As former French teacher, I have taught students ranging from 5-years old to adults in both from house to house and private schools with only two years of experience, I view research project as a venue for helping me to continue in the role of a lifelong learner.
This improvement of French literacy in Ghana can be achieved by examining internal or external factors affecting the classroom environment or by examining the dynamics that affect the educational system.
I have come to feel that it is a necessary duty for all educators who are committed to improving not only the general teaching performance but the overall condition of the school community as well.
Identifying the problem
As many questions arose when I began this research project, identifying a distinct problem became a problem onto itself: How do we increase student motivation to speak French? And what can we do to motivate students?.
First of all, French tends to have a bad reputation amongst English speakers as hard to learn. A lack of commitment on the part of the students to actively speak French both with the teacher and with their peers at school. Students have always had difficulties to grab some French basis: how to pronounce words, what the accents mean, how to distinguish masculine and feminine and so on.
In undertaking this project, I looked at some of the existing internal factors that could help Educators, Government, Ministry of education, Association of French Teachers improve French literacy. I believe that by investigating French literacy strategies, teachers will be better equipped to diversify their methods of motivating students. How can we increase student’s awareness of learning a second language such as French?
The Question Evolves
As society becomes increasingly more international and as we seek to become global citizens, knowing how to say at least a few words in other languages becomes more and more useful. Whether you are traveling overseas on business, exploring a different culture, or student, learning a little bit of the language has many advantages.
It is in light of this that Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hanna Tetteh, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Awutu-Senya West constituency, on Tuesday May 24, ahead of the commemoration of AU Day told parliament: “I will like to end by saying that in order to make our union real, we have got to look beyond our linguistic barriers and we have got to encourage ourselves to learn to speak each other’s languages.”
“I think again for those of us in the West African region, it means we should be aiming to speak both French and Portuguese,” she urged.
She added: “I don’t speak French and Portuguese yet, but I am working at it and I will encourage honourable colleagues to do same because I think that it is also an important part of the building block of creating an ever closer union, and it is my hope that as we take the day off and celebrate our African Union, we should think of ways we can work together to enhance this process of integration,”. Source peacefmonline.
As educators, we must listen and take a proactive approach to promote French literacy while acknowledging the positive contributions brilliant students make to the classroom climate. This will in turn promote the development of new and effective teaching and learning strategies. Once the acquisition is enhanced, student motivation to speak French in classroom and public will increase.
Research Objectives
As the National Science & Maths Quiz aims at promoting the study of the Sciences and Mathematics, by organizing the National French Quiz in Ghana will also offer a range of learning opportunities.
First of all, the learner will use authentic French language that is of primary interest to him which will motivate the learner to produce quality work. Secondly, the learner will be also motivated because the teacher is not the sole audience, but the entire society. This social interaction gives the student a purpose other than sitting in the classroom only.
Most importantly, the aim of this National French Quiz was to provide an opportunity for the students to experience an active, social, and creative learning environment in a meaningful context. The learning is social because it will involve constructing meaning in dialogue with others and audience. With this reason, I strongly believe that this type of leaning will enable students to make French language fun and accessible to all those who want to learn. “Creative learning involves having the learner create or recreate knowledge”.
This mini-research project will serve me as a stepping-stone into my future projects to promote French literacy in Ghana.