MASTER'S DEGREE IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROFESSIONS, PRIMARY LEVEL

The program is organized into three standard tracks. The first is intended for students who are able to attend in-person classes. It is offered at all five FDE campuses (Carcassonne, Nîmes, Mende, Montpellier, and Perpignan) and can accommodate approximately 660 students in the first year of the master’s program (M1). The regional languages track is offered in Perpignan for Catalan and in Carcassonne and Mende for Occitan.  Apart from the course units specific to regional languages, this track is shared with the basic in-person track. A third hybrid track is available for students who cannot attend in-person classes (due to a disability or illness, employees undergoing career transition, those with family responsibilities, etc.). It is administered by the Carcassonne campus and includes an in-person component (four weeks of group sessions, internships, exams, and mock exams) as well as various forms of distance learning. It can accommodate up to 45 students.

The course content is the same across all five campuses and the three tracks. It is defined by very detailed course descriptions. Meetings bringing together instructors from all five campuses are held regularly. Each course unit is led by an academic coordinator, accompanied by a representative from each campus. A significant portion of the assessments is conducted simultaneously across all five campuses using common exam questions. The master’s program committee ensures that harmonization meetings are held to standardize grades.

To ensure that students entering the M2 program (where they may be assigned classes to teach as part of their work-study program and M2 internship) have a sufficient grasp of the fundamentals, minimum grade requirements are proposed. All course units (UE) are eligible for make-up grades only if the grade is 6 or higher. In S2, the mathematics and French course units, as well as those related to the reference framework, are eligible for make-up grades only if the grade is 8 or higher. In S4, the thesis and internship are not eligible for make-up grades.

Core courses in French and mathematics are offered throughout the four semesters of the master’s program, totaling 30 to 40 hours per semester per subject. They are taught by multidisciplinary teams composed of professionals.

As part of the core curriculum, French instruction is organized around four areas:

1. The development of oral and written language proficiency and reading skills—particularly in literary texts—with a view to professional practice and the CRPE exams.
2. The acquisition of disciplinary and epistemological knowledge in the field of linguistics (pragmatics, textual analysis, syntax, grammar, orthography, lexicon, etc.) and related to languages, children’s literature, and literacies (including digital literacy).
3. The acquisition of pedagogical knowledge and the development of related professional skills in the areas of oral communication, writing, language, comprehension, reading, interpretation, and engagement with literary works. Particular attention is given to teaching reading in first grade and to introducing students to writing in Cycle 1.
4. The development of professional skills related to versatility (French in various academic disciplines).

The objectives of the elementary mathematics program focus on mastering mathematical content and teaching methods, with the aim, on the one hand, of preparing students for the CRPE—both the written and oral portions—and, on the other hand, of designing, implementing, and analyzing teaching scenarios in conjunction with the students’ teaching practicums.

The topics covered are based on the school’s Cycle 1, 2, and 3 curricula. For example, 30% of the total class time is devoted to mastering the mathematical and pedagogical content needed to teach arithmetic and numeracy, with the remainder devoted to other school subjects and, more broadly, to Cycle 4 topics related to preparation for the entrance exam.

Finally, the various topics covered in mathematics are linked to one another (for example, arithmetic is connected to the teaching of quantities and measurement, as well as geometry) and to other subject areas (Arts, Physical Education, History and Geography, and Science) through training sessions specifically dedicated to this purpose, in order to develop the versatility of future elementary school teachers.

Also as part of the fundamentals, values and the reference framework are explored throughout a four-course unit sequence—one per semester, totaling approximately 140 hours. These course units enable students to progress gradually from an understanding of the educational institution and the values that underpin it—in the first year of the master’s program—to a reflection on how these values are implemented in the classroom and their integration into the students’ professional actions and practices—in the second year of the master’s program.

This set of course units, which is quite similar in structure and content to that offered in the MEEF^2nd Degree master’s program, provides an opportunity to explore key topics such as secularism, inclusive education (see the decree of November 25, 2020), citizenship education, the school climate, and the fight against all forms of discrimination and violence.

While each unit focuses on one or more of these major themes, the goal is to revisit these fundamental elements over the course of the four semesters, in order to move beyond the mere transmission of information toward genuine internalization. The goal is to ensure that schools can fulfill “their mission of civic education” and prepare “students to live in society and become responsible and free citizens who are aware of the principles and rules that underpin democracy” (Law of July 8, 2013). The program aims to develop professional competencies as defined in the 2013 framework while preparing students for the CRPE interview.

Training in the core subjects—French, mathematics, values, and the reference framework—is supplemented by a program consisting of four course units.

Each semester, a specific course helps provide a solid foundation in the other subjects taught in elementary school, with the goal of offering the most well-rounded and comprehensive education possible.