The Alternalangue project reinforces the partnership between “Liceo Landi” and “Lycée Lavoisier”, two science-based high schools , and responds to specific needs in both schools.In Lycée Lavoisier they have to experiment with new teaching practices to improve the students’command of a foreign language, especially in English, the international language of chemistry. “Liceo Landi” appears as a innovative experience in this field, due to the practice of conversation classes.It is also important to develop the practice of teaching Science in DNL (Non Linguistic subject) according to CLIL methodology through the cooperation between the two partners who already have some experience in this field.This cooperation will also help to develop the practice of Information and Communication Technologies (TICE in french) in foreign language (smartphone application development) in both schools. The students of both schools will work out a logo and a website of the project.In Liceo Landi, the practice of work experience becomes a reality in the context of the reform of “Nuova Scuola”.Lycée Lavoisier offers its own experience, related to the presence of several courses offering training periods in the vocational field : 1 Professional Bachelor, 3 higher technician diploma (BTS in french).It is also important to seize the opportunity of such a project to expand the international opening of these courses, to inform the educational community of both schools and to encourage the use of European devices (mobility Erasmus Plus, Youthpass, Europass portfolio).This project will be carried out by a team of 10 teachers (2 scientific DNL, 2 linguistic DNL , 2 Computer Science teachers, 2 teachers of vocational education, 2 teachers for cultural events) and let students share success in programmed actions (Erasmus Plus ambassadors, working out a trilingual musical).Two pilot classes will be the object of a special attention to experience teaching practices proposed in the project.The project will affect many classes, including UPE2A (Pedagogical Unit for arriving Allophone students) and the students voluntarily taking part in the different events. During the three years of the project, more than 250 students in total should be affected directly or indirectly by the project : Sciences and Laboratory Techniques classes in Lycée Lavoisier for language practice, 3th, 4th and 5th year classes in Liceo Landi for training placements in firms (PFMP in french).However, in the longer term, the experiments of the project can spread to a variety of classes found in an extended area and at a regional level or across borders, within the framework of European ongoing or future partnerships.Finally, the project is encouraging European citizenship and the international opening of young people through a better knowledge of the partners, their educational system, their culture and their way of life and is promoting the employability in a European framework.
The Alternalangue project is the result of a long-standing exchange between the Lycée polyvalent Laurent de Lavoisier in Mulhouse (France) and the Sientific and Linguistic Liceo Ascanio Landi in Velletri (Rome region). Since 2013, our two institutions have forged links at all levels: school exchanges and educational exchanges To deepen our school partnership, we developed the Alternangue project to transfer skills from one institution to another. The Alternalangue project is based on exchanges of teaching practices around the learning of the English language, both in the language course, but also and especially through the practice of the English language, international language of science, in science courses (CLIL/EMILE) and during periods of on-the-job training. The actions were organized around exchanges between teachers and between pupils so that they become ambassadors of the teaching methods observed in the partner's school. Our Italian partner is very experienced in the field of foreign language learning, whether through the practice of "conversation classes", through the practice of science courses in foreign language (CLIL/EMILE) or even with the language travel, which is a real institution at the liceo Landi. In fact, each student in the linguistic part of the school (about 400 students), takes part in one or more language trips during the school course. In addition, when we presented the Alternalangue project in March 2016, the liceo Ascanio Landi began to experiment with internships in companies, as part of the reform "La Buona Scuola" initiated in September 2015. The Lavoisier high school, which is a multi-purpose high school and includes a professional section, has certain skills in the relationship between the school and the company, and in particular in the administrative and pedagogical organization of internships. Together with our Italian partners, we took this opportunity to build a project combining both foreign language learning practices and practices in the school-business relationship around the English language. Another aspect to be highlighted in this project is the particularity of the organisation of school exchanges. The pupils involved in the exchanges were systematically welcomed into the family of their correspondent. This cultural immersion had a very positive impact. Many students and families had to use English as a means of communication. The impact of the European project on families has been very positive. For they have become aware of the value of learning and practising a foreign language in daily life. For some parents, it was an opportunity to reactivate language skills. A little anecdote to illustrate the impact of the European project in the social environment of the two schools: a student from the vocational section of the Lavoisier high school, who has little command of the English language, used a translation tool on his mobile phone to build sentences in English with his Italian correspondent, who did not speak French. This student became aware of the value of learning a foreign language through this very concrete situation. In addition to training events and school exchanges, the project has impacted more than a hundred people: teachers have welcomed in Italy as in France the immersion correspondents in their classes (science, foreign languages, economics, history); students from various training courses took charge of correspondents during Practical Work sessions (Practical Work on Industrial and Laboratory Facilities); companies welcomed teachers for company visits, and company tutors who agreed to take charge of students for immersion in the professional environment. Thus, for example, during the three years of the project, students of the Baccalauréat Professionnel Procédés de la Chimie, Water and Paper Boards have volunteered to supervise an Italian pair using English as a means of oral and written communication. The Labwork protocol was entirely written in English, which was a real innovation for the students in this professional section. This new practice of English-language labwork was initiated through the European project and is being developed as a foreign language acquisition practice. The Alternalangue project has had a positive and mobilizing impact far beyond schools, since it has directly affected the families of pupils and has been an attractive factor for both schools in the choice of family orientation and of students.