Trilliums Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I am looking for ideas on how to structure a language exchange where I practice French and, in exchange, I help a native French speaker practice English. I have used the website: http://www.conversationexchange.com/ and "met" people interested in doing this. We can exchange written messages or conversations via skype. So far, I have exchanged a few messages, alternating between French and English and we nominally correct each other. I would like to come up with a plan to follow so we are able to maximize our learning experiences. How would you go about doing this? Find passages to read out loud to each other? Find an online text book we can each work through? I am about a 2nd year high school level. Any links or ideas for content would be great. NOTE: There is no filtering on the website I listed as far as I can tell. I have had about a dozen interactions with French speakers and I had one person ask me an inappropriate question. I would not let kids use this without supervision. I would definitely exercise caution while using this site!! I have, however, met a woman my age also with children so I feel comfortable that there are genuine posters there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dijid Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Living overseas, I've participated in many language exchanges. It is a good way to practice/learn for free. I would recommend that you spend 1/2 your time conversing in one language, and then the other half conversing in the other. It is important that you hear and speak the language you are learning. I've done it where I speak only the foreign language, and the other speaks English - and it just doesn't work as well. You will need to pick a conversation topic/starter. Perhaps you could each describe your favorite book/movie. Tell about what you did last weekend. Talk about your favorite local event. Or go into details about how a particular holiday is celebrated by your family. Asking questions in a foreign language can be difficult, but is an essential tool. I've only done language exchanges in person, but I would think this format would work with Skype. In group settings, I've found that playing games together can work well. But I'm not sure that would work if you are doing your exchange via Skype. Bon Courage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.