Hunfalvy Bilingual Secondary School

8-10 February 2023

Tours, France

School: Tours Langues

Participant: Plánk Tibor

REPORT

In February 2023, I took part in a job shadowing visit to Tours, France, to further modernise our foreign language teaching in our two languages of instruction and to promote linguistic diversity in our school.
The city of Tours is located in France, in the Loire River Valley, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. This region is known for its famous Loire Valley with its castles, châteaux and beautiful landscapes. Tours is also on the banks of the Loire River and is one of the region's most important cities.

Tours langues is a local language school, offering students, whether local or visiting Tours, the opportunity to learn and improve their language skills in different languages. The courses offer the opportunity to discover France and French culture. The school is seen as a partner for its professional support of our French two-language courses.

During these few days, students from our school also took part in a group mobility within the Erasmus programme: they carried out a project on sustainability with students from the local Lycée Albert Bayet. I met the heads and teachers of both schools, we discussed the possibilities for future contacts (successfully, as we will continue in autumn 2023) and we discussed the similarities and differences between the Hungarian and French education systems. I observed a project between our school and students from a local school , we talked with colleagues about project teaching, the current challenges of ICT, how to integrate new and traditional strategies into successful classroom practice.

I was constantly in an intercultural environment, practicing the acceptance of intercultural differences, gaining insight into the integration and everyday life of students of different nationalities and abilities. At the end of my mobility, I have a stronger sense of European belonging: I see myself as belonging to a community with other Europeans who share the same identity, culture and values.

INCLUSION, DIVERSITY: GENDER EQUALITY - "FEMINISATION" OF STREET NAMES

In 2022, a large-scale consultation entitled "We own the street" was launched, inviting all residents to suggest names for women in public places. 165 ideas were received, and 20 new names were adopted during the city council meeting. Thus, since 2020, the City of Tours has designated 29 streets and public spaces in honour of women, increasing the value of women by 52%!

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY: GARDENING IN THE CITY

The city of Tours is very attached to its horticultural culture. In the city, through the gardeners' associations, you can rent plots of land to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables. In total, there are 1333 gardens in 18 locations. In the spring of 2023, the mayor's office announced a competition for vegetable gardens. The aim of the competition is to encourage and reward amateur gardeners who, according to their personal and family needs, cultivate a garden with a harmonious balance of different vegetable and flower plants!

DIGITAL EDUCATION - LE PLAN NUMÉRIQUE ÉDUCATIF

The city of Tours has 58 public schools, including 25 nursery schools, 24 primary schools and 9 primary schools.The €4M SDNE (Digital Education Plan) will provide all the schools in the city with a network, digital equipment, computer terminals and interactive video projectors or interactive whiteboards.