Duration
Course and exercices : 20h Th, 40h Pr
Professional training and identity course :
Number of credits
Lecturer
Course and exercices : Jean-François Guillaume, France Heuveneers, Igor Porru, Edgar Tasia
Professional training and identity course : Jean-François Guillaume, France Heuveneers, Edgar Tasia
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The second part of the course in social science didactics builds on the didactic foundations laid in the first part. Students will have to demonstrate their ability to mobilise the essential principles appropriately, both in the design, facilitation and collegial evaluation of an introduction to citizenship (Citizenship seminar - 3rd course), and in the design and evaluation of a lesson on an imposed theme (2nd course, then public lesson).
Each student must also demonstrate an ability to question his or her practices and to identify what, in the course of his or her training in special social science didactics, has contributed to the constitution of a professional identity.
The more precise content of the two sub-components is detailed in the corresponding teaching commitments.
Course and exercices
Writing QRAs
As an extension of the AESS2224-A course, and on the basis of the feedback they receive on the first three QRAs they have written, students are asked to write seven (7) other QRAs (making a total of 10 QRAs to be used during the Citizenship seminars).
Drafting a 'Citizenship' syllabus
Based on the didactic experiments in part 1 and the feedback they received, the students, divided into three work teams, write one of the chapters of the Citizenship syllabus intended for pupils at the end of secondary school.
The three chapters will be tested - as was the case during the didactic experiments in part 1. At the end of each experiment, the students will conduct a debriefing, identifying what can be improved, what should be kept and what should be withdrawn. The trainers will ask the students questions about the content covered and any inaccuracies or errors they have identified.
Writing evaluation questions on the content of the 'Citizenship' syllabus
Each student is invited to write three evaluation questions on the three chapters of the syllabus, for a total of nine questions. Some of these questions are intended for a summative MCQ-type assessment, others for a written exam with open-ended questions and the last ones for an oral exam.
Designing problem situations
One lesson will be dedicated to the presentation of the notion of 'problem situations' and their design.
Professional training and identity course
The writing of this critical analysis report assumes that the student's performance in the components of their training in teaching (internships integrated into courses AESS2224-B-a Teaching Practices in Social Sciences, part 1 and AESS2227 Teaching Practices in Social Sciences, part 2; lesson plan preparation file integrated into the course AESS2228-1 Public Lessons) has not been marked as seriously inadequate.
In the reflective practice note that concludes their training, students must demonstrate their ability to identify which of the approaches and processes implemented during their training in teaching were effective and/or efficient and which were not, which aspects of their professional practice could be improved, the difficulties and obstacles encountered in developing lesson sequences, and the strategies implemented to overcome them. In other words, it is not enough to simply list the obstacles that arose during the training programme; after demonstrating their ability to overcome these obstacles, students must be able to retrospectively exploit the strategies that enabled them to do so.
This final stage of the training programme aims to verify whether students have integrated the standard of the "reflective practitioner".
The report is divided into two parts: firstly, a reflective review of all the work carried out during the various placements and their preparation, during classes and exercises, the writing of the QRAs and the public lesson. The critical analysis must be based on the two reference standards (the Missions decree and the Socratic oath); secondly, the analysis of a teaching problem set by the teaching team. This problem is related to one of the performances of the student concerned.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of this unit, each student will be able to reflect on the contributions of his/her initial training, the obstacles or difficulties encountered and the strategies implemented to overcome them, with a view to developing a professional identity.
In addition, each student will be able to design two training systems, making appropriate use of the didactic principles identified in the first part of the Special Didactics in the Social Sciences course and those specified at the beginning of the second part of the Special Didactics in the Social Sciences course. These two mechanisms consist, firstly, of a sequence of lessons tested during an individual placement and then re-examined in the light of the feedback that will have been communicated and shared and, secondly, of a college seminar on access to citizenship and intended for final year pupils from partner schools.
The learning outcomes expected for each of the sub-components of this teaching unit are detailed in the corresponding teaching commitments.
Course and exercices
At the end of Part 2, and within the deadlines set by the teaching team (taking into account the dates of the various Citizenship seminars held in secondary schools), each student contributed to the drafting of the Citizenship syllabus, its critical review and correction, and wrote and solved seven (7) QRA questions.
Professional training and identity course
At the end of their training, students demonstrate their ability to adopt the 'reflective practitioner' approach that lies at the heart of a teacher's professional identity.
They write a comprehensive, well-argued report (maximum 5 pages, 1.5 line spacing) highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching approaches they have implemented during their training, the difficulties encountered, the strategies used to overcome obstacles and the design of a learning programme that complies with legal requirements (Basic and Secondary Education Code; Socrates' Oath).
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
All the knowledge acquired during the first part of the training course in special social science didactics (feedback documents provided by the team of trainers).
Course and exercices
Mastery of subject-specific knowledge related to the topics covered, and of the English language.
Professional training and identity course
All the knowledge acquired in the previous stages of the training must be mobilised.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The activities will consist of both group sessions dedicated to designing the material for the Citizenship seminar, and personal work on designing a sequence of lessons which will be tested on the course and reworked for presentation to the jury for the public lessons. Writing the final reflective practice report ('Training path and professional identity') is an individual task, to be carried out outside the course sessions.
Course and exercices
Presentation of the concept of 'problem situations' and the principles that govern their design. Application of these principles to the lesson planned for the second internship.
Collaborative design of a Citizenship syllabus: students work in teams to write one of the three chapters of the syllabus for the Citizenship seminars and compose assessment questions on the subject matter of the chapter.
In this context, each student must:
- contribute to the writing of one of the three chapters (which requires actual attendance at work sessions);
- carefully and critically proofread the entire syllabus;
- answer questions about errors, omissions and/or typos in the 'final' version of the syllabus identified by the trainers.
Write seven (7) active research questions (or ARQs).
Professional training and identity course
Writing a report, followed by a presentation during an individual interview.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Attendance at course sessions is compulsory
Course and exercices
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Teamwork and group work (drafting and proofreading the 'Citizenship' syllabus); individual work (drafting the QRA).
Professional training and identity course
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Personal work
Recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
See in particular : Guillaume J.Fr., 2009, « Les pratiques scolaires quotidiennes », in Guillaume J.Fr. (Ed.), Bousculer les habitudes scolaires. Vers une gestion pédagogique des écoles secondaires, Liège, Les Editions de l'Université de Liège.
Course and exercices
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Students are encouraged to consult existing sources (particularly official ones) to identify relevant material for writing the syllabus.
The QRA is based on events that are likely to occur in professional or family life, in managing one's home or finances, etc.
Professional training and identity course
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
See in particular : Guillaume J.Fr., 2009, « Les pratiques scolaires quotidiennes », in Guillaume J.Fr. (Ed.), Bousculer les habitudes scolaires. Vers une gestion pédagogique des écoles secondaires, Liège, Les Editions de l'Université de Liège.
Assessment methods and criteria
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
The final mark for part 2 of Didactics of the Social Sciences is made up of the arithmetic mean of the marks obtained in the two sub-components.
More detailed assessment procedures for the two sub-components are set out in the corresponding teaching commitments.
Course and exercices
Written work / report
Further information:
Additional information:
A serious deficiency will penalise the performance of students who repeatedly and unjustifiably fail to attend course sessions or arrive late for sessions.
Citizenship Syllabus (out of 60 points):
Quality of the final version of the chapter written (out of 20 points)
The student's performance is assessed on the basis of the quality of the chapter to which they contributed. The following are taken into consideration:
- the accuracy of the theoretical content,
- the quality of the assessment questions,µ
- the relevance of the methodological approaches and teaching methods
- and compliance with the presentation guidelines.
Active Research Questions (ARQ) (out of 20 points):
Active research questions are assessed on the basis of their relevance, feasibility and compliance with presentation guidelines. Deadline: Wednesday 18 March 2026, 12 noon.
Please note ! Students are invited to consult the 'Organisational Notes' section for important details regarding the ARQs.
If the student has not made an appointment or has not attended the scheduled appointment, the mark awarded for the ARQ section will be 0.
Professional training and identity course
Written work / report
Further information:
Additional information:
Each of the two parts of the individual reflective report is graded out of 20 points. The final grade is the average of the grades awarded for the first part (review of the practices implemented) and the second part (resolution of a problem related to one of the student's performances).
This file is presented and discussed during a final interview between the student and the teaching team.
If the student does not attend the final interview, their performance will be marked as seriously inadequate.
The quality of the first part of the final report is assessed on the basis of the following criteria (in descending order of importance): the student's ability to incorporate the comments and advice given to them during the course, to adopt a critical attitude towards their performance, and on the basis of the quality of the critical analysis report (reflexivity, structure, coherence, arguments); the ability to distinguish between the essential and the incidental; the formal presentation, syntax and spelling.
The quality of the second part of the final report is assessed on the basis of the relevance of the response to the teaching problem set and the quality of the justification for this response.
Work placement(s)
Two placements (individual and group) enable students to put into practice the material they have designed beforehand, and to check its relevance, effectiveness and efficiency.
Course and exercices
No practical placements, but preparation for a college placement as part of 'Citizenship' seminars.
Professional training and identity course
No internship
Organizational remarks
See educational commitments for the two sub-components.
Course and exercices
Please note! Leading citizenship seminars requires each student to have a thorough understanding of all the topics covered, not just the chapter they worked on. The sessions for experimenting with and discussing the chapters written by the teams are an opportunity to learn all the material contained in the syllabus.
Please note! Writing the QRAs requires a significant amount of effort.
All QRAs must be completed by the deadline. QRAs are sent electronically to the entire teaching team in a single PDF file, following the specific instructions provided.
Each student must arrange at least one meeting with the member of the teaching team responsible for supervising the writing of the QRAs. The purpose of this supervision is to determine the topics to be covered by the student, examine the initial formulation of the problems addressed, and suggest corrections, additions or amendments.
Contacts
Jean-François Guillaume, Professeur
Jean-Francois.Guillaume@uliege.be
France Heuveneers, Assistante pédagogique
fheuveneers@uliege.be
Edgar Tasia, Assistant
Edgar.Tasia@uliege.be
04 366 35 03
Bureau 1.90, Bâtiment B31, Quartier Agora, Place des Orateurs, Université de Liège au Sart Tilman.
Course and exercices
Jean-François Guillaume, Professor
Jean-Francois.Guillaume@uliege.be
France Heuveneers, Teaching Assistant
fheuveneers@uliege.be
Edgar Tasia, Assistant
Edgar.Tasia@uliege.be
04 366 35 03
Office 1.90, Building B31, Agora Quarter, Place des Orateurs, University of Liège at Sart Tilman.
Professional training and identity course
Jean-François Guillaume, Professor
Jean-Francois.Guillaume@uliege.be
France Heuveneers, Teaching Assistant
fheuveneers@uliege.be
Edgar Tasia, Assistant
Edgar.Tasia@uliege.be
04 366 35 03
Office 1.90, Building B31, Agora Quarter, Place des Orateurs, University of Liège at Sart Tilman.