Theatre in French - express yourself!

Since I have been living in the UK ( since 1997), the most common fact that I have heard from English people who have learnt French but don't dare speaking it is: " I can't speak French because I feel uncomfortable to sound rubbish but I can understand and read it better...." This is where, as a language teacher and tutor, I want to change this 'thinking curve.'

Learning a language doesn't depend on your social class, everybody has access to learning a language. You don't have to be posh or have money for being able to be good at French, Spanish or Chinese. It is just a question of giving it a go. By starting early, your children can speak smoothly and confidently from the first. Even adults with significant exposure to a language in childhood can end up speaking like a native. Alors? So? Give it a go!

Be dramatic in French! it is an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and express yourself the way you wouldn't dare in English.

Family bond:

Learning a language can create a bond between a parent and his/her child if they learn it together. It helps developing a feeling of equality and non-judgement as they are learning something new both in the same space and time. There is no hierarchy thus communication becomes easier on both sides.

Where is my place in this world?

From my own experience, I could sense from my year 7 students, the ones who did a bit of French or Spanish at primary school. I could see straight away that they adapt much better compared to the ones who only started learning a language in year 7. The pre-linguists feel more confident  with their peers and the rest of the school, and they are less impressionable.

They are not only independent learners but also work well in teams. They interact with more ease and think more quickly because they already can do word associations like a brain gymnastic. They are more aware and sensitive to others. For instance, they are not scared to say something new and to get out of their comfort zone. They don't feel embarrassed if it sounds peculiar or if they make a mistake because they understand that making mistakes is the main tool for learning.

People who learn other languages will increase their ability to assimilate ideas and notions they are not familiar with from cultural perspective and they will adapt faster to changes and respond more efficiently to challenges in their lives.

Learning a language practising Drama is one of the best self-development tools that we have at hand, as it helps us develop our cognitive skills, analytical thinking, it enhances our creativity and our adaptability.  Not only you let off the steam of your everyday life but also you improve your languages skills. French is dramatic! it would be silly to miss the opportunity its full potential.

It boosts our "grey matter ":

Multilingual people will also interact better with persons belonging to other cultures, having enhanced social communication skills. Foreign languages as well as Drama are a great mean of boosting brain activity, emotional intelligence and of enriching the vision on life.

Research into the effects of bilingualism on children suggests that exposure to more than one language is an excellent way of flexing those brain muscles and building them up too! Bilingual children showed a significantly larger density of "grey matter" in their brains. Those who had been exposed to a second language from an early age proved to have the most grey matter of all.

Grey matter is responsible for processing information, including memory, speech and sensory perception. It also helps developing their reading skills.That's why, besides accelerating brain activity, learning a foreign language also leads to a better understanding of the mother tongue and to a more appropriate and effective use of it. Learning a foreign language will also boost your creativity because the process forces you to rephrase, find synonyms and use multiple verbal variations on the same topic.

 It gives greater opportunities for college entries and careers:

Increasingly, universities in the UK demands a second language as an entry criteria. Colleges now place an increasingly high value on knowledge of more than one language. As the admissions process becomes more competitive across the board, knowing a second or a third language adds a new dimension to an applicant's resume.