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The different stages.jpg

The different stages

1 : Observations

  • The OCED and French Education Ministry's statistics reveal the extremely mediocre results of French students in both national and international means tests (PISA). (Documents for consultation below in French).

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  • Further reports confirm that proficiency in written French has been regressing over the last 100 years (an observation noted by Luc Ferry (the former Education Secretary) in his book entitled “An open letter to all those who love school: explaining the current reforms” (publisher: Odile Jacob and Sceren, 2003), as well as the 2010 Ministry of Defense's “Defense and Citizenship Day” test results (where 18 year old French teenagers partake in literacy tests); plus teachers and parents).

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  • The European First Language Survey in 2012 highlighted the fact that after more than 5 years of studying English at secondary school level, 71% of French students had a level of English normally attained by 11 year old primary school children (A1).

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2 : Questions

Several serious questions needed to be answered to account for the above results. As the basis for our investigation, we took for granted the fact that today's French students are not less intelligent than their past counterparts nor are they less competent than other European students. However, these are the questions we found ourselves confronted with:

 

  • Why do French school children find it more difficult to recall knowledge in current means tests than in the past?

 

  • How is it possible to under achieve to such an extent when the compulsory school leaving age is now 16, French school children spend tremendous amounts of time in school without mentioning the fact that the Ministry of Education's annual budget hovers around the 64 billion Euro mark?

 

  • Where do the apparent difficulties lie? Are they due to a difference in pupil sociocultural backgrounds? The pressures of modern day life? A lack of expertise in the teaching profession? Teacher training?...

 

  • Why has the number of trainee teacher resignations tripled over the last 3 years (November 2016 French Senate Report by Jean-Claude Carle and Françoise Férat? (document below in French)

 

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3 : Initial Findings

The teaching methods used in French schools today:

 

  • Do not encourage pupils to think in a deep and meaningful way.

 

  • Do not allow teachers to really comprehend the most efficient way of transmitting knowledge and thus, how to put it into practice.

 

  • Overcrowd the learning environment with tools, tasks, activities and even learning gadgets which are both cumbersome to learners and teachers.

 

  • Focus on keeping both teachers and learners occupied but not on the intensity of mental activity, which can be extremely short but immensely profound.​​

4 : Our challenge: finding a practical solution

Our goal was to create a pedagogical environment and atmosphere that would stimulate learning and teaching, both beneficial to pupils and teachers, and that would also permit high level achievement.

 

We noted that in order to reach this goal, it would be essential to implement change in two areas:

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  •  Teacher-learner relationships

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  • The physical classroom environment, making it more comfortable and less distracting

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