Maurice Tardif, full professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Montreal
Credit: Center for Interuniversity Research on Training and the Teaching Profession (CRIFPE)
“When we write him an email, he responds very quickly. He is very good at spotting gaps in our learning and he does everything to correct the situation. In my case, it was in sociology and he bought me three books in the field. It’s amazing and – I asked! – he does this with all his students.”
This anecdote about Maurice Tardif is told by Mourad Bacha, doctoral student in education sciences at the University of Montreal under the supervision of the professor of the Department of Administration and Foundations of Education. It was to study with Mr. Tardif that he left Algeria and settled in Quebec. “I knew him by reputation because he is quoted everywhere in scientific writings on the teaching profession, says the doctoral student. I quote it several times in my master’s thesis.
When Mourad Bacha wanted to register for the doctorate, he sent an email to Maurice Tardif. “He answered me and it really amazed me! he indicates. Then, I presented my research project to him and he agreed to supervise me. We had a few meetings by Zoom to get to know each other and I took the steps to come to Quebec.
Support doctoral students well
Mourad Bacha arrived in Montreal in August 2021, in the midst of a pandemic, when the 14 days of confinement were required. “Mr. Tardif gave me a very warm welcome and showed me around the UdeM at the start of the school year, he says. Then, he immediately integrated me into a research team on the professionalization of teachers as part of a project funded by SSHRC. [Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada]. While under his guidance, I became a student member of the Interuniversity Research Center on Education and the Teaching Profession. He also made available to me a host of recent documents and research. I had everything I needed and I was well surrounded to advance in my research.
Maurice Tardif has also hired Mourad Bacha as a research assistant, offering him a contract of fifteen hours a week. “It allowed me to have an income as soon as I arrived, to socialize with other people in my field and to acquire research skills on a subject related to my project”, explains the student.
We know that in Quebec about half of the people who register for a doctorate will drop out of school along the way. It is also established that supervision plays a decisive role with those who persevere. “It’s important not to feel isolated in order to perform well: you have to be confident,” says Mourad Bacha.
The influence of the OECD on professionalization
In his doctorate, Mourad Bacha, who taught secondary school in Algeria before coming to Quebec, examines, from a comparative perspective, the influence of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on national educational policies. relating to the teaching profession.
“On the one hand, the OECD has been developing, since the 2000s, a new conception of teacher professionalization and promoting new professionalization policies. On the other hand, national education systems continue to implement policies relating to the professionalization of teachers, observes the student. I therefore try, first, to understand and examine the conception and policies of professionalisation of teaching that the OECD promotes. And secondly, to identify the national variations of the teacher professionalization movement in the member countries of the OECD.
Mourad Bacha still has several years to complete this work and he admits that it is too early to know what he will do next. “But it is certainly very inspiring to see how Mr. Tardif works, how he is organized, manages his teams, communicates and acts as a leader, he underlines. He is a role model as a professor, researcher and research director.”
Who is Maurice Tardif?
A sociologist, Maurice Tarif is a full professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Montreal, where he teaches the history of educational ideas and the sociology of education. In 1993, he co-founded the Center for Interuniversity Research on Training and the Teaching Profession and directed it for nearly 15 years. He has published around a hundred scientific articles and around thirty books. His works have been published in some thirty countries and translated into several languages. He has received many distinctions, including the Whitworth Prize in 2016 from the Canadian Education Association.
