L'évolution technologique,la société et l'éducation

In the first part of this article the author recalls and emphasizes the way in which education and society are interrelated. It is considered impossible to pose a problem of education without referring to the social framework in which its solution is to be found. Education involves preparing the child for tomorrow's world — knowledge of this world being the point of departure of all pedagogic reflection — and at the same time not cutting it off from its roots. Presenting personal experience rather than launching into technical demonstrations the author recalls some of the changes over the past fifty years. The different educational milieus which the child and adolescent encounter, such as family, school and professional life, are affected by such technical changes. As far as the school environment is concerned, technological revolutions modify the relationships between pupil and knowledge, and create new relationships between teachers and pupils as also among pupils themselves. In addition, a new type of creativity has arisen as a result of the utilization of computers and databases. Schools have in fact experienced a series of revolutions which deeply transformed the access to knowledge: books, daily papers and the mass media, informatics. According to the author the book presents the ‘day before yesterday's knowledge’; the daily paper brings you up to ‘yesterday’; radio and television up to ‘today’. Informatics will make the pupil accustomed not only to seek knowledge but also to reconstruct or even construct it. Where does the school stand amidst this vast reconstruction? What is its present role? What will become of the teacher and his new roles? If the school wants to prepare itself for tomorrow's world it has to change radically today.     

La educación preescolar y las aportaciones de la ciencia contemporánea

RESUMEN

Se hace un repaso a las distintas aportaciones de la biología, de la psicología y de la sociología a la educación preescolar. De la biología se han tomado ideas como la individualidad de cada niño, la importancia de la alimentación y la estimulación en el desarrollo del sistema nervioso, y el conocimiento de las leyes del desarrollo cerebral. De la psicología, las conclusiones de las investigaciones sobre la importancia de los primeros años y de los primeros aprendizajes, la influencia del medio y de las primeras experiencias, las constantes en el desarrollo, el nacimiento de la inteligencia, las etapas de la adquisición del lenguaje y la idea del pensamiento divergente. De la Sociología, las relaciones entre nivel socio-cultural y nivel intelectual, y las diferencias entre medio familiar y medio escolar.     

Le rôle de l'éducation préscolaire dans l'éducation permanente

Résumé Il est contre nature d'étudier l'enfant en découpant différents âges ou différents stades. L'enfant est un être qui a son unité longitudinal. Actuellement la psychologie génétique nous permet d'avoir une conception scientifique de l'enfant. Cette conception scientifique définit et précise une conception contemporaine de l'éducation. A la base de cette conception qu'on appelle l'éducation se trouve la confiance dans l'avenier de l'homme et les pouvoirs de l'éducation. Ceci serait insuffisant si nous n'avions pas aussi des idées sur le rôle de l'enfant et de l'homme dans la société. Si nous voulons préparer un enfant à devenir un citoyen capable de jouer son rôle dans la société contemporaine il faut le préparer dès le plus jeune âge à cette tâche importante. C'est la raison pour laquelle nous pensons qu'il est juste de dire que l'enfant est le père de l'homme.

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It goes against nature to study the child by arbitrarily establishing different ages or different stages. The child is a human being, who has a longitudinal unity. At the present time, genetic psychology allows us to have a scientific conception of the child. This scientific conception defines and specifies a contemporary conception of education. At the base of this conception that we call education is confidence in the future of man and in the powers of education. This would not be sufficient if we did not also have certain ideas on the role of the child and of man in society. If we wish to prepare a child to become a citizen who is capable of fulfilling his role in contemporary society, we must start at the earliest age to prepare him for this task. That is why we think it is true to say that the child is the father of the man.