FOS (French for specific goals): tailor-made French lessons!
FOS (French for specific goals) or FLE (French as a Foreign Language)? Which one to choose?
Vacances Actives Linguistiques designs French language stays for professionals with a range of themes or on a single focus. They’re designed for learners who want a very specific and in-depth French course: medicine and science, architecture and landscaping, cookery and catering, painting and art etc.
You can experience these stays as part of an FOS (French for specific goals) course. What does that mean? Well, it’s not just a different version of FLE (French as a Foreign Language). It’s a method designed to meet very specific needs, often professional or academic, where French fluency is vital to your success.
Let’s see how a language stay and FOS course are a winning combination for learners.
What is FOS (French for specific goals)?
FOS (French for specific goals) is a method designed to train learners in specific subjects to give them the linguistic tools they need to flourish in their professional or academic lives.
A regular French or French as a Foreign Language course covers a wide range of subjects, whereas an FOS course focuses on precise and sometimes immediate goals, such as learning technical vocabulary, understanding administrative documents or interacting in regular work situations.
For example, overseas apprentice chefs who want to work in a restaurant in France can choose a professional stay on the topic of cookery and catering. Their FOS (French for specific goals) course would focus on getting to grips with cookery terms, understanding recipes, interacting with kitchen teams and handling orders. On-site, the students get to meet industry professionals to identify the role of each member in the kitchen. They also take part in role plays and simulations with teachers and other learners.
The FOS (French for specific goals) process
The 4 steps in the FOS (French for specific goals) process help establish a learning method that’s tailor-made, relevant and that learners can implement straight away:
1.Identify learner goals
This step involves understanding their expectations: what sort of environment do they want to thrive in? What are they expecting from their language stay and course? Gathering specific goals is vital to designing the course and educational workshops.
2. Needs analysis
That means assessing their language level and identifying which exact skills they need to learn. For example, a doctor may need to get to grips with medical vocabulary, draft patient reports and talk to patients and colleagues in clear and accurate French.
3.Knowledge acquisition in the field
It’s worth experiencing the learners’ future environment to gather authentic documents (reports, specifications, emails etc.) and analyse real situations they may be facing to help fine-tune the FOS (French for specific goals) course. It helps create role plays and provide both “realistic” and educational resources.
During their stay, learners will be placed in their professional environment to interact with people who work or study there. It’s a great opportunity to create a bond, communicate using any specific technical vocabulary they’ve learnt and “test themselves out” in a new social setting.
4.Evaluation and preparation
There are lots of ways to evaluate the learner’s language level (written/oral tests, role plays etc.) and ensure they’ve achieved their goals. In the meantime, they also receive support finding an apprenticeship, job or school. Our professional language stays prepare students for their next chapter with CV writing, job interviews and university interviews in France.
What does FOS (French for specific goals) do for learners?
Teachers and learners soon see noticeable progress in their French because of the tailor-made aspect of FOS (French for specific goals). It helps learners gain confidence and efficiency in a shorter space of time as it focuses on specific needs and real situations. The results are soon visible: they fit into the working environment better, can handle complex tasks and, most importantly, they’re highly motivated. They can see themselves in their future lives whilst the many experiences and encounters stimulate them both intellectually and professionally.
For example, an overseas student who wants to enrol at the Sorbonne doesn’t just learn academic lingo but also the history of the legendary French university, how it functions, they can meet French-speaking students, attend lectures and pass entrance exams with peace of mind.
A French trip and FOS (French for specific goals) course: a recipe for success!
Theory meets practice
FOS (French for specific goals) courses provide solid and specific foundations that cover the theory side; a language stay enables students to practice by providing a space where they can apply their skills. Having the best of both worlds means learners can put the knowledge they’ve gained in class into practice sooner and add enhance the experience in situ. An overseas chef would do well to go on an FOS (French for specific goals) stay to get to grips with cookery terms, how a kitchen team works in a top restaurant, ingredients, recipes and techniques: theory and practice on a plate!
Enhance intercultural skills
A professional language stay gives learners an insight into the cultural side of their industry. Observation and interactions in the field teach the unspoken rules of communication in France and where they want to work or study. Intercultural understanding is essential to settling into a professional international environment.
Create a professional network
A professional language stay in France is a golden opportunity to create a network of academic or professional contacts. Learners meet specialists, other students and teachers in the same field: key people in the destination country. These experiences put learners on a fast-track as they break the ice and get their foot in the door of an often-exclusive professional network even faster. It’s easier for them to settle in: they gain confidence, can introduce themselves and discuss their skills comfortably, plus they build a vital French and international network for their studies or career.
Pairing an FOS (French for specific goals) course with a language stay in France provides the perfect learning environment. It gives learners a realistic cultural and professional experience to ground and prepare them to join the world of work or academia in French-speaking countries. Its tailor-made approach makes FOS (French for specific goals) and learning French a recipe for academic and professional success.
Recent Comments