the

Charles de Gaulle case study
The following case study of how a project between the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC)
and Cité Scolaire René Pellet has used transferable and vocational skills as a focal point for an
exchange between specialist colleges for visually impaired students is quite inspirational.
The project allowed a group of blind, partially sighted and sighted students to travel abroad and
meet their peers from their international partner college. During the visit to France the sighted
French students were trained to guide a blind or partially sighted student from the UK. While they
were trained by the RNC mobility team they wore blindfolds, which made them feel vulnerable and
led them to better appreciate the needs of their blind friends. Despite having varied language skills
the students were all able to communicate with each other and share their experiences in a
mixture of French and English. ‘The English students were shocked that French students were not
used to explaining what they could or could not see’, says French teacher Claire Lewin. ‘Being
able to talk openly about their own eye conditions to others can often help students with visual
impairments find better support.’
Magic moments of communication
Finding out that you can communicate with other young people from other countries – without
having perfect grammar – can be a very liberating experience. Before the trip to Lyon, Jenny
Louloudis from the RNC, who was studying NVQ Level 1 French at the time, was worried that she
might not be understood in France. However, once she arrived she gained confidence and
enjoyed having conversations in French and meeting locals. ‘Most people were patient when I was
explaining things and didn’t mind if I got a few words out of place’, she said, ‘so I’m not worried
anymore’.
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Claire also reflected on students from the UK and France socialising together: ‘One evening we
gathered around the table in the halls of residence and one of the students got out their guitar.
Both French and English students and staff ended up singing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ – it was a
magical moment. We were also invited to have French food with local families in their homes
which gave students more opportunities to talk more intimately and to learn about French culture
first-hand.’
Gaining international work experience
Only one third of people of working age in the UK registered as visually impaired are in
employment, so teaching transferable and vocational skills is a priority at the RNC.
‘We want to prepare our students for the world of employment. We are working hard to integrate
work-based learning into all areas of the curriculum, including international visits’, says Claire.
When in France, Charlotte Lamparter, who is currently studying Support Work in Schools, had the
chance to work in a French primary school, which was her favourite part of the trip. ‘I attended
lessons with different age groups and had the opportunity to observe and understand how French
teachers taught their students. I really enjoyed the activities and would recommend the experience
of doing work experience abroad to anyone.’
Sitting on the panel and tailored communication
The exchange between the RNC and CSRP is between whole colleges, not just language
departments. Recently, BTEC Business Level 3 students at RNC had an opportunity to work
closely with the visiting French students on employment skills. They prepared job descriptions for
work placements, and asked the French students to go through a selection process with written
applications and face-to-face interviews.
Although the RNC students were initially nervous about conducting the interviews themselves, the
experience made them feel more confident about applying for jobs in the future. The process of
sitting on the interview panel allowed them to see what makes a good first impression on an
employer, even when the interviewer is unable to see the candidate.
‘As some of the French students had limited levels of English, our students concentrated on
making their speech and questions very clear so they could be understood. Tailoring their
communication style to non-native speakers of English was a challenge, but a positive experience
for them’, said Claire. The French students were also keen to participate and became more
confident in their own abilities when they were able to communicate with English ‘employers’
without the safety net of a teacher.
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Challenge yourself
The relationship between the two schools continues to improve; teachers share pedagogy, and
students are still in touch and share experiences.
‘Taking part in an exchange really brings classroom learning to life. By experiencing daily life from
the perspective of a peer in another country, our students have become more understanding and
tolerant’, says Claire.
A former student, who will be returning during the next visit to France as a volunteer, says, ‘I
believe that this exchange made me who I am today in a subtle but powerful way. I was able to
talk to others with the same condition as me in a different language. I wasn’t ‘the lone blind kid’
anymore. I realised I could travel abroad without much help. For the first time ever, I could look in
the mirror (well, sort of) and say I’m proud to be who I am, ‘je suis fière de moi.’
Lefèvre Case studies
Colonial history and culinary heritage (Amiens)
55 pupils and 7 teachers carried out this First World War project via a study of the different
communities who fought for France and the UK in the trenches of Picardy. Today, both countries
have a rich culinary legacy including dishes from all of the communities that served in the Great
War and the pupils worked together to create their own book of colonial recipes.
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Amiens - Pupils from the Collegè du Servois and Waverley School
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Feedback from the lead teachers at Collège du Servois and Waverley :
“ Il faut nécessairement voir sur le terrain ce qui a pu être dit en cours. C'est ce qui
me permet d'avoir une approche plus globale de ce que j'enseigne et cela donne du
concret aux élèves.
Ce fut le cas avec le thème que nous avons travaillé. Par mes différents cours et les
chapitres du programme, la colonisation et la décolonisation avaient été abordées.
J'avais volontairement donné des exemples issus de la culture et de la cuisine pour
montrer le métissage et les apports actuels de ces derniers. Nous abordons cela en
histoire à travers l'étude des deux guerres mondiales (3ème), de la seconde
colonisation du monde (4ème), de la décolonisation (3ème) mais aussi en
géographie avec la présence internationale de la France et des aires culturelles
(3ème) ou en éducation civique avec des rapports sur la citoyenneté française,
européenne et mondiale.”
“Certains élèves m’ont parlé du projet après la finalisation de celui-ci. Ils étaient très
motivés à l’idée de continuer l’apprentissage de l’anglais. Une élève a été
sélectionné parmi une centaine d'autres pour entrer en section internationale et
presque dix élèves iront en section européenne anglais. D'autres auront des
souvenirs impérissables. Cela montre leur engouement pour l’étude des langues et
l’ouverture internationale.”
”The pupils are enthusiastic about the project and many at Waverley school have
asked if they can participate in our next project about World War One. From the exit
surveys all pupils enjoyed the visit and said they felt that they had made life-long
friends. Some pupils said that they would either like to work in France or have work
experience in France. All pupils felt that they had better communication skills and
understood more about different cultural contexts.
There were the four Waverley teachers directly involved in the visit however the
project had an impact on many more in the school, discussions with food technology
teachers about the specialist language used in making a recipe book along with
discussions about how they teach their foods from around the world topic allowed
this curriculum area to relate their teaching to the project. All teachers were in the
assemblies given by our students and they also were affected by how highly our
students spoke of the project and what they learned.”
European Citizenship and the migrant crisis (Montpellier)
49 pupils and 10 teachers tackled this ambitious subject culminating in a European
Parliament-type debate.
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Montpellier – pupils from Lycée
Aristide Maillol and Maidstone
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Feedback from the lead teachers at Lycée Aristide Maillol and Maidstone :
” Si l’on reprend nos objectifs présentés dans notre dossier de bourse (3.2.2) nous pouvons
constater que, notre échange culturel et éducatif, à travers la confrontation à la diversité des
milieux géographiques et sociaux de nos élèves, le travail sur une thématique commune et
citoyenne ainsi qu’une pratique de la langue accrue dans des contextes variés de communication
et de réflexion, a grandement permis de donner tout son sens aux apprentissages de nos élèves
(relation directe avec les programmes de langues, d’histoire-géo, de maths, de SES, et des Alevel de français en Angleterre) mais aussi de renforcer leur autonomie, leur motivation, et surtout
leur ouverture d'esprit tout en développant une culture commune européenne et solidaire.
De plus, il nous parait aussi évident que la thématique même de notre projet est complètement
intégrée aux problématiques actuelles que ce soit au niveau Européen ou mondial. Depuis la crise
syrienne, le renouveau de la notion de réfugiés politiques, bien différentes des autres types de
migrations, a été un axe de travail majeur de notre deuxième rencontre. ”
Les élèves ont pu appréhender plusieurs notions clés de la compréhension du monde :
1. L’histoire des déplacements de population au XXè siècle à travers l’étude de la multiplicité des
trajectoires migratoires liées au camp de Rivesaltes;
2. Les différents statuts de migrants dans le monde, un aspect juridique intéressant avec la notion
d’asile politique;
3. Les différentes logiques de politique migratoire au sein de l’Union Européene, les tensions
présentes lors de la gestion de la crise syrienne (Hongrie, Allemagne, France et Royaume Uni…)
Le débat Parlement Européen : Un thème a été donné à chaque groupe avec pour mission d’en
débattre entre eux et de proposer des réponses à la question posée. Ensuite de 10 groupes (68
élèves) , on passe à 5 où les deux groupes qui travaillaient ensemble sur le même sujet sont
réunis. Ils doivent ainsi débattre de nouveau entre eux, discuter et choisir les arguments qu’ils
vont présenter. Ressources et ordinateurs à disposition des élèves pour faire leurs recherches et
préparer leur présentation.
A l’issue de cette matinée de travail chaque groupe a présenté oralement ses arguments ainsi que
son support visuel informatique en deux langues. Chaque présentation s’est faite dans les deux
langues par un binôme Français-Anglais (choisi par les membres de leur groupe) avec le
représentant français présentant en anglais et un représentant anglais présentant en français.
Chaque présentation a été jugé par 2 professeurs français et un professeur anglais sur son
contenu, la présentions des idées/arguments, les recherches effectuées et le contenu et la validité
des réponses ainsi que la qualité du support visuel. A l’issue de chaque présentation les étudiants
ont reçu une évaluation. Les 3 meilleurs groupes ont reçu le lendemain un certificat avec
1ère/2ème et 3ème place.
Les thèmes proposés aux élèves :
1. In the European Union, the new waves of immigration from Eastern European countries create
fears and are at the heart of controversies. What measures and concrete actions could be carried
out to fight this tendency?
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2. Today’s world is increasingly cosmopolitan because man has never been so mobile. Some
politicians claim that it will lead to a loss of identity. What are their arguments and how would you
respond to those ideas
3. French and English school systems are visibly failing to integrate minorities and help them to
climb the social ladder. What measures and concrete actions could be carried out to fight this
tendency?
4. Some say that minorities are only successful in sports or in the media/entertainment industry.
What are their arguments and how would you respond to those ideas?
5. Ethnic minorities often inhabit separate areas; these are called ethnic districts/ ghettos or it is
seen as spatial segregation. What measures and concrete actions can we put into place to
improve integration?
Both the UK and French teachers have been impressed by the ability of our students to work
together and exchange during the intense work sessions in the morning. We were very proud of
the quality of the final presentations and the real effort in each team to tackle those challenging
topics - a very rewarding day. Our 6th form students commented later how this day really helped
them to deepen their subject knowledge on current issues but also to express their ideas more
fluently. It was a real boost in their confidence for their speaking exam after the Easter holidays.
“This exchange has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to open their minds and
develop a better understanding of the world around them. By meeting young people of different
backgrounds they had to learn to live together, exchange and by confronting their opinions and
way of life, to become more tolerant and accepting of differences. Our students after this
exchange are now far more involved (and interested!) in current affairs and better equipped to see
different sides of an argument. They read more newspaper articles (which for our British students
seemed to be beforehand quite a challenge), the keep themselves informed on current social
debates and they discuss regularly the migrant crisis. Students who before were not so interested
in politics or European matters are now passionate about the Brexit debate in UK. We also found
that both our Y13 last year and the current ones are more confident and better prepared for the
debate (argumentation and depth of knowledge).”
And the challenges were…
The difficulty of finding UK families to host 31 x Y12 French students from Monday to Saturday
morning as well as its management had been a HUGE task and a TRUE challenge. It took Mme
Fourmy sheer determination, hard work (and high level of stress with a few sleepless nights!) as
well as relentless promotion (via letters /assemblies/ phone calls), to manage to place ALL
students with families whose daughter/son are student of the school (we had to recruit from Y8 to
Y13). A lot of time was spent with Mme Laib in the phone to carefully pair up students/partners
and host families to create the best match possible. All parties involved were really enthusiastic
and supportive of the project and they all took away from this experience great memories.
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It’s mathematical – working out a successful partnership (Clermont-Ferrand)
Following a work placement to Middlesborough, Florence Mesnil, maths teacher at the Lycée de
Mauriac, initiated a partnership with Trinity College which has led to an impressive 28% uptake in
the French school’s Euro section.
Clermond-Ferrand - pupils from the Lycée de Mauriac and Trinity College
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Feedback from the lead teachers at Lycée de Mauriac and Trinity :
“Les cours d’anglais et de mathématiques pour les élèves participant au projet se sont trouvés
contextualisés de fait, par le lien crée avec les correspondants de Trinity Catholic College.
En cours de maths -euro, les élèves ont aussi la possibilité de travailler sur des documents de la
BBC, sur des sites que des professeurs de mathématiques de Trinity Catholic College proposent à
leurs élèves. Les discussions engagées avec les professeurs de Mathématiques de Trinity lors de
ma première visite en avril 2013 puis lors de notre visite de juin 2014,pusi lors de notre séjour
d’octobre 2015 , la possibilité d’assister à leurs cours m’a permis d’intégrer certains de leurs
documents à mes leçons et de m’inspirer de certaines méthodes de travail différentes (par ex
beaucoup de cours de mathématiques commencent par des “ starters” , sorte de petits contrôles
(notés ou non, individuels ou collectifs )de 5 min en début de cours pour se remémorer les
formules apprises au cours précédent, des situations de recherches libres, des fiches d’examens
du style GCSE ou A -Level.
Nos élèves sentent alors que tout le contexte est différent et se sentent dans une situation
d’apprentissage vraiment différente de notre cours traditionnel.
Pour ma pratique pédagogique en mathématiques ou en DNL maths-anglais, ces échanges me
poussent à travailler sur des sites anglais avec des activités, vidéos, des logiciels …pour aborder
autrement les concepts mathématiques et permettre aux élèves une autre approche du cours de
mathématiques.
Notre projet commence à être connu au niveau local et cela nous permet d’être en relation
localement avec par exemple des anglais vivant en France qui peuvent apporter une autre vision
à nos cours. Voici un exemple cette année : M. Clark est venu faire une nouvelle conférence (des
mathématiques, de l’histoire européenne et de l’anglais…) à mes élèves.
Cette année scolaire la section euro en seconde qui a fait le plein de demande grâce notamment
à la connaissance de notre partenariat par les parents , 23 élèves y sont inscrits ce qui est une
réussite pour une petit pour une petit établissement comme le nôtre qui compte environ 80 élèves
de seconde. »
“We have already begun preparations for the next leg of the exchange and Trinity students will
return to Mauriac in March/April 2016. In the meantime, students will maintain contact and embark
on the second stage of their collaborative projects. This time we will examine an aspect of history
or culture from the host country and gather information and evidence via
interviews/questionnaires. This is a key part of the Y13 course for French. Year 12 and 13
students will be giving a talk to Y11 students to encourage increased take up on the exchange
programme for the following year and school wide I will continue to update and involve staff with
developments in the partnership.
It is an important part of the school development plan for this year to develop and strengthen
international links, the grant has been essential to enabling us to make this happen. The challenge
now is to sustain the programme without having the access to further funding. Schools operating
in socially deprived areas, where pupils don’t get the opportunity to travel and experience other
cultures, would benefit from being able to apply for funding on a yearly basis.”
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