Curriculum in Context

Dr. Pageau teaches in a curricular context that she describes as “poles of tension.” According to her, social studies programs oscillate between “transmitting an established historical narrative” and “asking students to construct their own understanding of the past.” In this context, her goal is to train teachers who are capable of “developing a reflective stance” and navigating these contradictions without necessarily succumbing to them. In this sense, she also works to deconstruct dependence on textbooks, which she sees as an obstacle to professional autonomy. This dependence, which is very prevalent in Quebec, allows her to consider a variety of teaching practices, ranging from games to local history to problematization.

From Theory to Practice: Curricular Goals in Action

One of Ms. Pageau’s most notable projects involves the use of Minecraft Education. Using this educational tool, teacher candidates build historical buildings. Beforehand, they must conduct research in the BAnQ archives in order to model them in the game: “We repurpose the tool so that it becomes educational,” she says. According to her, the project achieves several objectives: “learning through play, problem solving, documentary research, local history… all in one project.” By encouraging the adoption of this approach, Ms. Pageau hopes that future teachers will realize that teaching history does not always have to rely on activity books or textbooks: “I want to detach them from textbooks.” In the near future, Ms. Pageau hopes to further develop this playful approach by adding a research question with the aim of “encouraging students to think about the social use of buildings.” For her, this type of task gives concrete meaning to history. She invites future teachers to move away from textbooks and build a historical narrative based on choices, sources, and interpretations: “It makes you feel insecure, but it’s a good kind of insecurity,” she says. The game provides a supportive environment where mistakes are allowed and experimentation is encouraged.

In summary, Ms. Pageau wants to “train teachers who will become role models. Not models of perfection, but people capable of guiding students in reflecting on the past.” For her, teaching history is not about transmitting fixed knowledge, but about cultivating critical thinking informed by historical consciousness.

This work is rooted in a committed conception of historical awareness: “The use of this historical awareness becomes an essential key to building thoughtful critical thinking.” As a result, she insists that future teachers must understand that every civic decision bears traces of the past: “There are phenomena and tensions that have developed and that we must be aware of before taking a position as citizens.” She therefore aspires for her students to become citizens who are conscious of this historical awareness and capable of grasping its historicity, both for themselves and for those they will teach.

Navigating the Complexities of Teacher Preparation

One of the challenges highlighted by Ms. Pageau is resistance to change. Some future teachers have vivid memories of history lessons they were taught, proof that teaching can be effective through lectures. But, she notes, in those moments, “it is the teacher who does the work of historical reflection, critical thinking, and historical awareness.” Her goal is to transfer this role to students, using teaching methods that allow for the “mixing of ideas.” She also prepares students to deal with claims that the knowledge they acquire at university does not apply in schools, reminding them that they are learning the most effective practices according to science. Her advice: “No two teachers are alike… Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.” She therefore recommends striking a balance between the two: drawing inspiration from new practices and observing what happens in the field in order to adapt teaching choices to the context, the students, and the realities of the classroom.

Co-created by Dr. Laurie Pageau and Arianne Dufour