Polish Impressions of Job shadowing English Foreign English Classes at Lycée Jules Verne
It is very nice to be able to think back to job shadowing in Limours again. As all know, the work of a teacher requires continuous improvement in many forms. We use professional press, watch specialized films, participate in various courses and trainings. They are a source of knowledge and inspiration, however, due to the way of communication, often traditional, they can be used to a limited extent. Working on the project gives quite different opportunities. It is an innovative approach to professional development integrating both self-education and the teacher's work in his natural environment - during classes.
Participating in the project and going to France was, for all the participants, the first such experience and it will remain in our memories for a long time. Preparing for the trip, we analysed the education system in France in detail, and compared it with the Polish one. What we noticed, on the spot, is that French students have more autonomy in learning, they are responsible for their education and that the scales of responsibility for future success are shifted. In Poland, sometimes one can have the impression that it is the teacher who cares more about the student's success than the student himself. French students seem to be conscious learners, they know that their educational future is in their own hands.
While taking part in job shadowing, it was noticeable that everything was based on the "virtual environment" created for the school. We liked it very much. All stages of the lesson, resources, materials are gathered in one place, and access to them is just a few clicks. It saves time during lessons, shortens teacher’s preparation period, makes classes smoother, and as a result you can do more. It is a great solution, but we are aware that it depends on the financial outlays of the local government.
Laurence Altibell's lessons for classes 11 and 12 stuck in our memory. The sessions were prepared and conducted in an exemplary way. This way of conducting classes perfectly corresponds to the implementation of English language curriculum issues in Poland. Organizing the whole lesson and all its stages in the communicative language context aimed at achieving a deliberate goal seems to be the right way to teach English in a high school, and this is what we do with young people at the ZSEiM in Chełm.
A really valuable experience was a tour of French bookstores. We had the opportunity to get acquainted with the book collection offered to French students. We noticed that French textbooks contain definitely more topics related to culture than Polish ones. We also bought a ball of interesting publications we use in our classes as supplementary materials and for homework. These unique resources are used willingly.
The meeting agenda was fully packed and carefully prepared so as to create the opportunity for the participants to gain a lot of experience. We worked a lot:
- learnt to use new multimedia and online tools for teaching
- learnt about the French education system and organisation of the school year as well organisation of the education process in the French school
- jobshadowed EFL classes taught by three different teachers
- jobshadowed a school trip (a history lesson) of the French students to Normandy
- made a multimedia presentation for the French students and teachers about Poland, Polish history and our school and region
- visited several English and Amercian bookshops in Paris and purchased some teaching resources.
- took part in a street game (Treasure hunt) prepared in another Erasmus+ project
- had a chance to compare the French EFL schoolbooks with the Polish ones
- learnt more about how to use eTwinning portal and School Education Gateway
- visited the local youth centre called "Le Studio"
It was exhausting and, simultaneously, exceptionally satisfying.
The teacher must train his whole life to keep up and be up to date, especially if he or she teaches English. It is difficult to list all the aspects and benefits of working on the project while staying in France. However, we have them written down and most importantly we have memories that will definitely stay with us long if not forever.
Polish teachers:
Agnieszka Adamczyk
Magdalena Świszcz
Bożena Prócnal
Paweł Ciesielczuk
Grzegorz Stus.
All the participants express special thanks for the teachers and the whole staff of Lycée Jules Verne in Limours, France.
Extraordinary gratitude to Laurence Altibelli for her exceptional commitment, professionalism and mentoring.
Our impressions and reflections:
“I particularly appreciated the opportunity to jobshadow EFL classes taught by different teachers. I found the
training sessions about digital tools, the French education system and the use of eTwinning portal extremely
useful. The visit in the bookshops in Paris gave me the chance to purchase interesting teaching materials. The school trip to Normandy let me learn an important aspect of French history – WW II as well as see the
organisation aspects of school trips in France. The agenda was eventful so a bit tiring but extremely
rewarding. All in all, the whole experience was fantastic.” Paweł Ciesielczuk
“The French school system differs considerably from the Polish one and the most crucial difference concerns the autonomy of both the teacher and the students – the choice of materials, methods and topics; The students are motivated by stimulating materials – digital textbooks and very friendly atmosphere.
Well-equipped classrooms and innovative teaching methods contribute to arousing students' interests in the lesson. They participate eagerly in the classes. They are equally responsible for their learning progress; they can choose specific options. Education is more personalised.” Agnieszka Adamczyk
“The observation of lessons conducted by experienced teachers provided many valuable ideas to use. I really liked dividing students into subgroups and assigning them various tasks also using a computer and the Internet. I also liked the way they presented the products of their work to other students. I also use a similar form during my lessons. I enjoyed the right time management in the classroom, motivating students to work and very good teacher-student contact. A very nice idea that I will definitely use in my work is recording dialogues on MP3 devices and assessing them at home. This is a great suggestion as there is hardly an opportunity for every student to perform in front of the class.” Magdalena Świszcz
“A trip to the Caen School Memorial Museum with Year 12 made a big impression on me. Students visiting the museum took notes at all stations presenting historical events of World War II. The students will be able to use the knowledge recorded in the notes to pass the subject in a given school year and their final exams. I was surprised by very large independence of students and their concentration during the acquisition of the knowledge. I will enrich my work with students implementing this way of gaining knowledge. I was also very excited to participate in the Treasure hunt. The game led us through all the interesting places in Limours. We started and ended the game at Lycee Jules Verne. We answered questions about history and geography, we arrived at points such as: the Youth Centre, the town hall, the church. Walking through picturesque streets of Limours we could learn the charm of this place and its very interesting history. We finished the game achieving the second result in relation to all previous groups participating in it.” Grzegorz Stus
“I was impressed by the usefulness and effectiveness of the school virtual environment. Since there is no such a tool in my school, I will explore the opportunities of the use of Classroom in our professional email and I will appeal to external, available instruments. I find personalized learning worth following (students’ possibility to choose from the selection tasks and the way to deal with them, to decide on the place to sit in a classroom, to select a partner). It reduces stress in the learning process… The French use of holistic approach for the implementation of the core curriculum enhances motivation to learn, supports independent thinking and facilitates understanding of societal development processes… Language performance and presentation of the students in English section is adorable… The sound of the school bell is mild and creates a comfortable, peaceful school atmosphere.” Bożena Prócnal
