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Questioning the World: A Curricular Framework for Socially Acute Questions Within the Post-Common Core Reform in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation

par Dahmouche, Hichem ;Levy, Morgane ;Barrier, Thomas
Référence Education Sciences, 16, 3, 462
Publication Publié, 2026-03-18

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

The Wallonia-Brussels Federation is transforming through its education through the ‘Pact for an Education of Excellence’, notably by redefining the post-common core stage. This perspective article proposes a curricular paradigm that reconciles the specialisation of pathways with a shared foundation ensuring informed citizenship for all students. Based on a conceptual analysis of existing literature, we advocate for integrating Socially Acute Questions (SAQs) as a transversal axis of the post-common core curriculum. This shift the system from a ‘retrocognitive’ model—where knowledge is accumulated for uncertain future application—to a ‘procognitive’ model inspired by Chevallard’s ‘questioning of the world’. We outline seven pedagogical approaches to support this: controversy mapping, case studies, reasoned debate, the problematic matrix, researcher–student encounters, moral dilemmas, and role-play simulations. However, implementation faces barriers, including the rigidity of school structures, disciplinary compartmentalisation, teachers’ epistemic vulnerability, and challenges surrounding neutrality when addressing sensitive subjects. Success depends on transforming teaching professionalism through collaborative and interdisciplinary work, adopting ‘committed impartiality’ or ‘active neutrality’, and developing assessment tools that capture complex competencies. This proposal aligns with global curricular renewal movements and suggests a model where common ground rests not on contents, but on a competency to navigate the uncertainty and complexity.