L’Écho des Profs

L’Écho des Profs is a newsletter which is published twice a year by the Association for French Studies in Southern Africa (AFSSA) and distributed to all French teachers in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Although specifically designed for school teachers, the newsletter is also of interest to teachers of French in tertiary institutions and the Alliance Française.

The aim of L’Écho des Profs is to serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas and news, teaching materials and resources. It serves as a link between AFSSA and French teachers, between the Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle (SCAC) of the French Embassy in South Africa and French teachers, and above all, as a link between teachers themselves.

The content of the newsletter varies, although it usually features a letter from the Editor, a lesson plan and articles relating to French language, culture and society or related to pedagogical issues in the teaching of French. Readers are also informed of web sites that could be of use to them in their teaching of French as a foreign language. The newsletter regularly gives news about Dibuka, the SCAC resource centre, about AFSSA and FIPF (Fédération internationale des professeurs de français) events and competitions, and about the Department of National Education in South Africa. It also informs readers about the different projects initiated by the SCAC to promote French and support French teachers. L’Echo is a newsletter for teachers, but is intended above all as a newsletter by teachers: teachers are therefore encouraged to submit news items, ideas, articles and lesson plans for publication.

If you would like to receive L’Écho des Profs or would like to submit an article, news item or lesson ideas for publication, please write to the Editor, Francesca Balladon, Department of French, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa. Fax : +27 31 260 1242 or e-mail: balladonf@ukzn.ac.za.