Franziska Grech, first year student of the Master in Teaching and Learning French course, followed training on the teaching of French as a Foreign Language in France between 5 and 9 December 2022. The course was chosen by M. Renaud Lallement, Conseiller de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle at the Embassy of France in Malta.
The course itself and the participants’ personal expenses were financed by the Embassy of France, in line with its constant efforts to promote quality teaching and learning of the French language in Malta. M. Lallement and his team helped the participant with preparations, and worked in close collaboration with Dr. Anne-Marie Bezzina Busuttil, coordinator of the French subject area within the Department of Languages and Humanities in Education, to identify an eligible candidate for this course and carry out the administrative procedures related to this bursary.
The intensive one-week teacher training course, bearing the title « Enseigner le FLE aujourd'hui : culturel, société et nouvelles tendances », took place at the CAVILAM of Vichy, a higher education institution affiliated with the Alliance française. The participant especially learned how to teach culture and intercultural mediation as a means to enhance language teaching and learning according to modern and motivating practices that can appeal to a public of students who are eager to learn about the culture of native speakers of French.
In Franziska’s own words:“The week-long experience at CAVILAM was a truly wonderful experience and was very formative on both the personal level but also for my formation as an educator. The units focused mainly on teaching French culture and intercultural dialogue during French lessons. It was very interesting as I was exposed to innovative ways to teach this aspect, and moreover classes were very dynamic and creative. It was also very enriching to discuss with teachers from all over the world. I look forward to putting into practice what I took with me from the CAVILAM.”
