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Retention is one of the most challenging yet essential parts of learning a language.
All the studying we do, whether it be with flashcards, games, or tests, is focused on improving our retention. There may be one method of learning that you've overlooked, though.
Learning in a group setting.
Group learning has been proven to help with retention. And these group environments have a bunch of other pros too! Read on to learn the benefits of group learning and how to find a community near you.
Benefits of Group French Practice
While learning in a group can help with all facets of language acquisition, it's particularly powerful with speaking and listening. These skills are much harder to improve on your own (though it's possible) and can be more nerve-wracking to try out in real life.
Here's how French learning groups can help:
Familiarity With Different Accents
If you only ever practise listening alone, perhaps with online recordings, your understanding might be limited.
In real life, everyone has their own style of speaking—the words they use, the mistakes they make, and how their accent affects their pronunciation.
To get used to real-world French, it's best to talk with lots of different people. What better way than in a group?
Less Pressure
While 1-on-1 lessons are great for speaking and listening, they may feel overwhelming at first. What if you don't know what to say? Or you don't understand the teacher?
Learning in a group reduces this pressure because you're not the only learner present, so you don't have to carry the whole lesson. If you get stuck, there'll always be someone there to help.
Improve Your Confidence
As language learners, we're often way too hard on ourselves. We expect perfection, even though natural speech isn't perfect in any language!
A group setting can ease this feeling. You'll hear others make mistakes and find that you're still able to understand them. This can give you the confidence to speak before your skills are anywhere near fluent, because you'll know people will be able to understand them.
Group Learning Techniques
As we said at the outset, group learning aids in better retention. That's due in part to the wide range of learning techniques groups can use that solo learners can't.
Groups can make use of competitions, games, challenges, and even just group projects to help you improve your skills. These dynamic activities not only bring an element of fun into the learning process but also foster your motivation and a healthy spirit of competition.
How to Find French Learning Groups
Now that you know why they work, how do you find a French group to study with?
In-person French Groups
First of all, check your community. If you're in school or college, there may be French classes or meetups arranged on campus. Community centres may even have a French club that welcomes people of all ages and levels.
You can also search for French practice groups in your area online. The options available will likely range in style. Some groups might be formal classes led by a French teacher, while others are casual communities where French speakers, native or not, meet up to socialise. Meetup is a great platform for finding language exchanges local to you.
Online French Groups
What if there's nothing nearby? Don't give up hope!
The internet is full of online communities that can help with French learning. Again, these will range from formal group lessons to casual hangouts. While this may feel a bit more disconnected than socialising in person, it's a surefire way to get used to French accents from around the world!
Supplementing With Self-Study
French learning groups improve retention and confidence, and best of all, they let you practise with real people.
In between these in-person sessions, don't forget to keep studying French by yourself.
Learn French With Alexa and Kwiziq has loads of free resources for French learners, particularly for post-beginner learners. Take advantage of them today by creating your own free account. Then you'll always have something new to show off at your next group French session!
Bon courage !
