Guest of Europe 1, Saturday, Philippe Meirieu, specialist in educational sciences explained the need to engage in substantive work with teachers to support them on a daily basis.
A project that begins with a strengthening of their continuing education, and a transdisciplinary reflection on secularism.
INTERVIEW
A week after the assassination of Samuel Paty, professor of history and geography, barely 400 m from his college, the teaching world is still in shock.
Mentioned on Friday by
Le Parisien
, a note from territorial intelligence warns of the concern of teachers for the start of school on November 2.
A concern which Philippe Meirieu also echoes.
Invited from Europe 1, on Saturday, the specialist in the sciences of education and pedagogy evokes the need to take into account the "deep trauma of the teaching staff".
Author of
What school can still do for democracy.
(Éditions Autrement), he believes that in-depth work must be undertaken alongside the families of the students, but also around the continuing education of teachers, especially with regard to the notion of secularism.
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A training "not up to the challenges they have to face"
"We must develop continuing education for teachers," insists Philippe Meirieu.
"They say it: they do not feel sufficiently supported in their daily work."
According to the education specialist, the continuing education of teachers is "not up to the challenges they have to face".
Issues such as the teaching of freedom of expression and secularism, at the heart of the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine attack, and which, according to him, do not only concern history teachers- geography.
Because Philippe Meirieu reminds us: "this question of secularism must cross all the teachings".
"Secularism is embodied by the whole school", explains the one who also co-wrote
Can Education still be at the heart of a social project?
(Editions de l'Aube).
"As soon as you enter the school, you enter a place dedicated to the search for precision, accuracy, truth," he explains.
"A place where we try to distinguish between belief and knowledge".
"Destabilize" a number of pupils' "beliefs"
This is partly where teacher training has a central role to play, he said.
It is also necessary that "from kindergarten, all teachers perceive that this work on the distinction between believing and knowing is a founding and essential work".
A job that must be done in all disciplines on a daily basis.
In history, in French, and even in mathematics, the student can have beliefs, he says.
"The student believes that when you divide a number, what's left is always smaller. Well, you will show him that if you divide by 0.5, the number you get is going to be greater."
Through this teaching, "we will destabilize a certain number of our beliefs", assures Philippe Meirieu.
"And do not believe that this will not have an influence gradually on his way of conceiving the world", he continues.
"This allows him to think against himself, to resist dogmatisms and to hear the virtue of the search for truth against all forms of hold on the minds".