Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2018 10 By Todd Lewys for the Free Press It's something that can make even the most confident of individuals tremble: the prospect of learning a new language. That fear factor, it turns out, tends to go up several notches if the language happens to be French. With all its conjugations and elaborate sentence structures, no language (or so it would seem) is more nuanced and complex. According to Erika Morin-Nett of Université de Saint- Boniface (USB), the mission of the Continuing Education Division's language school is to teach French in such a way that — as students begin to enjoy the experience of learning the language — fear is replaced by fun. "Taking the intimidation factor out of learning French is the number 1 thing we work on," she says. "We're lucky that we have a group of instructors that really care about their students. They know people have different learning styles, so they go out of their way to make learning French not only relevant, but fun." She adds that the brain trust of USB — teachers and administration — also make a concerted effort to develop courses that foster learning in a fun way. A good example of that is USB's newest program, A Taste of French. "It's a condensed three-week program that will start in the fall," says Morin-Nett, noting that USB's flagship program, Français oral, takes 11 weeks to complete. "A Taste of French is for people who just don't have time to take the full course." Over those three weeks, students will attend classes twice a week for three hours. The goal is to have students dip their toe into the language and gain a decent working foundation at the end of the 18 hours spent in class. "As the course name implies, the theme of the course will be food," she says. "Students will learn skills like learning the names of different foods so they can order in a restaurant, how to introduce yourself, things like that." Then, there's USB's bread-and-butter program, Français oral, which is still in high demand — and for a good reason: its relevance. "The great thing about Français oral is that it's not France- or Quebec-centred, nor is it designed for high-schoolers," Morin-Nett says, adding that courses have been created in-house at USB for over 15 years. "Rather, it was created particularly for western Canadian francophones /residents who live outside of Quebec. We teach standard French that people both in France and Quebec will understand." Regardless whether a student is fluent in the language or in the nascent stages of learning French, they can count on one thing when they enter a classroom to receive a lesson. "Our classes are focused on communication, so they will spend a lot of time interacting to learn to use what they're being taught. Teachers create a comfortable atmosphere where students are encouraged to take risks; no one will ever feel silly about making a mistake. Students really appreciate that type of experience." Overall, USB offers 13 courses at 11 levels. Those who wish to push themselves further can register for the topmost level, which is appropriately named Perfectionnement. "It's a five-course program that's aimed at those who are already fluent in French, and who want to fine-tune skills like writing and sentence structure," Morin-Nett adds. "People with high-level skills find it very helpful." No matter what stage of learning a student is at — beginner, intermediate or advanced — USB has a course that can help them become more proficient at speaking or writing la belle langue. "We're here to teach people who don't know how to speak French learn to speak French well, and just to help people improve no matter where they are in their learning journey," she says. "We have instructors who really care, and we do our best to continually develop relevant course content. We're proud that we have a 90 per cent-plus satisfaction rating with students, and we are continually working to improve on that rating in the years to come." For more information about programs and courses, visit ustboniface.ca. ❚ UNIVERSITÉ DE SAINT-BONIFACE USB MAKES LEARNING LA BELLE LANGUE FUN "Taking the intimidation factor out of learning French is the number 1 thing we work on." Teachers and administration at Université de Saint-Boniface are dedicated to developing courses that foster learning in fun ways. Supplied photos

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