The teacher’s task and the student’s activity in remedial learning aids: the example of consolidation groups

Abstract

In response to academic failure, educational policies in France propose so-called consolidation devices for sixth-grade students (age 11) who are behind in language arts (French) and mathematics. The transposition process brought about by this type of organization creates a gap between learning by teaching, currently employed in the classroom, and assisted learning, which depends relatively little on teaching. This gap is the source of difficulty, both for teachers – because these devices are not in line with their teaching experience – and for students – because they produce didactic misunderstandings in the very individuals who are supposed to be benefitting from additional aid. Far from being natural, these organizational changes raise the question of how the teacher’s task should evolve, what new genres will promote the transfer of knowledge in the schools, and what changes should be made in student activities, which are inextricably linked to the way the school functions and evolves.