Education Minister Bernard Drainville recently unveiled his seven education priorities. These intentions were generally well received. As education professionals, we believe that our education system above all needs solutions that demonstrate depth, breadth and creativity.
Indeed, the solutions proposed to issues of academic success and motivation are often superficial remedies. We are interested in the perimeter of the school (services, programs of interest and resources) when we should question ourselves and be interested in the heart of the school, namely pedagogy, learning, teaching and assessment. Our young people spend their days in class, why not take a greater interest in what happens there?
Most school administrators believe they don’t have the luxury of focusing on pedagogy because they have too many learning, behavioral and motivational issues to deal with. And if precisely, dwelling on pedagogy, in a rigorous and profound way, was in fact the solution?
They do better than Quebec
There are examples of school systems that perform better than Quebec in terms of academic success and graduation, because they regulate teaching and assessment more closely. They rely on a clear common vision, collect relevant data and better support their teachers. No need to go to the other side of the world. Our neighbour, Ontario, is doing much better than us. For several years now, Ontario has tackled the development of literacy, the evaluation of learning, the development of global competencies and the professional development of teachers based on evidence-based practices.
Contrary to what many believe, the Quebec education system is not bad. Our training programs are among the best in the world. But are they well understood, integrated and taught in our schools?
Are we sufficiently ambitious in the framework of teaching and assessment practices? Schools put considerable energy into offering special programs and engaging extracurricular activities, which is highly desirable. However, many of our young people are bored in their math, French and science classes, and many boys run away from school at full speed. It’s not that they don’t want to learn, succeed or strive; it’s that they don’t find meaning in it, that they don’t experience enough success in it. So, beyond specific programs, how do you motivate them to take courses that they consider useless or not very stimulating?
More generally still, let us reflect on what we want the school to teach. In an increasingly complex world, knowledge remains important, but let’s not neglect other equally fundamental skills such as know-how and interpersonal skills (critical thinking, citizenship, collaboration, etc.).
Welcome to 2023
It is also time to bring the teaching profession into the present century. Valuing the teaching profession is not only a question of salary and working conditions. Teachers must also be given the means to do their job well, by supporting them and providing them with guidance.
Consider, for example, integrating professional development into the work of teachers, measuring the impact of their practices on the success of their students, offering more collaborative work environments where everyone can build on their strengths and allocating more time planning instruction.
Finally, it must be said: the school organization proposed by our system belongs to another time. Particularly at the secondary level, fixed timetables, teaching (and learning) in silos, the one-size-fits-all and all the associated rigidity belong to another century. It’s time to reflect on a school experience where time and space meet pedagogical needs and not the other way around.