Getting Started with Twitter in the FSL Classroom

Recently, I had the privilege of facilitating a workshop for Core French teachers who were eager to start using Twitter in their classes and program.  Here are 7 quick ideas I have discovered thanks to many of my Twitter colleagues around the world:

Celebrate Learning

Tweet your learning activities, learning goals, successes, photos of student work, photos of students (speaking, reading, writing, listening). Show variety in FSL activities among grades. This simple task helps promote FSL at your school and keep parents in the loop.  #onaimeparler   #francaisenaction   #onparlefrancais

Word of the Day / Word of the Week

Share words or phrases in French and English to promote themes covered in class. Introduce common phrases used in everyday conversations, or differences in meaning based on regional contexts.  #motdujour  #motdelasemaine

Student Tweets

Set up a system to allow students to create a tweet about their learning, phrases they learned, new words, etc. You can also allow them create a new hashtag based on current learning activities. Many teachers will have a pre-cut strips of paper and a drop box for students to submit suggestions for tweets or hashtags.   #studenttweet   #hashtagdelasemaine

Chat with other Classes

Find other FSL classrooms around the world to routinely send tweet questions and answers to each other.  This is ideal for la compréhension et production écrite, as well as intercultural understanding.     #toutlemondeenparle

Follow Francophone News and Events

Follow and read tweets from French news services, celebrities, Olympians, authors, government agencies, etc. This is good for developing the “big picture” reading strategy, as well as bilingualism in Canada and around the world.  If they respond to tweets, it’s a bonus!

Book Recommendations

Tweet out a book cover and student voice about characters and contents. J’aime ce livre parce que….  Include the Twitter handle of the authors if possible.   #onaimelire

Promote at-home Learning

Tweet links for you students and parents of videos, games, article and other websites which provide at-home opportunities to hear, read and use French.  Add a question to engage students to follow-up with you at school about the sites they visited.  #jeparlefrancais 

A final note for French teachers - use the hashtag #fslchat to share and find great ideas about teaching French! It is a wonderful online professional network!