What are the fundamentals of teaching a foreign language?

Whether face-to-face or distance learning, one-to-one or group classes, the effectiveness of our courses is based on the fundamental principles of language teaching :

  • the quality of the teacher
  • true consideration of the learner's needs by offering a tailor-made learning programme
  • independent selection of the best teaching resources
  • pedagogical and administrative support throughout the course

But beyond these essentials, it's our communicative and contextualized approach that enables you to reach your goals.

As such, the learner plays an active role from the outset, developing the communication skills needed to carry out their activities in a foreign language: collaborating internationally, negotiating with suppliers, finding technical solutions, giving a presentation in another language...

Concrete results for better performance at work

Excellent training, I saw a real difference between the start and the end of the course in terms of the fluency of our conversations. I've regained my confidence and my language level has improved.
Ms Axelle D., Talent Acquisition Manager - One-to-one English lessons
The trainers were remarkable in their responsiveness, attentiveness and teaching skills.
Mr Frédéric F., Agent d'Accueil - Group training in French sign language
Great training, the teacher always listened to my needs and explained the grammatical basics. I really enjoyed my 20 hours with her. I recommend 1000%.
Mrs Emilie M., Quality Manager, Food industry - Spanish training by videoconference
My teacher capably adapted her methods to my level and my needs. I progressed much faster than I had imagined. Thanks to her effective teaching methods, I've gained a lot of self-confidence.
Mr Marty O., Director of Cyber Security - Individual course in French as a foreign language
Our teacher was very professional, full of joy and pedagogy. The sessions were varied and full of energy, which improved my speaking and writing skills.
Mr. Edouard E., Technico-commercial - Group English lessons by videoconference

How does our pedagogical approach help you achieve your professional goals?

Active learner participation fosters confidence and increases motivation:

  • Natural language learning mechanisms are activated.
  • Aiming for communication rather than perfection allows you to relax and improve.

Active learner participation runs counter to the pedagogical strategies we often experience at school, where mastery of grammar is seen as an end in itself, and the teacher sometimes takes up too much space. Yet playing an active role in one's own learning is a key factor in building confidence and commitment. By being fully involved in the process, the learner creates connections and learns to speak up spontaneously, thus boosting his or her self-confidence. Focusing on exchange rather than accuracy reduces the pressure to make mistakes, making learning more accessible and enjoyable.

The mechanisms oflanguage acquisition are naturally triggered when the learner is encouraged to practice regularly and authentically by an experienced trainer. Emphasising communication enables us to avoid the anxiety associated with perfection, creating an environment where every interaction is seen as an opportunity to improve. By targeting the effective communication of an idea rather than grammatically perfect sentences, learners are more motivated to practice and express themselves further, strengthening their progress. This process enables a sense of immersion and ongoing practice, promoting more dynamic and effective learning.

The activities proposed as part of our language courses are based on the situations in which the target language is used by the learner. In particular, they are based on authentic documents drawn from a professional context.

The teacher simulates real-life situations to equip the learner with the necessary resources they need to manage their job, leading to:

  • Better retention of acquired knowledge because the learner connects it to their own actions and experience ;
  • Accelerated progress thanks to practice taking precedence over theory than pure theory.

The trainer creates realistic scenarios, giving learners the tools they need to meet the real-life challenges of their day-to-day professional lives. This language teaching enables better retention of knowledge, as the memory integrates vocabulary or linguistic points by connecting them to concrete, real-life actions. This makes language learning more meaningful and lasting. What's more, the focus on practice, as opposed to a theoretical approach, accelerates progress. Learners quickly gain confidence and skills, thanks to active immersion in real-life scenarios that stimulate direct, practical use of the language.

The benefits of a dedicated teacher who continuously adapts their approach throughout the course

We favour having a single teacher for each language course, so that we can:

  • establish a relationship of trust between learner and teacher
  • adapt the approach and content to the learner's progress, strengths and weaknesses
  • get to know the learner really well, enabling us to better tailor the course to their needs
  • optimal follow-up of consolidation work requested by the trainer and carried out by the learner
  • challenge learners' understanding of different accents with the use of audio and video clips

A dedicated trainer provides invaluable support throughout the language learning process, ensuring that every learner receives the attention they need to succeed. One of the key benefits is the creation of a personalized learning program by the same trainer, taking into account the specific needs, objectives and challenges of the learner. This personalized approach ensures that each lesson is relevant and adapted to the professional context in question.

Our pedagogy team provides teachers with a selection of the best teaching resources. This independent selection guarantees the quality and relevance of the resources used. The trainer then composes a program using a variety of resources from our extensive media library. This diversity enables us to constantly optimize the program according to the learner's needs and progress.

As the learner progresses, so does the program. It adapts not only to the learner's improvementsAs the learner progresses, so does the program. It adapts not only to the learner's improvements, but also to any deadlines or tasks that come up, such as preparing a presentation, writing a crucial e-mail, drafting a report, handling an important call or conducting an interview.

Our trainers bring a wide range of accents and expertise, including French-speaking trainers for beginners, ensuring that all learners feel comfortable at every stage of their learning. What's more, the program is designed to build skills that can be directly applied in real-life situations. Thanks to contextualized content, the trainer guarantees that the skills acquired in class are immediately transferable to the learner's professional environment.

Throughout the training cycle, the trainer ensures a constant back-and-forth between training and the professional context, offering ongoing support to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and its practical application. This approach not only helps learners better retain what they have learned, but also enables them to approach their professional environment with confidence.

Sustainable skills development is ensured by our rigorous, ISO 9001 certified pedagogical and administrative tracking. This monitoring includes a teacher briefing before each training cycle to ensure that the content matches the learners' needs. The teacher also keeps "class notes" to closely monitor each individual's progress. Every month, our in-house team conducts an e-learning check to assess progress and adjust learning materials if necessary. And at the end of the course, a detailed evaluation report is sent to the training department, providing an overview of skills development.

Learner feedback is also at the heart of our approach. Initial feedback is collected after one month's training, followed by an assessment form at the end of the course to measure their satisfaction and identify any areas for improvement in our language teaching.

Find out more about our monitoring and reporting services >

He's just the best teacher! His teaching methods are perfect, and he makes you want to excel.
Ms Murielle S., Sales assistant

The results you can expect from our language teaching

Together with each individual, we define their training objectives, based on an in-depth audit of their needs. Then, a stimulating educational program is put together to target these same objectives as effectively as possible. Depending on the targeted objectives, at the end of its customized program with BTL the learner may be able to:

  • Express yourself with greater ease on professional subjects: in interviews, meetings, on the phone...
  • Better handle phone calls, conferences, meetings, presentations...
  • Better understand emails, articles and/or professional documents
  • Improve their professional writing
  • Use a more varied and relevant professional and socio-professional lexicon
  • Use more complex grammatical structures with fewer mistakes

The CEFR scale

BTL's expert assessors are qualified to position learners on the CEFR. All our courses, curricula and course materials are defined according to their CEFR level. At the end of the course, each learner receives a final report indicating his or her new level on this scale. This enables us to distinguish more developed skills from those requiring additional training (oral or written expression or comprehension, vocabulary, etc.). Find out more >
Paliers de Progression et équivalences CECRL

Which format would suit your employees?

Customize your training program with our comprehensive catalog of options. We'll guide you in your choice of training methods:

While the choice of modalities that make up your course package allows you to adapt the practical aspects to your pace of life and learning style, we also offer a choice of language orientations. Training focused on general professional language includes transferable skills such as presentations, telephone calls and vocabulary common to most sectors and professions. On the other hand, training focused on sector-specific language allows you to dedicate a third of the course to technical vocabulary and issues in your specific field. Or alternatively, the pedagogical program of a customized language course is created from scratch in response to a specific customer need. Discover our training programs >

How do we teach language?

Our memory anchoring techniques enable you to integrate what you've learned in a lasting way.

Our teaching approach is based on learning how to communicate effectively as quickly as possible, thanks to the " three Ps " : Presentation, Practice and Production.

What role does digital technology play in foreign language learning?

At BTL, we believe that innovation in language learning lies in the way digital tools are used, not necessarily in the tools themselves. Digital technology becomes a powerful lever for pedagogy when resources are selected and integrated in a targeted way by a pedagogical expert, according to the specific needs of each learner.

Each training course is tailor-made, with adapted use of technology to combine the best of digital technology and human interaction. With this in mind, digital becomes a means of enriching learning by offering a range of interactive and dynamic content: interactive modules, multimedia resources, exchange platforms... The aim is to reinforce learning while taking advantage of the unique support and guidance of teaching experts to maximize the impact of each session.

How can you accelerate the learning process while keeping your budget under control?

Visit Blended Learning is the ideal combination of instructor-led courses and self-guided e-learning. With unlimited access to the e-learning platform for the duration of their training, learners can accelerate their skills development as much as they wish.

Do you need an independent language certificate, such as the TOEIC test?

BTL is authorized to have your employees sit an independent, internationally recognized test or examination, eligible for the CPF. This enables you to standardize the assessment of your employees' language levels, who are evaluated using the same framework and receive a certificate attesting to their level. What's more, an independent test enables any professional to enhance their profile with a recognized certificate. BTL has been a TOEIC agent for some fifteen years, as well as a CLOE, BRIGHT and LILATE agent, among others.

BTL a plus de 40 ans d'expérience

Over 40 years' experience,
since 1983

99% of
learners
satisfied out of
15k polled

All our teachers are
qualified &
experienced

360° language services

Interested in learning more?

If you have any questions or would like a quote, we'd be delighted to hear from you.

Looking for CPF-eligible language training for yourself? You'll find our service for private individuals here >