How to study French in a group

A no spoken English rule, on top of whatever paper drills you come up with. Either for the whole session or a small period of it if you're just starting out. It's the easiest and best way to learn, just make sure there are dictionaries handy.

If you've received papers back or have some to turn in, proofreading is always helpful.

The main benefit of studying a language in a group is to practice speaking. Maybe break into pairs to practice talking about the vocabulary of the week? When I was in college, the language departments sponsored afternoons at a local coffeeshop where students could drop by to practice chatting in the foreign language.

Make a rule that everyone has to speak french, and if they run up against something they don't know how to say, or no one can understand, you must try it three times before using english.

I find that I remember the strange and outrageous things I learned to say in French better than the the "normal" stuff. you could translate movie quotes and try to identify the correct movie there are thousands of interesting ways to speak a foreign language rather than Je Sous Tu est ....whatever!! Conjugation sucks ...Conversation rocks./

You could try to write something in pair work / both students write something (just pick up any topic you like : music, science, movies...), then give the text to the other one who makes linguistic suggestions. I'd gladly correct some of these texts (send me some mail). Speaking French during the full session might be a little difficult, but you could decide to have a discussion (involving all the students) during which no english word is allowed. You can also turn it into a game : each time one of the student says something in english, he is excluded from the game. The goal is to stay as long as possible. Don't forget to change pace and activities : speaking, writing, working alone, working all together, working with only one other student. Create situations but decide from the beginning to respect some (time) frame, so any student cannot stop the whole working that's going on. (For instance : you've been elected President of the U.S.A., you have to write a speech which is to be pronounced in front of the highest French authorities in a week. You have an assistant to help you. I gather that you're 6 : makes three groups. Each group gives a performance of the speech in front of the others, who then discuss the (linguistic) content. You have to look for a number of things : who are "the highest French authorities" ? how is one supposed to address them ? (hi man how ya doin' ? or M. Le président, M. Le Premier Ministre, etc...) What formulaic sentences should one say in such a setting...? and so on...) You can search for that stuff on Youtube. It can be much more precise : USA and France are both involved in Afghanistan : imagine that you discuss with a French "freshman" about the way the war is evolving... (If you want to write to French students, I'll be at the University in a few days, I can place an ad for you in the English department). About the "older" thing : you don't have to use authority, just ask everyone, at the very outset of your sessions, to make suggestions about the way work should be done in the group. Then, give your own suggestions. Keep all the best ones as a starting basis. You'll adjust through time. Ask (suggest that) everyone (is) to think about such suggestions for the next time. You can also suggest that each one of you is going to enforce "respect the frame" in turn. This way, you'll be all equally responsible for the choice of activities and the way they're carried out.