Alliance Française Atlanta is excited to announce a collaborative partnership with the French language-learning magazine Bien-Dire that will help Alliance Francaise teachers enrich their teaching and class offerings using Bien-Dire’s interactive, up-to-date content. Bien-Dire and Alliance Francaise will also collaborate the development of the French-language version of the Alliance Francaise Atlanta Blog. AFATL students enrolling in Winter Classes will receive the benefit of a 70% discount for a specially-prepared Alliance Francaise Atlanta Bien-Dire subscription package to include paper and digital subscriptions, downloadable audio recordings and interactive exercises.
The Founding and Growth of of Bien-Dire
Bien-Dire has been creating educational content for learners of French as a Foreign Language (FLE) for over 25 years. It was founded by Pamela Bourgeois, a FLE teacher who saw the need for educational content about Francophone culture that was specifically adapted to her students’ specific levels. Confronted by a lack of resources, she began to create her own content, writing articles and sharing them with other teachers. That is how the first issue of Bien-dire published by “Les Éditions Entrefilet” was born in November, 1996. Since then her method has grown and Bien-Dire has become the world’s premier French-language learning magazine, spreading the idea of content-based learning to other languages including English Second Language learners.
In 2011, FLE teacher and magazine user Sophie O’Neill took over the management of Éditions Entrefilet, while Pascale Hugonnard-Roche became editor-in-chief of Bien-dire. In 2015, the magazine was completed with an online exercise product “Bien-dire Plus” and in 2017, another French learning magazine dedicated to beginner to intermediate was created called Bien-dire Initial.
The current health crisis led to further innovation, with the development of a fully digital versions with simultaneous audio (E-magazine), allowing the Bien-Dire team to help teachers ensure pedagogical continuity between face-to-face and online teaching.
Content-Based Language Learning
Éditions Entrefilet has developed a concept for learning French and English as foreign languages based on the use of 3 complementary tools: magazines with pedagogical content, audio recordings, and interactive exercises. Bien-Dire’s articles are written by language specialists around the world and who are as passionate about the culture of their country as they are about teaching. This dual educational and cultural perspective makes it possible to offer original articles that are up-to-date, in tune with current events, and adapted to various language levels. In the audio-file section of the magazione, the articles are read by French native speakers in order to provide language exposure and allow students to develop their oral expression and comprehension. All audio files are recorded in a professional studio to ensure maximum sound quality. Each issue concludes with comprehension exercises, which teachers can supplement with their own exercises using the Bien-Dire Plus package.
A Passionate and Committed Team
Today, the Éditions Entrefilet team, united by the same passion for French-speaking culture, pursues its mission of supporting FLE teachers, working every day to offer quality content that is constantly updated and adapted to their use and their needs. Over 20 editors contribute to the publication of six magazines for learning in more than 500 editions and containing more than 1300 exercises.
The Alliance Francaise Atlanta-Bien-Dire Partnership
The Bien-Dire partnership began when Alliance Francaise Atlanta teacher Sophie de Fromont visited the Bien-Dire offices during her vacation in Lyon. A long-time fan of Bien-Dire’s content, and a native of Lyon, Fromont stopped by to explore to ask about the possibility of working with Alliance Francaise Atlanta. Upon returning to Atlanta, Fromont, Dr. Richard Keatley, Executive Director of the Atlanta Alliance Francaise, and Business Manager Valérie Gaudemer-Maker, met with Editor Sophie O’Neill to talk more fully about various opportunities for collaboration.
In the end , the partnership was laid out on three axes: the provision of pedagogical assistance and content for Alliance Francaise teachers, the provision of French-language content for the AFATL Blog, and the offering of a significant 70% discount on subscription packages for AFATL students. Students enrolling in classes for the 2022 Winter Session will have access to a 70% discount for a subscription package that includes paper and digital subscriptions, downloadable audio recordings and interactive exercises allowing them to better pursue, and achieve, their language-learning goals.
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