Purpose: In general, the gaps in French spelling are increasing. Thus, in France, in 2018, a CV had an average of 17 faults, against 13 three years earlier, according to a study by interim agency Qapa. However, some errors are enough for a recruiter to permanently dismiss an application. An article in the magazine "Le Point" of 16/12/17 went so far as to denounce "When teachers make spelling errors". The previous Minister of National Education, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, advocated "daily dictations at school". In Wallonia a new decree will put the reinforcement of French as a priority for newcomers but also for all Belgians who have major difficulties with the language of the school. All Flemish universities met following a (continuing) drop in the level of French for young people leaving secondary school. Thus, 5 universities have, for about 2 years, meetings with all parties concerned: inspection, educational advisers, cabinet of the Minister, Flemish Department of Education. We agree with the statement and the urgency but not with the traditional and simplistic answer "daily dictations at school". Traditional dictations cannot remedy the situation. Traditional dictations are rightly frowned upon by teachers and learners. They do not provide remediation. So, let's advocate a radically different pedagogical approach. Subject: It is a question of creating a new pedagogical tool for improving the spelling of French, in the form of a "dictation 2.0" that reinvents the genre. This dictation will be in the form of a short and complete story of about twenty lines with missing words that will be written by the learners. The text will be fully read. The tool will be done in a computerized way and will aim to keep only the right answers by removing the bad ones and leaving a new chance for the learner. This avoids at the same time to create at the level of the brain the doubt between the correct word and an incorrect word and make easier to memorize the correct word. Thus, if the learner is mistaken, the answer disappears, the correct answer appears and he copies it in order to memorize it. In the case of grammatical error, a grammatical explanation comes in support. Therefore, the learner can neither memorize the error nor be induced of a doubt between 2 possibilities. Description of the tool: The results will be: - a collection of interactive dictations gathering all the significant and common difficulties of the French language with the possibility of choosing dictations according to three degrees of difficulty, the preservation of the results as well as an evaluation of the results of a series of dictations - a video presentation - a training module for teachers and trainers that is needed because this paradigm shift can provoke negative reactions to teachers hampered by traditional teaching habits - a module for creating dictations for teachers where they can enter their own dictations, define the words that will be written by the learner, define the rules that determine whether the answer is good or not, integrate explanations if necessary specific to the word to write. They can make a voice recording of the text and easily integrate it into the application. Consortium: The consortium, which brings together 7 partners from 5 countries (BE, LU, FR, LT and CY), will be composed of actors from initial and continuing vocational training (level 1 to 5 of the EQF), training of trainers, specialists in the creation of teaching tools as well as programmers specialized in the educational field. Target audience: They are French teachers as well as anyone wishing to improve his French in writing in order to promote access to or retention in employment as well as mobility at the European level. Impacts: We expect a significant impact of this project because the lack of French spelling is a real problem and education and training managers are looking for solutions. Already during the project period, the consortium and other associated partners will ensure wide dissemination in their respective countries and in other European countries.
The objective of the project was to create a new educational tool for improving the spelling of French, in the form of a "dictation 2.0" which reinvents the genre. The concept of this dictation was initially based on short and complete stories of about twenty lines with missing words which alone must be written by the learners. In order to achieve this objective, several prerequisites had been defined: - Each text must be read in its entirety, on an audio file. - The whole must be carried out by computer, with the aim of keeping only the correct answers by eliminating the bad ones and giving the learner another chance. This avoids creating doubt in the brain between the correct word and an incorrect word and helps to memorize the correct word. - Thus, if the learner is wrong, his answer must disappear immediately, the correct answer must appear so that he can copy it in order to memorize it. - In the case of grammatical error, a grammatical explanation must come in support. Therefore, the learner can neither memorize the error nor be led into a doubt between 2 possibilities.
In general, the shortcomings in the spelling of French are increasing. This appears in various statistics included in the application file for this project. For a significant number of people, it is an obstacle to access to employment, because a few errors on a cover letter and a curriculum vitae are enough for a recruiter to definitively reject an application. The pedagogical practice of dictation is debated. In some regions (eg for learning French as a foreign language in schools in Flanders), it is not recommended. In general, traditional dictations cannot remedy the negative evolution of the mastery of the written language. Traditional dictations are rightly frowned upon by more and more teachers and by learners themselves. They do not provide a remedy. On the contrary, they cause confusion, in particular by the presence side by side of the errors and the correct answers which can be permanently printed in the visual memory of the participants. However, modern technical means can change the situation. This is why this project offers a radically different pedagogical approach.