| Continuing professional development conferences and events |
CILT Conferences and Events
CILT Conference in Besançon, France for Primary Teachers of French
21 July to 3 August 2002
A report by Lindsay Blundell who attended the Teaching French to Young Learners course in 2002.
About the course
Many countries were represented in Besançon this summer, as delegates from Great Britain assembled in readiness for an exciting fortnight. Lucy Rutherford and Rosemary Bevis, travelling by Eurostar with many of the group arrived later on Sunday whilst others were already enjoying local fish: "Truite Meuniere" accompanied by Jura wine in the courtyard gardens! Superb!
The CLA, within the University at Besançon, is an interesting place to study. We were offered a choice of course modules, some of which were specifically planned for our group. Two taught modules for the "Groupe Britannique" were offered by Helene Vanthier, which we found practical and informative. Our other choices were open, including " Teaching Children About Another Culture" (using a variety of materials and resources)" to "Perfecting Pronunciation", from language refreshment to methodology work. Some of our group were working on collaborative projects with teachers from other European and African states, which involved practical research tasks. The Director of the CLA, Evelyne Berard, had just produced a series of books (Studio 100) and shared the team methodology in one of the forum sessions. I was proud to come away with a prized signed edition, which will be so useful for my teaching!
The Médiathèque, part of the Centre de Linguistique Appliquée:
In choosing to recruit delegates from various areas and diverse teaching situations CILT had produced some interesting group dynamics: here were individuals all teaching in unique situations. Some were privately funded, self-employed teachers, LEA teachers, some running peripatetic teaching groups, French after-school clubs, setting up co-ordinating groups in language colleges. Never could there have been a more interesting time to work collaboratively, whilst we await the curriculum for the 21st century and work in a world where education is increasingly global. Furthermore, to take stock of what is happening in the represented corners of Britain, and to reflect on our own situations and our own practice, was fascinating.
It became very apparent that the group were a very professional set of people who, as individuals, were totally dedicated to bringing the best current practice could offer to their teaching groups. We learned so much: working together with French as our working language, improving our expression and vocabulary. We shared methodology and literature, songs and games offering new approaches which would facilitate learning at every level. (Overall the group were working with seemingly every age group from pre-school to adult.)
We worked hard, taught sessions taking place throughout the town of Besançon which was a stunning location amidst wooded hills in the meander of the river Doubs. The most impressive building was the prestigious mediatheque, which housed a comprehensive library, computing and media resources for teaching and learning.
In the evenings we relaxed in town, meeting together at the end of the day informally to share cool aperitifs and plan our entertainment.
In our leisure time we made the most of the beautiful location.
Lucy took us on a trip to the hilltop citadel which had a commanding view of the surrounding area from this strategic site. Every view revealed a further fascinating episode of Besançon's history. A centre of precision engineering, with its astronomical clock in the Cathedral and Museum of Time, told of a wealthy past. Franche-Comte has so much to offer. One day a part of the group visited Ornans, a beautiful town with a clear river running through its core, past Gustave Courbet's home which now houses a collection of his most prized works, which we came to visit. The weekend trip took us further into the Jura to the Saut du Doubs, a limestone gorge carved by waterfalls, right along the Swiss border. We visited the Chateau of Joux, with an interesting collection of military artefacts, telling its own grim tale of the fort guarding the border.
In the second week, we were all invited to take part in an International evening of music and dance. We had a summer evening practicing in the park, much to the interest of the locals. The Group Britannique, collectively, offered both a representation of traditional songs from Scotland (a separate, breath-takingly beautiful selection) and a rendering of some very well known "Beatles" hits, which made a great impression. Our group were really professional and Thomas' guitar playing was key to the success of the night. All those evenings practising paid off!
Our forum sessions were shared by all the International groups and provided a wider sample of study opportunities. How did we do it all- studying, navigating the town to find our teaching groups, researching literature for children and teaching, and in the evenings walks along the river, swimming, barbeques, musical evenings, day excursions and bike rides? All of a sudden we found the weeks had flown by and it was time for departure: one last evening out with our tutor, Helene Vanthier, at a restaurant in town and then we all went our separate ways. Strangers had become friends!
A very enjoyable Besançon experience: "challenging and professionally rewarding" it certainly was! Thank you to Lucy Rutherford and Rosemary Bevis for all their support and guidance in making the trip a successful and memorable fortnight. Thank you to all our colleagues and friends for sharing the experience and hopefully to a continuing sharing of professional goals and information and most of all, friendship!
Lindsay Blundell
31st August 2002
