From May 14 to 17, 2025, the city of Marseille hosted the second edition of the Rencontres internationales de la Classe Dehors, a unique biennial event initiated by La Fabrique des Communs Pédagogiques, in partnership with the Aix-Marseille Academy, the City of Marseille, the Ligue de l’Enseignement, and many organizations active in education, research, ecology and environmental protection.
The goal was to rethink education beyond the classroom walls by connecting students with territories, nature, and today’s social, scientific and cultural challenges — all in a spirit of cooperation, creativity and active citizenship.
As part of their discovery week held from May 12 to 16 in Marseille, students from 3e at the Lycée Français International Simone Veil had the unique opportunity to take part in this major educational event.
This inspiring project was made possible thanks to the initiative of Ms. Maria Abi Chebli, biology teacher and STEAM education trainer and curriculum designer, who developed an innovative, interdisciplinary programme fully integrated with the event. She was supported by a team of teachers — Ms. Deflandre (Visual Arts), Ms. Gärtner (German) and Mr. Morales (Mathematics) — who guided and actively participated in the week’s workshops and activities. The goal: to connect science, art, urbanism, artificial intelligence and civic issues to real-world experiences through immersive, collaborative, and intercultural learning.
Students enjoyed a fascinating immersion at the Inspé d’Aix-Marseille, Polytech Marseille, and Aix-Marseille University through a programme co-designed with Professor Ismail Badache and his colleagues. They were introduced to artificial intelligence and its applications in Industry 4.0 and 5.0 — including collaborative robotics, connected objects and augmented reality. Supported by researchers, PhD students and passionate university students, they got a first-hand look at how AI is already transforming the way we learn, communicate, and build the world.
Special thanks go to Ismail Badache, Jonathan Mirault and the entire Jacques Ginestié technology platform team for their inspiring welcome and hands-on demonstrations.
But this week wasn’t only about technology! The programme also included urban exploration, cultural encounters, and artistic experimentation.
Highlights included collaborative workshops with the German section of the Cité Scolaire Internationale, an artistic exploration of Île du Frioul, and open-air podcasts, debates and drawings organised by La Fabrique des Communs Pédagogiques. Students also explored Marseille’s cultural heritage, including an exceptional meeting with Mayor Benoît Payan as part of the Les enfants enchantent Marseille initiative, encouraging classes to reclaim the city as a place for learning.
Additional special moments included meeting Jean-Marc Merriaux, Director General of the Mission Laïque Française and a pioneer in educational FabLabs and STEAM implementation, and co-leading space exploration workshops with Gilles Rabin, Space Advisor to the French Embassy in Germany.
This project embodies the LfiSV’s educational philosophy: to nurture lively, interdisciplinary, and inclusive education where each student can explore, question, experiment, collaborate — and feel empowered in the world around them.
A huge bravo to our 3e students for their energy, enthusiasm and adaptability, and heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make this extraordinary week possible.
