At the beginning of the new school year, the Pact for Excellence in Teaching takes a new turn. The common core will be implemented in the 1st and 2nd years of primary education.  Already introduced in the French Community's pre-primary schools since 2020, this polytechnic and multidisciplinary common core aims at ensuring a progressive common learning from the 1st pre-primary school to the 3rd year of secondary education.

In addition to new references guides, common for all networks, the start of the 2022-2023 school year will also be marked by the launch of personalized support, with additional resources that will be made available to schools:  all primary 1st and 2nd classes will be able to benefit from co-teaching for four periods per week. This system will enable teachers to better meet the heterogeneity of classes, to follow the rhythm and needs of each pupil and to differentiate learning; the aim being to limit as much as possible the use of outsourced school support.

Between January 2019 and June 2021, almost 150 schools in pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education took part in a pilot experiment to identify the best teaching practices. It turns out that the intervention of two teachers constitutes a privileged moment to regulate learning and practice differentiation. This would even be more effective than splitting the class.

This practice will, in the first instance, be promoted rather than imposed. There will be other possibilities such as workshop work, the creation of temporary need groups, peer teaching.

Source:  Eurydice Unit Belgium French Community