Collective work and health education at school: compared analysis between France and Canada
Résumé
1.Even though differences appear within a comparison of contexts (culture, school organization, HE in curricula …), a lot of similarities are observed at the practices’ level. In the majority of French and Canadian schools, the approach of HE is comprehensive (individual and/or collective) and linked to school subjects (the aim of HE is to build health knowledge, skills and behaviors in the cognitive, emotional, social and behavioral domains through the different school subjects).
2. Health education is implemented (i) as classroom’s activities, (ii) at the school level (projects involving school staff, families, partners). The onset of the school HE project is frequently linked to opportunities (mostly programs managed by health authorities) because of the support (e.g. training, methodology, funds …).
3. The way in which HE is implemented differs from a country to another. It depends on the general aims of school which are more focused on citizenship in France and on personal development in Quebec.
4. On an organizational point of view, the role of the school’s head is different. In Quebec, he/she is a real full time manager of the school, in France, he’s a regular teacher with a mission limited to coordination.