Adventures in French Education: CM and TD

Remember the blog we published on getting 20/20 in the French education system?

Before the shock of not being able to get un vingt (a twenty), there is another big surprise that may be waiting for you dans une université française (in a French university).

If you have school age children and you are thinking of buying a house in France and moving to France full time then tell them that most classes in France tend to be broken down into “CM”s and “TD”s. That is lecture classes and “supervised” classes.

Photo by Steven S. on Flickr

Now, the same idea does exist in UK universities and dans les universités américaines (in American universities), namely in the sciences where there’s the main class and a laboratory attached to it. In France the idea is applied much more generally and the style of teaching is completely different.

CM stands for Cours Magistral, and is often explained as, “c’est comme un seminar chez vous (It’s like your seminar classes) !”

En général (in general) think of it as a lecture class where le professeur (the professor) goes through une leçon (a lesson) while the students write down notes. This requires intense listening and visual skills and concentration, when we first moved to live in France full time this was the one thing our son found most difficult, until we realise he needed spectacles!

However, there are some big differences. Sitting through your first CM and being barely able to follow what le professeur is saying, you mat be surprised to see nearly all of votre camarades de classe (your classmates) keeping impeccable notes, with outlines clearly built in, even including footnotes and colours.

Don't worry you will get the hang of it very quickly.

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