Philippe Meirieu : les grandes erreurs de la pédagogie moderne

In this presentation, Philippe Meirieu revisits the foundations of New Education and demonstrates that it has never been a homogeneous movement. Behind prominent figures such as Maria Montessori, Célestin Freinet, Jean Piaget, Ovide Decroly, Adolphe Ferrière, and Janusz Korczak lie profound disagreements that continue to permeate schools, pedagogy, and teaching practices today. Should we create alternative schools to immediately experiment with a different kind of education, or should we gradually transform public schools to make them fairer for all? Does group work truly foster cooperation, or can it reinforce inequalities and allow the most privileged students to seize power? Should active learning methods rely on artificially prepared situations or on concrete social projects? Does respecting the child mean allowing them to develop spontaneously, or offering them educational constraints that can lead them toward greater freedom? Philippe Meirieu analyzes these historical tensions to shed light on contemporary educational debates. He reminds us, in particular, that collaborative work, active learning methods, autonomy, and cooperation do not automatically produce a more democratic school. Everything depends on the goals pursued, the knowledge mobilized, and the strategies actually implemented in the classroom. The conference then offers an essential definition of pedagogy. Pedagogy is neither limited to an abstract philosophy of education nor to a collection of effective techniques. It constitutes an ongoing relationship between theory and practice: ideas guide educational action, while concrete experience compels us to deepen, refine, and transform the theory. According to Philippe Meirieu, any coherent pedagogical doctrine must articulate three fundamental dimensions: – goals: what kind of human being and what kind of society do we want to help shape? – scientific knowledge drawn particularly from psychology, sociology, philosophy, and educational sciences; – practices, methods, institutions, and tools that enable us to work concretely with students. Values, scientific truth, and practical effectiveness must remain intertwined. Eliminating any one of these three pillars leads to incomplete pedagogy. A practice based solely on good intentions may ignore the necessary knowledge. A theory without concrete tools remains powerless. A method presented as scientifically effective, but divorced from any reflection on its aims, may conceal important educational and political choices. Philippe Meirieu thus questions the development of neuroscience, neuropedagogy, and evidence-based policies. Scientific knowledge can inform teaching, but it cannot alone determine the type of student, school, or society we want to build. The pedagogical question is therefore never simply: "What works?" It is also: "To achieve what human, social, and democratic goal?" The intervention finally presents several avenues for rebuilding a school of emancipation: – making school a space for deceleration where students learn to suspend their impulses and reflect; – gradually building attention through appropriate teaching methods; – transforming assessment so that it helps students understand their mistakes and improve their work; – rediscovering the joy of learning by reviving the questions that give rise to knowledge; – rebuilding the collective to learn with, from, and through others; – making culture a resource that is shared, transmitted, and multiplied without being depleted. At the heart of this reflection lies a strong conviction: school must not only transmit individual knowledge. It must teach students to think for themselves while becoming capable of collaborating with others to create the common good. In societies marked by acceleration, individualism, inequality, and the fragmentation of the collective, what can schools still do for democracy? They certainly cannot do everything, but they can still create the intellectual, cultural, and pedagogical conditions necessary for a more cohesive society. INFORMATION ABOUT THE ORIGINAL VIDEO Original Title: XIV SEMINARIO SIRD – Intervento del Prof. Philippe Meirieu Original Channel: SIRD Newsletter (SIRD) Event: XIV Seminario SIRD – “La ricerca nelle scuole di dottorato in Italia. Dottorandi, dottori e docenti a confronto” Date of the presentation: June 11, 2020