From the playground to the classroom… when Shakespeare comes from everywhere at the Gare de la Gare school in Gap

-Hautes-Alpes-

“Hello”, “what's the day today” or “wash your hands”, it certainly brings back some memories. And for some, maybe even painful memories. But at the Gare de la Gare school in Gap, English is not scary. On the contrary, students practice it everywhere. This is the concept of the CLIL system, implemented since the start of the school year. CLIL, for Subject Teaching through the Integration of a Foreign Language. A European project in favor of plurilingual education.

From the playground to the classroom, Shakespeare invites himself

From kindergarten onwards, we teach, we correct, we give instructions in English and from everywhere in the establishment. When you open the doors of Laure Rosselet's CP class, don't be surprised to hear “hello” or “welcome”, “I study English throughout the day on maths, sports, literature. I give class instructions in English, in the playground I also speak English to them and it comes naturally », Explains the teacher.

But sometimes, surprises arise, “ They say words to me that I didn't teach them because they continue at home. It's just more! ».

A device that has snowballed, not only among students but also among teachers. Even the school's director, Marie-Edith Agostini, had to get back to the language of Shakespeare, “I still had a few leftovers! “, she said, smiling. If two teachers have English certification, the other teachers are fully involved in the process, “ some improve their skills on a voluntary basis on Thursday evenings during English conversational workshops at the Inspectorate.”

Opening up to other cultures in schools with diversity

The system is experimental but at the Gare de la Gare school, we hope it lasts. Especially for children, it removes the apprehension of the foreign language. “They are sponges, they reproduce sounds better. Very young, they like to play with it », Specifies Nathalie Grieux, departmental educational advisor for modern foreign languages. And at the Gare de la Gare school where some students are of foreign origin, “ this allows children to open up to the language of their friends. We use it, we learn to know each other's culture, it creates a climate of respect and knowledge of others. ».

The CLIL system has been operating since 2020 at the Fortville school in Briançon and that of Montgenèvre, Italian is spoken there. Since the start of the school year, in English at the Gare de la Gare school in Gap. It now remains to ensure that the system becomes a bridge, with bilingual immersion but this time in college, “ we did it in Briançon, we will do it in Gap. Our goal is to allow the device to extend to the tray so that it is not just a step but something they can rely on », concludes Aymeric Meiss, academic director of national education services in Hautes-Alpes.
So to be or not to be, at the Gare de la Gare school, we chose.

Cyrielle Cava Michard's report: