Independent+study

​ Independent study is a method recommended for gifted students in Nikolova and Taylor's (1993) article. This research could work well as an ** anchor task **, to which students could turn when they had spare time in class. When the project was finished, students could act as a ** ‘resident expert’ **, and share their knowledge with the rest of the class (Winebrenner, 1992, p.57).

At this level, it would be better to do further research in English into cultural elements, famous monuments, customs, celebrities, or whatever the students were most interested in. In the initial survey, one student responded that “learning how different people do things, their culture, life, etc” was her favourite thing about learning French. It is often difficult to find resources comparing cultures in New Zealand, or other English-speaking countries, and France. However, a book called //Teens in France// (Kranz, 2007) provides an overview, and could be used for **'browsing'** Winebrenner, 1992, p54) before students selected a topic for further research.

A further ** advantage ** of using an anchor-style task, is that students can independently decide to move on to their independent study when they have spare time in class. It should be more time efficient, as the teacher can either make up a detailed instruction sheet, or spend five minutes at the start of a class setting the learners up on their project instead of continually creating new, but short, activities. A research task could easily last several weeks, from initial research to drafting and making a final copy, especially taking into account the fact that students will be fitting it around regular classroom activities.

As Garfinkel and Prentice (as cited in Nikolova & Taylor, 1993, p.206) suggest, materials produced by gifted students "can be stored to be used by other students". Therefore, the projects could be kept and used as reference material for other students, giving the gifted students a greater sense of purpose. This also recognises the Maori principle that “service to others” is extremely important (Hyde, 2001), therefore one’s gifts should be used to help others.

In a survey of the gifted students in class which I taught, three of the four students felt that a project would have been beneficial “because then ** we wouldn’t get in trouble for talking even though we’re finished” **, or because “it would expand our knowledge”. The other student would not have preferred to work on a project, because “when we finish work in class, we quelquefois work out new sentences/phrases in French. It is quite fun.”

A further advantage of this type of work would have been that it would give the students a chance to work individually. Feedback from one gifted student was that she would prefer this, as “we were always working in groups or as a class”. This student clearly wanted more time to ** work at her own pace **. Roger and David Johnson (cited in Winebrenner, 1992, p.123) sum this up, saying “There are times when gifted students should work in co-operative learning groups, there are times when they should work alone”.

Students could also choose how to ** present their findings **. In order to best fit students with multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1993, in Anderson, K., 2000, p.13), they could pick from options such as writing a rap (musical), producing a poster (spatial), giving a presentation (linguistic/interpersonal), creating a model (bodily-kinesthetic)...

Sociocultural aspects to investigate
(All sociocultural aspects from //French in the New Zealand Curriculum,// Ministry of Education, 2002. Bullet point numbers denote the year level). If students could have access to a native speaker, or someone who has lived in the country for some time, it would be a huge asset for this. Students could use this person as a resource, through interviews, webcam, email, social networking (ning.com, etc).

> Students could choose an area of interest: economic, international relations, travel, mental... > // "How birthdays and special occasions are celebrated" (p.31) // > Students could compare traditions in different francophone countries, and their own culture, evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each. > Angles which could be taken include: architecture, historical events... > For example, a student with linguistic intelligence may want to respond by writing a short story which takes place in one of the cathedrals, but a student with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence may want to make a model of a monument. > //"Sport and leisure in France and French-speaking countries" (p.45)// > S tudents c ould research the rules of a traditional sport (eg boules), and teach the class how to play it. They could also learn the essential vocabulary and make a phrase sheet for the players to use. > Students could look further into the history of currency in France, the change to the Euro and its effects. They could evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the common currency, and suggest improvements. > // "Eating and drinking in France and French-speaking countries" (p.51) // > Students could look at different regional dishes, leading to the class having a shared lunch. They could also use the information which they had found to create or improve a wikipedia entry on French food. Or they could learn French gastronomical terms which often appear on menus written in English. > S tudents could compare traditions in different francophone countries, and their own culture, evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each. > Again, students could pick a particular area of interest (eg Belgian chocolate....) > //"Youth: legal rights and responsibilities" (p.73)// > T hi s would be a good opportunity to pose a 'rich' enquiry question, which included moral or ethical components. > Many of these themes come through in popular culture. Students could explore Maghrébins, pieds-noirs, Muslims... > //"Significant events/people in France or French-speaking countries, past or present" (p.79)// > S tudents could form a research question centred around: current affairs/events, history, historical or current figures such as Albert Camus, Charles De Gaulle, Nicholas Sarkozy, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy...
 * 1) // "The importance of learning another language" (p.31) //
 * 1) //"Family life in France and French-speaking countries" (p.37)//
 * 2) //"Monuments, cathedrals, and other significant landmarks in France and French-speaking countries" (p.45)//
 * 1) // "Currency" (p.51) //
 * 1) // "Customs and traditions in France and French-speaking countries" (p.59) //
 * 1) //"Geography of France" (p.65)//
 * 2) //"A French-speaking community outside metropolitan France" (p.73)//
 * 1) // "Cultural and population groups in France or a French-speaking country" (p.79) //

Links
> Links to information on French cheese, artists, builders, love songs, holidays, celebrities, Quebec... > Here's where you can find it! > A blog/podcast made by Lethicia, about her life in France. > At the bottom of the pane on the left-hand side, there are sections on topics like 'etiquette in France' and 'sport in France'. > Information on customs and traditions, including those surrounding Christmas and Easter. > Customs and etiquette > Sections on daily life, culture, attractions, etc. > Figuring out the French. > An overview of basic cultural differences between France and America. > A historical overview of Tahiti, and a brief description of traditions. > Very brief description of traditional Vanuatu culture. > "How to be a guest, not a tourist in a foreign country. Tips, news and info about France, Belgium, California and more." > A book written by Stephen Clarke, and containing ten commandments for understanding the French. > A book written by Charles Timony. "A practical guide to the charms of the Gallic people - from their daily routines to their peerless gesticulations, from their come-ons to their put-downs." > Laura K. Lawless' top 10 books on French culture. > About French culture and the protection of it through protecting the arts. > A film set in "St. Marie-La-Mauderne ... a tiny fishing village in what some may call the middle of nowhere." (Canadian) > "A scathing documentary about immigration in France". > Due to being caught scamming an agent in order to get a work transfer, "Philippe is immediately banished to the distant unheard of town of Bergues, in the Far North of France. Leaving his child and wife behind, the crucified man leaves for his frightening destination, a dreadfully cold place inhabited by hard-drinking, unemployed rednecks, speaking an incomprehensible dialect called Ch'ti. Philippe soon realizes that all these ideas were nothing but prejudices and that Bergues is not synonymous with hell... " > "A comedy about how French and English cultures differ in their attitudes on relationships. " > About the life of Edith Piaf. > Frédéric Lenoir talks about being Muslim in France.
 * love to know: French culture
 * Kranz, N. (2007) //Teens in France.// Minneapolis, Minnesota: Compass Point Books
 * One Thing In A French Day
 * Car Hire France
 * Sprach Caffee
 * Kwintessential: France country profile
 * Americans in France
 * Bob Martin - The Inquisitve Traveller
 * Articles Base
 * Tahiti tourisme
 * Destination Vanuatu
 * Travel another way
 * Talk to the Snail
 * A certain je ne sais quoi
 * About.com
 * French movies
 * La Grande Seduction
 * Mémoires d'immigrés, l'héritage maghrébin
 * Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis
 * French film
 * La Vie en rose
 * Oumma.com