This project is embedded into the frame of a linguistic enrichment process and of an international opening among two partner institutions. Wealthy from its long tradition of educational trips throughout Europe, of individual student mobilities and of interdisciplinary projects revolving around language teaching, Duruy high-school is now searching to strengthen its educational dynamism in Spanish language and culture within the institution. Setting a strong and long-lasting partnership with IES Pablo Serrano in Saragossa will offer Mont-de-Marsan pupils - among them more particularly the Spanish European section and the Spanish Language, Literature and Culture specialty students- actual opportunities to exchange with Spanish students. This way, they will be set into authentic communicational situations that are at the core of the development of their skills in the four principal language activities (speaking, reading, writing and oral comprehension). The project, which will include approximately sixty students from Mont-de-Marsan and fifty students from Saragossa, aspires to be, through project led educational methods and innovative learning situations, an encouragement to their inner motivation towards foreign language studies, in and out of the classroom. By involving varied student groups in varied ways, this project aims at experimenting multiple forms of international cooperation and at radiating into the institutions forming this partnership. First, during the two years of the project, several groups of students will be involved into group mobilities which will lead Mont-de-Marsan students to visit Aragonese students and the other way around. Then, the e-twinning platform will be used to run distance learning activities. By placing students at the heart of their learning process, the multiple activities carried out into the frame of this project will altogether favour the development of their autonomy, facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, and develop both practical and social skills. The interactions and experiences shared will firstly improve the students’ language skills (speaking and writing) and culture, but they will also favour their awareness of others’ differences. The activities led hand-in-hand during the second year will question their views on our planet and their vision of environmental preservation. This project intends to make our students European citizens aware of others and of their environment. The exchanges between teachers, indivisible from this project, should as well favour a fair sharing of good practices and innovative teaching methods among both institutions.
This Erasmus project was born of the desire of two establishments to establish a lasting relationship, following the presence of a teacher from Victor Duruy high school of Mont-de-Marsan at the IES Pablo Serrano of Saragossa in 2019-2020. For IES Pablo Serrano, which has had a bilingual section in French for many years and a Bachibac section since 2018, the aim was to enrich an already rich offer of partners. For Victor Duruy high school, the objective was to develop its international outlook, in parallel with the opening of a European Spanish section in 2020. The partner establishments both welcoming pupils from modest backgrounds (rural areas, disadvantaged neighborhoods), this project responded to the desire to enrich the cultural offer accessible to pupils benefiting from fewer opportunities. The main objective of this project was to promote a coherent approach to the teaching and learning of modern languages. Conducting a project-based pedagogy should make it possible to offer varied learning situations, likely to contribute to the acquisition of basic skills by students and increase their motivation – thus contributing to the fight against dropping out of school. Another objective of the project was to allow teachers from the two establishments to discuss their teaching practices, particularly on this issue of the fight against school dropout. In 2020-2021, none of the planned mobility could be carried out due to the health situation, but the teachers maintained regular contact with each other and two remote activities have been implemented. The year 2021-2022 was rich in virtual exchanges and mobility, since four short-term collective student mobility sessions were organized (in December, beginning of March, end of March and beginning of May), as well as two teacher mobility sessions (in October and February). From November, an excursion to Guernica was carried out to allow students to meet and introduce the theme of the social and educational value of European heritage, which was central during the first two mobilities. Throughout the year, remote activities made it possible to maintain regular contact between the students involved in the project. The last two collective student mobility sessions focused more on the theme of the environment, leading the students to discuss this theme and to share activities around natural sites in the regions visited. This Erasmus project had obvious results on the participants of the two partner establishments. One of the impacts was the acquisition of new skills by the pupils thanks to the activities implemented – digital skills due to the many virtual exchanges, but also social and linguistic skills. The project also had a significant effect on student motivation, particularly on some students who were not very involved in class at the start of the year and who were subsequently fully invested from the launch of the project. It is also worth noting the enrichment of the practices of the teachers involved in the project, an impact likely to be lasting for the years to come. The benefits of this project should indeed continue beyond the year 2022, for the participants as well as for the partner establishments. One of the objectives of this Erasmus project was to increase the international openness of partner establishments and strengthen their ties. It seems done. Victor Duruy High school, for whom this was the first Erasmus project, decided to fully commit to the Erasmus + program by requesting accreditation for the period 2021-2027. The expertise acquired by the teachers who had prepared this first project was fundamental when drafting the accreditation request. Obtaining the accreditation for Victor Duruy high school as well as for the IES Pablo Serrano opens up the prospect of new exchanges in the years to come. Other collective mobilites, short-term student mobilities are possible, but also long-term individual mobilities. The acquired digital skills could also make it possible to repeat virtual exchanges between students of the two establishments in the years to come. This Erasmus project has indeed contributed to boosting the development of eTwinning projects within the Lycée Victor Duruy, and has been a real asset in helping to launch the European Spanish section and the Spanish LLCE specialty. The motivation generated by the project and the skills acquired will be essential to support the students who have participated in the project during the rest of their schooling. Among French students, some are even considering pursuing higher education in Spain.