French 1 Programme description

In French 1 (30 ECTS) the student’s own language skills are emphasised, in particular oral production and interaction, language in context, and language learning strategies. In addition, the student should be able to facilitate the language learning of children and young people.

The French language teacher is a reflective language user and language disseminator. By analysing and assessing learning and communication strategies for his/her own language use and in a teacher perspective, the students shall reach a level where they can actively use French in both oral and written communication. The French teacher shall have an awareness of his/her own, and children’s and young people’s language learning, and insight into the differences and similarities between French, Norwegian and other languages. The course provides knowledge of linguistic and cultural variation in the French speaking countries. Inspiring and encouraging pupils to take pleasure in being able to use a new language through experiences and exploration is another important aspect. Digital tools shall be included in the education in a critical and reflective manner, and shall be linked to teaching practice.

French 1 a part-time study programme, comprising two courses of 15 ECTS credits each: French and didactics for French 1, modul 1 and French and didactics for French 1, modul 2, in total 30 ECTS credits.

The target group for the programme is in-service teachers teaching at the 5‒10 levels in Norwegian schools, and teachers who wish to qualify for teaching at the lower secondary level.

Reference is made to the Regulations relating to Admission to Studies at OsloMet. In addition, the following applies to this programme:

• Completed and passed teacher education

and

• Documented knowledge of French at minimum A2 level or level II (or equivalent) from upper secondary school with pass grade. A2 level can be documented from the test DELF A2 or equivalent tests

After completing the programme, the candidate is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• is familiar with the global phonetic system and intonation of French, the language’s grammatical structure and insight into cultural conventions on the use of French
• has knowledge of daily life, traditions, customs, values and cultural expressions in French speaking countries and is able to compare with Norway
• has knowledge of language learning theories and children and young people’s language acquisition in a multicultural perspective
• has knowledge of language didactics adapted to the pupil group
• has knowledge of the curriculum, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the European Language Portfolio ages 6–12 and 13–18 and the European Language Portfolio for language teacher students
• is familiar with research and development work that is relevant to the subject of Foreign Languages for years 5-10

Skills

The candidate

• is capable of communicating with good pronunciation and intonation, and of freely using key-structures of French in oral and written communication
• is capable of understanding long oral and written authentic texts in different genres and media
• is capable of planning, carrying out and assessing French language tuition adapted to different pupil groups
• is capable of assessing the use of authentic texts and other learning resources in teaching
• is capable of facilitating different work methods that promote exploration, curiosity and creativity in French language learning and in an interdisciplinary perspective
• is capable of using midway and final assessments to guide pupils in their French language skills development
• is capable of carrying out teaching that promotes the pupils’ digital competence

General competence

The candidate

• is capable of reflecting on his/her own teaching practice and interaction with others in professional practice
• is capable of facilitating varied and adapted educational activities that motivate the pupils for further language learning and creating good conditions for in-depth learning
• is capable of integrating the basic skills in the subject

French 1 is a blended learning course with digital learning combined with three periods of 1‒3 days of campus training at OsloMet and two one-week periods at Université de Caen Normandie, France. The two periods in Caen will focus on practicing French in a French-speaking environment, and in collecting data and documents in order to build pedagogical material.

The first period in Caen will take place one week in June, and will be organised as an intensive language course. The next period in Caen will arranged in February in the spring semester. This will include a visit in a French school, and will be the opportunity to learn more about the educational system organisation of the target language country. This will give the opportunity for the student, here the in-service teacher, to dedicate one full week to French and to exchange with the rest of the group.

The three periods in Oslo will take place in September/October (week 40), January and April.

The first semester will focus on oral and written communication in French. This includes how to use authentic materials (newspapers, flyers, songs etc.) in a French course. The second semester will be dedicated to oral and written communication and will focus on teaching variation in contemporary French through different cultural vectors: cinema, literature, arts. The online activities aim to pursue the programme initiated by the sessions in Oslo and in Caen.

Oral and written communication and skills will be integrated with emphasis on vocabulary and grammatical structures through active learner approaches. Knowledge about culture and society in French-speaking countries, including cultural, historical, geographical, and everyday life knowledge about France and French-speaking countries through visual art, literature, song and cinema and cultural events, is essential content in the course. This course will also contain a critical approach to different learning materials, textbooks and different online resources.

The main lecturers of the course are from Université de Caen Normandie. Integrated in French 1 is two periods of studying at the Université de Caen Normandie.

For both the courses in French 1, students will be asked to carry out different tasks (both in Oslo, in Caen and online). The student will write several texts in French language during the course and will collect these and present them in their final portfolio exams. Attendance and participation both in Oslo, in Caen and online is required.

There is an overall 80 per cent attendance requirement for each course. Attendance is compulsory because of the work methods involving dialogue and discussions. The programme emphasises student participation, cooperative learning and dialogue. Teachers from Université de Caen Normandie will give the face-to-face sessions in Oslo and in Caen, which will give participants the opportunity to learn in a French cultural and linguistic environment. This important learning opportunity is lost if students do not attend classes.

The coursework requirements are described in the individual course descriptions. All absence, irrespective of reason, is included when compulsory attendance is approved. In special cases where this requirement is unreasonable to the student, due to documented sickness absence, for example, compensatory measures can be agreed.

The required coursework must be submitted/completed by the stipulated deadlines. Absence for a valid reason documented by e.g. a medical certificate does not exempt students from meeting the coursework requirements. Students who fail to submit/meet the coursework requirements by the deadline due to illness or for other documented valid reasons can be given an extended deadline. A new deadline for submitting/completing required coursework must be agreed with the lecturer in question in each individual case.

The required coursework is assessed as accepted/not accepted. Students, who submit required coursework/meet the coursework requirements by the deadline, but whose work is assessed as not accepted, will be given two opportunities to resubmit/redo the work. In such cases, the students themselves must agree with the lecturer on a re-assessment of the coursework in question.

All the exams are in French language, both the written and the oral part. More information about assessment is provided in the individual course descriptions.

The students’ rights and obligations are set out in the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet. The regulations describe, among other things, the conditions for resit/rescheduled exams, the right to appeal and what is considered cheating in an exam. It is the students’ responsibility to register for any resit/rescheduled exams.

Grade scale

A, Excellent: The candidate demonstrates sound analytical understanding. The candidate demonstrates excellent knowledge and an excellent overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate demonstrates excellent skills in applying this knowledge.

B, Very good: The candidate demonstrates very good analytical understanding. The candidate demonstrates very good knowledge and a very good overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate demonstrate very good skills in applying this knowledge.

C, Good: The candidate demonstrates analytical ability and understanding. The candidate demonstrates good knowledge and a good overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate masters the application of this knowledge.

D, Satisfactory: The candidate demonstrates a certain degree of analytical ability and understanding. The candidate demonstrates some knowledge and a certain overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate masters the application of this knowledge to a certain extent.

E, Sufficient: The candidate demonstrates some insight into the academic content of the course, but the candidate's insight is incomplete and characterised by limited insight into connections in the course. The candidate masters the application of this knowledge to a limited extent.

F, Fail: The candidate demonstrates large and obvious gaps in the academic content of the course. The candidate demonstrates little insight into connections in the subject. The candidate demonstrates little ability to apply this knowledge.

Approved by the authority of the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee on 19 December 2019

Established by the Dean 6 January 2020

Editorial amendments made on 8 January 2020

Valid from autumn semester 2020