Presentation of our international action
The international dimension intrinsic to La main à la pâte, since Georges Charpak's founding mission in Chicago in 1995, has never ceased to cohabit with its action in France, feeding on the one hand and enriching it in turn with ideas and practices drawn from the crucible of all past, present and future partnerships.
The Foundation's international action has gone through various phases marked by profound changes. Today, it is structured around four main axis:
- An annual international seminar that brings together science education stakeholders from outside Europe to better understand the diversity of situations and needs and to design tomorrow's cooperation projects.
- Cooperation projects in support of local science education development initiatives: strategic advice for decision-makers, training of trainers, sharing and adaptation of teaching and scientific resources, etc.
- Reflection and exchange projects, particularly at European level, to discover, capitalise on and disseminate good practice and innovation for the benefit of all, and to reflect on the challenges of science education.
- An ambitious initiative on the global issue of climate change education, through the Office for Climate Education, a foundation created in 2018 by the Foundation and climate scientists.
A mobilisation of all the forces of La main à la pâte, in support of local partners
All of the Foundation's cooperative actions mobilise the networks of La main à la pâte and its relays: coordinators of "Centres pilotes" , educational advisors, inspectors, trainers from the "Maisons pour la science" and INSPEs, teacher-researchers in science didactics, reference teachers from pilot schools, etc. Dozens of field practitioners have thus travelled the world - and continue to do so - in particular to train thousands of local trainers, who in turn have trained tens of thousands of teachers...
La main à la pâte refuses to transfer any model, but rather encourages the appropriation of its ideas and resources by its foreign partners, leaving them the initiative of the necessary adaptations.
La main à la pâte's participation in "Equipe France"
For several years, the Foundation has been keen to put its expertise at the service of projects that promote synergies between French actors in educational cooperation.
It has thus recently worked hand in hand with :
- France Education International and Expertise France in Sudan, within the framework of the EQUIP programme devoted to the initial training of primary school science teachers, and soon on the follow-up, EQUIP 2 devoted to in-service training
- The French Development Agency (AFD) in Madagascar (AQUEM project) and Senegal (ADEM-Dakar and PAEBCA projects), and soon in the Comoros (Bundo la Malezi project), in partnership with the national ministries of education
Other collaborations are also underway, for example with the Agence universitaire de la francophonie (AUF) in the framework of the APPRENDRE programme, for which the Foundation's expertise can be mobilised, always at the request of local ministries.
