Study Abroad in London and Arles

Why Study Abroad

Study Abroad Anyone?

Coming up...a video presentation announcing two fabulous Study Abroad opportunities for summer 2010.

Let's Talk About Service Learning Projects in French

Many would probably agree  that today service learning plays  an increasingly important part in college.  In disciplines such as Nursing, Social Work, Nutrition, English, or Spanish students have many opportunities to participate in classroom projects that take them to local communities.  It is less frequent to hear about service learning projects involving German, Italian, Japanese, or French.  

Three years ago at a conference, I met several French teachers who had created different types of  service learning initiatives  that addressed the needs kids of their communities.  Inspired by their success, I committed to finding areas of needs in my community and developing service learning projects for my students.  

This blog will explain some of the French Language and Culture Awareness programs my students and I designed and their relevance in the communities we touched.  However, I hope to hear from French teachers who have chosen to take French out of the classroom through service learning.

Here is a link to the Service-Learning in French Projects

An Introduction To This Site

Teaching a foreign language requires passion, determination, the willingness to explore new techniques and methods, and the desire to make students love the language and the culture(s) it shapes.  

Learning a foreign language requires discipline, curiosity, and the desire to immerse in a different world.

This blog invites language educators, French teachers in particular, and students to embark in a voyage across debates within the profession, glances at research projects, and samples of classroom activities.

Before we begin, I would like to explain my choice of a lavender field as background.  Often, sites about France are illustrated with pictures of the many beautiful sites of Paris.  As the translation of the title of Hemingway's novel tells us Paris est une fête.  Although images of Paris are sure to bring back memories of travels past for some or hopes of future adventures for many others, I choose to tease the imagination of  those who prefer the tranquil beauty of a field of lavender flowers bathed in the leaden sun of  a lazy summer afternoon in Provence.