Expo
Dorset
Sir John Colfox School
Ridgeway
Bridport
Dorset DT6 3DT
Person in charge of project: Bryan Glover, Language College Co-ordinator
The Sir John Colfox School is an 11–18 co-educational comprehensive school with Language College status.
The project is a link-up between the Business Studies and Modern Languages Departments, based on a practical project to investigate the marketing of local products in France through face-to-face interviews with members of the French public.
There are twenty local firms involved, mostly small businesses selling products such as jams, biscuits, muesli etc, and a specialist classic car maker. Recently the project has been extended to GNVQ Leisure & Tourism students who look at marketing tourism in Dorset.
The Business Studies students make contact with the firms and design questionnaires. The A-level French students translate the questionnaires and set up a two-day visit to Cherbourg with a stand in the local hypermarket. During the visit they stand with clipboards interviewing members of the public and noting their answers. They prepare in advance through role play. The Business Studies students analyse the results and prepare reports for their business partners.
Judges' comments
What appealed to
us about this project was the concept of a link with the local business
community providing a real context for language learning, and the innovative
cross-phase working between Year 11 and the Sixth Form. For language students
the project has obvious benefits in terms of using language for a real
purpose. There is a real challenge and a real outcome. Students had clearly
improved their pronunciation, fluency and confidence, and spoke to us
with great enthusiasm about the whole experience. The project provides
a wonderful opportunity for 'hands-on' cultural awareness – e. g. students
look at what sort of packaging appeals to French people, what they consider
to be 'luxury goods', and what sort of price they would be willing to
pay for a particular product – and report back their findings to local
companies.
