Review of “STUDIO 100, niveau 1”, “STUDIO 100, niveau 2” and “STUDIO +”
Reviewed by Sylvie Thibonnet & Christophe Galian
Summary in English
The Studio series belongs to the latest generation of French as a Foreign
Language textbooks. This series conforms to the principles of the cadre
européen commun de référence, a set of guidelines for European language
instruction developed over a period of ten years by renowned European linguists
working in collaboration with teachers and academics. These guidelines emphasize
the importance of the communicative approach to language instruction and the
concept of notional/functional grammar. In this review, we focus on the trilogy
comprising Studio 100 level 1, Studio 100 level 2, and Studio+. Our
review is informed by our own experience with introducing the communicative
approach in an Asian instructional context. Using an analytical tool designed by
one of the authors, E. Bérard, we have determined that the communicative
approach of the Studio series creates ample opportunity for innovation
and originality on the part of the instructor, but can also be more threatening
than other approaches for the learner as well as for the teacher.