Une classe de l'an 2000,
© J. L. Charmet
Petite fille à la machine,
© Dennis Stock - Magnum
Le collège Vert d'Aignan, région Midi-Pyrénées,
© Editing
The inequality of children in the face of learning is recognised. In 1905 Binet and Simon develop a metric scale for the measurement of intelligence (1) designed to identify pupils ill-equipped for learning. Such systems, though criticised, mark the onset of psychometrics and the invention of a whole battery of tests for measuring psycho-sensorial development, dexterity, speed, motor abilities, etc. "Never again!" becomes the battle cry of educators around the world after the bloodbath of World War I. Many of their experiments have a far-reaching influence on educational practices. Célestin Freinet, for instance, develops in his school in France a new pedagogy based on self-expression through writing, along with physical and manual activities.
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These are the thumbnails and texts for this alcove. They can be printed.
20th century, educating to form all citizens
Coping with the growth in the number of pupils (from five million in France in 1928 to thirteen million in 1986) has become a major issue. In the United States, behaviourist models of education based on rewards and punishments have sparked much criticism but have become the basis of an "art of learning."
In France in around 1970 the influence of psychology on educational methods could be felt in the emphasis on the child's indispensable liberty: making mistakes came to be seen as part of the learning process. But is this theory actually applied in classes confronted with ever growing difficulties?
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