The Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge

Abstract

This work details research carried out by the GESTEPRO laboratory concerning technological education; the acronym stands for 'Groupes de Recherche en Éducation Scientifique, Technologique et Professionnelle' (Research Team in Scientific, Technology and Vocational Education). The laboratory, created around five years ago, integrates the combined fields of research on learning, didactics, evaluation; a training programme which organises research into education in the Aix-Marseille region. GESTEPRO brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds such as educational, material and life and earth sciences, psychology, even different sectors of industrial engineering-people who are interested in scientific, technological and professional education. The common interest lies in a particular type of research; the processes for transmitting and applying knowledge in the specific domain of teaching methods, and the retransmission of scientific, technological and professional expertise to others. Such an approach confines the team's research to situations found in schools, middle schools, high schools, universities and professional training centres; in other words, any situation where a teacher relays knowledge to the pupils. The GESTEPRO team was established at the end of a lengthy process of creating teams for research in technological and scientific education. As far as technological education is concerned, the status of such teachings as being compulsory for all pupils in primary and secondary education, in 1985, was accompanied by an important teacher training programme, be it introductory or long term. The long term or continuous training was concerned with converting teachers of 'manual' subjects, competent in disciplines such as cookery, handicrafts, wood and metal work... into domains which were largely unfamiliar to them, like mechanical construction, electrical engineering, business economics, or even information technology. This teacher reconversion programme, conducted over a one year period due to its vastness and complexity, generated a dynamic upsurge in resource development, educational tools and teaching aids, thus helping to initiate ways of thinking which would go on to constitute the basis for university research. For the second group, introductory training progressively defined itself as the reference point required by teachers to get to grips with such knowledge, in order to put into practice a mode of teaching of which the content, application and organisation was somewhat out of the ordinary.

L’absence de savoir conceptuel lors de démarches d’investigation scientifique mises en œuvre en classe : une crainte devenue réalité ?

“…Cette recommandation souhaite éviter les pratiques qui feraient appréhender les DIS uniquement comme des objets d'enseignement décontextualisés de tout enjeu didactique de savoirs conceptuels. Ce risque est également évoqué par Jacques Ginestié (2008) qui déclare que la forte orientation des prescriptions institutionnelles concernant les contenus à enseigner et la manière de les enseigner peut induire une dérive importante vers une structuration des tâches des élèves prenant le pas sur une structuration des connaissances. Les résultats des différentes études exposés ci-dessus tendent à montrer que les enseignants, lors de DIS, accordent moins d'importance aux savoirs conceptuels comparativement aux autres savoirs qui constituent la structure disciplinaire, tels que les habiletés.…”

Un modèle de la situation d’enseignement-apprentissage pour mieux comprendre l’activité de l’élève en classe

“…Au sein de la situation d'enseignement-apprentissage, l'enseignant⋅e est le⋅la médiateur⋅rice du savoir à enseigner, objet de la situation d'enseignement-apprentissage. De ces contraintes institutionnelles, qui vont fortement induire la façon et la manière dont l'enseignant⋅e va enseigner le ou les savoir(s) porté(s) par la situation d'enseignement-apprentissage, l'enseignant⋅e va déterminer quelles activités il⋅elle va proposer aux élèves, quelles tâches il·elle va pouvoir prescrire à ses élèves afin qu'ils⋅elles puissent réaliser les activités plus ou moins suggérées par les documents institutionnels d'accompagnement (Ginestié, 2008). L'enseignant⋅e est donc amené⋅e à concevoir des tâches pour que les élèves puissent mettre en oeuvre des apprentissages afin de construire des connaissances nouvelles à partir du, ou des, savoirs enseignés (Musial et coll., 2011).…”

<p>STEM in General Education: Does Mathematics Competence Influence Course Selection</p>

“…(DeVore, 1980, p. 338) Technological literacy is defined as "the ability to use, manage, understand, and assess technology" (ITEA, 2000, p. 242). However in practice, technology has at times been focused on developing technical expertise, instead of how useful or pertinent the technologies can be (Ginestié, 2008). To "understand, use, assess, and manage technology" (ITEA, 2000, p. 242) is much different than to develop expertise in a few technologies, such as robotics and machining.…”