You’ve already registered to come and study at ILA French language school and you’re wondering what to expect from your French course and teachers in Montpellier? Well look no further; here you will be provided with a comprehensive guide of what you can expect from our first-class French teaching!
A comfortable and welcoming learning environment during your French language stay in Montpellier
Here at ILA, you will be taught in a group of no more than 10 students who all have similar linguistic capabilities to you – this will allow you to get to know your teachers and classmates very well over the duration of your French immersion stay. Being on such a level with your classmates and teachers creates a very relaxed environment in which you will feel confident to speak out loud, to participate in discussions, and to answer questions without the fear of being wrong. In short, nobody is left on the side-lines – everybody’s voice is heard and everybody is given the encouragement and feedback that they need to make the best progress. Such small teaching groups also give you the opportunity to clearly hear the opinions and ideas of others and to engage with new people from all over the world!
An important thing to remember about your French immersion stay at ILA is that everybody is in the same boat; everyone is here to learn French. This means that mistakes are considered a normal step in your French language progress and, by making them, students very quickly learn from each other and start to feel more at ease when speaking out loud. This creates a very welcoming and encouraging environment, in which, day by day, you’ll suddenly start to feel as though your French is improving tremendously.
A great pace of teaching to keep you engaged whilst studying French
During your French course at ILA, you’ll be constantly thinking on your feet. Forget the days of reciting a passage from a book… our teachers are frequently asking questions to encourage you to think in French, speak in French, and eventually start to formulate your own questions in French. Some may be challenging, but the fast-paced nature of our courses means that you will begin to progress without even noticing. French courses at ILA are extremely interactive and always include a healthy amount of discussion and debate with peers, keeping you engaged in the topic and leaving you feeling motivated to expand your knowledge and eager to learn more… even after just one lesson!
A detailed insight into the French culture
It’s not just the French language that is studied here, but everything that comes with it – the French culture! During your French course at our language school here in Montpellier, teachers aim to provide a great deal of context in addition to the language itself. Grammar and language topics are often incorporated with popular themes such as cinema, music, gastronomy, customs and traditions, etc. Teachers are always providing extra information and fun facts which relate to the French culture and which will aid you on your journey to French fluency! For example, during a lesson focused on cinema, Romain (a French language teacher here at ILA) discussed the common vocabulary used in the cinematic sphere, frequent phrases used to critique films, as well as French websites that you can use to check out upcoming French films and their reviews. He also included real online reviews from French speakers, so that students would learn to differentiate between a bad review and a good review. Through this, students learnt how to identity positive and negative adjectives, how to describe several elements in film, and how to access real French film reviews online (should you ever want to take a trip to the Cinéma Gaumont in Montpellier)!
A constant flow of encouragement and support
There is never a worry that you are going to forget what you’ve learnt at ILA French language school… particularly in terms of grammar. Even if a certain lesson is not heavily grammar-focused, you will still always be reminded of the French grammatical structures and rules that you have already learnt – so, essentially, you’re constantly practicing, even if you may not notice it! When it comes to vocabulary, teachers are always there to lend a helping hand with words that you may be finding more difficult. Our teachers take a constructive and supportive approach by helping you to break down such words and providing explanations in French which aid you in independently finding out their meanings.
A bit of everything!
‘Bored’ is not an adjective that we use here at ILA French school. Thanks to the large variety of tasks and materials in lessons, students are never using the same study techniques for the entire duration of a lesson. If group work isn’t your thing, or if individual work is something that you may find intimidating, that’s fine! There is always something for everybody. Teachers cover a range of lesson formats and are constantly switching up the activities to ensure that you become a well-rounded French speaker, able to communicate independently and with others.
So, having read this blog, you should hopefully have gained a general idea of what it is that the teaching at ILA French language school consists of. With our broad range of learning techniques, a comfortable and welcoming environment, and a constant flow of encouragement and support, studying here in Montpellier in South of France could be the recipe to success on your French language journey!