Alternative teaching methods: a wide range of approaches with diverse political aims
Of the twelve million children and teenagers enrolled in school in France, only a few tens of thousands are reportedly enrolled in programs that promote alternative teaching methods.
Sylvain Wagnon, University of Montpellier
Activist websites such as “Le Printemps de l’Éducation” cite a figure of 60,000 children affected. The Miviludes report (Interministerial Mission for Vigilance and Combating Sectarian Aberrations) provides an “official” figure of 24,851 children who are not enrolled in school but are being educated at home or through distance learning.
If we look solely at the statistics, the phenomenon may seem marginal. Nevertheless, it is clearly on the rise, and the arguments put forward by advocates of these educational approaches are resonating strongly in the media and among segments of society. In a recent study published in the journal Tréma, we outlined an analysis of the definition and scope of this diverse landscape.
What do a “traditionalist” religious school and a Montessori school have in common? What about a Freinet school and homeschooling? Analyzing this complex landscape means attempting to identify the unifying principles of these movements without underestimating the differences between the proponents of the various approaches. It also means highlighting the actual role of the movement’s founders, supporters, and its ideological and financial ramifications.
The Legacy of Progressive Education
The concept of alternative education is not a new one, as the progressive education movements pioneered by educators such as Célestin Freinet, Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, and Ovide Decroly have been present in France since the first half ofthe 20th century and emerged as a reaction to traditional schooling. Alternative educational approaches inthe 21st century differ in their political objectives, methods, and scientific foundations.
Given that they consist mainly of private schools not under contract with the state, the question of their ties to the public school system arises. Upon examining the rhetoric of the various factions, it becomes clear that the “attacks” on public education are not all of the same nature.
Homeschooling advocates are fundamentally opposed to the school system, but other movements, such as democratic schools, advocate strategies of circumvention or competition in the name of educational freedom. Is this merely a temporary form of resistance? Does it contribute to the liberalization and privatization of education? These questions remain unanswered.
The neurosciences in the background
In his latest book, Philippe Meirieu has lucidly outlined the stakes in the current debates between proponents of “traditional” schooling, advocates of progressive education, and proponents of contemporary alternative pedagogies who seek to radically redefine all educational relationships by rejecting adult domination. Philippe Meirieu defines them as “hyperpedagogues,” a label that is open to debate, as some activists reject the very idea of pedagogy as a tool for dominating children.
Behind this classification lies a political divide. The Freinet movement—and, to a lesser extent, the Decroly movement—advocate for an emancipatory goal and a political transformation of education, whereas today’s alternative movements most often describe themselves as “apolitical,” emphasizing the “obviousness” of personal development as validated by neuroscience. However, this refusal to be “labeled” does not preclude discourse and practices that point to clearly identifiable political and pedagogical worlds.
Alternative educational approaches ofthe 21st century, whether inside or outside the school system, draw implicitly or explicitly on the progressive education movements of the early20th century. They are sometimes direct offshoots of these movements, as is the case with Montessori schools or Freinet classrooms. Nevertheless, the scientific foundations of the two movements are not the same.
The movements of progressive education stem from the theories and practices of child psychology and social psychology. While drawing on some of this body of work, the alternative educational approaches ofthe 21st century ground their practices in advances in cognitive science, particularly neuroscience. Indeed, we are witnessing a sort of alliance between neuroscientists and advocates of alternative educational approaches in their engagement with the public education system.
Debunking Myths
Our analysis of the wide range of alternative educational approaches highlights three distinct groups with divergent, even antagonistic, political goals.
- The first group consists of the historical currents of progressive education (Decroly, Montessori, Steiner, and Freinet), which remain prominent today in both the public and private sectors of the French educational landscape. This is by no means a unified “front.” The ideals of social diversity and educational transformation remain strong cornerstones of the Freinet and Decroly movements, whereas the Steiner and Montessori movements focus primarily on personality development.
- The second group offers an educational model centered on “tradition” and the transmission of knowledge above all else. This group consists mainly of traditionalist Catholic schools. These schools are ideologically opposed to most alternative schools that advocate for societal transformation. Nevertheless, this movement perceives a convergence with certain alternative schools in their circumvention of the public school system and in their liberalization of education.
- Finally, the third cluster, which is currently emerging, is a loose network comprising a wide range of educational initiatives, organizations, and stakeholders that draw on the concepts of family education, personal development, and neuroscience. While its growth remains quantitatively insignificant, it is highly visible in the media and politically assertive. One of the new developments is the appropriation of the idea of innovation by schools or initiatives that are not tied to any particular educational model. We are witnessing a tug-of-war between a retreat into individualism and a desire to transform the existing system.
Now, as in the past, education is clearly a political issue. The challenge facing reformers within the public education system is to champion the idea of a school system that serves the common good, while at the same time maintaining a critical stance toward that system. This does not mean the situation is set in stone, but we believe it is necessary to dispel certain myths.
Progressive education is not a uniform movement; it has not permeated the French education system with its “pedagogical approach”—reformers remain marginalized within the public school system. The struggle to define an emancipatory education is even more relevant today in the face of growing social individualism and heightened nationalism.
Sylvain Wagnon, Professor of Education, University of Montpellier
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Readthe original article.