Pedagogical research
Pedagogy
By Etiennette Vellas, Doctor of Educational Sciences
1. Introduction
Pedagogy has a long history. It’s an extraordinary human adventure!
Today, it can be divided into three meanings (Michel Fabre):
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It can be viewed as a singular reflexion on the progress and development of educational actions; what Durkheim had already referred to as “practical theory”.
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It can be viewed as a doctrine (for example the Freinet pedagogies, cooperative or institutionnal). This doctrine emanates from a practical theory that has become systemised.
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In extension, it can also be viewed, in common language, as the art of educating, or the art of teaching (we say for example of a person that he/she is a good Pedagogue).
Let’s look into the first definition, as the two others are its results.
2. Pedagogy: a “practical theory”
In analyzing the works of famous educators and synthesising educational research1 on Pedagogy, Pedagogy can thus be defined as a “practical theory”. A theory founded in experience and oriented towards practical transformations.
This theory presents itself as an expression which articulates, while trying to build coherence, three types of elements, sometimes so intertwined that we can have trouble distinguishing them:
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convictions (values), in line with the finalities of education,
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conceptions (theories, Knowledge),
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actions (practise as assumed by Pedagogues).
Pedagogues search to build coherence between three different aspects: axiological dimension, theoretical dimension, praxiological dimension.
Typical “practical theory” is the theory of one Pestalozzi, a Freinet, a Montessori, an Oury. Of certain pedagogical mouvements.
3. Who is the Pedagogue?
The Pedagogue is always a practitioner in search of his own actions, for action.
The question that triggers his reflexion come from his field experience: “How can I make it better ?”. “As best I can, because he or she is working in a a particular context, and nothing is either perfect nor definite. This question comes up, mostly, when there’s a problem.
The imperfection of the educator’s response is in itself its richness: research and creativity are born from his successive trials to reduce the gap which separates his theories, his practises, his finalities, according to the problems, the trials and tensions that he encounters in his actions.
4. The models and the knowledge constructed by Pedagogues
Educators provide models of intelligibility from their educational actions (Fabre) as soon as they describe their pedagogy; by highlighting their typically pedagogical knowledge: creations. For exemple: class council (institutional education); the auto-socio-construction demeanour (GFEN), the elaboration of different writing workshops (Neumayer O. and M., Ducom), the Freinet techniques.
The specific knowledge built by educators can be transmitted, at the condition that they be explicated by linking them to the “practical theory” from which they were born. Otherwise they become methods, tools that have lost all their meaning.
The knowledge of education are defined today as being all at once:
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pragmatic: it can be various “feasibles” (technique, posture, principal, model, etc);
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critical: they propose renouncements of preceding practices;
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hermeneutical: they explain their issues;
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political.
Example: When Fernand Oury, creator of institutional Pedagogy, presents his belts, taken from judo, as a tool in the hands of some type of formal evaluation, we find four characteristics in this “educational knowledge”:
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this knowledge is a pragmatic feasible:
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it’s critical: explained as it is invented to abolish selective evaluation
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it’s hermeneutical: another interpretation is given to scholastic evaluation (grading). The tool for domination becomes the tool for emancipation;
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it contains an alternative policy: the “judo belt” institution presents a a school with a different social contract: to educate without excluding.
The “belts” of institutional education cannot be fully understood if not restituted in Oury’s whole practical theory”.
5. Confronting our Pedagogies in order to better know them and ourselves
To meet with our own “practical theories” is to be able to :
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Better understand our own actions;
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Share with others about what is triggering our actions;
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Confront our experiences by bringing out the differences and similarities in our lines of practise;
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Make the confrontation of pedagogies a recognised work task for each person, in the personal research process for betterment;
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Enrich each others “practical theories”.
6. The Pedagogy of a group
The educator’s question “How do we do the best we can?” can be that of a group, a teaching staff, a school. The individual pedagogies of each teacher, educator, and the collective education of the group then enrich each other dialectically. One can thus achieve a kind of “common core pedagogy”, containing the essentials for a school, or an educational movement, its aims, its reference theories, practices.
With these effects involved in the quality of work:
•To find common ground concerning the purposes, theories and practices which are indispensable to share, and which are not.
•To make the individual and group’s teaching methods permeable in order to make them mutually enriching. And thus avoiding having people going around in circle within their own triangle! Each very thoroughly worked out pedagogy can be systemised (ex. Montessori, Freinet, Steiner, etc), to such an extent, sometimes, that it can close in on itself, stiffen the elements of its three poles, which then crystallise and become a barrier for any novelty. The doctrine then runs the risk of becoming doctrinarian.
•To analyse together, in terms of individual and common “practical theories”, local and international educational policy, administrative prescriptions, innovation, etc. in order to understand the advantages as well as the inconveniences. And also, the resistance of a person or group to face innovation.
To search for Pedagogy is to encounter each and every educator’s “practical theories”.
References (in French) :
1 FABRE, M. (2002). Existe-t-il des savoirs pédagogiques ?. in J. H. Houssaye, M. Soëtard, D. Hameline & M. Fabre. Manifeste pour les pédagogues. ESF. pp. 99-124.
FABRE, M. (2003). La pédagogie. Une théorie orientée vers la transformation de la pratique. Éducateur. N˚3. pp. 17-20.
HAMELINE, D. (2001). « Pédagogie » in R. Hofstetter & B. Schneuwly (Éds). Le pari des sciences de l’éducation. De Boeck. pp. 227-241.
FABRE, M. (2003). La pédagogie. Une théorie orientée vers la transformation de la pratique. Éducateur. Revue suisse. N˚3. pp. 17-20.
MEIRIEU, Ph. (1993). L’envers du tableau. Quelle pédagogie pour quelle école. ESF.
MEIRIEU, Ph. (1995). La pédagogie entre le dire et le faire. ESF.
MEIRIEU, Ph. (2008). Pédagogie : Le devoir de résister. ESF.
NEUMAYER, O. et M. (2003/08). Animer un atelier d’écriture : Faire de l’écriture un bien partagé. ESF.
NEUMAYER, O. et M. (2005). Pratiquer le dialogue Arts plastiques-écritures : Quinze ateliers de création pour l’Éducation Nouvelle. ESF.
NEUMAYER, O. et M., VELLAS, E. (Éd). (2009). Relever les défis de l’Éducation nouvelle. 45 parcours d’avenir. Chronique sociale.
OURY, F. et VASQUEZ (1971). A. De la classe coopérative à la pédagogie institutionnelle. Maspero.
Sources :
HOUSSAYE, J., SOËTARD, M., HAMELINE, D., FABRE, M. (2002). Manifeste pour les pédagogues. ESF.
MEIRIEU, Ph. Site : Accueil et Actualité de la pédagogie : http://www.meirieu.com
VELLAS, E. (2008). Approche, par la pédagogie, de la démarche d’auto-socio-construction : une « théorie pratique » de l’Éducation nouvelle. Thèse. Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l’éducation. Université de Genève. https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:6791
A few interesting websites
Selected by Andreea Capitanescu Benetti, Doctor of Educational Sciences
The LIFE laboratory website, University of Geneva:
https://www.unige.ch/fapse/life/
Description of the LIFE website: “LIFE is a laboratory devoted to research, reflection and intervention; located at the University of Geneva, Switzerland and run under the academic responsibility of Olivier Maulini. The primary focus of the laboratory is to innovate in the fields of teaching, training and education. It also intends to develop knowledge of innovation as well as knowledge from innovation.”
It is a laboratory of research professors who investigate real life practices of educators in their habitual workplace in contrast with institutional demands and the educators’ ideals.
Life systematically posts different articles written by its members as well as papers related to its open research workshops, which combine researchers and educators in a variety of classes:
https://www.unige.ch/fapse/life/recherche/seminaire/
Since 2014 the research seminars have been developed around the following theme: “Doing my job…?” how one’s relationship with work impacts on their professional practices.
The ESCOL, Education et Scolarisation (Education and Schooling) website:
http://www.circeft.org/?-accueil-escol-
Description of the ESCOL website: “The ESCOL (Education et Scolarisation) team, overseen by Stéphane Bonnery, unites research professors and associate researchers, most of whom for work at the University of Paris 8 Saint-Denis or at the University of Crétel – ESPÉ (Écoles supérieures du professorat et de l’éducation translates to “Superior Schools of the teaching profession and education”) of the Créteil academy. The aim of the work carried out by the team is essentially to study and better understand the recurring processes leading to the development of social and gender related inequality in the area of schooling, access to knowledge and intellectual work methods”
The team’s research reveals how, even during the most mundane or ordinary tasks, a student’s opportunities to understand and learn can be impaired. The publications of these researchers help to obtain a better understanding of what is in play within learning processes.
The Observation and Analysis website of the IFE, Institut Français de l’Education (French Institute of Education):
This website provides access to numerous resources:
Access to observation files surrounding the theme of education:
http://ife.ens-lyon.fr/vst/DA/ListeDossiers.php
Access to many specialized reviews in different areas of education:
http://ife.ens-lyon.fr/vst/RevuesWeb/index.php
And access to various seminars available online:
http://ife.ens-lyon.fr/vst/Colloques/index.php
The NéoPass@ction website:
A variety of teaching resources and tools are available on this website.
On the website one can find films related to in-class teaching. The films vary depending on different themes and difficulties in teaching. To better understand what is involved for educators responsible for the class, there are analyses of their methods and proposals for regulations, which reveal the opinions of colleagues regarding their action as well as the opinions of researchers.
The Réseau Maision des Petits website:
Description of the Réseau Maison des Petits website: Reseau Maison des Petits is part of a project developed as a partnership between the department of public institution of Geneva and the psychology and educational sciences faculty of the University of Geneva.
Founded in 1913, the Maison de Petits was initially a school of observation and application of scientific discoveries in the fields of education and child development.
Today it is a network of schools in which the research and training of different teaching approaches are developed, based on collaboration between researchers and practitioners.
The site provides a variety of documents developed in different disciplines linked to the research undertaken in the schools of Saint-Antoine, Ferdinanf Hodler and la Roseraie.