Academic Conversation
My main project throughout my final practicum was working to create French academic conversation in my classroom. What is academic conversation ? It is the f focus of having conversation, however not just any type of conversation. Academic conversation emphasizes the point of having purposeful and sustained discussion about relevant school topics. Specifically for my French classroom, this looked like talking about our units of study, subjects or grammar concepts in French.
Academic Conversations
Why this focus ?
I was drawn to the topic of French conversation in the classroom partly due to Covid-19. Over the past year and a half, students have been in and out of the classroom and their focus has not always been on conversing but about just getting through the course. That being said, they have missed out on a lot of the social and interactive aspects of a French classroom, which is key to learning a new language.
Benefits of Academic Conversations
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What can a student gain from academic conversation?
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Social skills
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Learning how to support their ideas with examples
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Building on or challenging their partners ideas
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Paraphrasing
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Learning how to elaborate on their own ideas
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Strategies implemented to encourage French academic conversation
-French Survival guide (Sheet with key French phrases on it, so students know how to ask questions in French)
-French Script ( Two person script which implemented a certain grammar concept which students had to read and then discuss after)
-Mixed groups or student pairings
-Skits and Readers Theater
-Student's create their own survey
-Brainstorming activities
-Casual conversation
