A number of Rennes-based language specialists met this week to discuss pedagogical practices for students of the field. Hosted by Rennes 2, and as part of the DESIR* project, over 100 people - namely teachers, their students, and other interested colleagues, took part in the conference Langageons-Nous.
The goal of the meeting was to communicate and promote actions around innovative projects in the field, and examined issues such as: the ways in which digital technologies can be used to facilitate learning in language classes; how to facilitate knowledge exchange and best practices between specialists from different institutions; and methods for increasing student engagement and evaluating student progress.
The day’s activities included a choice of workshops, including:
- A session of Escape Games - conceived by Masters students of the language didactics program at Rennes 2 University;
- A presentation of virtual classrooms/distance learning: tools and other support;
- A presentation of the EHESP School of Public Health project ALIVE (Apprentissage en Langues et Interculturalité Via un Environnement numérique), which aims to facilitate intercultural and linguistic learning for students of varying levels through a digital environment;
- A tour of the university Fablab and discussion around how to use new technologies for the creation of low-cost educational materials;
- A presentation of the Tacit Grammar system under development in Rennes 2 (ACE, LP3C, TACIT Platform), which aims to provide English teachers with a differentiated teaching tool to help students of English grammar advance, regardless of their starting levels.
The organizers of the conference are already planning for a second similarly themed day as part of the project DESIR - "Développement d’un Enseignement Supérieur Innovant à Rennes” and aims to promote the transformation of pedagogical practices to strengthen the success of the students. This transformation involves engaging stakeholders from different the facets of the higher education system: teachers, students, leadership, and support services.
A page dedicated to the event is currently being created by the organizers and will contain the full programme and names of contributors.
For more information on the day’s events, please contact:
Claude Hamon
claude.hamon [at] univ-rennes2.fr (claude[dot]hamon[at]univ-rennes2[dot]fr)
*The DESIR project is the result of a collaborative effort between Rennes 2 University, Rennes 1 University and the Rennes Tech alliance formed by eight major grandes écoles in Rennes (AGROCAMPUS OUEST, Centrale Supélec, EHESP, ENSAI, ENS, ENSCR, INSA and Sciences Po Rennes). It was awarded the DUNE call for projects "Développement d'universités numériques expérimentales” in 2016.
