The Future of Education

As educators, one of our main goals is to adapt our teaching methods to that of an ever-changing world of education. This paper will focus on the importance of a professional learning community (PLC) for teachers and how an educational tool, such as tablets, can lead to greater collaboration and cohesion within the PLC and produce a more powerful student learning experience.

The Clarife language centre at the Université Catholique de Lille, France, created a project which encompasses the exploratory educational initiatives within the Horizon 2020 framework. The project, known as Re@langues, involves a community of 48 foreign language teachers of 10 languages who share their experiences, current practices and innovative ideas within the PLC both in a physical and virtual space. In turn, a more productive and collaborative working environment is created which enriches the students’ learning experience.

The trend in higher education is moving toward technology-based teaching however, the implementation of this approach often lacks a solid foundation. This paper will discuss how Re@langues is also following this general trend but is overcoming said shortcoming through the establishment of a PLC, appropriate ICT training for teachers and the successful integration of innovative pedagogies which include technology-based teaching such as utilizing tablets (with relevant applications) in the foreign language classroom. In addition, teachers will be able to share and discuss the knowledge that they have learnt both in training and in the classroom within the PLC, where they can scaffold concepts and develop ideas into best practices as a community.  

Re@langues encourages teachers to move forward with their ideas in both learning and teaching with the use of technology. In the context of our project, teachers are empowered through training and support allowing them to employ best practices and tools to assess the key competencies of foreign language learning (reading comprehension, writing, listening and speaking) with a technology-based approach. At its core, the concept of a PLC rests on the premise of improving student learning by improving teaching practice [1]. The Re@langues PLC will continue to develop in both a physical and virtual space where teachers can contribute materials, ideas, case studies, and various other teaching practices as a community. In creating a sustainable model, Re@langues equips its teachers with the knowledge, confidence and support to match the evolving learning styles of our students. As the project advances, Re@langues would like to share its experiences with other disciplines at the university and external institutions.

[1] Vescio, V., Dorene Ross, & Alyson Adams (2008). A review of research on the impact of professional learning communities on teaching practice and student learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 80–91.