Making the connections

An Anglo/ Franco electronic newspaper 'Connections' has contacted me following a response I sent to an upcoming item about comparative education systems. Strange really, all the years in Educational Advisory work & Local Authority Management in the UK and I was never been asked my  opinion by the press and yet here, well that's France anything can happen & does.

So what do I say, when asked to comment on the differences? Well based on one small village school & limited private tuition it all seemed rather surreal. I talked about learning styles in both countries and the need for those differences based on the demands of  the system and  in particular the languages.

This is highly evident in French when the need for rote learning & sequential memory is vital if all those verbs, genders and conjugations are going to be learnt. Hence, weekly tests of a rote learned verbal piece and a dictation, are essential for the French children. While their counterparts over the channel would not have done this type of activity for several generations, when the uunderstanding of structure and meta-language were vogue in the earlier part of the 20th Century in England.

21st century English teaching does not see  detailed structure of language as essential; such  knowledge is balanced by viewing the style & the purpose of  the language. After all its the enjoyment of a book, the understanding of a text, the appreciation of a poem and the pleasure in communication (spoken, heard & written) which is what language is about.

So what's better,well neither its a case of balance and what works for the language in question. And for those bi-lingual children its a case of linking the method & the language. As I told the reporter," Its about making Connections"...he seemed to like that.

English Immersion...teaching with a difference

Our current 'English Immersion' student is a very serious,intelligent, hyper-active, young Parisian from a middle class family.
Well educated, with a good grasp of grammar and English vocabulary, but little motivation to actually speak. Coming from a family of mathematicians, engineers and scientists we find the conversations have to be formulaic and topic based.But today we saw a different person when he was taken outside his 'comfort zone' and had to rapidly learn new practical skills.

We visited Jublains, a Roman fort and surrounding town, to watch what we thought was to be a demonstration of Roman music .We ended up sitting on straw bales each making a real set of Pan Pipes from wild bamboo canes. Forget the Health & Safety; hacksaw blades, files, sail makers needles and hot wax, but this is where France wins out

The expectation is that children & young people, will take responsibility. So, our young guest applied himself and completed the task admirably and made some splendid Pan Pipes. As a musician himself he was fascinated with the notes & the practicality and forgot about his uncertainty of talking. Meanwhile we watched as the French teenagers struggled with physical skills that their English counterparts would have found relatively easy.
Strange, less skill knowledge, but more responsibility.

Home again and little by little we see the curiosity & intelligence of the young man  overcoming the reluctance and disinterest of the teenager.The contradictions & anomalies of the learning process and culture in France continue , but some things, 'adolesence', are the  same the world over

That's impressive.......one very motivated young man

Well teaching has taken on a whole new dimension with the arrival of our first French, 'English Immersion Student'. Now these working hours run from 8.30 till 10.30 and are continuous. OK its not all formal teaching its a lot of activities and conversation, but the professionalism has to stay the same, the training of years.
So everything has to have the full explanation, be thought through and discussed with this delightful young man from the south of the region. Its tiring but enjoyable work with no down time as everything is an opportunity for language:game to play, language; film plot, language; even a cup of coffee, language.
This morning it was the vide grenier and he had to translate the announcements, then on to a traditional English Roast in, believe it or not, The Red Lion, surrounded by fellow Brits and listening to different accents and determining the content. He loved the food (yes you guessed Roast Beef), though was confused by the Yorkshire 'Pudding'..."is this a desert?"

And now back to the formal, work provided by the company and mostly grammar exercises, but some refreshing though difficult crosswords and a creative 'Scrap Book' to be completed over the week.


 Well motivated and with good humour this 13 year old has chosen to spend his holidays working on his English....now that is impressive!

Making a spectacle...

                                                   

The first day of July, or as near as possible, is  the designated day for the village fete. Now this is no ordinary do, with a few stalls and a meal, no this is big time. The school gates are fronted by decorated floats first the Moulin Rouge, then China, later a London bus decked in Olympic colours and finally the dancing troops and the musicians. All the children and I have to say most of the adults love this, its a parade , a beauty pageant and a chance to be part of  'Le Spectacle'.

And all this is in celebration of the village and  'le maximum show' as the publicity screams.
So what do the young girls see when they watch, or join in, well its easy they see the adoration of the 'Majorettes' (no its not Christmas) and the chance to see and maybe one day be, Miss France.I know it sounds odd, rather old fashioned, but its simply understood. It leads a whole new meaning to the my Granny's phrase about, "making a spectacle of yourself".

Vive La Republique

This week we attended the school end of year concert, you know the score, I'm sure its the same all over; songs, poems, little plays, dance whatever. The little ones looking really cute what ever they do and the older ones impressing their proud parents and being very grown up.
So the parents, grandparents, relations, neighbours & village dignitaries all turned up. As there are just short of 300 people listed as resident and roughly 80/100 were present, thats a good deal of the village. Held in a marque erected to host the fete this weekend, we watched while the olympics were honoured in dance, country songs were sung and short dramatic scenes were acted out.

Much the same as in England we applauded, dabbed eyes and  laughed in equal measures, but there was a fundemental difference.  Here is where the French system favours the children; they had everything off by heart, were extremely self disciplined, it was more on a par with the motivated group work of older children. Every week primary children have to learn set pieces off by heart and these are tested rigourously....word perfect recital and dictation are a mark of success, so these pupils are trained.

Then there was the placement on the stage; France is a republic so everyone is of equal standing, hence everychild must be seen equally well at all times...photos must show all their faces so all the village can see.
And, at the end a fundamental difference, you must have a glass and something to eat. Not because of the need for sustanence or liquid, but to give the opportunity to sit and talk. French villages are quite sleepy places in my experience, but when they get any chance to socialise they do. formally, seriously and with great enjoyment.....Vive La Republique

Thinking outside the box...

Funny how you just assume things,that somethings are settled and correct. Not so I discovered today when I noticed the blog times were all incorrect and it looked as though I been putting things up at strange hours.
Made me think of the maths games I have played with children and how educational culture can alter how the children respond. Take the game of Buzz, which entails counting and on a designated number e.g.every number 2 or in 2 sequence table, you say buzz. This takes a knowledge of sequence, table bonds and concentration as each person in the class takes a turn. So 1,buzz,3,buzz,5,buzz.....19,buzz,buzz,buzz... and, if you get it wrong ,you are out of the game.
So here in France whats the difference? Well it causes a problem, because everybody has to think independently, answer singly and the sequence/ turn taking constantly changes as people drop out. Added to that (forgive the pun) is the English language and did we have fun! We used a number square (grid with numbers in tens in order) to help, but part way through even the class teacher, who normally does not get involved, looked confused and asked for a copy of the square.
So we tried it in French,quite a test for my concentration, and still it was really hard work, because it meant changing parammeters....in this case literally thinking outside the box.

What's in a name....what's relevant

What's in a name?

So another English lesson over and rather pleased with how it went, as I endeavoured creative letter writing based on the Olympic work we have been doing.
Now the children are keen to learn but are so used to structure its hard to venture outside. Should have known it didn't bode well back when I started at the school. They could neither name the school or the road it stood on. Now there is only one main street in the village on which stands the school. And, emblazoned on the wall, is the school name, so what was the problem?Well its not that the children lack ability or even common sense , its a case of relevance.
Of course they know which school they go to and so does everyone else....its the village school; identity goes with person and village, not place. 
So here I am extending their  horizons looking at countries, continents and writing to children in England. They understand the concepts, enjoy the letters arriving, but find the process and activities bewildering, even unnecessary.Play a game with words, make a puzzle with actions; just tell me the English words & I'll learn them. Throw a soft toy, say the word with the action play Olympic bingo . Why, I'll just learn it...not relevant, its not better just different.
But we succeeded & finished those letters. Beautifully written, perfectly spelt and lovingly decorated...just all a bit 'samey'. My relevant French words for today ....'meme chose'.