1. The use of the FREPA for curricula: Three cases
Michel Candelier
Le Mans
The use of the FREPA for curricula: Three cases

2. The curriculum for French-speaking Switzerland: Plan d’études romand - 2010
Download part about languages:
The aim of this document is to give some information about three cases in which the FREPA has undoubtedly played a role in the conception of a new curriculum for school education. They will be presented in chronological order, so we’ll start with the curriculum of the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

3. The curriculum for French-speaking Switzerland: Plan d’études romand - 2010
“The domain Languages of the curriculum aims at the development of integrated learning of languages encompassing French as the language of schooling (L1), German (L2) and English (L3) as second languages; it aims at developing oral and written comprehension and expression, as well as a reflexive approach of language works that includes comparing languages”
This is how the the Domain « Languages » is presented on the PER website.
Such aims are clearly in line with the principles underlying pluralistic approaches.

4. >> This dimension is called : « Interlinguistic approaches ».
The curriculum for French-speaking Switzerland: Plan d’études romand
The clearest link to pluralistic approaches is situated in one dimension (one « axe thématique ») of the curriculum, which appears for all the languages studied, including the language of schooling:
>> This dimension is called : « Interlinguistic approaches ».

5. Definition of interlinguistic approaches
[…] approaches [...] which help develop links between the various languages taught (L1, L2, L3, classical languages), or spoken at school or in the environment (allophone students’ native languages, regional dialects,…), and which thus help bring about integrated language learning Through activities of comparison, inter-comprehension, discovery, […] they aim at developing the pupils’ learning skills and their knowledge about languages, and at fostering open attitudes towards them. (CIIP, 2010 – our translation)
And it is defined as follows. …
Again, the connection with pluralistic approaches is very strong

6. Some descriptors
"To identify how language is organised and works through observing and manipulating other languages ...
by considering the development of languages across time and space
by establishing links between various types of cultural and linguistic practices
by drawing upon knowledge of one’s language of origin
by identifying the languages of origin of the class in order to benefit from them
by making links between plurilingualism and the students’ life
by observing the characteristics of various languages and writings."
( p. 65 – our translation)
Here are the descriptors of the domain « Interlinguistic approaches » for the « cycle 1 » (last year of pre-primary, grade 1 and grade 2 of primary).
As Jean-François de Pietro, Brigitte Gerber, Beatrice Leonforte & Karine Lichtenauer argue in an article devoted to the Swiss curricula,* "Although they remain at a quite general level, these descriptors can obviously be easily connected with the FREPA descriptors. These descriptors could even help precise them, and give an access to the FREPA online materials. »
However, the FREPA is not explicitely referred to in the PER, although one can take for granted that it has been part of the ground knowledge of many PER authors.
* De Pietro, J.-F., Gerber, B., Leonforte, B., & Lichtenauer, K. (2015). Quelle place pour les approches plurielles dans les nouveaux plans d’études des trois régions linguistiques de la Suisse? Babylonia 2,

8.
The example of Finland
Our second example is the new curriculum in Finland.
A new Curriculum has been adopted at national level in Finland. It has come into force in 2016.

9. The municipality of Oulu has designed what it calls a path to global citizenship that is seen as a tool for implementing the new curriculum. …
In order to understand the link between both initiatives, you have to know that the school system in Finland is partly decentralized and that municipalities can offer teaching complements for their schools.
In the case of the Oulu « global citizen’s path », the material developed has been recommended by the Ministry for the whole country.

10. It also offers learning materials to be used in the classroom.
This « path to global citizenship » offers proposals for objectives to be reached by the learners, in terms of knowledge , skills and attitudes.
… and both – objectives and some learning materials – have been adapted from the FREPA
It also offers learning materials to be used in the classroom.
This “path to global citizenship” offers two elements:
>>Two sets of teaching aims
>> Teaching materials.
>> Both – teaching objectives and materials – have been adapted from the FREPA.

11. is a tool for implementing
FREPA
Oulu’s Path to global citizenship
is adapted from
is a tool for implementing
This is a summary of the – indirect - way in which FREPA is connected to the new Finnish curriculum.
Again, no explicit reference to the FREPA is made in the curriculum, but …
New Finnish Curriculum

12. is a tool for implementing
FREPA
Oulu’s Path to global citizenship
is adapted from
is a tool for implementing
It should be clear that the indirect connection from the FREPA to the Finnish curriculum through Oulu’s instruments wouldn’t be possible if the Finnish curriculum had not adopted some main principles of the FREPA.
And indeed, one person who was strongly involved in the conception of the curriculum told us “of course, we have been inspired by the FREPA ideas”
New Finnish Curriculum

13. Here are the two sets of teaching objectives proposed in Oulu’s Path to global citizenship, this time in English.
First the language grid.

14. And now, the culture grid.
In both cases, the proximity with the FREPA descriptors is obvious.
In order to know more about the work done in Oulu:

16. Our third example is the new « Piano di studio della scuola dell’obbligo» of Ticino (Italian-speaking part of Switzerland) which was issued in 2016.

17. It contains a « language area » (p
It contains a « language area » (p. 91) consisting of Italian, the « second languages » French, German and English, and Latin.

18. The development of the plurilingual competence is illustrated by a diagram (p. 114) in which two pluralistic approaches explicitely appear: Awakening to languages and Integrated didactics (or: Integrated language learning/teaching).

19. Five « domains of competence » are distinguished: comprehension and expression, both oral and written, and the « plurilingual and intercultural dimension » (p. 115).
The authors indicate on page 116: « For the description of this last domain, reference is made to the FREPA ».
Here, the reference to the FREPA is explicit and direct.

20. And indeed, the attitudes, skills and knowledge given in the curriculum are taken with some minor adaptations from the FREPA lists of descriptors, as indicated in the following slides.

21. FREPA Descriptors A 2.5.2 A 3.2 A 4 A 5.3. et A 18 A 17.4 S 1.3.2
Attitudes and skills

22. FREPA Descriptors K 1.4 K 1.2.2 K 6.9 et K 6.5 K 6.9.3 K 6.8.1 K 4.2.3
Knowledge.
To know more about the new curriculum of Ticino and its connection with Pluralistic approaches and the FREPA, see :
De Pietro, J.-F., Gerber, B., Leonforte, B., & Lichtenauer, K. (2015). Quelle place pour les approches plurielles dans les nouveaux plans d’études des trois régions linguistiques de la Suisse? Babylonia 2,