Training sessions for the teachers of the French Lycée of Pondicherry

9th November

The IFP organized a commented visit of the Institute addressed to the teachers of the French Lycee of Pondicherry.Thirty teachers accepted to take part in it.The visit started with a presentation on the new activities of the center, by it’s director. The Heads of the scientific departments (Ecology, social Sciences), of the Center for Documentary Resources and the Laboratory for Applied Informatics then presented the ongoing projects at the Institute.

10th November

The teachers of history and geography have to, following the request from the “Agence pour l’Enseignement du Francais a l’Etranger” (Agency for French tuition abroad), adapt their programs to the host country. So they asked for help and counsel from the researchers of the Institute, who spent the day of 10th November with them. Seven teachers of history and geography, and many other colleagues from different fields took part to the training.

The day was organized around four conferences :

The morning

• Dr O. Aubriot (Head of the project “Social Management of Water”) made a very well documented presentation on the management of water in Tamil Nadu enabling to appreciate the way water management shapes landscapes through “anaicuts” (derivation dams) and reservoir ponds, and the recent evolution based on the systematic exploitation of the ground water.

• Prof Subbarayalu (Head of the project “Historical Atlas of South India”) made a presentation of the Historical atlas of India. Through the example of the district of Pudukkottai, the teachers could realize the importance of the amount of information on the history of India, the abundance and precision of the information provided and presented in a particularly well done multimedia support.

Afternoon

• Prof F. Grimal (head of the project “Paninean Grammar”) led a working session, which provided the teachers with numerous bibliographical indications, and suggestions on ways to present the ancient Indian civilization to the students of the lycée.

• Dr J. Deloche (head of the project “Historical and Religious Heritage of South India”) then guided the teachers for a visit of the permanent exhibition “Pondicherry revisited” (located in the big gallery of the IFP). In the interview that followed, J. Deloche stressed the importance of personel work to be given to students, to study local history. With the example of the “typically french” checkered design of Pondicherry, which in reality was designed by the dutch in 1794, J Deloche showed how historians can sometimes be wrong-tracked.

A wish from most of the teachers : have a taste of this experience again !