ACTIVIST EDUCATION: SOME PRACTICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSIDERATlONS

Résumé

The concept of activist education has been given prominence in contemporary Quebec through the reports of the current Royal Commission on Education. In these reports the term "activist" is used to describe, on one hand, a set of educational aims: in addition to teaching the traditional skills and content, the schools are to produce individuals who can think for themselves, who are curious about the world around them, and who show initiative and self-reliance in the conduct of their affairs. On the other hand, the term is used rather broadly to indicate the kind of pedagogy that is recommended for the accomplishment of these aims. Teachers, and particularly those in the elementary grades, are urged not to rely on the traditional desk-bound and textbook-oriented methods of instruction. Instead they are encouraged to look for ways to increase pupil activity and involvement in learning by using such techniques as experimentation, research projects, discussion, and debate. They are also encouraged to be "child centered" in their planning and to adapt materials and instruction to the characteristic ways that children perceive, think, and work at different stages in their development.