Teaching French to international students is a direct experience of multiculturalism

Anne Akyuz is one of 70 teachers of French as a foreign language at Sciences Po. With her love for the French language, she chose to make a career of teaching French to adult and student speakers of other languages.

What led you to teach French as a foreign language?

I have always loved the French language. After a degree in modern literature and a spell in the French school system, I decided to teach French at the University of Erzurum in Anatolia to Turkish students. This was during the Cold War, and the experience proved tough, but made me sure of my decision to teach adults. When I returned to France, I worked for the French Institute of Petroleum, then for a language centre, before finally being contacted by Sciences Po to participate in the induction programme for international students, which at the time included an intensive French course.

What difficulties do you encounter teaching French as a foreign language?

The technical difficulties in learning French are related to the structure of the native language, and they are easily identified. The teaching traditions in students’ home countries also influence their mastery of language; in some Asian countries, efforts are focused more on written language, while the English-speaking world attaches more importance to oral language. But more than anything, teaching French to foreign students means working with intercultural factors. French is just a tool for discovering other cultures and ways of life. 

The international students like being among themselves for a while, away from the eyes of French students which can sometimes inhibit them, and are very curious about each other’s cultures.  They debate heatedly in defence of their positions, but know instinctively not to cross into sensitive territory. I have found myself with a Chechen student and Russian students in the same group, or a Taiwanese and Chinese from the People’s Republic. The main challenge for the teacher is finding the necessary tact to ensure everyone has their place.

What teaching methods do you use?

Knowing that all my students are interested in Paris, I use that as a way in. At the start of the semester I distribute a list of unusual places, which the students have to visit in pairs.
During the first part of my class, two students report on their investigation into the place they visited, in the form of their choice – interviews, photos, etc.
The second block is given over to grammar, as required by the level of the group: syntax, synonyms, roots, word families, etc. We work from texts, but also shows, movies, cartoons, advertisements or drawings.
During the third part of the session, two students give a presentation on a social or cultural subject. Using a film or an exhibition, they must identify an issue and initiate a debate with their peers. The film Dheepan for example served as a starting point for a discussion on integration. The class ends with a listening or reading comprehension exercise, which usually echoes the topic of the presentation.

What do international students know about French culture when they arrive?

By definition, I only work with students who have a limited command of French. When they first get here, sometimes their knowledge is confined to certain regions or a few clichés about Paris – the Eiffel Tower, bars, the Marais. They generally know of writers, philosophers and sociologists like Sartre, Camus and Bourdieu, and American students in particular know Derrida and Foucault. In history, they know about the Dreyfus affair and colonisation; in literature, Hugo, Flaubert, Zola and Rimbaud. Obviously I try to expand this knowledge.

What view do they have of French society?

After a few weeks, the students can be quite critical about the administrative aspects of our society and the unwelcoming attitude of French students, but they also appreciate Paris’s social diversity, the quality of public transport, the bohemian feel, and Paris’s location, which generally allows them to visit other European capitals.
But for me the issue is for French to remain a living language, and when they ask me to enrich their vocabulary with the sort of words and expressions that young people use, I am optimistic!
 
 
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Students who choose to study French at the Summer School have the unique advantage of learning at one of France’s most prestigious universities while being immersed in Parisian life. Learn more about the Sciences Po Summer School.