Curriculum in Context

Dr. Éthier works with fourth-year bachelor’s degree students in education who, although they have already been exposed to the Quebec curricula, have not always had the opportunity to grasp the concrete implications for their practice: “It doesn’t mean that they’ve really thought that much about what the curricula mean for practice,” he points out. It is for this reason that, in a Francophone context marked by prescribed curricula, he seeks to develop in his students an ability to make informed and intentional pedagogical choices. In his view, the choices of future teachers should not be based on chance or constraint, but rather on what they deem essential for their students. Indeed, teaching history is first and foremost about transmitting “a way of thinking, a relationship to knowledge, a relationship to the world” – a critical and engaged posture, rather than a fixed narrative.

From Theory to Practice: Curricular Goals in Action

In the classroom, Dr. Éthier puts these ideas into practice through activities centered on the concerns and questions of the learners themselves. Rather than offering them a single interpretation, he seeks to give them “tools with which they can ask themselves questions and answer their questions at least in part, and have what it takes to debate them with others.” 

To this end, he offers a variety of pedagogical strategies – from games to debates to textbook analysis – in which students are invited to experiment with different pedagogical approaches and adapt them to their professional reality. One of the key moments in this learning process is the development and presentation of a teaching activity, which students test in groups. Taking the form of a learning community, they analyze what works and what doesn’t, based on the objectives they have set themselves, the needs of their students and the curricular context. 

For Dr. Éthier, it’s not a question of emphasizing a single method, but rather of creating the conditions for future teachers to appropriate different practices that they can then reinvest in their professional practice. Ultimately, his teaching is based on developing the ability to adopt a critical stance towards historical knowledge. Indeed, it is not about a fixed body of knowledge, but rather an ability to reflect, to question one’s ideas, to engage in dialogue and even to be prepared to change one’s mind when necessary. His teaching practices are therefore directly linked to the development of competencies derived from the Quebec referential of competencies for the teaching profession, more specifically those related to professional autonomy. To this end, he is committed to provide future teachers with opportunities to reflect collectively on history-related issues.

Navigating the Complexities of Teacher Preparation

Dr. Éthier has repeatedly praised the quality of the students he has met throughout his career. Having said that, he also observes a well-known issue for teachers: lack of time. The reality of teaching has changed, with future students sometimes working professional jobs during their studies, and others having a busy family life. Even if time constraints can make academic commitments more overwhelming for students, Dr. Éthier reminds us that we must also see the advantages: “There are things we can learn from school that will serve us well at university, and vice versa”. It’s with this in mind, where there are many different student profiles, that he invites them to adopt a variety of pedagogies, depending on the real objectives of their engagement with the past. When time is short as a teacher, he reminds us that there are several ways of going about the work of history education, depending on what we’re trying to develop: sometimes cognitive conflict can be useful, sometimes not, the essential thing being to foster an active relationship with the past in students.

On a positive note, Dr. Éthier explains that if we see history as an invitation to reflect rather than simply to memorize, then every student can find a way. The key is not to use THE perfect method, but the one that, at the right moment, awakens an awareness of the past, illuminates the present and opens up the possibility of subsequently acting on the world.

Co-created by Dr. Marc-André Éthier and Arianne Dufour