![]() Vol. VII No. 1 September 1994
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![]() This issue of "Le Lien" is devoted to helping second language (SL) teachers start off the school year on the right foot. Speaking French in a French language class seems only logical but as we all know it is much easier said than done. In order for our students to believe that the SL that they are learning is more than simply a subject they learn at school they must USE that language to communicate and the first place that authentic communication should begin is in their SL classroom. Many teachers and researchers have pointed to the necessity of making the second language classroom a milieu in which the students are immersed in the target language. That is to say that the classroom should be one of the "communities" which require the use of the SL. Myra Froc, in an article published in Le journal de l'immersion Journal (Vol. 17 no. 2), discusses methods suggested by some Saskatchewan teachers to encourage immersion students to speak French. Some of these suggestions included: "Les Billets" (The teacher determines the number of tickets necessary to "buy" a special activity. Each time a student speaks English the class loses a ticket. If the class still has enough tickets by Friday afternoon, they can buy the activity), "Le Contrat" (Students and teacher draw up and sign a daily or weekly contract that states how the student will use the second language during that time period) ; "La Recette" (For each period during which students speak French an ingredient is added to a no-bake cookie recipe. If students continue to speak French only they will be able to eat the cookies at the end of the day); "Le Carré Anglais" (A small area of the class in indicated to the students in the case that they "need" to speak English. Encourages students to try French first). Creative ideas like these are great ways to motivate students (and teachers) to use of the SL in the SL learning environment. Pierre Calvé also addressed this issue in the 50th anniversary issue of the Canadian Modern Language Review (Vol. 50, No. 1). One section of this paper was devoted to giving teachers constructive ways to implement the "French only rule." In this issue of Le Lien some exerpts from Calvé's article have been reprinted in the section entitled "Enseigner le français en français.... Comment?." A team of researchers under the direction of Roger Tremblay has put together a series of modules aimed at helping teachers to more effectively implement a communicative/experiential syllabus. One such module focuses on Teacher/Student Interaction (1991) and guides teachers through a series of activities geared toward making their classroom more communicative. The module asks teachers to examine current teaching practices and asks them to look at situations in which they use L1 and those in which they use the L2. As the module points out; "Aside from speech used for organizing and performing strictly educational activities, communication in a second-language course also serves to establish and maintain teacher/student relations, just like outside of school." (p. 14) The module reinforces the need for the use of L2 in authentic situations in the language classroom and not solely for the study of the target language. Authenticity is stressed by these modules which force teachers to think critically about the kind of communication that occurs in their classroom. Experiences in teaching French as a second language have demonstrated two beliefs: 1) Speaking "French only" in the classroom is possible and 2) Speaking "French only" in the classroom requires planning and self-discipline. In order for students to believe that the USE of the SL is an important key to LEARNING the SL, teachers must convey that belief as well by speaking the SL in authentic communicative situations in and outside the classroom. My hope is that the insights provided by the contributors to this issue of Le Lien will help teachers work towards the goal of creating a SL community in the SL classroom. |