Learning French

Other Support

Support for Alliance Française courses is available from many sources. In addition to local expertise provided by French teachers in the community, AF chapters can find assistance from the following sources:

  • The Alliance Française de Paris and its Délégation in Washington
  • French Government offices in the United States, including the Consulates and the French Cultural Services of the French Embassy
  • Professional associations in the United States that support the teaching of French

    • Alliance Française de Paris
    The Alliance Française de Paris coordinates the activities of Alliances Françaises around the world. If you are in Paris, you can take French courses at the maison mère, 101 boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris.
    • The Alliance Française de Paris hosts an annual "Colloque" at the end of January to which are invited Presidents and Education Directors of AFs from around the world. The Colloque provides an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues, learn about new developments, and share ideas.
    • The Alliance Française de Paris maintains a Délégation Générale des Alliances Françaises in Washington. The Delegation offers pedagogical support through its seven "détachés" who are hosted by some of the larger AFs in the country. The Délégué général organizes a pedagogical conference every February to which are invited all Education Directors, as well as the détachés.
    • The Délégation also sponsors the AF National Concours, the Project Benjamin and co-sponsors the Federation School Development Grants.

     

    French Government Offices
    The French Government offers a variety of services which support the educational mission of the AFs in the United States.

  • The French consulates in the United States: The Consulats de France aux Etats-Unis cooperate closely with the AFs in their jurisdiction. Many consulates have an "attaché linguistique" who can provide educational assistance.
  • The Cultural Services of the Embassy of France located in New York, maintains FrenchCulture.org, a site describing French educational and cultural events in the United States. The Cultural Services also has affiliate offices in nine cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Washington.
  • The French Resource Center at Rutgers: The Centre de Ressources pour le Français which is co-sponsored by the French Cultural Services has as its mission to encourage the best pedagogical practices in the teaching of French and disseminates innovative curricular models and material at all levels.

    • Professional Associations in the US
    Many Alliance Française teachers are members of their state language association and/or one of the following national organizations which provide pedagogical support for French programs.
  • American Association of Teachers of French
    The AATF has many exciting promotional materials, including flyers, brochures and videos.
  • National Network for Early Language Learning
    NNELL is a forum for those teaching foreign languages to children, and offers resources and guidelines for children's programs.