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Pedagogy

Putting the student at the centre of the school

The National School for Adults (ENAD) aims to develop students’ autonomy and encourage their integration into society through learning and access to knowledge and culture. The school is designed to provide personalised, holistic care that combines individual and group support.

This group and individual support enables to:

This is only possible through designing both a flexible institutional organisation and using teaching methods adapted to the characteristics of young adults motivated to return to education.

Valuing achievements and personal development

The teaching methods used at ENAD are personalised, positive and rewarding. Assessment is designed to highlight progress made and skills acquired.

In the various classes, teachers not only pass on knowledge and skills to students, but also use a wide variety of teaching methods to help students develop skills and attitudes that enable them to learn with and from each other. In addition, students are encouraged to develop their autonomy and to set themselves objectives, to manage the learning process and to develop their own solutions.

Personal project

In the lower classes, each student is required to complete a short independent research paper per semester in one of the core subjects. To do this, the teacher sets a topic and provides the information the student needs to complete the assignment. Some of the personal work is done in class, where the teacher can assist and guide the student.

The personal project or professional dissertation is a project in the final class (DAES or work-study educator class) which enables students to show that they are capable of investing themselves in a complex project, which is planned over an academic year, culminating in a production related to a chosen subject.

The aim of the personal work is to show that the student…

  • is able to develop a sense of autonomy and initiative, enabling them to tackle complex work,
  • knows how to plan and manage time to meet deadlines,
  • is able to explore, from a multidisciplinary point of view, the different aspects of a problem, including through research and documentation,
  • is able to synthesise information from a variety of sources to produce a personal assignment,
  • can develop a critical approach to his or her work, and is able to recognise and correct mistakes,
  • is able to assimilate knowledge related to the problem addressed in the paper so as to be able to present and defend the project in front of a jury during an oral presentation.

Arts and culture

For most classes, arts education classes have been replaced by ‘Arts and Culture’ workshops, which are held in parallel for all classes on the same afternoon.

These workshops offer a wide range of artistic activities (museum visits, graphic design, painting workshops, music sessions, dance classes, play rehearsals, cookery classes, photography, etc.) to the school’s students. These workshops are not linked to any particular class, but students are free to sign up for the workshop of their choice.

The main objective is to strengthen skills in music, visual arts and expression through practice in creative situations.

At the end of the school year, the students’ work is presented to the public as part of an event called Art Day.

Project-based learning

Project-based learning is another important pillar of learning at ENAD. In line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), learners tackle topics of their choice independently and deal with them in a practical way.

Psycho-social support

ENAD’s psycho-social support for students is based on an inclusive approach. ENAD is committed to inclusion in education as “a process that helps overcome barriers that limit learners’ presence, participation and achievement” (UNESCO 2017, p.7).

The pedagogical teams and tutoring (both enshrined in the amended Law of 12 May 2009 creating a National School for Adults) are the primary tools for inclusion and the two main pillars of support at ENAD.

Pedagogical team

All students are supervised by pedagogical teams, which are responsible for the didactic and pedagogical coordination of two to four class groups for initial training, and more than 100 students for GEA (work-study educator class), DAES and adult apprenticeships.

ENAD’s pedagogical teams are multidisciplinary: they include teachers and trainers, as well as educators, psychologists and experts from the professional sector.

The members of the pedagogical teams meet once a week to take stock of the learners’ learning and the psycho-social support required.

In addition, the pedagogical teams are responsible for :

  • Welcoming and recruiting students
  • Designing teaching tools and defining training plans
  • Tutoring
  • Monitoring students’ career plans
  • Organising work placements
  • Learning assessment and evaluation

Tutoring

Most students also have an individual tutor. As far as initial training is concerned, students meet once a week with their reference person, who acts as a “personal coach”, helping students to solve personal and academic problems and to develop their independence.

In addition, tutoring helps to highlight social problems and problems peripheral to the training which may have an influence on learning. Finally, where appropriate, tutoring also provides the framework for the consultation of the student’s family and friends.

Students on the GEA, DAES and adult apprenticeship (vocational training) courses are also supervised by a pedagogical team and follow either a group tutorial (DAES preparatory class; adult apprenticeship vocational training) or are accompanied by a tutor who accompanies them in their professional practice (GEA) or who accompanies their supervised personal work in final class (DAES).

The school’s experience has shown that tutoring is an invaluable pedagogical aid to the successful development of students’ educational careers.

Psychological guidance and learning support

In addition to the educators and social workers who form part of the pedagogical teams, psycho-social supervision and support for learning at ENAD is provided by psychologists and graduate and specialist educators.

The following additional services and resources are available:

  • in-house help from the ENAD social workers;
  • inclusion measures coordinated by ENAD’s Inclusion Committee;
  • learning workshops enabling learners to develop strategies for better learning;
  • consultations with psychologists ;
  • consultations with qualified educators and specialist teachers;
  • assistance and advice on questions relating to drug use;
  • intervention in behaviour management and socio-emotional expression ;
  • bereavement assistance (including postvention) ;
  • stress management and sophrology.

Certification

School report

At the end of each semester, learners receive a report card with a skills record as proof:

  • General knowledge and skills acquired at school
  • Socio-professional and technical skills
  • Recommendations from the pedagogical team

Guidance and promotion

At the end of the school year, the class council decides on the promotion and subsequent orientation of the learner with a view to admission to a given class of secondary education, organised as part of adult education or initial training (including vocational training).

Diplomas

Courses culminate in the award of one of the following diplomas:

  • Diplôme d’accès aux études supérieures (providing access to higher education)
  • General Certificate of Secondary Education
  • State diploma of educator
  • Vocational capacity certificate (CCP)
  • Vocational aptitude diploma (DAP)

To this end, an examination board is set up by the Minister for National Education and chaired by a government commissioner appointed for this purpose.