L'école sauvage (1973)

Overview

In a school near Paris, a new experiment is being tried: to allow each child to express him or herself. In the smaller classes, group activities were dispensed with: each child did what interested him or her, according to temperament and desire. In other classes, grades are unknown and there is no fixed program; in English, the teacher lets the pupils work and converse according to their own style and rhythm; in a natural science class, we see a 10-year-old child expounding a theme on her own and answering questions from her classmates. Artistic activities also feature prominently: theatrical improvisation and orchestra formation, among others. The creation of a council allows children to submit initiatives, discuss them and organize themselves around their suggestions.