I teach French 8, 9, and 10 in British Columbia and I must admit – I LOVE seating plans for French language learning. Seating plans combined with effective desk arrangements can maximize engagement and effective language learning! Here is how you can increase engagement and learning via effective seating plans + desk arrangements for French language learning in your own classroom.

Before we begin – a little about my teaching situation

I teach high school Core French in British Columbia. I mainly teach French 8 (13-year-olds), French 9 (14-year-olds), and French 10 (15-year-olds). We also have individual desks at my school (not tables). Teachers are also not allowed to go without desks or have fancy alternative seating. Lastly, we also have a cap of 30 students in high school classrooms in my province.

If you are completely new to me, please do read this blog post that goes in-depth about my teaching philosophies which guide how I make seating plans and organize desk arrangements to maximize learning and engagement.

Why are seating plans AWESOME for French language learning?

I do not create seating plans to punish my students. Instead, I love seating plans for the following reasons :

• managing the energy of students (classroom management)
• facilitating new friendships based on personality
• ensuring shy students have people around them who will be kind (kindness + supporting risk-taking)
• making sure all students have a friend and/or peers they enjoy working with (collaboration = important for French language learning)

My seating plans have created so many best friends! Not only that, but I WANT my classroom to be a collaborative, fun space.

I also change up my seating plans quite frequently (every 2-3 weeks).

Effective desk arrangements for French language learning – let’s break down the different arrangements

In order to keep this blog post efficient, I am not going to share every single desk arrangement that exists out there. I am only sharing desk arrangements for French language learning that I have found to be effective in my practice. Hence why I am not including single rows – I absolutely despise them!

If you’re curious as to what kinds of posters I have on my white board, click here to check out posters and language tools for the French classroom.

Desk arrangement #1 : The horseshoe shape

Background : this was the first seating arrangement that I loved. I had my desks arranged this way for years. There wasn’t enough space in my classroom for a true horseshoe shape, so I did need a small row of desks in the very middle.

Pros :

• tons of space in the middle of the classroom for interactions and activities
• all students sit next to at least two friends
• easy to keep certain students faaaar away from each other
• really great for student collaboration
• everyone gets to see the front board easily

Cons :

• students are elbow to elbow and this can sometimes cause conflict
• unfortunately, I also found that colds/flu would also spread easily among because students were so close to each other
• there can be A LOT of chatting depending on your class
• not everyone gets the chance to sit with a friend

Desk arrangement #2 : Horizontal rows

Background : I tried out horizontal rows for a very brief period of time during the 2021-2022 school year.

Pros :

• everyone faces the front of the classroom
• easy to ensure that everyone has a friend or two to sit with

Cons :

• it’s easy for students to hide their cell phones and be on them
• difficult for me to get in between horizontal rows to support students and answer questions
• very little space in the classroom for students to stand up and work on activities
• does not facilitate group or collaborative work (which is most of what I do) and therefore, we often had to change up the desks during class and then move them back

Desk arrangement #3 : Rows of twos

Background : when I first became a classroom teacher, this was my very first desk arrangement!

Pros :

• everyone faces the front of the classroom
• most kids get to sit with a friend
• easy to separate students who have a tough time sitting with friends and getting work done/making good choices
• easy for students to reorganize desks for group work
• ideal for facilitating new friendships

Cons :

• little to no room for whole-class stand-up activities and interactions
• very little room for me to walk around and support students
• I could NEVER tell where the talking was coming from and this drove me UP the wall
• students hiding their cell phones so well
• I felt bad for students who had to sit with peers who could not sit with friends (teachers – you know what I mean)

Desk arrangement #4 : Table groups of 3s and 4s

Background : this has been my desk arrangement for the 2022-2023 school year and I have LOVED it. Please do note though that I have had relatively calm classes. I can think of certain classes in previous school years that would not have been able to handle this much peer collaboration.

Pros :

• everyone gets to sit with a friend or two
• there is still tons of room for whole-class stand-up activities and interactions
• easy to facilitate new friendships
• a lot of space for me to walk around and answer questions
• I can very easily spot students on their phones
• really ideal for group work and group collaboration

Cons :

• some students have their backs to the board

Please feel free to let me know what desk arrangements you have found to be tried and tested for French language learning.

The post Effective Desk Arrangements for French Language Learning appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

If your students are anything like my students, they probably love coming to French class! That is one of the best parts about teaching an elective — our students want to be there! However, this can be a little tricky as well. You know, sometimes they’re a little too excited to come to French class, because they know we’re going to be having tons of fun!

Therefore, it can truly throw your classroom management off when students are entering the classroom all riled up and excited.

I teach Grades 8-10 and I especially find this to be true for the younger grades.

As a matter of fact, it can be rather challenging to bring teenagers back to a calm place when they run in all hyper!

Before you scroll – grab this music freebie!

Are your students too chatty or far too loud when working on activities?

Teenagers can be so social and in my second year of teaching, I was struggling with them socializing a little too loudly with their classmates.

To combat these two issues, I made one of my favourite classroom purchases in my teaching career!

I bought a bluetooth speaker! For the past two years, I have religiously used my bluetooth speaker during strategic moments.

Play calm French music as students are walking into class

In my three years of being a teacher, I have had the pleasure of teaching only TWO introverted classes out of 18 classes!

The rest of my classes have been anywhere from sometimes rambunctious to ALWAYS rambunctious.

I started playing calm French music at the start of class as students were walking in. When I do this, I also ensure that I have my daily slides projected on the whiteboard. My daily slides explain the shape of the day and which activities students should begin immediately.

If you struggle with the start of class transition, I highly recommend doing this. Students love listening to music, regardless of their grade, and it creates such a lovely ambiance.

My favourite calm artists are Louane, Coeur de Pirate, Charles Aznavour, Julien Doré and Matt Holubowski.

Play French music when students are working on assignments and projects

I frequently play French music as students are working on individual assignments or group projects.

Students are not allowed to wear their own listening devices in class, given that French class is all about collaboration. Due to that reason, my students beg me to play music as they are working.

I find that music can help my students focus on their task. They still socialize and work collaboratively with their peers, but they do not shout over the music as they would shout over one another.

My favourite is when I catch my teens asking their friends to speak quieter so that they can hear the music!

Ask your students to recommend calm French music to you as “homework”

It can be incredibly motivating for students when they see that you have acknowledged and included their interests.

Have students email you up to 5 calm, school-appropriate French songs “for homework”. I would then listen to each song to ensure that it is in fact a) calm and b) school-appropriate.

Create French music playlists for classroom management using Apple Music or Spotify

I decided to purchase a Bluetooth speaker and not use the projector speakers. I hated connecting my computer to the projector in order to listen to music.

Creating playlists on Apple Music on my iPhone has been incredibly convenient. I have all sorts of playlists — I have ones for the start of class, more upbeat songs for fun activities and games, and playlists of students’ recommendations. Here’s a playlist on YouTube of French music for the classroom.

Also, if you’re looking to diversify your playlist, check out my Instagram post by clicking this link!

Below is an image of the Bluetooth speaker I have at school and at home. Please note that the link below is an affiliate link.

If you find these tips to be helpful, comment below & share your favourite Francophone artists for the classroom!

The post Teaching with French music – tips & tricks appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

As a High School French teacher, teaching routines is one of the most important things that you can do to set your classes up for a great school year. Students need structure and routine, and the sooner you make your own routines & procedures clear and explicit, this will reduce students’ anxiety. This is especially true in French class! Today I am sharing mistakes to avoid in the first week of French class.

1. Not explaining our classroom routines thoroughly

To be completely honest, I didn’t even know my own classroom routines. I had tried to come up with a few routines, but because I was learning so much daily, my routines were often tweaked.

However, even the routines I knew I wanted to have, I still didn’t explain them well enough at the beginning of the year.

Why didn’t I explain how the chairs need to be put up? This leads us to the next point and that is …

2. I thought that they would know basic things like how to exit a building during a fire drill.

This was by far the biggest mistake I made in my first and second years of teaching.

I assumed that my students would just know how to do certain things because they had been on this Earth for 13-15 years.

I was so wrong! That whole second year was a complete disaster and I learned so much from it. Everything from fire drills to assemblies, to projects and presentations, to handing things in.

The other mistake I made was that I explained something briefly for like 30 seconds and I never reminded them.

For example, I explained once how to hand assignments in. However, in reality, they probably needed to be reminded for the entire month of September before things would sink in.

3. Not re-teaching and going over procedures when they weren’t following them

Another HUGE mistake I made in my first two years was that I never took the time to re-explain procedures if students were not following them.

This is such a basic idea but somehow I completely missed it. If a few students left the classroom without putting up their chairs, I would just dismiss it. I would put up the chairs myself.

This created a pattern where certain students were repetitively not following procedures because I was not reinforcing them!

I knew I could not allow this to reoccur for the third year

The summer after my second year, I decided to create a document where I specified EVERY SINGLE ROUTINE in my classroom. From the moment they entered to the moment they left the classroom, everything was on this piece of paper.

Whether you are a new teacher or one with more experience, consider creating a classroom procedures document with every single routine explained in the document.

Here is what I changed the following year

1. I assumed they knew nothing

In September, I showed them how to put up chairs, how to toss their trash out, etc. We practiced EVERYTHING. Every time students did not follow procedures, I re-explained and re-demonstrated what I needed them to do.

They had a little laugh at me showing them how to stack their chairs but most importantly, they needed to understand that I had specific expectations of them!

2. Explain EVERY SINGLE procedure in extreme detail in writing AND orally

For example, if you are teaching students how to hand in assignments, start from the very beginning. What kind of paper? Where should they write their name? When do they hand in their assignment (beginning, middle or end of class)? Walk them through the procedure by modelling it!

Do this with every single procedure! Trust me — you will thank me later! This will save you SO much time later.

3. Have them do a written or physical scavenger hunt

Your students should practice procedures before the school year begins for real. I create a worksheet “scavenger hunt” with multiple-choice, true/false, and short answer questions. I also have them complete this scavenger hunt with their parents for homework. And this brings us to the next point…

4. Have their parents read & sign the procedures so that they can support you and their child

Building a great rapport with your students’ parents can be one of your biggest assets.

If they know what your classroom procedures are from the very beginning, this will help reduce the emails you receive. Plus, they can also answer their child’s questions or direct them to you.

I have my students’ parents sign the scavenger hunt in order to indicate that they have read and understood our classroom routines and procedures.

Here are some questions to answer in your classroom procedures document

1. What does the seating arrangement look like? Do students choose or do you?

2. What does the seating arrangement look like? Do students choose or do you?

3. What is your cellphone/listening device policy?

4. What are your start of class routines? Daily slides? A bell ringer?

5. Where do students find handouts if they were absent the previous class or if they lost their copy?

6. What online learning platforms will you be using? (tip : include QR codes to websites you’ll be using).

7. How and where do they hand in assessment?

8. What is your late work policy?

9. What do students need to know about absences? Do they email you? Is there a school-wide form they need to bring in?

10. What procedures do students follow after an absence?

11. What is your classroom (or school policy) for bathroom & water trips?

12. Can students eat in the classroom?

13. What needs to happen during drills and emergencies?

14. What is your classroom/department policy for Academic Dishonesty and the use of online translators?

15. What do students need to know for when you are absent?

16. What are your end of class routines and procedures?

I hope that these questions and tips were helpful for you setting up your own classroom routines and procedures. If you have any tips, suggestions or ideas not mentioned in this article, please share them below in the comments!

Avec plaisir,

Pav

The post 3 Mistakes to avoid in the first week of French class appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.