Open University - LZX 192 Bon Depart

[Diana]

Waiting on the doorstep for me when I got home from work yesterday was the first consignment of books and CDs for the start of this course.  I had a quick look though book 1 and 2 and it seems quite straight forward.  When I enroled I was not sure if I should do the absolute beginners or the next level as I am probably somewhere between the 2.  I decided to do the first course as I hoped it would cement all the absolute basics of grammer in my head without me struggling with too many new concepts.  From my perspective it looks quite easy but I imagine it will be quite a daunting if you have absolutely no French and I admire anyone who will be doing this under those circumstances.

Diana

[Iceni]

I have enrolled and await my goodies. It took quite a bit of work to even get enrolled so I hope the rest of it is smoother.

I know a bit of French, wanted to start from the beginning also to ensure the grammar was up to scratch. My accent is also dire so I am hoping that this will help that.  How many others from this list have enrolled????

[letrangere]

Diana/Di, I think you've both made very sensible decisions for I honestly believe it is best to start at the beginning.  Learning a language is exactly the same as building a house, it's essential to have solid foundations, and I really don't think you can spend long enough fully absorbing the basics.  And once you've grasped these, you'll feel so much more comfortable and find it so much easier as you progress.  Bonne chance!  Margaret

[Diana]

Margaret

Thank you for your words of wisdon and support.  I have just learnt how make the nassel sound for 'o' when it comes before a constant as in bon.  When someone explains it is so easy but whenever I tried to make this sound before I just sounded as if I had a bad cold!

Diana

[letrangere]

Diana, I often joke that my French accent improves when I have a cold, it helps with some of the nasal sounds!  I've finally perfected "sur", it's a lovely, sexy, silky sound when spoken by a French girlfriend quite different to the noise I previously made.  Now I think of her whenever I say it and it comes out just right.  By the way, something else worth bearing in mind is that we will be learning and perfecting our French for the rest of our lives, it's endless.  Someone on the Forum mentioned this to me earlier in the summer and I found it oddly reassuring.  For it drives me crazy when friends think that because I've reached a certain level I know everything.  Far from it, alas! 

I'm now off to write an essay on la pollution sonore for Monday's lesson (yawn...).

Margaret

[Andrewjspencer]

Glad to see I am not alone in taking L192.

Maybe we can start an ongoing forum topic here to help us help each other through the course?

Anyone interested?

[Iceni]

Started reading the material and they suggest we get learning buddies.

Anyone fancy being buddie with me, did up to O level at school but have not done anything since - and that was many moons ago. I am based in France and can read much better than converse.

The idea is to keep you motivated

[Charallais]

I start L120 Ouverture a fresh start in French in February. I decided to start at the begining although I am enroled in classes here in France and no one in our village speaks English. I prefer to go back to basics.

Good luck everyone, can we support one another?

Coral

[Sfgraveston]

I've enrolled for the Vouvel Envol L211 course - anyoneelse out there doen the same? Course starts in February.

Stuart

[M]

[quote]I've enrolled for the Vouvel Envol L211 course - anyoneelse out there doen the same? Course starts in February.Stuart[/quote]

Hi Stuart,

I teach on the L211 course. I think it's really good, but you have to keep up with the study schedule! All my students said they had really enjoyed the summer school in Caen. Bon courage!

Malcolm

[Thorpe]

Learning a language is a very committed task whatever age you might be!

As an adult language teacher( I have taught Welsh as a second language for many years to adults)  my advice would always be to try and use the language as much as you can.

Plan and explain what you are doing in French in your head.

Make notes all in French ie. shopping lists   - leave messages for your family in french.

I find it very useful when I attend meetings that I take minutes in French.

When under such a pressure- it is amazing how you find the vocabulary to record events.

The more you practice -the easier it becomes.

From one who is still practicing.

Christina

 

[Diana]

I have read through all the supporting paperwork but am unclear as to how we will be 'taught'.  There must be more to it than following the timetable and working through the books and CDs.

Diana

[Iceni]

[quote]I have read through all the supporting paperwork but am unclear as to how we will be 'taught'. There must be more to it than following the timetable and working through the books and CDs. Diana[/quote]

Having gone through the whole lot again last night, it looks very like some LearnDirect courses that I was involved with (I was a tutor). You get support via an Internet hub, e-mail from the tutor and also by getting a 'buddie' on the course to work with.  There are no direct meetings with the tutor at all.

This form of learning is very much down to the learner and not for everyone, hence the suggestion that you also attend an evening class (which rather bemused me as I would do one or the other).

Because of this forum we already have some knowledge of each other and this should help to keep us 'motivated' as we can ask questions in a 'secure' environment which is outside the OU hub. If you have not learnt in this way before it can be quite daunting as it is all down to the learner. Remote learning works for me as I have completed quite a few courses in this way but it is not for everyone.

I do have to say though that for some, actually practising their French could be quite difficult, but there is always the telephone and calls to other members in French only could be a good way of both practising.

[Diana]

[quote]Learning a language is a very committed task whatever age you might be! As an adult language teacher( I have taught Welsh as a second language for many years to adults) my advice would always be to ...[/quote]

I like the idea of planing and explaining things to yourself -

I suppose it is just a polite way of saying you are talking to yourself! but why not, I'm about the only person who can understand what I am trying to say so have nothing to lose. Anyone know of a good mental hospital in France because I am sure someone will try to have me commited if they hear me talking to myself in French and in public.

Diana

[Milly]

'Anyone know of a good mental hospital in France because I am sure someone will try to have me commited if they hear me talking to myself in French and in public.'

I've just completed L120 Ouverture (results due at Christmas - aaaagghhh ), and since February I have been talking to myself (or anyone who would listen!) in French.  I do it around the house, in the car, in the supermarket, in fact anywhere at all!  So I know exactly what you mean Diana!!!!

My husband is embarking on L192 as we speak, and when I practice on him, the reply I usually get is ugh??? We also have two foster children who are learning French at school, and I have to say,  they have learnt quite a lot more vocabulary since having to listen to me, especially  during dinner, when I  sometimes choose only to speak French (well I know what I am trying to say even if they don't!!)

For my sins, I have just registered for the next course L211 Nouvel Envol so am looking for all the support and help I can find, especially on this forum . 

Good luck to all students, new or old.

Milly

[Paulal]

I too have enroled for Bon Depart.  Having trawled through French for Dummies, Everyday French and Michel Thomas, I decided I needed to start at the very beginning.  As whilst I think I know what I want to say, it didnt ever seem to come out as it should when I tried to speak to my neighbours in France, also I need to be able to read it as well as speak it.

My goodies arrived last week and I am looking forward to starting.  I think it would be a bit daunting with no french at all, even if the only french you have is Michel Thomas its better than nothing.

I am looking forward to the course and hope we can all keep in touch in how we are doing

anyone in the South West (England) doing this?  could we be buddies?

 

Paula

[Diana]

I'm still confussed, the conference is supposed to be on line from today but I can't find any information on it.  I have not been contacted by my tutor and apart from just working through the book and CD myself I am not sure what I should be doing.  I am very glad I chose the basic course and keep thinking to myself how intimidating I would be finding it if I had no knowledge of the language. 

Diana

[Paulal]

[quote]I'm still confussed, the conference is supposed to be on line from today but I can't find any information on it. I have not been contacted by my tutor and apart from just working through the book and...[/quote]

Where do you live Diana?

I would like a buddy.

I have started doing the book and had a look at the first assignment but thats all.  Maybe all will become clear aFter the first tutorial which for me is on Saturday.

I had an email from my tutor today which said it was the second one but it was my first one so dont know what happend to his previous message.  I have emailed him now.

If you go onto the  OU student page on the web with your personal log in number you can go into your own information page and find out who your tutor is and contact him via the OU website.

good luck,

Paula:cryingconfused and talking to herself in french, husband has gone to france for a couple of weeks out of the way)

[Iceni]

First impressions, dire. From the OU website I gather that there is much unrest on this course. Without the support of others who are working through and making such things as vocabulary lists I am not sure if it would be worth while (no there is no real vocab list on the course at all and John who speaks good French is horrified at the way the alphabet is being taught).

If you had no French you would drown and I must admit I am struggling.  I will plod on and hope I will not hit the brick wall. It seems the idea is we guess what we don't know.

There is no on-line conference just for the course (so we have to wade through a general French conference site to find relevant mails and if you want to complain about this Forum, well you should try the OU one...). The tutor does not seem able or willing to reply to e-mails and the first assessment has to be in by 1st Dec.

Impressed, well my view is stick to Michael Thomas. I just hope it gets better from now on in. Overall view from a distance learning tutor - 'could try harder'.

The other basic language courses are supposed to be much much better.

[Diana]

Di

I agree with you, so far I am using the course to tidy up what I already know. It would be good to see what the Spanish course was like last year, those who have done it seem to think it was well presented. I have my first tutorial on the 16th Nov. I know my tutor, she was the one who taught me as an absolute beginner for the first year of evening class a few years ago, she has been teaching with the OU for many years so I am confident that she will be able to steer us in the right direction.  I am also concerned she will be spending all her time with the absolute beginners, they have everyright to expect her full support as this is meant to be a course for those who have never learnt a word.  If I am to get anything out of it I will need some stimulation too. I have looked to the end of book 2 and image by books 3 and 4 I might need to start paying a bit more attention.  If you are in France how/where will you have your tutorials.

The best thing I have done so far is to buy a top of the range Sony disk player. I was forced to do this last week when my old really cheap one had rotten batteries encrusted in it and would not work. The new one is so much easier to use, does not skip or jump arround and has rechargable batteries that last up to 90 hours. It is so small and descrete that I can keep it on my lap under my desk at work and nobody knows what I am upto.  I have long thick hair so they can't see the headphones either!

Diana

[Iceni]

[quote]Di I agree with you, so far I am using the course to tidy up what I already know. It would be good to see what the Spanish course was like last year, those who have done it seem to think it was well ...[/quote]

Diana

I enquired before I started the course as to tutorials and none were mentioned. I would never have started this if I had known that there were weekly tutorials, I will arange my own help via John and a friend who has taught French to the Brits over here. I am not at all motivated by this course and when you have exercises which have no translation or solution I feel fit to bust a gut. As in the first part of the course we are taught 4 distinct words for scarf, I must presume scarves are an integral part of normal base French vocab. or am I missing something...

Never mind, we all learn (or not as the case may be), shame it costs us money to do so.

[Diana]

Di

The turtorials work out about one a month and I imagine a lot of the time they will be explaining to us how to go about completing the assignments.  While I realised we were not going to be taught online I assumed there would be a conference which underpined the text book with things like, by week 3 you should be able to understand the following ... and if you don't go back to page ... and redo exercise ... on la, le etc.  As I keep saying I am not finding it difficult as I am using knowlege I already have but that is hardly the point.  I do know from experience that if you are finding a subject really hard to begin with and really work at it very often you do better than the clever clogs who intimidated you on day one as they will just sit there and think they know it already and not do any work.

Diana

[Diana]

Di

The turtorials work out about one a month and I imagine a lot of the time they will be explaining to us how to go about completing the assignments.  While I realised we were not going to be taught online I assumed there would be a conference which underpined the text book with things like, by week 3 you should be able to understand the following ... and if you don't go back to page ... and redo exercise ... on la, le etc.  As I keep saying I am not finding it difficult as I am using knowlege I already have but that is hardly the point.  I do know from experience that if you are finding a subject really hard to begin with and really work at it very often you do better than the clever clogs who intimidated you on day one as they will just sit there and think they know it already and not do any work.

Diana