Work in progress for this page
Lecture for Erasmus Medal 2005, Academia Europeae: Pierre Léna, From science to education: the need for a revolution.
Institut de France, formal Session on Education under the Coupole, 28 Octobre 2008. Pierre Léna, La science pour tous : illusion ou nécessité.
School children and science, in France (1995-2026)
Under the impetus of Georges Charpak, Nobel Prize laureate in Physics (1992), together with Yves Quéré, myself, and with the support of the French Academy of Sciences, La main à la pâte was created in 1995 to revive—albeit in a transformed way—the traditional “lesson of things” in all primary schools across France.
Our goal was to respond to and stimulate children’s curiosity about natural phenomena, guiding them through the first steps taken by any researcher in science: observing, questioning, experimenting, reflecting, sharing, and expressing themselves with precision. Tested in 344 classrooms, the initiative grew, bringing together primary school teachers who often discovered that science is not inaccessible—neither for them nor for their students—and who found enjoyment in exploring it through inquiry.
In 2011, the Foundation La main à la pâte was established through the “Investments for the Future” public program with the backing of Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France. With such continuous effort until 2026, natural sciences—closely linked with mathematics and the practice of the French language—are present, at least in some classrooms, from kindergarten through to the final year of primary school (CM2, i.e. Grade 5).