PHILIPPE PERRENOUD: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Philippe Perrenoud is a Swiss sociologist, widely popular in countries such as Brazil for his extensive work in the pedagogical area of ​​teaching. Although he studied sociology and his training revolves around this branch of the social sciences, he has dedicated himself to developing theories and ideas about education and how to improve teaching inside and outside the classroom.

His revolutionary ideas deal with all kinds of educational issues: from how the educational curriculum is structured worldwide and changes that can be made, pedagogical practices to develop with students and applicable changes to the educational political system to improve the overall performance of students worldwide..

One of the main works of Philipe Perrenoud

His name has been popularized in educational discussions in the last decade for the texts and works he has written since the early 2000s, making him one of the most influential educational figures in the world.

Biography

Philippe Perrenoud was born in 1954 in Switzerland. After completing his high school studies, he devoted himself to studying sociology. He completed a doctorate in Anthropology and Sociology, to later dedicate himself to teaching at the University of Geneva in Switzerland from 1984 to 2009.

In 1994 he devoted himself to studying the field of the formation of the student pension, pedagogy and educational training. Together with Mónica Gather Thurler, she founded the Laboratory for Research in Innovation in Training and Education (LIFE).

His criticisms of the educational system have been quite broad. Throughout his career as an educator and author, he has suggested a number of changes to make global education more equitable.

Perrenoud considers that implementations such as repeating the school year are wrong, since each student has a different rhythm. For Perrenoud, setting a one-year limit is sometimes not enough.

In 2009 he was appointed honorary professor at the University of Bleach in Belgium and has continued to serve as an exemplary teacher-pedagogue to this day.

Contributions

The main contributions of the sociologist are undoubtedly those he has made to the international educational field. Perrenoud's ideas are reflected in one of his most popular texts, called Ten New Teaching Skills.

However, the sociologist has also given interviews where he expresses his opinions and the contributions he has made to the educational system worldwide.

One of the most important contributions that the sociologist has given, setting aside revolutionary ideas for a better educational system, is the simplicity with which he presents these texts. One of the reasons its popularity has increased worldwide is due to the ease with which Perrenoud approaches these complex issues.

Among the most significant contributions of Philippe Perrenoud, the following stand out:

Modifications to the school cycle system

Perrenoud doubts about the effectiveness of the current system of annual school systems, in which the cycles last one year.

Explain that education has different rates for each person, and students may not have the same capacity for speed of learning. This causes problems when taking assessments at the end of the school year.

The problems Perrenoud talks about are reflected in the repetition of a young man's school year. By putting an end to the school year, the learning cycle may not be complete for all students.

The sociologist explains that there may be one-year learning cycles, as well as others that take up to 3 or 4. For Perrenoud, the definition of the school cycle is ambiguous.

If the school years really were cycles as they are defined, it does not make sense that there is repetition, since it is assumed that this is precisely what one should seek to avoid.

Criticism of student rapid advance

The sociologist has widely discussed the problems that exist in the current system with parents who seek to accelerate the learning process of their children. Today there are many representatives of children who pressure each student to advance quickly in school, and Perrenoud criticizes that such a practice is so popular.

According to the sociologist, each young person should be able to adapt to their school stage according to their cognitive ability. By accelerating each youngster's learning process, not only are they forced to become saturated with knowledge that they should process more calmly, but children also stop making necessary friendships with young people their age.

If a child progresses very quickly in school, he leaves behind young people his age, preventing him from forming social ties necessary for the correct development of his cognitive capacity.

Schools must focus on helping all students thrive, regardless of their ability to learn. Directing all efforts to students with more learning ability is a common mistake today.

Perrenoud proposes talking to teachers and parents of young people with rapid progress to make them understand that it is not correct to force a child to go to university at 16 years old.

Promulgation of cooperative work

Perrenoud has contributed his own knowledge about the need for cooperative work in the early stages of education and has also drawn on the ideas of pedagogical thinkers such as Célestin Freinet.

Originally, Freinet had been a major contributor to teamwork within classrooms. Their contributions, such as the introduction of teamwork to correct the works among the whole group, served as inspiration for Perrenoud.

In his book Ten New Teaching Competencies, Perrenoud explains how to deal with these jobs and how to implement them in school classrooms, highlighting the development of projects and presentations of topics of interest in teams.

It also explains how to conduct meetings and how to form work groups among students, as well as how to deal with problems in complex situations and personal problems, among other aspects.

Multimedia enactment

Perrenoud has been one of the main exponents of the use of technology in education. In fact, among his contributions stands out the suggestion of the use of multimedia programs and interactive technology to give interest to the students in their classes.

It also explains the importance of encouraging skills based on technological culture and explains how they can be developed.

References

1. Ten New Skills for Teaching, Philippe Perrenoud, 2000. Taken from uv.mx
2. Philippe Perrenoud (sociologue), (nd), September 2, 2017. Taken from Wikipedia.org in French.
3. Build Competências from a Escola, Ricardo Normando Ferreira de Paula, (nd). Taken from infoescola.com
4. Biography of Philippe Perrenoud, (nd), May 14, 2012. Taken from projectoeducacional2012.com
5. Philippe Perrenoud interview with Editorial Artmed de Brasil, (nd). Taken from projectoeducacional2012.com