Conditions and potential for instrumentalization in the teaching of pest management: An analysis of seven artifacts in agronomy

Abstract

Agricultural sciences have a central place in technical agricultural education, especially for some technical curricula such as the CGEA professional baccalaureate and the APV and ACSE BTS classes. However, the constitution of knowledge and references is constantly evolving, with the development of the technical and academic field but also with the importance of agro-ecological issues that push to renew the skills and agricultural vocations. In this context, the Didacphyto research project, ended in 2016, questioned the interest and possible use of resources produced by agronomic sciences and technologies to promote the teaching of pesticide-saving pest management. This article presents some of its results by analyzing, through a didactic, professional didactic and instrumental approach, the conditions of appropriation of these resources in teaching-learning situations. The analysis sheds light on the discrepancies between the logic of conception and that of situated uses, and allows us to examine the phenomena of instrumental genesis (in particular instrumentalization) deployed by the teachers during the preparation and implementation of pedagogical sessions integrating one of the chosen artifacts. These results are discussed in relation to the learning issues raised by the government's "Teaching to Produce Differently" program.