[LUM#8] The nebula of alternative pedagogies
Which school should I choose? Which teaching method would be best for my child? How will he adapt to the school rhythm? To the teacher? When it comes to choosing a school for their offspring, some parents are turning to alternative teaching methods. What is the nature of these new forms of teaching? Sylvain Wagnon, professor at Montpellier University's Faculty of Education and head of the Centre d'études, de documentation et de recherches en histoire de l'éducation de Montpellier (Cedrhe) explores the "nebulous" world of alternative pedagogies.
Over the last ten years or so, the media and, more recently, social networks have been spreading the word about alternative teaching methods. It's a new phenomenon that's difficult to define, as Sylvain Wagnon, author of the book De Montessori à l'éducation positive, tour d'horizon des pédagogies alternativeswho describes the phenomenon as " nebulous". "We're not dealing with a structured group. Under the term 'alternative pedagogy' we can find many very different schools and pedagogies. Nevertheless, most of them feature a presentation based on the child's personal and global development. " The values presented are mostly very altruistic, with notions of well-being, happiness and benevolence.
The promoters of these schools always stress the importance of respecting learning rhythms and physical needs, developing autonomy and self-confidence, and encouraging cooperation between children. These schools favor so-called active activities and small classes. "You have, for example, the so-called democratic schools that are developing rapidly in Montpellier and elsewhere. These are very small structures, most of them with less than fifteen children. In fact, the word school isn't really appropriate; they're more like different learning environments ", explains the researcher.
Inspired by new pedagogies
This approach is far from new, since it is inspired by the new pedagogies developed between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries by well-known doctors such as Maria Montessori and Ovide Decroly, as well as other personalities such as Rudolf Steiner and Célestin Freinet. "At the time, these pedagogues were already talking about the need to renovate education, to think about pedagogy from the child's point of view. In fact, they spoke of the child, not the pupil," explains Sylvain Wagnon.
But for this specialist in the history of education ( Eduquer autrement, une histoire ancienne), if new pedagogies were built around these great practitioners and theorists, alternative pedagogies refuse to define themselves exclusively in relation to these figures deemed historical. " They draw on Steiner, Freinet, Decroly and especially Montessori, whose spirit they claim, but they don't want to lock themselves into a single pedagogy, and that's really what's new. You've got a huge variety, right down to certain currents that even reject the idea of pedagogy, such as certain home schooling activists." This is a highly publicized form of instruction, but according to the researcher, it represents only a few thousand of the millions of children in school.
Anti-system
Like their predecessors (L'éducation nouvelle en héritage), alternative pedagogies have developed out of a rejection of traditional education, accused of failing to give children the means to blossom. Sylvain Wagnon also explains this criticism in terms of the history of the state education system, intended by Jules Ferry as " a common melting pot, a place for building the French citizen. Already at the time, it was criticized for having a barrack-like atmosphere, where the group took precedence over the individual ". A system that had the advantage of welcoming all children, but which remained " very cumbersome and hierarchical, struggling to adapt to the changes taking place in society ".
If the discourse of these alternative pedagogies conveys very positive ideas (The ideal of positive education), the researcher nonetheless warns against a lack of hindsight, and asserts the need to " analyze this emerging phenomenon, without prejudice, so as not to be satisfied with the prevailing discourse". For while these pedagogies have the merit of offering new avenues to explore, they also require some reflection.
And to start with, we'd like to take a closer look at how they are defined, because while the rhetoric always seems to be very positive, " you can find just about anything under the heading of alternative pedagogies, from libertarian schools to religious fundamentalist teachings ". More simply, this lack of a framework raises the question of the training and recognition of teachers and their role. " Tomorrow, anyone can set up a Montessori school. It will have the name, but not necessarily the content.
A school outside society?
There is also the question of access to these alternative structures. With prices that can go up to 5,000 euros a year, or even much more, these pedagogies' claim to social diversity is severely limited, with " the risk of a withdrawal into oneself or an intermingling. We can't use the words alternative and democratic, which are very strong words, and not ask ourselves the question of access for all.
Finally, we need to question the purpose of these alternative pedagogies. For if personal fulfillment remains at the heart of their discourse, can we really envisage a fulfilled individual on his or her own? Sylvain Wagnon concludes: " There's an important purpose in education, and that's to live together. How we put it to music is the charm of education.
UM podcasts are now available on your favorite platforms (Spotify, Deezer, Apple podcasts, Amazon Music...).