Alternalangue Erasmus Project

Project Title

Alternalangue

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship)

Project Summary

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.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 101270 Eur

Project Coordinator

LEGTP Lavoisier & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Liceo Scientifico Statale “Ascanio Landi”