Blanche Odin College is an educational establishment where the spirit of openness is translated into several languages, and German is on the program: a look towards Europe.
A few days before the Christmas holidays, the 5th grade classes all benefited from an activity as part of the Mobiklasse. In partnership with the Goethe-Institut of Toulouse, and the OFAJ (Franco-German Youth Office), Marvin Kutz met the students who welcomed him with great interest
Discovering a country involves learning a language
For an hour, everyone conversed in German. Surprising, seen from the outside, but enough to demystify the fact that German is a difficult language reserved for an elite of good students. Indeed, with the help of simple, neutral words, we can very quickly converse: family, nature, the city… A map placed on the ground, and everyone sets off on a trip.
German cities, buildings, bridges, paths, trees, the students’ participation took place without any difficulty and quite naturally, arousing curiosity and reactivity through games. Not at all impressed, the students left the session delighted with this meeting, ready to start again. The objective of the Mobiklasse has been achieved. A powerful way to approach learning a language but above all to be able to project yourself beyond the borders of a department into our contemporary world.
On the way to Europe
This project, initiated by Priscilla Rousseau, German teacher at the Collège and Lycée de Bagnères de Bigorre, received the support of the teaching team and especially the management of the College.
Indeed, it is not easy to defend the learning of German in a territory bordering Spain, where we do not want to forget Occitan and where English is a necessity for everyone. But in an hour, the protagonists of the project convinced us of the interest of German. Set out to discover the institutions of Europe, discover a foothill country a little similar to that here. Chatting about cuisine, tradition, knowing that many poets and romanticism have influenced literature until today, that music is very important, that athletes and artists travel the world, is to restore an entire culture, a daily occurrence even a few thousand kilometers away.
In addition to seducing a few to choose German or reinforcing the bilingual class, it is also a trip part of European Erasmus mobility which is taking shape, with a passage through Strasbourg, a visit to European institutions before immersion in German families, where children are sure to remember a few words that could help them make new friends.
2023-12-27 15:53:05
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