French education has become one of the most essential factors in the country’s future in the past couple of years. Since the start of Covid-19, the educational system has begun to change to correspond with the current demands of the circumstances. Since all schools and colleges were studying remotely, there have been some requirements to find ways of technology implementation that will help the studying process become faster and easier. So let us find out what new technologies and methods have been performed to meet the requirements.
A task-based approach to teaching
Before the pandemic and overall changes in the world and educational system, the French educational system was task-based. When kids went to school, the day-to-day classroom working method was to revise the previous lessons, do homework check-ups, and lastly, representation of the new lesson. The overall time for the lesson was separated into three parts, allowing us to do each sequence separately and focus on each part accordingly. It was also highlighted by various experts that in the French educational system, many teachers had the same method of separation to focus on different skills at a time. Those key parts are written and oral presentation and written and oral understanding. Each class lasts two hours, and during the class students learn the subjects by reading, discussing, and writing assignments.
Another method of learning in French schools includes putting students into situations that they would most likely face in real life as well. So the main task of their learning process is to face those situations and understand how to handle them. This kind of approach motivates the students, and they find it very entertaining.
So given these methods of the educational process, many people want to come up with ideas to implement IT technologies in the French education system.
Education technologies in the French educational system
In the last couple of years, various French schools have started to use innovative methods in their educational process. Specifically, they have been implemented to understand if EdTech has potential in this country. The first project that was initially created to be a loyal project for some schools but had incredible feedback from the schools is called ODE. Now, more than 500.000 students in France are using this project in their learning process. This platform gives a chance to get relatable and relevant information for teachers, students, and parents. The key to the platform’s success is that it is very simple, straightforward, and comprehensive. The platform has three sections for primary and secondary schools and cultural projects. With the help of this digital platform, each student has a personal profile with curriculum, assignments, and homework. Teachers can get in touch both with the students and parents through the platform, making communication much easier. The most fun and enjoyable part of the platform for the students is the third environment. Kids can get more information about culture and art here, find interests among various other students, and most importantly, get in touch with professionals and artists, and work together on various projects.
The second project that various engineers and software developers work on is called Ecole M. The project started as a start-up, and now it has become an excellent primary school that allows the teachers to track the activities and improvements of their students. The main focus of the project is that the teachers are not only connected to the students academically, but they also try to get connections with them both emotionally and socially. The project aimed to create a platform where students can have individual approaches from their teachers and get perfectly fit content for their studies. And lastly, the project takes place in two languages, English and French. This way, the students will be bilingual and experience all their learning lessons in two languages.
The bottom line
Given the fact that France is new to entering the EdTech industry, the options of having digital approaches are not that many. However, the first steps were already made, and they are making great progress. There are many ideas to implement in the educational system, and many start-ups are already working on them to find funding and start their projects. No one could have thought that adding technologies to education would bring so many improvements to the overall educational system. However, making changes in the industry and seeing great improvements, makes us think that there are many things that could be changed for the better. France has a great potential to show various methods in the EdTech industry that various other countries can use as well.