Continuing professional development conferences and events

Teaching French to Young Learners 2004

 

17 - 30 July 2004, Centre de Linguistique Appliquée, Besançon, France

A report by Alison Standen from Bodiam Manor School, East Sussex.

 

What persuaded me to give up a fortnight of my summer holidays?

The obvious of course! In other words - an opportunity NOT to be missed! If you have attended a CILT course before, you will know what I mean… very high quality, worthwhile training that boosts not just your knowledge but also your enthusiasm. The 2 week residential course in Besançon, taught entirely in French by teachers of the CLA as part of their “Perfectionnement pour professeurs de FLE”, certainly outdid my expectations!

What about differing levels of French and teaching expertise?

We all attended a 24 hour “Enseignement/apprentissage du FLE aux enfants – pour Instituteurs britanniques” led by the very lovely and dynamic Hélène Vanthier. We were the ‘pupils’ engaging in, and then reflecting on, a whole variety of teaching activities of a very multi-sensory nature… GREAT fun! With a range from newly qualified to very experienced teachers, ideas flow fast and furious in a common goal of improving skills…

I then had a choice, one or two further modules (12 hours each), from the very impressive range on offer. Rosemary Bevis, our incredibly helpful course leader, was on hand to guide and ensure all needs were adequately catered for and all experiences positive!

I went for Jean-Marie Frisa’s ‘Un An En France’ – l’actualité “cyclique” de l’année and the ‘Création d’Exercises Interactifs sur Internet” led by Fabien Olivry.

Still up for more input by 5.30pm? A host of optional early evening ‘Forums’ await – I confess, I only managed the one: “20 Petites Questions Sur La Grammaire” with the inimitable Christian Lavenne.

More to the course than just being in a classroom?

By the end of the “Welcome Lunch” on the first day, the 24 or so other ‘faces’ are becoming familiar and friendly ones… Over breaks and just ‘out and about’, the opportunity is also there to interact with around 600 teachers of over 70 nationalities - all descended on the town for the course - not to mention the locals themselves! Now that has to be a good excuse for a drink!

For a first time visitor to Besançon like me, the Citadelle is a must along with the Musée des Beaux Arts!

A ‘Bisontin’ proudly took our group round ‘his’ town. In 2003 it was classed ‘Troisième ville de France… dans cette catégorie… la qualité de la vie” , with its lovely ‘cours’ and hidden gardens beyond, I can appreciate why!

The 3 day week-end featured an inclusive full-day trip through the countryside to the French/Swiss border with an in-depth guided tour of the Château de Joux, a lunch with local ‘spécialités’ and a boat trip out to the Saut du Doubs!

I made the most of the free and subsidised evening activities by going to: a film “Pas sur la bouche”, the theatre “Ma parole, elle danse!” (Régine Llorca) and I just ‘had’ to buy a Jean-Pierre Bérubé CD after his ‘Chanson Québécoise’!

I chose to explore on foot but I could also have: hired a bicycle, gone swimming, taken it easy on the ‘P’tit Train’ or cruised down the river, not to mention using the resources of the Médiathèque…

OK so I chose not to watch French television in my room but I did send the odd post-card…It was so hard to keep out of the bookshops and record stores amassing resources that I only just about managed to select a few gifts to take home!

And the food? And the drink?

Well, no trip to France could be complete without sampling the local ‘gastronomie et vins’! I know that Lucy Rutherford, our CILT Programme Co-Ordinator and ‘whiz’ at helping the group ‘gel’, strongly recommends the ‘Salade d’Agrumes’ at the Café right next to our hotel of which Colette was once a patron… “Le Coucou” is ‘un vrai délice’ of authentic cuisine and the optional ‘Dégustation’ at a local ‘cave’ saw me leaving with a couple of bottles from a very select local vineyard producing just 800 bottles a year!

Sounds GREAT… but what about funding?

If you have not been in receipt of a Lingua or Socrates Comenius 2.2 award in the last 3 years then YOU TOO are eligible to apply for a grant from the British Council!

Have you decided to apply?

Well, I hope you too are lucky enough to secure a place! They are strictly limited so don’t delay!