"My experience in the French beginner's class can best be described as "incroyable". Conversing with my fellow classmates in French about coursepack material, assignments, and in group activities was very educational, moreover the skits we presented together in groups were very fun. Going to the labs has greatly improved my listening and oral skills, which then gives me more confidence to practice it outside the lab. I think the testing format in the class is the best at McGill, having quizzes and assignments regularly allows you to be very prepared for the tests and as a student you know exactly what to study for and expect on them. Lastly, a class is only as great as its professor and having an instructor that not only knows each student's strengths and weaknesses, and also acknowledges the progress they make throughout the course is the best feature in the French class."
Alfred Katule, Elementary French, Winter 2014
Learning the language of the community that you live in motivates you to be a part of this environment more than anything. This is how I always felt about a French language, and this is what French as a Second Language (FRSL) classes made me feel even more. Already in my first semester I had a desire to learn French from people who spoke the language. I started doing it with the help of FRSL classes offered by McGill, which showed me how interactive a language learning could be. Later I was able to see the result of my studying in practice, when I realized how much easier I could engage in the French environment by talking to people. It is true, a language is a constant work, but the opportunities that McGill teachers offer to students are invaluable. Taking part in conversations with such French learners as I was helped me to overcome my fear of speaking French. In my second semester, my language skills gained in class helped me to get involved with a Montreal volunteering organization Entraide Bénévole Métro that helps seniors in their every-day life. An interactive class with professional and open-minded teachers is a good place to start learning a language, which opens many doors in front of you, in Montreal and beyond its limits!
Kateryna Gordiychuk, Advanced French, Fall 2013 & Winter 2014