In an increasingly demanding age, the network of Alliances Françaises in India and Nepal is witnessing a tectonic shift in language-learning. There is a vast pool of learners who cannot commit to physically attending classes at one particular location at a set time on a regular basis. This demographic is constantly on the move and would prefer to have access to tools which would enable them to learn French at their own pace and as per their convenience.

Given this mushrooming demand, Alliance Française de Bombay recently organised a four-day training session from Dec 17, 2018 to Dec 20, 2018 in partnership with the French Institute in India and the Embassy of France in India. The goal of the session was to brainstorm and learn how the online platform Mon Alliance could be deployed for blended-learning courses.  Mon Alliance is a distance-learning platform which enables a learner to benefit from specially curated online content and moderated by specially-trained professors. Incorporated over two years ago, it is an integral tool for teaching French in the India-Nepal network.

The participants and the organisers for the training session on blended learning using Mon Alliance

Blended learning is a pedagogical approach that combines traditional classroom-based methods with online educational materials and interaction. The goal is not to replace face-to-face learning but rather supplement it with digital tools. Modeled on social networks, Mon Alliance allows students to become active participants in the learning process like never before. It allows them to practice the skills acquired during class through interactive exercises, discussion boards, real-world documents, collaborative media, and forums.

Sessions in progress with Vincent Robin-Gaszity, Philippe Teutsch and Laurent Elisio Bordier.

Two specialists – namely Vincent Robin Gazcity (Université Catholique de l’Ouest) and Philippe Teutsch (Le Mans Université) – were flown down specifically from France for the training. They were joined by Laurent Elisio Bordier (Academic Director, AF Bombay) for a series on intense sessions which were attended by 20 especially selected participants (Teachers, Directors, Head of Studies) from several Alliances in the India-Nepal network including the Alliances Françaises in Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal,  Pune, and Kolkata amongst others. This training is part of a long series of sessions conducted for the India-Nepal network to integrate, optimise, and diversify the utilisation of Mon Alliance in the subcontinent.

Siddharth Bhatt

Rédaction, AF Magazine Inde-Népal