We discuss educational projects, openness to the community and educational technologies put at the service of the development of children with Catherine Lapointe, teacher in the first cycle of elementary school at the CS des Découvreurs.
Text by Alexane St-Amant Ringuette
The “École branchée educational meetings” are podcast interviews with school stakeholders from here and elsewhere. In this episode, our collaborator (and concept creator) Marc-André Girard talks with Catherine Lapointe, primary school teacher at the CS des Découvreurs.
In this interview, Catherine talks about an educational tool that allows her to get out of the box and experience collaborative projects with other classes: Twitter. She shares her favorite projects and tips to gradually integrate them into her routine. Now firmly anchored in the culture of his class, Twitter projects are stimulating for students who can get live feedback.
Open the door to his classroom
Conscious and community entrepreneurship occupies a prominent place in Catherine's pedagogy. She takes every opportunity to open the doors of her classroom to parents and the community in order to bring authentic projects to life for the students.
Love of poetry, even for boys
Catherine is passionate about poetry, and she shares this passion with all her students, even boys. How does she do it? It gives them the freedom to choose a topic that interests them and it values their choices. Since the poems are posted on Twitter, the students know their parents and community members are going to read them and it increases their motivation level.
Pedagogy first
When asked " what is the place of technology " in her teaching, Catherine replies " what is the place of pedagogy ”. The educational intention is always what guides her in the use of a technological vehicle, whether it is social networks, the digital portfolio or even the vox pox. The one who finds her inspiration in seminars and congresses then makes sure to choose a technology that will help her students progress and that will allow her to push for a more authentic and lively pedagogy.
Make every student shine
For Catherine, it is important that each student finds his place and finds out who he wants to be. Educational projects then become means of bringing them to light.
"I train human beings, I want them to have confidence in themselves, even those who have difficulty succeeding, I want them to discover their strengths and I want parents to discover the strengths of their children too" - Catherine Lapointe
To conclude, Catherine underlines that her class is always open and that she loves educational tourism. The invitation is extended to those who would like to visit it!
