The restaurant idea

Un succès fou!

What worked and why?
- Most students were very well prepared for the blind date conversations; several couples spoke fluently for the entire time they were dining.
- For those who weren't as well prepared/as strong, they were forced into making conversation and had the experience of participating to their level in a French speaking environment.
- Students did not speak English!  Gaby and Fishy were blown away by this - we actually did not expect this level of collaboration in the task.  For most of the year this group has not distinguished itself by hard work or strong motivation, so their achievement was outstanding.  As well, the best and hardest-working students genuinely excelled.
- Logistically, it all worked, which can be attributed for the main part to the facilities to which we had access - kitchen, benches, water etc. Gaby & Fishy also spent some time in planning and preparation, individually and together.

What didn't work and why?
- We weren't able to assess the students as formally as we wanted to, due to being involved in food preparation and service.
- We need to charge the students an extra $2 to cover costs.

Student Feedback
- Immediate feedback was extremely positive:
* Good preparation for the students travelling on the France Study Tour or for anyone travelling in future.  Students felt competent ordering food in restaurants, and general conversation.
* Studentss felt like they were in an authentic French setting (because they were obliged to speak French - but this was self-motivated since we couldn't actually have forced them.)
* Students were able to evaluate their learning in terms of how they could improve eg 'we needed to develop the waiter's conversation more.'  They asked if the exercise could be repeated so they could be more prepared next time.
* The food was well reviewed and appreciated by students.

Gaby & Fishy Feedback
- Well worth the effort because of the high level level of student participation and enjoyment.
- We believe we witnessed the evidence of genuine learning.
- It was a culmination of 3 terms' work, but also what they have learned over nearly four years - bringing it all together in an authentic scenario was what made it so satisfying for us and the students.