TF2 - Minister for Education

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Did anyone catch this interview Thursday night? I missed it, but heard from the radio this a.m. that laws will be enacted in spring 2005 and become applicable in the school year starting that September to compel the teaching of English to children from the age of 7 and a third language from age 12. Can anyone confirm? Any other highlights?

[Richardbk]

What is proposed for CE1 is a modern language, not necessarily English. Afterall, most French politicians are anglophobes and certainly do not want to be seen to directly supporting English, even if most of the French themselves actually want priority on English. There will an an obligation for a  2nd foriegn language from the 5th year.

Of course the biggest problem will be to find enough suitably qualified teachers/helpers that can speak the  language sufficiently. We have just moved to the south west from the Paris area and the parents are over the moon that my wife is now giving voluntary 30min/week English lessons to the local village school.  Previous language tuition was limited to a few words of Spanish and Occitane.

regs

Richard

 

[SaligoBay]

jond, there's lots of stuff here on it, if you can face wading through it.  Click on "les langues en France" for what you're asking about:

http://www.education.gouv.fr/thema/langue/langue.htm

Richardbk is right, language-teaching is a lottery in France, especially in primary schools, and I've done bénévole English teaching here too, because if it wasn't me, it would be nobody!  I think Mistral's said before that they have to start at the beginning in collège, because the children will all be at different levels.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Thanks for the clarification. As it happens, my wife is also giving a voluntary 60 minutes per week at our village school, including the maternelle. From what you've both said, the practice seems to not be uncommon. Perhaps the govt. is hoping that they'll be able to expand this kind of voluntary sector into a more structured scheme to avoid the problems at college level. Like you Richard, I can't quite see where the necessary staff will come from. Oh well, if it happens as planned I can't see it being a bad thing.

[Mistral]

I'm a mauvaise élève I saw my minister was on telly, thought about listening to an hour and a half of him explaining his reform, then I saw that we were going to have Allegre and Ashieri too and decided to watch a DVD instead

Back when the socialists were in government Jack Lang announced that foreign languages were going to be obligatory in primary schools from the next rentrée starting with CM2 and working down until they got to GS, so this is nothing new. Then in came the next minister and said that yes of course it was a good idea but they couldn't make it obligaory because they couldn't find enough qualified teachers in time (or even at all) So since then all primary schools are strongly encouraged to do languages if (big if) they can find someone to teach them. It's more and more common but the budgeting situation means that they have to first of all see if a teacher already employed in the school couldn't do it (as one instit told me "OK I've got a degree in Italian but it was 20 years ago and if I had wanted to be an Italian teacher I would have become one") next on the list are language teachers from the local collège (who have trouble finding the time) and last external teachers. We're lucky that the mairie pays ours.

There is even a curriculum (which isn't very clear and keep going on about the very hungry caterpillar) but quite often whet they did last year with one person is repeated the year after with another and the range is amazing. I have in 6eme this year, pupils  who have studied both presents, have got , to be and even the possessive sitting next to kids who know their colours and the days of the week but nothing more.

The echos in the staff room were quite cynical this morning. If they couldn't find the teachers 10 years ago, we're not convinced they are going to find them this time.

The original report actually wanted it to be automatically English in primary and then LV2 from 5eme, but that's been changed probably to appease teachers of other languages.

Other highlights that come to mind; dedoublement ( splitting the class in half) in Terminal language lessons. Good idea but where will they get the staff? Making all pupils take languages in both written and oral forms in the bac, Including a behaviour grade and the computing brevet in the brevet de collèges, doing either Hist:géo or science in the written brevet. These are the ones I picked up. As you can see I'm mostly interested in lanaguages and collège.

Remember; this is only a projet de loi, not the final thing, it has to be voted and applied first (I heard 2006/7) There will have to be loads of talks with the teaching unions etc (which reminds me i think there's a strike planned for 6th Dec (state sector only I imagine) I'll keep you updated