With the new means of teaching put in place in French-speaking Switzerland, students are moving away from school textbooks modeled on French teaching, with references in euros and “ninety-ten”, to make way for means unified and closer to their language on a daily basis.
Until now, the means used to teach French to French-speaking students were published in France. But to best follow the French-speaking study plan, with French-speaking specificities, it appeared that a teaching method created by French-speaking teachers who also knew the context of the French-speaking school was an added value, relates David Bürki, publishing director mandated by the French-speaking cantons to implement new teaching methods, Monday at the Forum microphone.
These new teaching methods go beyond the simple manual to put in the hands of students. They also consist of activities and a didactic guide that explains how to proceed, as well as the materials that can be used.
These activities are “progressive” from the first to the eleventh year, continues David Bürki, and adapt to the child’s level of education. For example, for a four-year-old child returning to school, the activities aim to teach him to read, write and express himself orally. And little by little, over the years, we find certain activities, “according to a progression which has been thought out over eleven years, to have coherent teaching. This is unprecedented in French-speaking Switzerland”, he says.
A local anchor
The new teaching also induces better local anchoring, both at the linguistic level with “French spoken in French-speaking Switzerland”, and at the cultural level with themes such as monuments, explains David Bürki. “A child from Friborg who studies the Poya bridge in Friborg will be able to say that he knows it and that gives meaning.”
A child who moves from one canton to another will find the same school textbooks and teaching methods
The previous method of teaching relied more on Franco-French references such as Paris or Gallic ancestors for example. And it also takes into account the differences between the French-speaking cantons.
The same textbooks in all cantons
The approach to this new teaching is also unified. Its introduction took place at the same time in 2023 in all French-speaking cantons for the same school levels and has continued since then, with an additional level each year, specifies the director of publications.
Thus, “a child who moves from one canton to another will find the same school textbooks and school teaching methods.” This is very practical for learning grammar for example, further illustrates David Bürki, since “all teachers have the same language which is understood by the students”.
It was also decided to use “the corrected spelling of 1990 while keeping the traditional spelling” as a correct alternative, adds the Forum guest.
Comments collected by Thibaut Schaller and Valentin Emery
Article web: Julie Marty
