Power-Glide French Review

Most American’s are surprised to find out just how far reaching the French language is. English and French are the only two languages spoken as a primary language on five separate continents. French also trails only English in terms of prevalence within international organizations. It is an official working language for dozens of international organizations including Amnesty International and NATO. Due to its importance on the world stage, French is taught in every county in the world.

There are many approaches to learning French as a second language. There are books, CDs, tapes, software programs and web tutorials that will teach you the French language. The Power-Glide system is one option. The Power-Glide system is a comprehensive French course meant to be used to teach students from grades K-12. Adults can also use the system, but be advised, it is not designed to be used by those over 18.

Course Components
The Power-Glide learning system uses an academic approach to learning the French language. It is designed to be used by students ranging from kindergarten to seniors in high school. There are eight different levels: two elementary, two middle school and four high school levels. Some schools award credits to students who complete these programs. Individuals can also purchase the programs: the French Ultimate Power-Glide course can be used by adults and is equivalent to a year of high school French.

Over thirty years ago Dr. Robert Blair was inspired to create what came to be known as the Power-Glide language learning system. Dr. Blair noticed that typical foreign language classes forced kids to learn grammar rules and vocabulary words instead of teaching them how to actually converse. He designed a system that attempts to teach you the French language the way children in France learn it. I see no problem with Dr. Blair’s philosophy; it’s the execution of this philosophy that makes this product average at best.

Power-Glide French is comprised of a workbook to follow as you learn, audio activities with French speaking examples, and an interactive CD-Rom. There are also quite a few valuable software tools, including an electronic French dictionary. The elementary Power-Glide courses are very good. They have many fun interactive games for the little ones to play. It is a good introduction to the French language. The problems arise in the upper level courses called French Ultimate Adventure.

French Ultimate Adventure is purported to teach teenagers the French language the “natural” way. However the natural way requires some degree of language immersion, which Power-Glide does not provide. The course basically consists of screen after screen of text with few graphics and little interaction. Power-Glide does not try to teach you anything about the history of France of the French way of life; valuable tidbits when you’re learning a foreign language. Also there is no on-line tutoring feature and some of the exercises will feel a bit sophomoric to complete. The price is $159.99 per year and while that is not exorbitant for a foreign language-learning course it certainly isn’t a bargain either.

Bottom Line
The Power-Glide system was developed to help children learn their second language. Consequently it is a product that should have a niche place in the foreign language- learning software market. For anyone searching for a course that will teach your child the French language then this could be the product for you. Chances are you can probably even get credit for it at your kid’s school. However, unless you have a youngster who wants to learn French this product is not for you. Rocket French is a much more effective and fun way to learn the French language and is considerably cheaper than the Power-Glide system. That is my top choice for a foreign language learning system for adults.