Adaptation Du Manuel Parlons Français À L’enseignement Du Français Au Kenya

ABSTRACT

The introduction of Parlons Français as the first ever French course book published locally in Kenya for the teaching of French as a foreign language, having been a development that was a turning point in the history of French teaching in this country, our concern in this critical study was to examine the suitability of the course book to the situation in Kenya. Our assessment is that this first attempt to develop a course book for the teaching of French by local authors has largely achieved the objectives for which it was designed.

Parlons Français has since 2005 not been the main course book for the teaching of French in Kenyan secondary schools because other course books have been recommended by the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) alongside it for use in schools. The course book is therefore competing for use with others that have recently been published for use in schools where French is taught as foreign language, either as the main course book or reference material.

Our criticism of Parlons Français brings us to the conclusion that it is structured, organised and les methodologically dogmatic in comparison with previous course books and is thus more open to eclectic use in order to make it more suitable to the needs of learners. However, it has shortcomings which undermine its suitability as a course book for the teaching of French as a foreign language generally and in Kenya specifically.

Though the newly published course books were not part of our study, their availability and recommendation by KIE – the institution whose work is to oversee subject curricula, make us resist the temptation to recommend the use in class of one course book at the expense of another, in the interest of quality.