Research
HASORO, Innovative Flexible Robots for Human Interaction
on October 14, 2024
Research
Research news
Published on November 7, 2024– Updated on November 7, 2024
Bringing Science Closer to Society Through Applied Didactics
In its 2024 call for proposals, CY Initiative funded 17 innovative research projects. Let's take a look at E&CEM, one of the winning Emergence projects, which is led by Assia Nechache, teacher-researcher and professor at CY Cergy Paris University. Her work on scientific mediation spaces aims at bringing science and society closer together.
CY Initiative: Could you introduce yourself and tell us more about your career and your main research themes?
Assia Nechache: Before becoming a teacher-researcher, I studied mathematics and, in 2004, passed the competitive examination to become a secondary school teacher. After a few years teaching in secondary schools, in 2010 I became a mathematics teacher trainer (PRAG) at the IUFM and then at the University of Orléans-Tours. During this period, I did a master's degree in mathematics didactics research, followed by a thesis that I defended in 2016.
In 2018, I joined CY Cergy Paris Université as Senior Lecturer and joined the André Revuz didactics laboratory (LDAR EA 4434). This is a laboratory that has the particularity of being multi-conventioned by the universities of Paris, Paris-est Créteil, CY Cergy Paris university, Lille and Rouen Normandie.
Given my background and interests, my research naturally focuses on the didactics of mathematics, and in particular, on the study of phenomena linked to the teaching and learning of mathematics.
The central question in my research is how to effectively transmit content to learners, taking into account their level and educational background. You can't prescribe just any content at any age or to any individual... learners can be pupils, students or teaching professionals in the context of continuing education. This question arises all the more in the teaching of mathematics, with questions such as: how can we help learners construct discourses of proof that are mathematically correct? How can we get them to exercise control over the mathematical work they have produced?
In geometry, there's a lot of research around these issues, and my added value has been more in the field of probabilities, at 3rd and 2nd grade levels. It's difficult for teachers (and I've also experienced this as a teacher) to get students to demonstrate results when they're faced with solving problems in this field. This is the sticking point because students don't have enough theoretical knowledge on the subject. I had to come up with something that was mathematically coherent, that was also suitable for the students and that also met institutional expectations. This kind of challenge interests me.
The three keywords that perfectly sum up my research work are “proof”, “modeling” with the question of decision-making and “interdisciplinarity” in science teaching. My experience in the field has enabled me to see the challenges around mathematics, so it's vital for me that my research is linked to the realities in the field. I try to make my research as operational as possible. In concrete terms, the aim is to improve the relationship between learners and mathematics, and to help teachers bring students closer to mathematics since, like other disciplines, it contributes to building critical thinking and developing decision-making skills.
CY Initiative: You won the CY Initiative's 2024 call for proposals. What does this project involve, and what is its objective?
Assia Nechache: The E&CEM project is, of course, linked to my research subjects. The aim is to bring science and mathematics closer to society. The relationship between mathematics and science has changed, not least as a result of the pandemic. Indeed, following the Covid-19 pandemic, science is likely to have lost some of its legitimacy in society.
In 2020, Minister Frédérique Vidal set up a scheme to encourage researchers to get out of their offices to meet and share their work with society. In the sciences, we've had scientific mediators setting up initiatives with teachers, for example, by going into classrooms, or welcoming pupils to structures linked to scientific mediation. And on the other hand, there are researchers who have been and still are invited to classes or schools in very specific settings, such as the Fête de la science. But in the end, there's always one person who carries the knowledge and another who takes a back seat. Is this the most efficient way of doing things? And above all, is it sustainable?
It was with this in mind that the E&CEM project was born. I think that everyone should be involved in knowledge and science, and we need to make these collaborations and actions sustainable.
The aim is therefore to create a place where researchers, teachers and science mediators can meet and co-construct mediation sessions around a given subject. We need to put in place a space and the necessary and sufficient conditions for this triplet relationship to be built and produce something operational and productive, and above all over the long term.
CY Initiative: In concrete terms, how will the project be rolled out?
Assia Nechache: Officially, the project will start in October 2024, but I'm already in contact with several mediation structures to set up the project.
Specifically, from October to November, I'm going to talk to these different structures to find out about existing practices. My aim is to understand how they see things, what they do today, do they have relationships with teachers, with researchers, how they work together...
Then, at the end of 2024, I'd like to organize a symposium with researchers who are experts in scientific mediation and the project's stakeholders. The aim is to present the results of this inquiry phase and to jointly reflect on mediation issues and this collaborative mediation space.
By early 2025, this should enable us to form triplets - researcher, teacher, mediator - and get them to work together on a given theme. The aim is for them to co-construct mediation sequences that they will be able to deploy concretely in March-April 2025.
Based on the sessions implemented in one class, we'll carry out posteriori analyses to highlight what really worked and what didn't, and if need be, make adjustments and modifications in order to implement the sessions again in another class, and so on. And this will continue until the end of the year, when we'll make an initial overall assessment of these phases of construction, experimentation and analysis.
In the second year, we'll be launching the same scheme, but on different themes. The idea is to see what the impact of adding new conditions is on teachers' practices and on co-construction by the triplet.
In June 2026, all this work will be presented at a symposium, and we will of course gradually publish the results obtained. The ultimate aim is to establish this mediation space within CY Cergy Paris University and ensure it becomes a permanent fixture.
CY Initiative: Why did you apply for this call for proposals?
Assia Nechache: It's always a challenge to take part in a call for proposals. In this particular case, it enabled me to develop my idea and put it into practice thanks to the Emergence program. I want to have tangible proof, a solid foundation on which to build a project that I can then submit to a European project.
Assia Nechache: Before becoming a teacher-researcher, I studied mathematics and, in 2004, passed the competitive examination to become a secondary school teacher. After a few years teaching in secondary schools, in 2010 I became a mathematics teacher trainer (PRAG) at the IUFM and then at the University of Orléans-Tours. During this period, I did a master's degree in mathematics didactics research, followed by a thesis that I defended in 2016.
In 2018, I joined CY Cergy Paris Université as Senior Lecturer and joined the André Revuz didactics laboratory (LDAR EA 4434). This is a laboratory that has the particularity of being multi-conventioned by the universities of Paris, Paris-est Créteil, CY Cergy Paris university, Lille and Rouen Normandie.
Given my background and interests, my research naturally focuses on the didactics of mathematics, and in particular, on the study of phenomena linked to the teaching and learning of mathematics.
The central question in my research is how to effectively transmit content to learners, taking into account their level and educational background. You can't prescribe just any content at any age or to any individual... learners can be pupils, students or teaching professionals in the context of continuing education. This question arises all the more in the teaching of mathematics, with questions such as: how can we help learners construct discourses of proof that are mathematically correct? How can we get them to exercise control over the mathematical work they have produced?
In geometry, there's a lot of research around these issues, and my added value has been more in the field of probabilities, at 3rd and 2nd grade levels. It's difficult for teachers (and I've also experienced this as a teacher) to get students to demonstrate results when they're faced with solving problems in this field. This is the sticking point because students don't have enough theoretical knowledge on the subject. I had to come up with something that was mathematically coherent, that was also suitable for the students and that also met institutional expectations. This kind of challenge interests me.
The three keywords that perfectly sum up my research work are “proof”, “modeling” with the question of decision-making and “interdisciplinarity” in science teaching. My experience in the field has enabled me to see the challenges around mathematics, so it's vital for me that my research is linked to the realities in the field. I try to make my research as operational as possible. In concrete terms, the aim is to improve the relationship between learners and mathematics, and to help teachers bring students closer to mathematics since, like other disciplines, it contributes to building critical thinking and developing decision-making skills.
CY Initiative: You won the CY Initiative's 2024 call for proposals. What does this project involve, and what is its objective?
Assia Nechache: The E&CEM project is, of course, linked to my research subjects. The aim is to bring science and mathematics closer to society. The relationship between mathematics and science has changed, not least as a result of the pandemic. Indeed, following the Covid-19 pandemic, science is likely to have lost some of its legitimacy in society.
In 2020, Minister Frédérique Vidal set up a scheme to encourage researchers to get out of their offices to meet and share their work with society. In the sciences, we've had scientific mediators setting up initiatives with teachers, for example, by going into classrooms, or welcoming pupils to structures linked to scientific mediation. And on the other hand, there are researchers who have been and still are invited to classes or schools in very specific settings, such as the Fête de la science. But in the end, there's always one person who carries the knowledge and another who takes a back seat. Is this the most efficient way of doing things? And above all, is it sustainable?
It was with this in mind that the E&CEM project was born. I think that everyone should be involved in knowledge and science, and we need to make these collaborations and actions sustainable.
The aim is therefore to create a place where researchers, teachers and science mediators can meet and co-construct mediation sessions around a given subject. We need to put in place a space and the necessary and sufficient conditions for this triplet relationship to be built and produce something operational and productive, and above all over the long term.
CY Initiative: In concrete terms, how will the project be rolled out?
Assia Nechache: Officially, the project will start in October 2024, but I'm already in contact with several mediation structures to set up the project.
Specifically, from October to November, I'm going to talk to these different structures to find out about existing practices. My aim is to understand how they see things, what they do today, do they have relationships with teachers, with researchers, how they work together...
Then, at the end of 2024, I'd like to organize a symposium with researchers who are experts in scientific mediation and the project's stakeholders. The aim is to present the results of this inquiry phase and to jointly reflect on mediation issues and this collaborative mediation space.
By early 2025, this should enable us to form triplets - researcher, teacher, mediator - and get them to work together on a given theme. The aim is for them to co-construct mediation sequences that they will be able to deploy concretely in March-April 2025.
Based on the sessions implemented in one class, we'll carry out posteriori analyses to highlight what really worked and what didn't, and if need be, make adjustments and modifications in order to implement the sessions again in another class, and so on. And this will continue until the end of the year, when we'll make an initial overall assessment of these phases of construction, experimentation and analysis.
In the second year, we'll be launching the same scheme, but on different themes. The idea is to see what the impact of adding new conditions is on teachers' practices and on co-construction by the triplet.
In June 2026, all this work will be presented at a symposium, and we will of course gradually publish the results obtained. The ultimate aim is to establish this mediation space within CY Cergy Paris University and ensure it becomes a permanent fixture.
CY Initiative: Why did you apply for this call for proposals?
Assia Nechache: It's always a challenge to take part in a call for proposals. In this particular case, it enabled me to develop my idea and put it into practice thanks to the Emergence program. I want to have tangible proof, a solid foundation on which to build a project that I can then submit to a European project.
