A group of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils from Saint Paul’s enjoyed attending a fasinating virtual reality workshop at Alliance Française in Manchester which allowed them to intensively practice their French in preparation for their GCSE’s.
Alliance Française is a well-recognised organisation that promotes the French language and French-speaking cultures throughout the world. The Alliance is a charity that enables native speakers and those that wish to learn French to connect with people of the French culture despite the disparity in geographical locations.
The pupils had the opportunity to get involved with a selection of virtual reality films and then were fully immersed in the French language in the library when they took part in a treasure hunt for a range of cultural books. The pupils were asked to choose a book and prepare a talk about the chosen book to deliver in French to the others, this was an excellent preparation for the speaking element of their upcoming GCSE’s.
“It was interesting to see the different culture right here in Manchester,” commented Shalom, Head Girl at Saint Paul’s. “We saw how certain institutions upheld and shared their culture with others, we were educated on the history of the organisation by native French people and continually questioned in French. We then had an amazing opportunity to take part in Virtual Reality films, they were breath-taking. I chose the Space experience, a fantastic immersive opportunity in both cinematography and the French language!”
Shalom added: “The environment was so serene, our instructors were lively and the students were impeccably behaved. In summary the trip was exciting, educative and well worth the experience. Fantastique!”
“All our team was very happy to meet such a nice group of interested, open, dynamic and motivated students! We were impressed by their great level of French!!” said Xavier Lavry, Directeur at Alliance Française.
Mrs Amy McCarron, Head of MFL at Saint Paul’s, explained: “This was a fantastic opportunity that our pupils were offered to help them use and develop their French language skills in preparation for their exams. The event gave them an opportunity to experience French in a more unique way and practice what they’ve learned so far.”
Mr Mike Whiteside, Deputy Headteacher at Saint Paul’s, added: “The trip supported the great work our MFL teachers do in their classrooms and gave the French learners the opportunity to experience French in an immersive environment. It was fantastic for the students to see their classroom learning coming to life as they explored the French language and culture at the Alliance Française event. Visits like these provide a very valuable experience for our students and enhance the learning curriculum.”
