Go team!

Mohammed, you awsome guy! Was the chicken any good in Seattle?? ;-)

But there is some concurrence with Recycle Man!!

Zak, I guess we are the best team ever!!!

Even better when we are the three of us....

 Love you guys :-))

 No competition between you and them, it's you that I choose my dears...

 I've become an elephant-ear fan, Pedro!!

Supper at Gina's, 11.7.22

 Gina, your house is really cute!

 Zak, such a good-looking guy... I miss your humor too...

 Pedro, Sean, Zak, Becca, Steph, Bethany (Britney?)

We are awsome aren't we??

 

Just one word: Yummy!!

Goodbye everyone...

I'm writing these few words to tell you how hard it was to leave you all. It was like leaving a family and I really regret not having the chance to complete the program to get to know you better. I found it amazing that only after a week and a half, strong ties already existed between us. I've cried myself out a couple of times, I had the feeling that nothing would comfort me anymore except being with you. If the Summer Institutes give us plenty of opportunities to broaden our horizons as regards American culture and for us the educational system as well as getting acquainted with new professors whose teaching methods are sometimes new for us, the Program is such a great adventure on the personal level as well. I love Brewster and it was so nice to live all together. Make the most of the rest of the time you'll spend together and let me know about the things you do. What did you guys prefer in Seattle? Do you have any pictures of the Coast?

My journey back to France took two days. I first flew frm Spokane to Salt Lake City on Wednesday evening where we took a flight to New york late in the evening. So i had my breakfast in NYC :-) and then we flew to Washington DC on Thursday morning. My flight to Paris was planned in the evening. I guess I must have looked desperate at the airport and then at the train station because people were really kind with me, helping me with all my luggage. I was on the verge of crying out of exhaustion and all the amount of emotions. I hope that Kris let you know about my messages for you guys. I only had his number as Sarah's did not work because it was not an American phone number.

Thanks a lot for the nice evening we spent together, it really cheered me up, and the chocolate was definitely effective against the tears ;-)

Gina, Sean, and Lisa, thanks for the organisation of the Program. It must have kept you much busy before our arrival and you're doing just great!

Keep well, and keep in touch!!!

Love

Laura

Factors in Student Learning

1.  What do you think are the major factors that assist students with learning? 

The first factor I would like to mention is the parents’ support in their child’s studies. It has been a major factor to me to carry on as far as possible and to understand that the most important is to do my best and that I get the results of my personal implication. When I realized this, it made me more responsible of myself as regards how far I wanted to go in my studies and I understood that where there is a will, there is a way. So as long as I want to carry, motivation pushes me on.

The second factor is the teachers’ support and understanding. I really appreciate when my professors take us as we are, without contempt as regards our knowledge. They are those who guide us in the process of learning, and I find it extremely helpful when they go further than the basic relationship teacher/ student, which means that a barrier separates both and that only the former has knowledge. When they show that they care for us, take the time to have a chat and know more about the homework we have to do for other subjects, when a bond of complicity is gradually built between us, it all makes us more comfortable with them. It’s really important to know that we can rely on them at any time.

Finally, I would like to mention that complicity among the students themselves is a major asset as well. Relying on others does help in the process of learning as well as exchanges of ideas. Of course, we cannot always get along with everyone, but pair work or group work prove effective to me to get to know one another and make friends. I would say that the friends’ support is important when we feel discouraged or like in a dead-end. 

2.  What do you think are the major barriers that get in the way of student learning? 

First of all, the lack or absence of the teachers' support in the process of learning is an important drawback which can be discouraging. In higher education, the parents' support is still essential but as we specialize in a certain field, our professors are the best persons we can rely on to improve ourselves and keep going further. As a result, a contemptuous attitude towards their students and unreliability in case of problems are major barriers in the way of learning.

Furthermore, competition among the students result in pression and takes the student away from the taste of the studied subject.

Last, not a good acquaintance of our peers is another barrier and can make us feel lonely when we need any help or comfort.

3.  What do you think an effective classroom looks like? What makes a classroom experience worthwhile and valuable?

An effective classroom is first based on trust and complicity between the professor and the students, when both know that they can rely on and learn from the other because knowledge is endless. Moreover, humour is to me an important factor to learn in a relaxed atmosphere. I think that a class based on oral exchanges and debates is much more effective that most French classes during which the teacher speaks and the students write. Comparing viewpoints and involving everyone (pair works are thus effective) is very enriching and make a classroom experience worthwhile. Last, but not least, I would like to add that mutual and personal evaluations make classes more valuable, for instance after an oral presentation, in order to understand what was good and what needs to be improved.

Dear participants...

My name is Laura and I am 23. I live in the north of France, more precisely in Amiens (where we have one of the biggest cathedral) but I study in Lille, which is located near Belgium. I am a master student and I am currently studying to become an English teacher at secondary school. I am really looking forward to getting acquainting with you and to discovering the state of Washington!
I love travelling and I find it especially enriching for my future career. After two years at the university of Amiens as an undergraduate student, I went to Potsdam University near Berlin as an Erasmus student to study American and British history and literature. Then I worked as a foreign language assistant in Bristol, UK, in two primary schools which I enjoyed a lot. I moved to Lille last September to carry on with my master degree in English to become a teacher.
I am fond of both Anglo-Saxon and German cultures. My hobbies are nature, either the seaside or the mountains, reading, art expositions, having cups of tea and whatever is relaxing...
If ever you have the opportunity to come to the north of France, let's take a walk on the long and beautiful beaches of the Channel between France and England!!