I could not be more in agreement with what Normand Baillargeon says in his column “Culture at school”, especially regarding the advent of a Parent 2.0 commission. However, I would like to point out the absence of an omnipresent artistic activity today that the Parent report of 1963 already considered fundamental. Having already discussed it with Mr. Baillargeon, I am convinced that he will agree with me. I want to talk here about cinema as a learning and development tool at school.
The seventh art is not in any official ministry curriculum, which explains why we often forget to mention it. As I had the pleasure of working until very recently as coordinator of the activities of a program that introduces Quebec students to cinema, I can tell you a little about it. Already, one of the last activities in which I participated in this capacity was to co-direct the CINÉPROF research, which interviewed nearly 100 teachers from 12 regions of Quebec just before the pandemic. The results of this research show that the popularity of the seventh art as an educational tool is very real. The various teachers who use it do so with passion, but very often, they have to put in a lot of voluntary work to properly support their students in this type of project.
These same teachers, as well as the school principals who support these initiatives, could talk to you at length about the benefits that this artistic practice generates for the students taking part in it. The CINÉPROF research made it possible to produce overall statistics on the use of cinema in schools, but it also provided an opportunity for the team to discuss, during interviews with certain participants, its impact on development. of some students.
Cinema is very popular, and the study of its language is essential, at a time when we are bombarded with images from all sides. Some students who struggled to find meaning in school will discover that it can lead to exciting careers. The teamwork that this represents will serve to create cohesion in the class group. The different aspects of making a film call on different qualities, so everyone can find what they’re looking for.
Finally, preaching for my parish, I would therefore like to add cinema to the list of areas of culture cited by Mr. Baillargeon and, just like him, I hope that before long we will have the opportunity to reflect collectively on these issues. as part of a Parent 2.0 commission. I believe, always like the columnist, that it would be easier to achieve all this by being a country…