A Language Guide for Industrialists

UK

UK003

Résumé, summary

Pupils worked on the topic areas they were covering for their G.C.S.E. French and they decided on the language they thought their client would need for eating out in a restaurant, going to the theatre, coping at the railway station and booking tickets. Some groups also made a video and tapes to accompany the language guide. Each pupil received a copy of the complete guide at the end to act as a summary and revision aid for the topics they had covered. The pupils with the technical expertise continued to use the E-mail system and established a good rapport with a school's club télématique in France. Pupils gained a valuable insight into the workplace and colleagues whom they met in the 4 industries were keen to stress the importance of learning a language today: they all wished they had developed their languages further at school!

Discipline, subject :

langues Sprachen languages lingue français Französisch télématique Francese telematics french language

Public :

cycle d'orientation Sek I, BWK lower high school ciclo d'orientamento

Contacts :

O'Farrell, Suzanne

Department of Education Keele University, Keele

STAFFORDHIRE ST5 5BG

Tel : +44 782.583.124
Mail : edal9@cc.keele.ac.uk
Fax : +44 782.714.113

Pédagogie, pedagogy :

Year 10 pupils studying French to G.C.S.E. were invited to visit four local industries and meet their clients who were intending to visit France on business. The companies were G.E.C. in Stafford, Britannia in Leek, Wedgwood and British Rail in Crewe. All pupils visited one company and asked their client for details of the proposed trip, personal details and questions about the sort of leisure activity they envisaged during their visit.

Apprentissage, learning :

Pupils collected information about their clients' proposed visits and were shown the company's E-mail system. In the months that followed pupils worked in groups to produce a language guide relevant to their individual client. They produced sections dealing with travel, leisure, eating out and business-meeting French. They used the school's E-mail system to write to their clients to check information or ask further questions and the companies sent E-mail messages to schools informing them of changes to their plans which our pupils needed to incorporate. Pupils also used Tilitel to find out what would be going on in the area at the time of their clients' visits. Additionally pupils made use of the school's existing E-mail links with a school in Limoges in France to authenticate the French.

Enseignement, teaching :

The aims were to provide pupils with an insight into industry, to see the relevance of Electronic Mail in both the workplace and in the school environment and of course to produce an appropriate language guide for their clients. Secondary aims were to boost the school's existing E-mail link with Limoges leading to a continued exchange of news between sch

Technique :

Two pupils received a day's training in using E-mail and they were responsible for sending messages to the companies' mailboxes. They did this during the lunchtimes and soon other pupils became familiar with the system. All pupils wordprocessed their language guides on the school network.

Société, society :

Pupils worked in groups of 4 or 5 and had to decide together on the appropriate language. The staff from the companies were invited into school to receive their language guides and a presentation was held involving all participants and the Headteacher.

Culture :

Using Tilitel provided pupils with an insight into different cultural aspects of France as well as the language itself.

Institution :

School minibuses were used to take the groups of pupils to the various companies and permission for these visits had to be obtained from parents. The companies had to be approached and had to be willing to receive groups of pupils and teachers and support the simulation throughout.