If students consider that their assigned group does not suit their level, they may speak to their teacher. The teacher refers to the Administration Coordinator who accepts or refuses the request according to objective criteria relating to the student’s actual skills.

• At the end of each week, teachers deliver a report to participants on how well they progressed with the content of the teaching unit. This report constitutes a check as to whether students can continue in their initial group or should be moved to a group that better suits their level.
  Evaluation is therefore automatic:
  
  - a student enrolled as a “False Beginner” for a 12-week course and who progresses regularly, starts on Ici 1, unit 1 and finishes with Ici 2, unit 12, with learning being routinely checked at the end of each week.
  
  The final evaluation corresponds therefore to the level reached by the student at the end of the course, taking into account any level changes that took place during that time.
• The final evaluation leads to a certificate, which refers to the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) as follows:

- Ici 1, units 1 to 6 = Level A1 of the CEFR
- Ici 2, units 7 to 12 = Level A2 of the CEFR
- Version Originale 3, units 1 to 9 = Level B1 of the CEFR
- Edito, units 1 to 10 = Level B2 of the CEFR
- Expression & Style = Level C1 of the CEFR
- Work without manual = Level C2 of the CEFR

- in this way, a student enrolled for a 6-week course who joins an A1 Elementary course and progresses normally will reach level A2 of the CEFR.

• The certificate also states the number of ECTS credits gained by the student, depending on the duration of the course. BLS awards 2 credits per week of training, which take into account teaching hours, private work and the time spent living with a French host family. One credit corresponds to about 33 hours of language learning and includes all learning situations outside the language course itself.