Foreign Correspondent Study Courses
Designed by Ian Gathercole of Bristol University, our language courses are usually based on the Opal Coast in France and the Rhineland in Germany but can be successfully based in other locations. The course is suitable for secondary school students of all ages and linguistic competence and provides a structured framework for learning.
An experience which embraces language learning and personal discoveries
The Foreign Correspondent Course is flexible, allowing for any special theme or topic students and teachers may wish to include. The accompanying activities booklet contains town trails, local surveys, mini-tasks, quizzes and support for interviews and follow-up reports. Students can choose to pursue topics in as much depth as they like and the booklet encourages them to select according to personal interest and linguistic ability. It also provides language support ranging from the most basic to the more sophisticated. Above all, it offers excellent opportunities and good reasons for using the foreign language and having fun at the same time.
Flexible structure
The course is designed to offer opportunities and accessibility to every language learner, from limited to advanced levels of competence. Mixed ages and abilities within the same group present no problems because each structured activity contains tasks which are highly adaptable.
A framework for daily activities
- Half day sessions of 3 hrs each
- First 1/2 hour devoted to planning and preparation
- 11/2 hours for field work
- 1 hour back at base for review, feedback display work and scrap book/journal
- An afternoon visit to a local attraction or place of interest to increase exposure to the language and culture
- Final session for reflection, reporting back (e.g. group presentations) and writing-up
Equity Outcomes:
- To explore concepts such as choice, responsability, creativity and evaluation
- To gain oral/aural linguistic practice within a structured framework
- To stimulate curiosity and appreciation of a foreign culture
- To develop confidence through language practice in real-life situations
- To combine language study with a programme of leisure and cultural excursions
These aims encourage students to combine the National Curriculum Attainment Targets in a personally focused way. The course addresses the changes at GCSE with the wider Key Skills of working with others, improving own learning and performance and problem-solving.
What is included?
- A course book with clear guidance, core and extension tasks in French or German and town plans
- Clipboards
- Bilingual Course Co-ordinator to assist with your tour
