Understanding pedagogical innovation : beyond an end goal, a means to energize environments

Abstract

"To say that the world is changing is to state the obvious. But we have to admit that life today often gives us the impression that everything is changing so fast that we can’t keep up. In the face of these fast-paced transformations, anxiety can paralyze us and trap us in a feeling of powerlessness. I think it’s important to remember that change has another face: that of creativity, the enthusiasm of discovery, adventure and learning. In my mind, there is no more powerful tool than these to confront the complexity of our world and to give us back the feeling that we can act, and that if the world can force us to change, we too can transform the world. It’s from this rejection of powerlessness, I think, that comes my interest in pedagogical innovation (PI), which in my eyes is, in an educational context, the embodiment of the creative enthusiasm mentioned earlier. It’s what led me to get involved in PI projects, first as a teacher, and then as a researcher. It’s also what prompted me to reflect on it as part of my professional doctorate at the Université de Sherbrooke." -- AQPC