The above quotation from ‘The Three Musketeers’ by Dumas has passed into the English language and conjures up thoughts of comradeship and unity. This motto could also be applied to my Derby U3A French Conversation Group which has been meeting regularly for the last three years. There are twenty members on the register with equal numbers of men and women. We agreed that the group would not be for beginners but that it would be an intermediate conversation group for people who want to practise speaking French, myself included! The enthusiasm and energy in the group is contagious but why is it that after having retired, this group of people were motivated to join a language class? This article endeavours to explore some of the reasons why older people are choosing to learn a language and how we as teachers engage them so that they continue to return. Some of the issues clearly apply to learners of all ages!

The University of the Third Age ( U3A) is a movement that brings together people who are retired or semi-retired to draw on their skills, knowledge and expertise. People learn from each other and voluntarily give of their time. Learning becomes a pleasure and as the U3A states “learning is its own reward“. My role is that of a facilitator and decisions about what topics or subjects to talk about are made not by me but by the whole group. One could debate the difference between the role of a teacher and that of a facilitator but Paulo Freire in his work entitled ‘Pedagogy of Hope’ (1992) suggests that the learners should take control and through the act of taking themselves in hand they become ‘agents of curiosity.’

At a recent U3A Languages Workshop in Birmingham there were teachers/facilitators representing many different languages including Latin and Welsh. The consensus was that languages are in demand. I repeat LANGUAGES ARE IN DEMAND! What a contrast to the headlines that languages are in decline in our schools and that our language departments are contracting. This sharp contrast and apparent contradiction has made me ponder on the reasons why U3A members are bucking the trend and opting for languages as opposed to our students in school who seem to be opting out. Are third age adult language learners ‘agents of curiosity?’

In order to understand why third age members are bucking the trend I devised a questionnaire to try to discover what my group of adult learners like to do and what they wanted to learn.   I also wanted to find out about their experiences at school. One of the group studied French but said that her French exam results were not good enough at the end of her first year at secondary school and she was told that she would be unable to learn German or Latin. However she continued to study French to ‘A’ level. Recently she returned from a holiday in Iceland and spoke in French at some length about her holiday adventures. She pinned a map on the wall and talked about her journey. Group members were interested in what she was saying and asked many questions. The negative experience at school had not deterred her from continuing with her French language studies. Other group members studied French to ‘O‘ level but for some of them that was sixty or more years ago! They said that they were worried that they had forgotten grammar and tenses. Another man did not study French at school and said ‘Just staying alive was the principle objective at my school!’ When I asked him why he had joined the group he replied that he thought it would be a challenge for him. Yet another man informed me that he did not enjoy languages at school and that his French teachers were ‘old school’ and difficult to relate to. The group’s previous language learning experiences were varied but they all  seem to be united now in a quest to improve and revise their French conversational skills. They have all set themselves this challenge.

The results of the questionnaire revealed that group members wanted to learn more about France, the different regions, politics, wine and current affairs. One person has a property in France and another needed to improve his French in order to be able to deal with his French aunt‘s affairs. Many of the responses referred to the desire ‘to be able to hold a relaxed conversation in France rather than thinking about whether the conversation is right!’ All were in agreement that lots of opportunities for speaking and listening were needed to improve their conversational French. Their appetite for wanting to learn more came through the questionnaire very strongly irrespective of their school experiences.

Naturally there were some anxieties and concerns about remembering grammar, tenses and as one member said ‘dredging up vocabulary’. I stressed that our sessions would be relaxed. Most importantly I emphasized that no-one would be forced to speak. Stephen Krashen (1982) described affective variables that relate to success in second language acquisition. He describes these variables in his ‘Affective Filter Hypothesis’ and argues that anxiety is one of these variables that can affect language acquisition. Krashen argues that ‘low anxiety appears to be conducive to second language acquisition, whether measured as personal or classroom anxiety.’ The ethos of the classroom or meeting room is important and sets the tone of the learning environment. One group member said recently that our group is a good supportive group in which everyone helps each other and no-one is embarrassed if they make a mistake. Other members revealed that they were worried about their memories and for some a gradual loss of memory in both English and French. By contrast when asked what do adult learners worry about one member said “ I have long since stopped worrying!“ and another stressed that it is not a problem if he makes a mistake in class as when he is in France he feels that he has sufficient knowledge, experience and confidence to get by. The range of answers in the questionnaire revealed a broad spectrum with those who were very confident with no worries at one end to those who were anxious and fearful of making mistakes when speaking French at the other end.

In order to engage this group of adults I began our first session in 2016 with a quiz about the geography of France. It was a useful ice-breaker and enabled paired work and small group discussions. I talked about living in Caen in Normandy and some of the places to visit in that region. We looked at maps and photos and gradually we began the process of getting to know one another. Questions were asked in French and people   responded hesitatingly to begin with and then with more confidence. Since then we have explored other regions of France including Brittany and the Breton language. This led to a discussion in French about other minority languages and one member of the group revealed that she spoke Gaelic and had studied it in Ireland at university. Hobbies and interests have been discussed and there have been presentations in French on playing the organ and how an organ works, on jazz music, art, and much more besides! We have celebrated Christmas and attempted to retell the story of Jacques et les Haricots Magiques (Jack and the Beanstalk).

We sang French carols and attempted a traditional French dance. Last Summer we discovered that there was a ‘Pétanque Club’ nearby and after making contact we enjoyed a sunny afternoon together trying to master the rules of this traditional French game. More recently we have been following the exploits of ‘le septuagénaire qui traverse l‘Atlantique en tonneau‘. It has captured our imaginations and one member updates us on the French man‘s progress each session! We have been trying to predict where he will land as he is being blown off course – an opportunity to practise the future tense!

This term we explored the theme of ‘Le Printemps’ (Spring) and explored the use of vocabulary through poetry. Some of the group were adventurous and had a go at writing some acrostic poems about Spring. This form of poetry was new to some of the group but they embraced the concept enthusiastically and enjoyed reciting their poems to one another.

They decided to adapt acrostic poems to other areas and some chose their names and attempted to write a poem about themselves. We are fortunate to have a native French speaker in the group and she adds authenticity and that certain ‘je ne sais quoi!’ Sometimes we work together as a double act and tease one another about the French or the English. She has lived in England longer than she lived in France and for her coming to the French conversation sessions is both a social activity but also a way of sharing her French skills with like-minded people. She has talked about the French elections, about Macron and last Summer introduced us to the term ‘la canicule’ (heatwave). The importance of the social aspect of the group was highlighted by many of the group members in the questionnaire.

My expectations of the group are high and a programme is always sent out in advance with suggestions of how to prepare. One lady said that she appreciated the structure of the sessions and another told me that ‘the more I learn the more I realise that there is even more to know.’

The resources that we use include articles from French newspapers and magazines and radio or television items, e.g. in early 2019 the death of the singer Johnny Halliday. His life was discussed and we listened to some of his music. An article about a French mayor and dogs produced a debate on ‘pour ou contre les chiens’ and the recent introduction of ‘uritrottoirs’ in Paris caused a great deal of hilarity as only toilet humour can!

Visual material such as pictures and photos are appreciated and I try to incorporate them into most sessions. Role play has also proved popular and we have imagined ourselves in situations for example ‘Chez le dentiste.’ We are gradually building up a small bank of resources including some unearthed French novels, French dictionaries and other books which members of the group can borrow. One member of the group belongs to a Book Club and read a novel by Michel Bussi, the Black Water Lilies which she then recommended to the French Group. However in the questionnaire one person highlighted that she thought that the best resource was the group itself and stated that “We are the group’s resources.”

Learning a language is a challenging activity and for several of my group their earlier negative school experiences have not put them off wanting to learn French again and wanting to improve their spoken French. They choose to come to the French conversations sessions and enthusiastically engage with each theme and topic. The quality of the learning experience and the safe environment in which these adult learners find themselves are important factors in their continuing attendance. There is a social aspect too., and members of the group who live on their own actively look forward to the French sessions. There is a positive group dynamic and the social interaction is obvious to see both during the session and during the much needed tea break!

Language learning need not stop when we leave school or university. For many it is an enjoyable and rewarding life-long pursuit. The results of the questionnaire point repeatedly to the dedication and self-motivation that each one of the group possesses. They are ‘agents of curiosity’ and motivated by their love of France and all things French. I would argue that their enjoyment of the learning experience is a crucial factor in their engagement and in motivating them to pursue their language goals.

As a languages teacher, I have been influenced by the research and work of Freire, Krashen and Cummins and have tried to put some of their ideas into practice as a teacher of French and of EAL (English as an Additional Language). The Natural Approach to language teaching developed by Tracey Terrell and supported by Krashen (1983) builds on a communicative approach to language teaching where the role of the teacher is to provide comprehensible input and to provide an environment free from stress and anxiety. Professor Jim Cummins distinguishes between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). In simple language this is the difference between ordinary everyday language and more complex academic language which one needs to argue, discuss and debate. The members of my French group would argue that they have mastered to some degree the everyday conversational language in French. They can greet one another, order food and ask for directions. However the leap to a more academic language proficiency requires a more in-depth knowledge of formal French language to enable them to converse in a more formal, articulate fashion. My task is to help them to cross this language bridge and enable them to acquire this level of language proficiency. The Natural Approach helps to engage students in a way that recognises each individual student’s needs in a non-judgemental and empathetic way.

In this article I have shared the analysis of my questionnaire and described the thoughts and feelings of members of the group. The third age students in my group are keen to learn and to improve their languages. The teachers at the Birmingham workshop were also enthusiastic and keen to work together. This then raises the question in my mind about what role the Association for Language Learning could play in all of this? As a Primary Languages Network leader I encourage teachers to join ALL and I spell out the benefits of being part of a national organisation, summarised as ‘Together we are stronger’.

I wonder if there is a way forward for ALL to support primary, secondary and U3A third age language teachers/facilitators and their learners? I would like to propose that just as the Three Musketeers found strength and unity together, then perhaps all of us language teachers, whatever age group we teach, should be working together towards a new motto: ALL for one and one for ALL.