Why learn French?

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No one ever regretted the opportunity to learn French.

We do however hear people say all the time, I wish I had continued to learn or I wish I had learned when I was younger.

Make sure your children don't have any regrets.

 

Research and studies show that learning two languages has positive impacts on children. Whether French is the child's first language or second language, there are numerous benefits to learning French that will last a lifetime. 

 

French Second Language

The ‘'Impact of Second Language Education Study'' commissioned by Alberta Education showed that learning a second language has a positive impact in five specific areas:

Intellectual Potential
  • Students score higher in both verbal and non-verbal intelligence.
  • Students are superior in divergent thinking tasks, in memory ability and attention span.
Scholastic Achievement
  • Students have higher test scores in reading, language and mathematics.
  • Each additional year of second language education adds to the positive differential compared to students not receiving a second language.
First Language
  • First language skills are strengthened in the areas of reading, vocabulary, grammar and communication skills
  • The earlier the start, the greater the positive effect on the first language.
Citizenship
  • Students have superior cross-cultural skills, adapt better to different cultural contexts and display greater cultural sensitivity.
Economic Potential
  • There is an urgent requirement for qualified speakers of languages other than English in areas of science, technology, medicine and global commerce.

French maternal language

The Francophone school is a living learning environment integrating the linguistic, cultural and societal values of the francophone community. In Saskatchewan, the French education is the mandate of the Conseil des écoles fransaskoises, previously Division scolaire francophone n°310.

Research demonstrates the advantages of studying in Francophone schools in a minority language situation.

Intellectual Potential
  • Students develop linguistic, intellectual and academic aptitudes and proficiencies.
  • Students have greater proficiency in divergent thinking, in memory ability, and attention span.
Scholastic Achievement
  • Each additional year of first and second language education adds to the positive differential compared to students not receiving a second language.
Linguistic Abilities
  • Students learn both French and English as first languages.
  • Students are at ease in the Francophone and in the Anglophone environment and can thus contribute to our society in both official languages.
Skills developed
  • School programming, based on school and community, develops the student initiative, risk-taking and small business skills.
  • Student contribution to community projects helps to develop a social conscience.
Citizenship
  • Students from francophone schools in a minority situation experience individual and collective involvement thus developing participatory leadership skills.
  • Students demonstrate openness to diverse cultural contexts while proudly living their own social identity.
Economic and Social Potential
  • Students have the choice of pursuing postsecondary education in either French or English.
  • Fluently bilingual in both official languages, students can help Canada meet its labor market requirements. The fields of science, technology, medicine and international trade are in urgent need of people competent in languages other than English.

Conseil des ministres de l'éducation du Canada, 2003

Landry, Allard, Deveau et Bourgeois, 2004