"In order to create new value, students need to have a sense of purpose, curiosity and an open mindset towards new ideas, perspectives and experiences. Creating new value requires critical thinking and creativity in finding different approaches to solving problems, and collaboration with others to find solutions to complex problems. In evaluating whether their solutions work or not, students may need agility in trying out new ideas and may need to be able to manage risks associated with these new ideas. Students also need adaptability as they change their approaches based on new and emerging insights and findings." (OECD, 2018: 4)

This international colloquium of the SFERE Provence federative structure follows on from two events held respectively in 2017 at the University of Le Mans: "Eduquer à l'empathie, où en sommes-nous? ", led by Omar Zanna (Université du Maine, Le Mans - CREN EA 2661) and Joëlle Aden (UPEC, IMAGER, and in 2019 at Université Paris-Est Créteil: "Empathy and benevolence at the heart of learning", led by Joëlle Aden (UPEC laboratory IMAGER, Equipe Langu'Enact - EA3958), Emmanuelle Maitre de Pembroke (UPEC, laboratory LIRTES - EA 7313) and Sandrine Eschenauer (AMU and CNRS, Laboratoire Parole et Langage - UMR 7309). The particular focus on the inclusive context of 21st-century schooling and training via performative approaches in education completes the initial reflexive elements woven during the two previous colloquia.

Since the Salamanca Declaration in 1994, France, like other OECD countries, has been steadily stepping up its thinking on inclusive education. The notion of inclusion, unlike that of integration, involves all players in the learning-teaching community, whatever the cognitive, psychological, physiological, cultural or social profile of the learners, considering that variety, divergence and difference represent the norm in our societies. This is why we need to design systems that enable everyone to access knowledge and develop their skills.

With the Future of Education and Skills 2030 project (OECD, 2018), creativity and the ability to interact collectively, to adapt, to transform the world and our vision of it - an ability that implies empathy - are now considered essential.

In this context, the concepts of empathy, creativity and/or creation, which regularly rub shoulders with those of aesthetics and performance, are gradually (re)finding their place in the field of education. But these notions are sometimes considered vague, as they are intimately linked to the movement of life and to subjectivity, even intimacy. In this symposium, we will trace their epistemology and understand their central role in the development of inclusive education. We will examine the place they can - or should - occupy in the so-called "fundamental" skills and knowledge of schools and universities, and what implications this may have for the models and content of teacher training.

1.     Conceptual framework

Creativity / Creation

While creation refers to the action of bringing a form into existence, creativity is more apt to describe the ability and process of creation in general. Both concepts are fundamental to the process of acquiring, updating and developing knowledge and know-how, as well as to the process of training through research.

Following Guilford's work (Guilford, 1979), creativity has attracted a great deal of interest, particularly in the fields of developmental, differential or cognitive psychology, or affective and cognitive neuroscience (Bonnardel et al., 2023).. Applied to education, it was in vogue until the 1990s (Care & Debyser, 1991) before being considered a floating concept or notion, attracting less collective interest (Capron Puozzo, 2016).Since the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (2009), however, it has received renewed attention, and a growing body of research shows that it can be an effective lever in learning methods. (Fürst, 2016).

At the same time, the relationship between artistic creation, art theory and training processes has been developing since the early 1970s (Passeron, 2000) in humanities research. These developments are based not only on art history and aesthetics, but also on the new concepts of action research and research-creation (Arnaud, 2018; Thomas & Naugrette, 2020).  This movement is accompanied by a didactic desire to raise students' awareness of the arts, not only historically, creatively and technically, but also critically, in connection with empathetic perception of the environment and the contemporary world (Espinassy, 2020). In the field of writing, creativity made its appearance with the experiments of Célestin Freinet, followed in the late 1960s by the introduction of writing workshops in elementary and secondary schools, particularly for students with severe difficulties (Quaranta,  Barbier, & Butzek, 2023). Over the past ten years or so, writing masters programs have been proliferating in France, as have the "Practice and Theory of Artistic and Literary Creation" (Ibid.) thesis specializations, which combine theoretical research and literary creation.

Empathy / Aesthetics

The concept of empathy, which concerns otherness as well as perception, creation (poièsis and aisthèsis) and creativity, has undergone a non-linear evolution. Born in the field of aesthetics, this concept was theorized by Vischer (1873)  and other German philosophers at the turn of the XIX^e and XX^e centuries. (Jorland & Thirioux, 2008; Lipps, 1906; Worringer, 1907).. More widely used in the field of therapy (Ge et al., 2021; Thirioux et al., 2020)since the early 2000s, it has been studied more specifically in the school context in certain disciplines such as language didactics (Aden, 2008, 2016; Dompartin & Thamin, 2018; Eschenauer, 2017) and more recently entered the vocabulary of national education with the new Common Base of Knowledge, Skills and Culture (2015). It is gaining ground in teacher training, notably through psycho-phenomenological approaches (Maitre de Pembroke, 2018).

Vischer's aesthetics (1873) is in line with Spinoza's philosophy (Spinoza, 1677 trans. Buchenau, 1908) in its experiential and corporeal conception of otherness as a path to knowledge. Lipps (1906) and Worringer (1907) specify that empathy applies to others not only in relation to our fellow human beings but also, in a broader sense, to the universe of living beings and forms in general (animal, vegetable, mineral, objects...). These philosophers and psychologists believe that we are always in a position to interpret any object in our environment as something living or animate, by projecting onto it our own subjective activity - a process they see as essential to aesthetic contemplation (Romand et al., 2023).

Thus, empathy impacts learners' perception of the world of sensible forms; it plays an essential role in relation to artistic creation and creativity in general, in all disciplinary fields (Caliandro, 2004; Pinotti, 2016; Romand et al., 2023). It can also be used in the educational field to lead students to produce language forms that are verbal, and that transcend the verbal (visual, plastic, musical, theatrical, etc.). More generally, knowledge is linked to sensitivity, otherness and the development of a critical sense - as confirmed by current research in affective, cognitive and social (neuro)sciences (Gallagher, 2023; Ganczarek et al., 2018).. As emphasized by researchers in the field of embodied cognition, it falls within the perception-action loop that is intrinsic to communication situations (Gangopadhyay & Schilbach, 2012; Varela, 1989) and, in particular, it enables us to anticipate the evolution of situations as a function of the interlocutors and the space/spaces in which the communication situation takes place (Jordan, 2009). This definition corroborates that proposed by researchers interested in empathy mechanisms (Decety & Ickes, 2011; Gallese, 2003; Thirioux, 2011).. We also know that empathy is one of the functions impaired in certain neurodivergent profiles, such as autism (Gepner & Tardif, 2016; Tardif & Gepner, 2019)even though more and more of these learners are enrolled in mainstream schools (CNESCO, 2016).

So how can we encourage the development of this fundamental skill? If this is as much about self-centered and heterocentered interactions as it is about relationships with the environment, how can we think about "the environment", about spaces, in the sensitive design of teaching, from nursery school to university, to develop inclusive education?

Sensitive areas / Inclusion

Inclusion is defined as "a process that helps overcome barriers limiting learners' presence, participation and success" (UNESCO, 2017, p. 7). Indeed, the Salamanca Statement (1994) and The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), in particular Article 24 on respect for the right to an inclusive school, accelerated the movement towards inclusive education by broadening the approach to encompass children with special needs, regardless of the origin or context of their needs and concluding that "each child has unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs".

The OECD's "Horizon 2030 Education" declaration (OECD, 2018; UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2017) further opens up the notion of inclusion with a humanistic focus, and reminds us that education is a fundamental human right.

Since the three laws of 2005, 2013 and 2019, inclusion has become a major development objective for French schools, in line with international goals. Thus, inclusive education is a process of transforming an education system to address all learners and guarantee them equitable access to knowledge, without segregation linked to disability or of a social, material or behavioral nature. It's not just a question of accommodating pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in ordinary classes - for example, disabled pupils with impaired cognitive functions, and/or allophone children - but above all of making teaching-learning situations accessible by adapting teaching and learning methods to meet the needs of all pupils, with or without disabilities. (Gombert & Faure, 2020). However, as Pelletier (2020)decreeing inclusion does not necessarily lead to its effective implementation.

All these elements imply thinking about the choice and organization of space-time to promote inclusion and enhance learning. Certain elements of performance art, which specifically take into account sensibility, spaces, the relationship with oneself and others, and the emergence of knowledge in complex relationships (Schechner, 2003) seem conducive to the implementation of inclusive conditions in education (Eschenauer et al., 2023; Tortochot & Terrien, 2023). Creativity, creation, empathy and aesthetics could together be means facilitating the development of cognitive processes for all; they are encorporated processes (Eschenauer, 2018). Creativity and creative processes can be learned (Bonnardel et al., 2023)as can empathy (Lei & Lei, 2022) - and these notions also seem fundamental to the development of Inclusive Education at the heart of current thinking in education.

2. Conference objectives

How can these salient points be taken into account in teaching? How can we study their effects? What implications might this have for training and assessment methods, in the field and in research?

This symposium introduces complex notions and their implications in the field of education. From a fundamental point of view, it will examine fields that are often at the interface of several disciplines, and their social and cognitive implications. From an applied point of view, the works will present sensitive devices and the research methodologies implemented to study their effects on inclusive practices and/or learning.

The colloquium will be spun by artists who will be the main witnesses and actors of this event. We hope to be able to forge partnerships so that visual artists, musicians, comedians, poets, etc. can be present and thematically accompany this colloquium in various forms: reflective workshops, performed lectures, A/R/Tographies (Belliveau, 2016; Irwin et al., 2017) are welcome, as are more traditional presentation formats (papers or posters).

Focus 1: Epistemology. Empathy/aesthetics, creation/creativity: abstract notions or foundational experiences for learning - a fortiori in the perspective of inclusive education?

What epistemological changes have these concepts undergone over time? From isolated disciplines to interdisciplinarity: do these notions intermingle and evolve when they intersect? What place is given to the sensitive as a cognitive faculty? Can creativity, creation and empathy become levers for learning? What epistemologies underpin creation in the arts, and what links can be established with creativity, empathy and the construction of knowledge? How do these theoretical foundations relate to the development of inclusive education?

Axis 2: Methodological axis. Research in education: methodological implications of a sensitive definition of the notions of "norm" and "performance" in an inclusive perspective of education.

What methodological approaches can provide answers to current societal challenges and Horizon 2030 objectives? Where are we in the development of Arts Based Research methodologies? (Leavy, 2017)? Can cognitive, affective and social neuroscience meet arts-based science or, more broadly, the humanities and social sciences? Do new models exist and are they supported by institutions? Inter/transdisciplinarity has both strengths and limitations. How can we integrate the dual constraints of the injunction to interdisciplinarity and the evaluation of (inter)disciplinary proposals? What implications might this (inter)disciplinary work have for teacher training in inclusive education?

Axis 3: Sensitive spaces - what place should be given to the environment and the learner's/teacher's body?

From school to university and the Grandes Ecoles, the teaching-learning process of the 21st century cannot be imagined without taking into account the evolution of our societies, which will themselves have to weave new environments. How can interior spaces (architecture, acoustics, furniture, lighting) or exterior spaces (outdoor education) modify the teaching-learning process to make school knowledge accessible to all, and bring about a fully inclusive school that fosters inclusion? What role can the learner's sensitive body (as an intimate space) and the teacher's thinking body play in the design of teaching and training systems? What methodological implications (particularly in terms of physiological data collection, for example) might this have for research?

Formats

Communications (15' presentation and 10' discussion), symposiums (1h30), workshops (1h30), posters

Calendar :

Submission of papers for communications, symposiums, workshops and posters: until 20 November 2023 on this website. Abstract of 500 words excluding bibliography. 

EXTENDED DEADLINE TO 08 january 2024

Registration launch: January 15, 2024. Registration fees include coffee breaks, lunches and artistic social events.

Returns to authors after expert appraisals: January 30, 2024

Return of any corrections: February 15, 2024

• Preferential prices for registrations: until 1 March.From 1 March, fees will be increased. Preferential prices for students and doctoral students. Further information soon.(Registration fees: €220 inc. VAT; Doctoral students: €99 inc. VAT; Independent artists/companies: free of charge; Masters students: free of charge).

• Registration deadline: May 15