Aprender francés

Learn French is a conversation partner that lets students practise French at their own pace. It was developed by a French teacher at a Norwegian lower secondary school and tested with students in Years 9 and 10. The assistant is aimed at students aged 11 to 15 working towards the first level of foreign-language learning, and it follows the core elements of the foreign-language subject.

Students can ask questions about the French language and about French history and culture, try out sentences, and ask for short exercises on the topic they are working on. When they make a grammatical mistake, the assistant does not simply hand over the correct version. It explains gently in the student's own language and gives hints so the student can find and fix the error themselves. Replies are kept short, usually two or three sentences, so the conversation stays quick and the student does most of the talking. When a student asks what a word means, it explains in their language but keeps sprinkling in French expressions.

Teachers use it as a practice station during lessons, as extra speaking and writing practice between lessons, or as support for students who want to practise without an audience. The teacher stays in control of goals and assessment; the assistant gives students more opportunities to use the language, not ready-made homework.