The Faculty of Education at the University of Montpellier welcomes the distinction awarded at the 6th edition of the Prix Chercheurs en Actes, which recognizes innovative initiatives at the intersection of research and education.
A national award for an educational research project
This recognition honors the CoLect project, carried out at the Voltaire middle school in Toulon, located in an area designated as an "educational city." This ambitious program aims to transform teaching practices around reading instruction, with two objectives: to strengthen the training of educational teams and to improve middle school students' mastery of fundamental skills.
The project is based on research in French language teaching and education sciences, as well as collaborative approaches (shared leadership, harmonization of practices, etc.). It brought together teachers, inspectors, educational advisors, school principals, management teams, and researchers to jointly develop new learning methods.
The Faculty of Education is involved in this project through the participation of Magali Brunel, Professor of French Language and Literature, who contributed to the research conducted as part of CoLect.
From the very first year (2023–2024), the results proved very encouraging:
- Struggling sixth graders gained 3.5 points between the pre-tests and post-tests.
- Fourth and fifth graders improved by 8.5 points.
- Teachers have developed more explicit reading practices and experimented with new forms of collaboration, such as co-teaching.
The General Secretariat of the Scientific Council for National Education (CSEN) sent its warm congratulations to all those involved in the project, highlighting its exemplary nature and its concrete contribution to educational practices.
This distinction illustrates the collective commitment of researchers, teachers, trainers, and practitioners in the field to advancing educational innovation in the service of student success.
