I’m sitting in the school cafeteria
Apr 11th, 2018, 07:21 AM
#102
OMG, do this. It would be so much better and you can bonk him on the head with a baguette if he gets snarky. Life is so short and who wants to waste that much time in Paris. I had a hospice patient that was teaching me. She worked on phrases with me and menu items. So much better to have one on one. My husband did a 5 month class and they had partners to work with. He said so many students were not prepared and wasted a good amount of time.
Apr 11th, 2018, 11:49 AM
#103
sounds like a great and generous offer from Kerouac, Belinda.
Going back to the Alliance Francais I've never attended a language school in France, but I've been to 5 in Italy and never had classes of more than 10. And in that case the teachers were good enough that they made the class work really well and I certainly did not feel shortchanged. Also all my classes have been tailored to my level except in Rome where after I grumbled they moved me up a class. So I give Alliance Francais nul points.
I would definitely ditch them and find somewhere/something else. There must be quite a lot of competition for students in Paris so if you decide to stick with a school you could try out a couple of what seem to be the best ones before you sign up for lessons - we had someone join our class in Italy who was doing that. A word of caution - it may be tempting to go for a small class but sometimes they can be too small and lack vitality. IME somewhere between 6 and 10 works well, then the teacher can get you to work in pairs or groups and move you round which is more stimulating than always working with the same people. And as you've found, it's really important that you are all more or less the same level. It seems to me that Alliance Francais is saving money by amalgamating 2 or 3 classes which is one reason why its so unsatisfactory. There is also no excuse for poor lesson prep which may contribute to the apathy of the other students, or perhaps they are there because they have to be. I have been universally impressed by the standard of italian teachers who are very serious about their jobs and how they teach.
Better luck with the next place you try.
Going back to the Alliance Francais I've never attended a language school in France, but I've been to 5 in Italy and never had classes of more than 10. And in that case the teachers were good enough that they made the class work really well and I certainly did not feel shortchanged. Also all my classes have been tailored to my level except in Rome where after I grumbled they moved me up a class. So I give Alliance Francais nul points.
I would definitely ditch them and find somewhere/something else. There must be quite a lot of competition for students in Paris so if you decide to stick with a school you could try out a couple of what seem to be the best ones before you sign up for lessons - we had someone join our class in Italy who was doing that. A word of caution - it may be tempting to go for a small class but sometimes they can be too small and lack vitality. IME somewhere between 6 and 10 works well, then the teacher can get you to work in pairs or groups and move you round which is more stimulating than always working with the same people. And as you've found, it's really important that you are all more or less the same level. It seems to me that Alliance Francais is saving money by amalgamating 2 or 3 classes which is one reason why its so unsatisfactory. There is also no excuse for poor lesson prep which may contribute to the apathy of the other students, or perhaps they are there because they have to be. I have been universally impressed by the standard of italian teachers who are very serious about their jobs and how they teach.
Better luck with the next place you try.
Apr 11th, 2018, 02:48 PM
#105
I can't help but wonder if being paired with someone of about your own proficiency might be less useful than spending time 1 on 1 with native speakers. There's a library where I go in Mexico that pairs Spanish speakers with English speakers and both get practice, part of the time in 1 language and part in the other, at no cost to either. I'd imagine there are similar opportunities in Paris sponsored by organizations with facilities to host. It also seems to me that a variety of settings and people would be more useful & interesting than attending 1 school, as in life.
Apr 12th, 2018, 02:57 AM
#106
Mme P - I don't think that anyone is advocating not doing just what you suggest - but there's no reason why she shouldn't do both is there? IME native speakers are great for practicing conversation but unless they are teachers, they don't actually teach you why you should say x instead of y. A good school will teach grammar [and conversation] that you can then apply when conversing with native speakers.
Apr 12th, 2018, 08:12 AM
#109
Apr 12th, 2018, 10:11 AM
#110
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Last edited by Christina; Apr 12th, 2018 at 10:13 AM. Reason: bad saving
Apr 12th, 2018, 10:20 AM
#111
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I was trying to say that I've attended 3 language schools in Paris, 2 were universities and very good (Sorbonne and l'Institut Catholique de Paris). The last one, a private school not those, was pretty good, for a private school, but i was just taking a class on vacation for fun and it isn't in business any more. The Alliance Francaise in Paris doesn't have a very good reputation, at least it didn't among the people I knew (which were US HS French teachers). The problem is that it's the known name so many students go there who aren't serious students. That class size wouldn't bother me, but I like larger classes and wasn't attending these at a beginning level, so can't really compare. I took several years of university French at night at home before going, though, which helped me so that when I went to France for the summer, I could go into higher level classes, and they weren't just grammar. But when I did learn French in university, my classes were that big and it didn't bother me, I learned a lot. I think the problem is wanting classes where you can enter whenever you want, by nature, any school that allows that is going to have to have students at various levels, they just are. I don't know any way around that.
I've heard Accord is pretty good, I think, for those type of classes where you enter whenever you want, maybe look into it. I don't know. I prefer a more traditional university-type course but that's just personal preference.
I've heard Accord is pretty good, I think, for those type of classes where you enter whenever you want, maybe look into it. I don't know. I prefer a more traditional university-type course but that's just personal preference.
Last edited by Christina; Apr 12th, 2018 at 10:24 AM. Reason: cluny website
