Théodore Simon, pioneer in psychopedagogical guidance

Résumé 0

‪The psychiatrist Théodore Simon is best known for his collaboration with Alfred Binet on the origin of the Metric Scale of Intelligence. But he can be considered as a founder of a concept of psychopedagogical guidance which is an alternative to the psychotechnical concept. In the many articles that he published in the Manuel Général de l’Instruction Primaire (General Manual of Primary Education) between 1920 and 1939, he introduces teachers to the use of scientific psychology by setting up educational experiments in the classroom. It recommends the use of the Metric Scale of Intelligence but from a clinical perspective, observing students. The psychopedagogy supported by Simon also applies to guidance. It differs from the dominant concept represented by Henri Piéron and INETOP (Institut National d’Etude du Travail et d’Orientation Professionnel – National Institute for the Study of Work and Professional Guidance), which is based on aptitude tests. Like Binet, Simon disputes the possibility of distinguishing abilities that would be fixed and separable. On the contrary, the Metric Scale and the clinical method allow a global approach to the student. Guidance is integrated into teaching methods and, through the use of scientific psychology, consists of the continuous observation of students engaged in school activities. Simon thus proposes a psychopedagogical guidance that is very different from psychotechnology.‪