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Why use AIM?

AIM  stands for Accelerative Integrated Method.  Using gestures to learn a language incorporates more brain functions. Students learn differently. Some learn more effectively with visual cues, some with auditory cues and others learn better by doing.  In this method, students are able to learn more effectively because all three learning styles are used all of the time.  Also in a traditional 2nd language classroom, students would most likely get to speak 5-10% of the time due to the fact that one student would answer one question at a time. With AIM, ALL of the students are speaking throughout the whole class for about 90-95% of the time. This provides much more experience with the language because they are listening and speaking constantly.

What vocabulary are they learning?

The choice of words taught comes from research on young children learning their first language. Young children as early as 2 years old can communicate their basic needs using very few but essential words and gestures. As children age their vocabulary gets more developed as well according to their needs. Children with a basic vocabulary of only 50-1 00 words can easily communicate what they want or need. Similarly, the choice of vocabulary for this program has been selected on the basis of this ability to communicate using the most essential words.

What does the class look like?

I do not have a French room so I visit each classroom. The class is 30 minutes long. Students begin the class reciting a phrase which sets the tone and expectations of speaking only French during the class. The phrase is as follows:

Maintenant, tout le monde enlève le chapeau d'anglais et met le chapeau de français. Maintenant tout le monde doit parler seulement en français, pas en anglais! Merci beaucoup!

The grad 5 and 6's do a rap for their beginning of class 'mantra'.

La classe commence et tout le monde est prêt. On doit parler seulement en français, mais si quelqu'un parle en anglais, cette personne n'a pas de carte et ça c'est vrai. Ça c'est dommage mais on espère aussi que tout le monde essaie d'aider ses amis. En français on parle tellement bien. Notre rap est terminée, oui, c'est la fin!

(Now everyone take off the English hat and put on the French hat. Now everyone must speak only in French, not in English! Thank-you very much!)

Students sit around me in a circle and we do various activities ranging from learning new gestures to doing an oral review (I only gesture and they gesture and say the word) or a kinesthetic review  ( I only say the word and the students gesture and say the word). We  also play different games to practise the words and gestures. There is also an emphasis on reading and writing. The students are able to read and write with relative ease the words they are learning.

Why do you do so much work with the plays?

The plays provide a context for the childrens' communication. They memorize the play and are able to answer various questions about what happens in the play. Many very common French expressions are inserted in the play. In this way they are exposed to valuable language that they transfer into their own spontaneous communication.