A Final Reflection...

Learning Blog 8

The time has come to reflect... 

• I can't even write that statement without connecting it to a learning theory, I've gone mad I tell you! The first thought that came to mind when I wrote that statement was what a perfect way to end our experience - reflection....it fits so nicely into project based learning and/or inquiry learning.  It doesn't end there either - just ask my husband.  I think he understands more about learning theory than what he bargained for when I signed up for this program.  He even busted out with a reference about Vygotsky of all people during a conversation we had a with a friend recently!  Because of me, he understands that I have a deep internal locus of control and he has a shallow external one.  He made me re-read that section of the text book.  Ahh, the power.

• I keep asking my kids what kinds of scaffolding they had in place during their school day - a concept that they TOTALLY get now.  They totally "love" it when I start explaining how their brain works and how there might be better ways of solving problems and learning from one another.  My favorite term to use with them, other than scaffolding, has been zone of proximal development.  I love to find out if they are given any educational opportunities at school that seem just a bit out of reach, but still within the realm of possibility.  When they say yes, I get excited, clap my hands and ask if I can model or coach them.  Two of my kids are doing their own laundry now because I just knew it was within their range of possibility.  They "love" their new and improved mom.

• While teaching my youth church group this semester, I've quite enjoyed teaching them about the cognitive processes going on in their minds as we've been learning together.  They totally get the concept of mediation tools and activating prior knowledge (or lack thereof - did I just say that out loud?).  Because of my newfound knowledge in cognition and learning theory, I can introduce any concept I've learned in this class to my youth group and they totally go along with it and support me through my experiments and craziness.  I can even insult them a bit by saying things like, "Seriously, that's all that is going on in your brain?" Or, "We can all stare at each other until someone wants to be part of my community of practice."  They don't mind the insults because they all know it's for educational purposes.

• The only living beings in my life that haven't been affected by this class have been my two dogs: Tank and Tika.  I should experiment with behaviorist theories and training, but for some reason that area of learning didn't click so much with me.  Besides I like to dumb my dogs down anyway.  Well, enough of all my ranting about what I learned about myself from this class and blog.  Time to write my reflections about what I gained in trying to learn French...

Ok, so I just finished reading my 7 entries and the first word that came to mind was "huh." Not "huh?"... just "huh." You know the kind of feeling you get when you see the big picture?  My blog entries were all over the place, but each illustrates a sincere attempt at applying theories to my learning the French language. 

• Initially, my approach to learning French was completely learner-centric and discovery based.  I decided I would just discover things as I went along, create new schemas and magically tie them all together in the end.  Things were going pretty well at first because I was highly motivated after having returned from a trip to Haiti.  I really wanted to be able to speak with authority to better help my organization.  I decided to take the approach of learning like a caveman would - in little spurts and French "grunts" so to speak. This method was working just fine with vocabulary acquisition. However, by week four I started seeing the holes in this approach.  

• My metacognition kicked in and I knew I needed something more consistent and organized if I was going to make this a long-term project.  I've really enjoyed my French immersion program that I purchased from Costco.  It's on my computer desktop and is a welcome break from all my reading and writing this semester.  This is a great scaffolding tool as well as relying on my French speaking nephew for guidance.  

• I had a serious breakthrough by week 5.  It wasn't a breakthrough in terms of suddenly understanding French (learning a language doesn't exactly happen that way), but a desire to make sense out of all the theories swimming around in my head.  This experiment with learning French helped me to see the bigger picture of what I was REALLY learning.  That was a fun week.  I remember the simple graphic map that I created to help me organize the various learning theories was really helpful and reminded me that I'm a visual person and should do those exercises more often. 

• Following that breakthrough week, my last two blog entries were more grounded in theory.  I feel like this process has allowed me to better articulate the application of learning theory.  In a nutshell, I love this stuff and think it's rich with overlapping ideas, deep with concepts and totally applicable in about every facet of my life.  So while I admit that I can't speak French fluently after just 8 weeks, I can say that I have a great foundation to learn more effectively as I move forward.  Merci et au revoir mes amis!

French and the Theory of Transfer...

Learning Blog #7

Objective
To apply the theory of transfer in my foreign language learning experience.  Does it apply?  Am I doing it?  Could I be doing more to promote transfer?

Again, I want to focus my blog on learning theories, because that is ultimately more interesting than simply writing I've been working on the French immersion program on my computer and it's coming along.  That's just boring and I'd much rather think about transfer - such a fascinating concept!

Definition of Transfer
The ability to transfer your knowledge and skills from one problem solving situation to another.  

Questions to Consider
So the question to which I keep returning is how can the existing knowledge of my first language (English) be transferred to help make learning French easier.  Here are some of the other questions that I've been really focusing on during this blog session:

• What are some of the misconceptions that I'm bringing to the learning experience?  
• What items are more easily transferrable?  
• How is my English accent affecting my newly forming French accent?
• What kind of cues can I learn to force myself to actively enhance positive transfer?
• Are all of my cues based primarily on my first language or will I ever get to the point where I employ French cues?
• Am I able to be aware of my metacognition with this learning experience?
• Can I identify my existing language learning strategies?
• What are my techniques for modeling and practicing more strategies to become an independent French speaker?
• What interference can I identify that may have a negative effect on transfer?
• What methods can I employ to generalize the French vocabulary I'm learning?

Observations

Ok, this is really hard.  It's so much easier to just go through my French immersion program and pass off levels.  To actually try and answer my own questions regarding transfer is difficult!  I know the questions I posed to myself as a kind of mental framework are good and show that I know enough about to transfer to even ask them, but my inability to answer all of them this week shows how much more there is to learn.  I'm beginning to understand why some people think the whole point of education is to promote transfer - this is deep stuff!

Let's start with what I can articulate about my first language 

• I learned English culturally, socially and cognitively
• I had to comprehend and produce language - and not always in that order
• I learned concrete things about the English language (declarative knowledge) before I learned how to put it all together (procedural knowledge)
• I learned my primary language culturally and socially and then employed cognitive learning strategies to make sense and personalize it.

Now how does this compare/contrast with my French acquisition

• I'm trying to learn French primarily through my own cognition.  I have employed other help, but I haven't relied on that. These cognitive tools are transferring the following: memorization, repetition, cues. 
• I have memorized a few things in French and so I wonder if I'm just acquiring knowledge, but not really learning anything?  Did I ever feel this way about English?
• I'm still very aware of what I'm learning so I don't think much has become automatic.  The bright side is that I'm aware that it's not automatic so my metacognitive skills are still working!

What kinds of transfer have I been experiencing? 

• Vertical: My knowledge of English was essential for me to learn a 2nd language
• Near: There are a lot of overlaps between these two languages 
• 40-50% of English vocabulary comes from the French language.  I read this on the North Carolina State University Foreign language site. That's amazing and helps to motivate me.  I've already noticed so many similarities like: adorable, menu, excellent, horrible, photo, radio, train and the list goes on
• Far:  I'd like to believe this process is helping me with critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies.  I know it's definitely helping with memory exercises. Another thing I know this will help with is making my connection to the world of the arts more accessible - French is the language of culture.  I know this knowledge will transfer to my desire to communicate more effectively with Haitians, thus enriching my experience in the non-profit group I'm in (believehaiti.org).
• Positive:  My knowledge and understanding of English is positively affecting my French acquisition
• Negative:  Some of what I've learned in English is slowing my French down
• I had described in an earlier post how I'm finding it difficult to understand and apply the different nuances in the French language.  Simple sentence structure is different than what I'm used to.  I have mastered "over-generalizing" the English language so trying to generalize the French language is difficult because I can't always transfer my generalizations about English sentence structure etc to the French language.  It's slowly coming...

What kinds of cues are helping me transfer?

• Since I've been relying so heavily on my French immersion computer program I'd have to say that visual and audio cues have had the most impact.  The program utilizes games that give me a visual cue to access the word in English and then translate that into French (I can't wait for my recall to occur in French first).  It also gives me verbal cues in English to help retrieve the French equivalent.
• Around week 1 and 2, I was using visual cues (cards with French vocabulary on it) and taping them around my house to help activate knowledge and make it contextual. I thought that was effective and I need to do more of that. I think it's interesting that I need to first highly contextualize things before I can organize that knowledge into general principles.

Final Thoughts on this Week

I feel like this week, along with last week has been focused more on how the theories of learning are at work in my learning process.  This is very rewarding to me because I love to know why and how I know what I know.  My French vocabulary acquisition is coming along, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is a slow process and it'll come with time.

ZPD in Action!

Learning Blog #6

Objective:  Learn the words to a French school song and teach it to my own children.

Background
During my recent trip to Haiti, I spent a day at a remote school in the mountains above Port Au Prince.  The school children were adorable and I especially loved the warm reception I received from the 1st grade class.  They sang me this lovely welcome song and I just couldn't get it out of my mind.  In fact, 2 months later, I periodically find myself singing the song. The only problem is that while I understood the first and last portion of the lyrics to the song, the middle portion is seemingly impossible to decipher.

ZPD will rescue me, I know it will!  Why do I know this?  Because this task is too difficult to accomplish in isolation.  I listened over and over to the lyrics and I just couldn't understand what they were singing.  I realized that I need the help of someone who knew better than I.  Once again, I turned to my French speaking nephew to mediate my learning.  He provided the proper scaffolding by translating and then explaining what the newly translated portion meant within the context of the song.

**Update:  The translation my nephew gave me is obviously not correct (listen to the video recording and follow the French translation - it doesn't match up).  The original version I gave him was an audio only recording of this song and it was a terrible recording I admit!  I don't blame him for not hearing the middle section correctly.  It wasn't until I found this video recording deep within my HUGE file of Haiti pictures that I realized his translation didn't match up.  I had a difficult time editing and uploading the video below so it wasn't until Thursday morning that my nephew received my plea to retranslate.  He promised it would be done by Friday night, but I'm pressing forward with hope, but realizing that the assignment is due on Friday too!  

**I'm going to wait to video my kids singing the song in its entirety until I know the middle section has been translated correctly.  I promise I will update!!

Lyrics en Francais
Bonjour, comment ca vas?
Ca vas bien, merci
Et toi?
Voila, Le demande qui demader comment fait la vie.
Comment ca vas?
Ca vas bien (repeat)

Lyrics in English
Good day, how's it going?
Good, and you?
There you have it, the question that asks how life's going.
How's it going?
Good, and you? (repeat)

Creating Order

Learning Blog #5

Objective

To search out the applicable Learning Theories to help better explain my current experience in learning basic conversational French.  I decided to take a step back and gain a bigger picture of my development - what can I say, I'm a principle-based girl! After all, I need to learn how to apply theories to my learning as well as use learning theories to explain my challenges and successes.  

First, an Explanation...

Today is Friday and I am about to delete, that's right, DELETE my entire blog post that I thought I finished last night.  Wha???? Am I nuts?  Something was bugging me about my draft: the only thing I was doing was explaining what I did all week.  That's fine if this were a journal, but I don't want this to be a journal - I want to make sense out of this 8-week long exercise and APPLY learning theory.  

ITLS 6540 has been challenging and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about learning!  So this morning I sucked it up and decided to use my textbooks and this really amazing website, http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/ (that I highly recommend you check out) to help construct a more solid schema of learning theory and how it applies to my current learning task. Note: these two sources as well as the material presented by Dr. Fields is the basis for the following information.

Attribution Theory 

As I attempt to learn something, it's very important for me to identify and offer myself explanations as to why I'm doing something and why or why not I'm achieving success.  This learning theory has a basic assumption: people like to attribute a cause for behavior.  Some of my causes for not just wanting to learn French, but also in not giving up by this point are an inner locus of control and controllable components.  I have been questioning how controllable (my ability vs. effort) this project has been.  I have decided I really can control this through my efforts (the reason I broke down and purchased a French Immersion Program from Costco).  It is very difficult to learn a new language - I often find myself not only applying the theory of tuning to my knowledge, but sometimes full on restructuring!   

Schema : Organizing and Relating Concepts

(A Great Use of Applying a Tool from Cognitive Load Theory)

Not only have I been actively organizing the knowledge I've gained this semester regarding Learning Theory into my own schemata (see graph), but I've been trying to create some new schemata for new French vocabulary (see Constructivism and Cognitive Load Theory below).

Applying Constructivism & Cognitive Load Theory (Bruner/Sweller)

Part of this theory is to encourage the discovery of principles through dialogue, inductive reasoning and from basing instruction on what the learner already knows.  I am actively constructing big ideas or principles of French language structure.  My original approach was to learn super basic vocabulary, much like a caveman would speak, so I could communicate at a base level.  I have to tune and restructure this model because it just isn't effective: there are too many nuances in the French language to make it so cut and dry (once it comes to conversation anyway). 

For example, there are many variations on descriptors like un, une, de, des, la, les etc (there are sooooo many more).  If I misuse these terms, conversational confusion may occur.  Easy example would be: un avion (an airplane) and une voiture (a car) OR une plage (a beach) and un lit (a bed).  I still don't understand when to use which descriptor, but my French-speaking nephew is helping.  

I'm especially noticing this theory in action with my French Number Schema formation.  Based on the Cognitive Load Theory, I'm trying to chunk number memorization to lessen my working memory load so that I may learn (through the creation of better schema) more efficiently.  Here is an attempt to explain the way I'm chunking to tune my existing schema of French numbers:

• Chunking worked great for learning numbers 1-100.
• So there are some cool patterns for memorizing all numbers en Francais.  The chunking goes like this:
• you don't have to memorize 17, 18, 19 or 70, 80, 90.  If you know that ...
• 7 = sept
• 8 = huit
• 9 = neuf ... then you can deduce that...
• 17 = dix (10) + sept
• 18 = dix-huit
• 19 = dix-neuf....and if you know that, then you can deduce...
• 70 = soixante (60) + dix
• 77 = soixante dix-sept
• 80 = quarante (40) + vingt (20) so...
• 88 = quarante vingt huit
• 99 = quarante vingt dix-neuf
• I know it sounds super complicated, but once I tuned into this pattern, I have been confident that I can blast out any number en Francais.  Basically, the only new vocabulary words (considering 100 different numbers) I have had to assimilate into my existing French Number Schema (I did have a schema based on my 8th grade French class) are:
• quarante (40), cinquante (50) soixante (60) and cent (100).  Every other number from 1-100 can be deduced (or inferred...not sure which term applies). 

• Restructuring took place this week due to a simple question:  How do I say "I am 40 years old OR my son is 15 years old" en Francais?
• Discovery: Google translate does not count as an "expert!"
• I've been relying too much on google translate.  It's taken me a bit of trial and error to notice there are so many nuances in the French language that a straight translation taken out of context has proven to be less effective and down right not correct!
• For example:  I wanted to learn the phrase I am 40 years old and My son is 15 years old (2 phrases I tried to learn while spending time in Haiti).  Google translate  gave me the following phrase (it's important to note that I typed in what I assumed would be the appropriate word for word translation...I am age of 40 years).
• Je suis age de quarante ans (I am age of 40 years).  That seemed pretty wordy to me so I thought I would check with my nephew who speaks French.  He said that no one would say it that way.  The correct way to say it is J'ai quarante ans (I have 40 years).  I learned that they say I have, not I am (a simple distinction, but it caused me to restructure my current idea of how to form sentences in French.
• With this new knowledge, I could deduce that the phrase My son is 15 years old translates to Mon fils a quinze ans instead of Mon fils est age de quinze ans.  I love experts!!

Applying the French Immersion Program to my Learning

This week, I have successfully passed the First Words, Numbers and Colors modules in my Instant Immersion learning software. I also made flash cards for the words I couldn't instantly recall and had my kids have been quizing me using the flash cards.  My 6 year old thought it was awesome to teach his own mother!

• Random thoughts on the software:

• An organized approach is more effective! Duh...
• Nice to have an organized program instead of relying on my own plan for learning French.  It has been very effective to have the program open at all times on my desktop - I can't escape it! Actually, I'm not trying to escape it, I just get so busy that a visual reminder has been quite beneficial.

• Doesn't have any diagnostic capabilities.  
• It would be nice if this program gave me a pre-test of sorts to determine my existing vocabulary.  This seems like a more efficient approach, although I will admit it feels good to know that my brain remembers some of the words from years ago.

• It tests recall and recognition of basic vocabulary.  
• In reality, I can't move on to basic phrases until my vocabulary improves.  
• This is an immersion program so I do appreciate the fact that they include all the French descriptors like whether to use un or une...or de, du or des and the list goes on.  This has been the trickiest part of trying to learn basic conversational French - so many of the words depend on female, male etc.  I like that this program is forcing me to learn the descriptor right along with the regular word. 
• Games: once the memory game exceeded 7 units, I was toast.  I actively tried to chunk the numbers to take the burden off my working memory.  ex:  looked for patterns in least to greatest, or  all the small numbers to the left.  This only helped a couple of times.  It didn't work very well because I was unable to see pattern most of the time and I didn't have time to make a pattern.  I would have to unpack and study in order to do that - it seemed completely random and happened so quickly that I was spending too much time trying to make sense of it and that took up some space in my working memory.

Time to Regroup...

Learning Blog #4

Objective:  To quit learning French because it isn't working.  (Don't read that Dr. Fields) Ok, what I really mean to state is to find a better method because I've hit a wall and need external help.  I mean seriously, I just returned from a trip to Germany and I figured since Germany and France were neighbors I could be exposed to more French than it turns out I was.  Not the case.  Sadly, most of the Germans I spoke with didn't care much for the French - especially Parisians.  Ouch!  The one exposure (see blog #3) I had was profound so I'll keep that episodic memory alive and well.  Anyway...in my depressed state, I decided to turn to my therapist: Costco.  She is all knowing and sure enough, look what she prescribed:

It's like you knew I was coming dear Costco!

It even has a map, I'm sold...

You're killing me - a travelmate companion? 
I guess I better start planning my next trip

Ok so let's talk learning strategies.  This program has 3 levels of French immersion.  Level 1 covers the basics like first words, food, colors, phrases etc.  The objective is to score 1800 points in order to move to the next level.  It all seems pretty standard as far as programmed learning goes. There is some personal choice involved so my interest is piqued and I feel some motivation starting to simmer....

So in the subcategory of "first words," I have topics like Word Practice, Speaking Practice, Easy Game and Hard Game....

So far I like the games the best because of all the verbal and visual cues involved.  I tend to do really well with cues.  The challenge for me has always been retrieval with no cues.  We'll see if this program can help me with that learning obstacle.  I plan on keeping the program open and accessible on my computer screen.  This way, I can keep my attention span engaged and motivation supported.  

I haven't given up, I will be French soon - the Oracle of Costco told me ;)

Mental Imagery as a Powerful Learning Tool

Learning Blog #3

Objective:  To better utilize my mental imagery regarding French.  This includes not only mental pictures, but any imagery caused by sound, smell, taste and kinesthetic experiences.  I believe images are powerful - especially pour moi.  Having traveled throughout Germany this week, I experienced many sights, sounds, tastes and kinesthetic images to help make new connections and help with retrieval and recall.

Method:  While traveling to tourist sights (that have any French element at all), I will take mental (including all senses) pictures linking me to that sight.  I will draw a picture, make note of a smell or taste, or video a kinesthetic experience to help with recall/retrieval later.

According to the Open System Theory in the CIP model,  my human mind (an open system) is like a computer from which I will be interacting with the realities outside myself by visiting Germany this week.  I will no doubt acquire information from the outside (input) and use that information to act on the world in some way (improve my French accent by seeking French speakers to emulate).  I expect to have an even  greater appreciation for the impact of this cultural exchange in helping me gain a better understanding of Europe as a whole.

I will try to record as many interactions (whether verbal or written) with the French language that I can.  I will translate (hand written in my travel journal) as many phrases as I can!

I'm hoping to avoid cognitive overload because I now know that my mind is like a bottleneck - I must slown down and simplify whenever possible.  I'm hoping to add words to my vocab that are very similar to their English counterpart to avoid overload.

.….    .....….  
After having spent a week in Germany thus far, I have to say that my original plan had to be thrown out for a new one!  My schema of European languages had to be tuned this week:). Oh my was I wrong to think that I would be exposed to a decent amount of French while traveling!  There were hardly any French speakers and the only tourist site that included any French translations was at the concentration camp in Dachau.  Further tuning about European language took place as I realized that English is the universal European language spoken everywhere.  I knew that already but it just clicked half-way through the trip.

It definitely has to be that way since there are so many different languages spoken in Europe.  It was an enriching experience to go on a couple of biking tours through Berlin and Potsdam and converse with people from Copenhagen and Japan that I would never otherwise be able to do.  I so admire that in people when I travel to different countries!  Their example motivates me to take the time and commit to learning another language.

I wish I could add some pictures with this post of all the wonderful sites I've been lucky enough to experience, but all I have is my cell phone!  I will add some pictures with my next post when I'm back in the states.

Like I noted earlier, I was able to find a few French phrases en Francais  that I will translate below:

Poussez - Push
I saw this all over on the bathroom doors.  The fact that I can combine this new word with a setting and image has allowed it to enter my long-term memory.


"Je me refugie a l'ombre de tes alles" - found on a bronze plate in Dachau.
"I refuse in the shadow of your gone."
Huh?  Yo Google translate, that doesn't really make sense!  I think I get what this phrase really means without Google translate because I was so moved by the location where I saw the phrase: Dachau.  It was such a moving experience for us to walk through the hallowed grounds of this concentration camp with my part-Jewish sister-in-law.  I knew it meant "I will never forget."


"Un pou, ta mort" - found on a Nazi propaganda poster
"A louse, your death"

This basically describes what would happen if a prisoner got caught with  lice.  It was once believed that typhus fever was spread by lice so these posters (I'll have to include a picture  with my next post) were placed around the camps as a warning.  Awful.

"Dachau - un monde sans pitie"
"Dachau -  a world without mercy"

"Les puissant et les victimes"
"The mighty and the helpless"


It was a sobering way to add a few more new vocabulary words to my French repertoire, but I know I will more easily recall or retrieve these new words/phrases because of the mental and kinesthic
memories that were created this week.

Adding a Socio-Cultural Element, Accretion, Tuning and Inference...

Learning Blog #2

Objectives:  To employ a socio-cultural element to my learning.

Methods:  Write a script written entirely in French.  Record my script and send to my nephew who speaks French fluently (he lived in Tahiti for 2 years).  He will listen and let me know via email if my pronunciations are correct and if there is a simpler way to communicate the same message or if I'm missing anything.

Bonjour mes amis!  It is Monday and I'm ready to start a simple conversation with a fluent French speaker (my nephew, Mckay).  I'm not ready to just "jump in" because I have not reached any measure of automaticity of vocabulary/phrase regurgitation yet. What I think will motivate me and keep my internal locus of control in the "controllable" state, is if I can first write down a script, send it to him and then listen to his feedback.

So basically I've employing 3 CIP mechanisms to get new information processing in my brain: ACCRETION, TUNING AND INFERENCE.  The tuning comes from google translate and from any corrections my nephew will add to the tuning. Inference is extending what I already know (some French) to hypothesize new phrases.  We'll see if I inferred correctly :)

Here is the proposed design of the script for my nephew:

1. Greeting
2. Acknowledge his recent wedding
3. Ask how school is going for him
4. Tell him why I'm studying French
5. Share with him the phrases I have been working on this past week
6. Tell him that I will be visiting Germany this week and if he has any tips for starting up a fun and simple conversation en Francais (assuming that I can find someone who speaks French!).
7. Thank him for listening
8. Goodbye

Here is the script en Francais.  I'm also highlighting which words I needed to look up on google translate: 

1. Bonjour Mckay, comment ca vas?  
• Hello Mckay, how are you?
2. Comment est la vie conjugale? 
• How is the life of marriage?
3. Comment est l'universite de l'Arizona? 
• How is the university of Arizona?
4. J'etudiez la theorie de l'apprentissage a l'universite.
• I am studying the theory of learning at college.
5. J'etudiez en huit semaines du francais pour un projet. 
• I'm studying French for 8 weeks for a project.
6. J'apprends ces phrases:
• I've learned these phrases
7. Allez au lit (go to bed)
8. Allons-y (let's go)
9. Bon nuit, mon amour (good night my love)
10. je manges petit dejeuner, dejeuner et dinet (I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner)
11. mangeons! (let's eat)
12. j'ecris (I write)
13. Je voyage a l'Allemangne bientot
• I travel to Germany soon
14. Quelles sont les bonnes phrases a apprende?
• What are some simple phrases to learn?
15. Merci pour votre temps
• Thank you for your time
16. Au Revoir!
• Goodbye! 

And.....below is his response (email, no audio at this point).  I found it so interesting how excited I was to be extrinsically motivated by his short email - it was so validating for him to tell me I already speak French well.  I love having a little French buddy!

Bonjour 

Bien fait. Tu parle bien déjà. You did good. I could understand everything. There were a few pronunciation errors, there may have been a couple conjugation errors but I'm not sure. If you send me the phrases I could help correct pronunciation and conjugation. There were a couple words and little phrases that I haven't heard before because they are really French, I learned ghetto French. But you did good. Bon travail. 

McKay