The different courses on offer

French Courses at the Summer University in Boulogne-sur-Mer

The teachers working at the Summer University are qualified and experienced in teaching French as a foreign language. The Summer University in Boulogne-sur-Mer carefully recruits teachers with varied teaching qualifications and experience in order to respond more appropriately to student requirements. The teachers are in touch with the students and are eager to encourage real exchange; their contact often continues beyond lessons, with a meal or joint activity, for example.

A team of activity leaders is very present outside lesson hours, in the afternoon and evening. This team offers varied activities, ensuring the centre is a hub of life outside lesson time and it encourages contact as well discovery of the region and its inhabitants. The activity leaders are particularly appreciated by students from abroad: they put forward a programme of activities that they themselves supervise; they know the town and region well and are also close interlocutors who are able to give practical advice, discuss things, encourage exchange and make it easier to adapt.

L'Université d'été de Boulogne sur mer propose des stages de formation générale pour tous les niveaux, des formations pour professeurs de français étrangers (pour groupes), des stages spécifiques pour groupes constitués.

General Training Courses
Intensive preparation course of 20 hours/week: « B1 or B2 certificate »
Courses with a principal subject
Stage pour nouveaux ou futurs professeurs de FLE
Courses for Teachers of French

General Training Courses

The course begins with a proficiency test enabling each student to be integrated into a homogenous group according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: from the basic user to the proficient user level.
Pour le niveau minimum demandé voir la rubrique "Notre public".

Deux à trois enseignants interviennent dans chaque groupe de niveau.

Pour les stages de formation générale, la moyenne maximale par groupe sur l'ensemble des cours du stage est de 13 participants. Les effectifs par groupe sont variables suivant les cours et les niveaux. Pour les cours de formation générale (en moyenne 15 heures par semaine) les effectifs peuvent être un peu plus élevés que cette moyenne (en général de 12 à 15 personnes maximum) ; pour les cours de conversation (en moyenne 5 heures par semaine), les effectifs sont plus réduits (en général de 4 à 10 participants maximum).
Complete beginners have the possibility to enrol only in groups, which would have been already formed..
Minimum level required: see "Our audience".
The courses usually take place every day, Mondays to Fridays, and last 4 hours (a pause is included).
Most of the time, the courses are planned in the morning. See « Organisation »

The 20 hours of courses per week for adults (over 18 years old) take place according to the following plan:

1. Working on oral

Oral work is an important part of the course at the Université d’été de Boulogne-sur-Mer (approximately one third of lesson time is devoted to this, besides the numerous occasions for oral communication during the scheduled leisure and cultural activities).
During the courses, it is applied according to different approaches.

• 1. Oral language study
  The activities may be based on songs or role plays for example, to improve diction, articulation, vocabulary or sentence intonation
• 2. Conversation
  Oral exchanges with a teacher or a language assistant in small groups of a maximum of 10 people. The courses are adapted according to the learners’ language level: use of basic vocabulary and current phrases for the beginners; for other levels: themed courses or role plays and oral practice from news and current affairs.
• 3. Phonetics
  Diction, articulation, intonation. Phonetics is often tackled in the different courses.


2. Written expression

Study of the rules and writing of different types of texts.

• 1. Written language study.
  Grammatical points are analysed, such as: simple sentences and their structure; complex sentences with the various types of prepositions, verb tenses, etc. There are also practise exercises suited to the group level and increasing in difficulty throughout the course. The texts used are taken from French and French-speaking literature.
• 2. Written Expression Written work on diverse creations: poems and songs, stories, journalistic accounts, composed commentaries, essays, curriculum vitae… The courses are adapted according to the learners’ language level: use of basic vocabulary and current phrases for the beginners; for other levels: themed courses or role plays and oral practice from news and current affairs.


3. French literature and civilisation or themed modules

The various aspects of French culture

• A look at literature in the French language, illustrated with texts
• The history of institutions and local history
• A reflection on French society
• Theme conferences on or outside the University premises may be offered.

[Dates and length of our general French courses: see fee summary.]

Intensive preparation course of 20 hours/week: « B1 or B2 certificate »

This course is organized primarily for students whose main goal is to earn a B1 or B2 certificate by taking the exams organized in the last week of class. B1 and B2 certificates indicate an independent level of French. These certificates may be required by institutions, businesses, and especially French universities, who require foreign students to submit their certificate as part of the registration process (each university has its own requirements, but the minimum level accepted is generally the B1 certificate). The classes (20 hours a week) exclusively focus on preparing the different sections of the exam. This specialized course thus helps students improve their French skills while preparing them to achieve their goal of successfully obtaining a B1 or B2 certificate.

The classes (20 hours a week) exclusively focus on preparing the different sections of the exam. This specialized course thus helps students improve their French skills while preparing them to achieve their goal of successfully obtaining a B1 or B2 certificate.

Pre-requisite level

This specialized course will greatly contribute to your success, thanks to classes that focus specifically on the different sections of the exam, practice exercises based on previous exams, training exercises, and more. However, your success will also depend on your personal effort and the level of your French skills at the beginning of the course. Depending on the certificate you are aiming for, you must have an A2 or B1 level at the beginning of the course. A placement test given at the beginning of the course will indicate your skill level and evaluate your strengths and weaknesses for the exam. We strongly advise each participant to be sure (s)he has the minimum level required at the beginning of the course. Experienced instructors teach the courses and advise participants throughout the course as they review for the exam.

Courses with a principal subject

They are organised for groups of a minimum of ten people.
The specialised training course is 20 hours per week. It combines the study of the oral and written language, specialising in a principal subject, which may be: Tourist French, economic and business French, French harbour activities, French through theatre or reading and writing, the discovery of local heritage…
Tariffs: Quote according to the group size and programme requested.
Possibilités de stages pour groupes à d'autres période également.

Stage pour nouveaux ou futurs professeurs de FLE

Stage pour nouveaux enseignants ou futurs enseignants : formation à la didactique du FLE et FLS

Public :
Stage pour particuliers ou pour groupes constitués

Le stage s’adresse à tous ceux qui désirent se former pour enseigner et pour travailler autrement dans l’enseignement.

Public : futurs enseignants (étudiants…) ou nouveaux formateurs ou formateurs ayant déjà une ou quelques années d’expériences dans l’enseignement du français langue étrangère et /ou du français langue seconde.
Formateurs étrangers et français peuvent s’y inscrire.

Prérequis : Licence ou master ou niveau minimum estimé B2
Ces prérequis sont nécessaires pour profiter pleinement de la formation mais ils sont précisés à titre indicatif : aucun diplôme obligatoire n'est nécessaire pour l’inscription car les parcours pédagogiques de chacun sont multiples et différenciés.

Objectif : A travers différents thèmes proposés par des enseignants expérimentés, il s’agit de proposer des approches pédagogiques originales, associant le plaisir d’apprendre et l’efficacité des apprentissages.

Contenu :
Le stage propose des thèmes variés pour apporter aux enseignants de FLE / FLS une réflexion diversifiée sur les pratiques, les contenus, les méthodes d’apprentissage.
On y aborde notamment :

le nouveau DELF/DALF

l’apprentissage du français à travers une activité artistique ou tout événement d’actualité

l' écriture et la lecture

les erreurs des apprenants

la construction d’ateliers pédagogiques à travers le patrimoine local

les points de grammaire selon les différentes attentes des participants du groupe. Cours interactifs.

Modalité de travail :
Les temps de formation alterneront entre apports d’informations théoriques et pratiques avec également des travaux de groupes pour analyser, expérimenter et concevoir.

Durée / Dates :

Stage de 40 heures de formation réparties sur 2 semaines. En dehors des heures de cours, les participants peuvent profiter des activités culturelles et de loisirs, proposées tous les jours en journée et en soirée à tous les participants, (au minimum 20h /semaine, au choix de chacun).

Du lundi 21 juillet au vendredi 1er août 2008 Accueil le dimanche 20 juillet 2008 / Départ le samedi 2 août 2008

Tarif : mêmes conditions et tarifs que le stage de formation générale de 2 semaines (voir rubrique date et tarifs). Formules d’hébergement au choix de chacun.

L’effectif pour ce stage est variable, selon le nombre d’inscrits et n’est pas limité à 15 comme les stages de formation générale. Selon les modules, on alterne les formations en grands groupes et petits groupes.

Courses for Teachers of French

They are organised for groups of a minimum of ten people.
This course is aimed at foreign teachers and future teachers of French to a non-French-speaking public. Methodology and teaching methods are covered.
Dates: July an August for a period of 1 to 5 weeks
Tariffs: Quote according to the group size and programme requested.
Possibilités de stages pour groupes à d'autres période également.

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