Languages Today, issue 2: Summer 2009 – Anna Scrivenger
France is reaching out to the world.
With partnership programmes being embraced across the EU that extend way beyond the traditional French exchange, there are now more opportunities than ever for UK teachers and pupils to immerse themselves in la langue française…
France’s education system has traditionally been France’s business. But the French Presidency has lately been adopting a more open and 21st-century approach towards Europe and the rest of the world, aiming to boost intercultural understanding between both students and teachers in France and Britain that will, it’s hoped, have a unifying effect on both countries and their languages. It’s a way to integrate French language and culture into the rest of Europe while fostering a more open attitude among the French to other cultures. And exciting opportunities are emerging for UK schools, with linguistic, career and travel benefits for those who participate.
The French European Ministry is acting as a hub to facilitate all of these programs, and the Institut Français is actively involved in linking together partners in the UK. As Education Attaché at the French Embassy in London, Michel Monsauret is at the centre of a horde of new initiatives, and is ideally placed to broker partnerships between educational authorities and institutions in both countries. He’s full of enthusiasm about the connections that are being forged between the two nations’ education systems.
Building bridges
“We have one new initiative that is furthering links between the two capitals,” he reports. “It’s being launched this autumn by the French Ministry of Education and the British Council, to match London boroughs with Paris arrondissements. I’m acting as the broker between the ministries. Before, schools had to write to the authorities to find a school in the target ountry – but this is much quicker and more streamlined – you go via your LEA and they organise it. People in both LEAs – at the London and the Paris end – get to know each other and visit each other’s areas, though it doesn’t have to be reciprocal. There are lots of things a London school can do with one in Paris, without even leaving London.”
This scheme, run by the London Grid for Learning, is the latest example of Anglo-Franco education partnering. Although this programme centres on London and Paris, other initiatives cover the length and breadth of both countries in a variety of ways.
Schemes such as Formation Croisée send UK trainee teachers to France for a month during their training, and vice versa. “The course component is recognised by both countries,” says M. Monsauret. “This is proving important for KS2 language mandate; many new teachers will already have some overseas experience.”
Since 2001, the SSAT has partnered France’s Centre International d’Etudes Pédagogiques (CIEP) on the Inter-Action Programme, which has paired 50 French schools with 50 British ones, based on their common specialism. The idea is that language teachers should not be the only ones interested in language education. “We match mostly specialist language colleges,” explains M. Monsauret, “but some schools with another specialism, such as PE, will build contacts with French schools around, say, preparations for the Olympics,” thus weaving crosscurricular links that require a foreign language.
The march of languages into UK primary schools provided another opportunity. In 2007, when the new KS2 framework was first discussed, the Institut Français Royaume-Uni got straight onto developing a method by which primary teachers could improve their French enough to teach it. It’s now offered by the French Centre de Langue, as four modules with the flexiblity to alternate between distance learning and on-the-job training.
Then there’s the new Diploma, coming to UK secondary schools in 2011. Offering students more choice and vocational relevance, the Diploma can also help drive the French language in Britain. Monsauret explains: “When students leave school, there will be a bilateral recognition of their accomplishment, so they can apply to French universities without any further tests.”
Works in progress
Integration is a two-way street, and while these are all great examples of reciprocation and co-operation, France is ahead of the game with some initiatives, such as the new Jules Verne project, funded by the French Ministry of Education.
The focus is on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), whereby non-language subjects are taught in another language. It’s popular in France, though catching on here – “there are dozens of UK schools participating already,” enthuses M. Monsauret, “for example, teaching history in French, so pupils learn two things at once.” To this end, around 80 French teachers have been despatched to “improve their English, gather authentic teaching materials and create links with the foreign school.” While our pupils can certainly benefit from this, there’s not yet a reciprocal scheme allowing us to send British teachers to France, though Lid King has cited strong support for CLIL on behalf of the DCSF.
We’ve also yet to collaborate with France on rewriting the history books. The Manuel Anglo-Français project, a history book in the making, aims to unite Europe via writing a shared textbook that can be used in schools. “Whenever you launch into a bilingual stream you’ll need to develop teaching materials,” says M. Monsauret, who has already helped launch the Franco-German collaboration, titled Histoire-Geschichte, into Germany and France.
“You’re teaching history – but whose history are you teaching? The idea is that we look at Europe’s history and focus on how we worked together through wars and the EU. We have more in common than we think. In the UK, history is not taught in chronological order,” Monsauret points out. “If we establish a common history, and put it in order, you can link events to previous events and see how history is influenced by what has gone before.”
Initiatives such as these all serve to integrate and unify as much as they do to educate. Working from a grassroots level, they may soon be closing the gap between education in France and education in England – and the language barrier with it.
Partnership programmes
How you and your school can work with schools in France…
Comenius Regio
The British Council’s Comenius scheme links local authorities with an equivalent authority elsewhere in the EU. It’s not limited to schools – libraries, police, museums, health services etc can also get involved, with support and advice available – plus funding up to €45,000. More information: www.britishcouncil.org/comenius-regio-partnerships.htm
Jules Verne
Funded by the French Ministry of Education, the Jules Verne programme despatches French teachers to overseas schools for a year, so they return to France with new skills. It’s a great opportunity for UK schools, especially those that implement CLIL. More information: www.ciep.fr/en/francobrit; www.inter-action.eu
London Grid for Learning
The arrondissements of Paris and Borough Councils of London are partnering each other to promote educational cooperation between the two countries. The scheme works via teacher development, classroom technology and exchange opportunities for pupils. So far, 24 London authorities and 21 Parisien arrondisements have linked up, resulting in 56 primary school partnerships. It’s run in the UK by the British Council, LGfL and the SSAT. More information: http://cms.lgfl.net
Formation Croisée
Every year, hundreds of British teachers spend a month in France – and vice versa. The idea is to improve their language, and also their pedagogy. Each French IUFM is partnered with an educational institution in the UK or Ireland, funded by the Education Ministry in France and the Training & Development Agency in Britain.
More information: http://dossiersthematiques.iufm.fr
World Links School Linking
The British Council can help fund opportunities for teachers and heads to make short visits to partner schools in any country to develop partnerships. More information: schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org