Pedagogy

Pedagogical Innovation

From method to posture, reinventing the act of teaching.

Pedagogical innovation is not limited to a catalog of new techniques. It resides, in my view, in the ability to invent, here and now, a learning situation adapted to the heart of the relationship. Rethinking TransmissionPedagogical innovation (…)

For an ecology of dispensability

Rethinking authority and transmission.

Faced with the vertical management that dominates and alienates, another path exists: that of an authority that aims for its own dispensability, of a transmission that liberates rather than enslaves. The toxic legacy of vertical power (…)

The specter of the other

From anxious dehumanization to confident recognition.

How can the other, a subject of rights, become a threatening figure? A reflection born from a confrontation with reality, beyond the fantasies and prejudices that our fears construct. The genesis of the fantasy of the other as a threatMy (…)

The State of Openness

For democratic and transformative facilitation.

How can we cultivate a welcoming posture that allows everyone to contribute fully? Openness is not a method but an inner state that transforms our facilitation practices. The facilitation posture: creating the space of possibilitiesIn any (…)

Respecting Instructions

When creative transgression becomes a source of learning.

The voluntary or involuntary transgression of instructions, often creative, if not considered as an error, becomes a source of enrichment and learning, opening the way to a pedagogy based on welcoming the unexpected and respecting others. An (…)

Education in the age of artificial intelligence

Rethinking our practices for a changing world.

AI disrupts our relationship to knowledge, thus questioning the foundations of education. This transformation goes beyond the technical to touch upon the philosophical and political: how do we educate emancipated citizens in this new world? (…)

Formalizing the informal

Informality, essential to learning, resists structure while calling for it. How to tame it.

The absence of informal aspects in distance learning forces us to rethink its fundamental nature. This constraint becomes a laboratory for innovation, developing methods that transcend the limitations of in-person training. The paradoxical (…)

Secret violence

The roots of authoritarianism: what elementary school really teaches.

In France, the transition to middle school exposes young people to a secret violence, reproducing school authoritarianism in their autonomous social structures, where silence becomes the norm for survival. Self-organized adolescent communities (…)

Is pedagogy revolutionary?

For an education policy.

Education is torn between two visions: preparing for a competitive world or fostering democracy in schools. In my view, true effectiveness lies in cooperation, making pedagogy an inherently revolutionary act. Two Pedagogical ApproachesIn The (…)

Truth and lies

Ethics of the pedagogical relationship.

Authentic pedagogy is grounded in truth within the teacher-student relationship. Beyond content, it is the value of words and honesty that enable democratic and transformative education. The Role of the EducatorWhy are we here as educators? (…)

Mind mapping to create groups

Autonomy and empowerment for small groups.

Mind mapping facilitates team formation by making choices visible, empowering participants, and creating a more autonomous group dynamic compared to random methods. Why Mind Mapping?I strongly recommend using mind mapping with software like (…)

Emotional synchronization

A technique for empathizing with the audience.

How can we improve public speaking in front of a group? This can be a very challenging exercise, especially when facing people who aren’t listening, who talk among themselves, or from whom we perceive no feedback—no validation of their interest (…)

Play and joy

Learning is based on free and joyful experience.

Effective learning is based on free and joyful experience. Play, in the Winnicottian sense, represents creative autonomy rather than mere gamification. Combined with joy, this freedom of experimentation forms the foundation of successful (…)

Violence and the law

Revealing an ordinary cognitive dissonance.

I question the use of violence to enforce the law and propose an alternative vision where the law would serve to emancipate rather than subjugate, drawing on the intrinsic capabilities of the child. The assumption of violence to enforce the law (…)

Listening to the Other

The frame’s foundation.

For effective pedagogy, listening to students by the teacher is essential. Contrary to expectations, it is first and foremost the teacher who must listen to enable genuine learning, based on mutual respect and the legitimization of the student in (…)

Action or information?

A dialectic of pedagogy.

Educational approaches can take two paths: information (transmission of knowledge) and action (lived experiences). These two complementary approaches engage the learner’s inner action, driven by the desire to learn.In an educational context, (…)

Philosophy and pedagogy

For a profound practice of pedagogy.

Philosophy and pedagogy are deeply interconnected, as our worldview influences our educational approach. If we consider that humans are intrinsically eager to learn, pedagogy becomes a way to nurture this natural desire rather than imposing (…)

The path of the person

Attention to others as a pedagogical principle.

In an educational context, the non-participation of learners does not always indicate disinterest. By focusing on their individual progress rather than the success of the pedagogical framework, we design resilient tools that respect each person’s (…)

Fear, a learning inhibitor

Elements of neuroscience.

Learning is about creating new neural connections, which requires resisting reflexive thinking, activated in situations of danger or stress. To learn, a trusting environment is essential—one free from fear or punishment, where the brain can free (…)

The symbolic third, a tool to connect

Psychoanalytical tool to promote the construction of the link.

The symbolic third is a concept that may seem very abstract, but for me it is very effective in creating a constructive link, especially between adults and youth. Here is a short synthesis of it, as I understand it. In psychoanalysis, to be is (…)

Podcast: “For a democratic and feminist pedagogy”

Dialogue between Noémie Rubat du Mérac and Benoît Labourdette on June 25, 2022.

Overview of the fundamentals of the pedagogical actions conceived and carried out by Benoît Labourdette, linked to the deconstruction of systems of domination. And concrete methodological proposals.This podcast is built from the recording of a (…)

It is the educator and not the child who needs pedagogy

Podcast on the subject of pedagogical posture.

Contrary to popular belief, the most effective way to help people learn is not to pass on knowledge and skills, but to put yourself in a position to learn. Why is this? In this one-minute podcast, we explain why, and suggest a concrete (…)

The Freinet method applied to digital mediation

Pedagogy and politics of autonomy.

The pedagogical method known as “Freinet” (conceptualized by the pedagogue Célestin Freinet from the 1920s to the 1960s, as a synthesis of pre-existing new pedagogies) is centered on doing, with tools, a purpose and autonomy for the students. (…)

Work or mastery ?

Methodology of the productive action.

How do we achieve the best possible result in the work, in the construction? In my opinion, contrary to popular belief, it is not the search for greater mastery that is the best path. Concrete elements of method.When one has to produce an (…)

The Rational Education of Childhood

A film by Benoît Labourdette (on a text by Émilie Lamotte, 3’43s, 2019).

The most effective educational principles are not the ones we believe. Discovery of Emilie Lamotte’s sharp and constructive thinking. Émilie LamotteÉmilie Lamotte was a young pedagogue at the beginning of the twentieth century. She is unknown, (…)

Fragile hopscotch in the sky

A film by Benoît Labourdette (3’31s, 2019).

The inner experience of a moment of pedagogical innovation in the classroom.

What is a “good frame” for pedagogy?

In the field of education, there is a consensus that a “frame” is essential for the effective functioning of the educational strategy, and therefore for the development of the individual. But what exactly is a “frame”? And what are the ways to (…)

Out of the comfort zone

In collective work, paradoxically, it is when one does not feel reassured that one works best. But how does it work?When we prepare for a job that involves the collective (leading a meeting, training, cultural action, giving a lecture, a (…)

Listening and silence

How to get listening and silence in a group? Surprisingly, by going through a work on oneself the results can be spectacular. Silence is a prerequisite to listening: a false ideaWhen we address a group of people, we need silence to be able to (…)

Mindmapping

What mindmapping is and how to use it as a professional tool. Quick synthesis. Mindmap, heuristic map or mental map?A mindmap (in english), heuristic map or mental map (in french) is a tree of words and images, created by hand or with (…)