La ruchée: an Innovative Project to Develop and Strengthen the Teaching of the Arts in French

By Marie Suzor-Morin // Knowledge Mobilization and Wiki Support Officer, La ruchée, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (FCCF)

The Arts Education Laboratory La ruchée is an initiative of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (FCCF). La ruchée was designed to find concrete solutions for the development and enhancement of Arts Education in French in Canada. It aims to share its expertise on a national scale to benefit all Francophone minority communities in Canada.

During the first phase of La ruchée, which ran from 2020 to 2022, seven high-performance teams, made up of three to six members, brainstormed and tested support and coaching services for Arts Education. Each performance team was mandated to develop a solution to help address a specific issue in the field of Arts Education, such as the lack of training in Arts Education or the poor recognition of artists' crossdisciplinary skills. They were composed of people working in the Arts and Culture and Education fields across Canada.

JEAN-PIERRE DURETTE,

a participant in the La ruchée Arts Education Laboratory Project, wanted to share his experience in a high-performance team. He was a member of the prototype development team during Phase 1 (2020 to 2022) of La ruchée. He is a native of Sudbury, where he resides. During his career, which includes 28 years in Education and 20 years in Administration, he has worn many hats including Principal of Elementary, Secondary, Alternative and Adult schools, Teacher Trainer for principals, Educational Consultant and Teacher of Math, Science, Computer Science, Design, Technology and English. He is very involved in Adult Education, Continuing Education and E-Learning issues at the provincial level and has served on several boards, including the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA). Here are his answers to our questions:

YOU HAVE WORN MANY HATS IN YOUR CAREER: PRINCIPAL, MATH AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHER, EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT... WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE LA RUCHÉE ARTS EDUCATION LAB?

During my career, I have not worked directly in the Arts. However, as a proud Franco-Ontarian, I have always looked for opportunities to collaborate with the arts. In an educational context, the arts promote knowledge and retention of the French-Canadian Culture in students. La ruchée therefore triggered my curiosity.

I often said during the project, “Dare to dream!” When people come together and share their experiences, it allows for brainstorming and sparks original ideas.

WHAT WAS THE MISSION OF THE TEAM YOU MENTORED AT LA RUCHÉE?

Our team's first mandate was to set up a prototype bidding process, i.e. solutions to address issues in Arts Education. In addition, our mission was to accompany high-performance teams in order to optimize the chances of success of their prototype in development. We also had to learn from these experiences for the future of La ruchée.

WHAT ARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THE PROCESS AND STRUCTURE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS?

The structure of the high-performance teams required an adjustment for several team members. Remember that the team members had a part-time mandate for La ruchée. Many of them had full-time jobs at the same time. Being able to work together consistently over a long period of time is very important. It takes a certain amount of continuity in the work to meet deadlines, while taking into account the busy lives of your teammates. A team leader with availability and the ability to follow up quickly also facilitates communication.

The composition of the teams, which brought together members with a variety of professional and personal experiences, was very interesting. It contributed to some very rich discussions and stimulated creativity. I often said during the project, "Dare to dream!" When people come together and share their experiences, it allows for brainstorming and sparks original ideas.

In other words, when people are passionate about what they do, I can work with them in any way, at any time.

DO YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHTS TO SHARE ABOUT COLLABORATION AS A RESULT OF YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A LEADER AND MEMBER OF A HIGH-PERFORMING TEAM?

Human interaction is very important. Having the opportunity to get to know the other person facilitates open and honest communication. I had the opportunity to get to know people involved in various aspects of the project, which made it easier to guide the teams.

When the mentoring of certain teams was less obvious, it was important to practise active listening in order to better adapt our communications and responses. It is a matter of knowing when and how to intervene according to work methods, awareness of political issues or other particularities. It is also important to establish mutual respect.

I was able to use my professional experience. I am not a professional artist. However, I can take the perspective of a school principal, and talk about how artists are received in schools. I have experienced various facets of the world, of education and teaching during my career. So, I had that luxury of seeing things from different angles in my mentoring of the team members at La ruchée.

In other words, when people are passionate about what they do, I can work with them in any way, at any time.

ACCORDING TO YOU, WHAT ARE THE THREE KEY INGREDIENTS TO A GOOD TEAM COLLABORATION?

Obviously, an open mind! You also need a certain amount of courage in order not to be afraid of making mistakes in team collaboration. Plus, a good sense of humour. Let's not forget creativity: you can't expect a different result when you do the same thing a thousand times.

IN THE FALL OF 2022, LA RUCHÉE BEGAN ITS SECOND PHASE (2022-2024). IT WILL FIELD TEST PILOT PROJECTS THAT AIM TO REINFORCE THE TEACHING OF THE ARTS AND THROUGH THE ARTS IN CANADIAN AND ACADIAN FRANCOPHONE SCHOOLS.

To learn more about the initiatives and activities

of La ruchée laboratory visit: laruchee.ca