Michel Saint-Germain: A professor must arouse student’s interest

Michel Saint-Germain

“The real work of a professor is to arouse the student’s interest,” says Faculty of Education Professor Michel Saint-Germain.

A task made easier in Saint-Germain’s case because of his charisma and considerable charm, which carry his passion, enthusiasm and energy for everything and anything related to the world of pedagogy. A former student, Mélanie Charbonneau, says: “From the first course, I felt this was a professor who would do everything in his power to contribute to the academic success of his students and captivate their interest.”

He is “a people person who knows what strings to pull to advance his students,” says Serge De Ladurantaye, also a former student and now director of Saint-Guillaume school in Vars.

Since 1982, Saint-Germain has taught about 20 graduate-level courses. His work on the use of virtual activities in teaching has been recognized internationally. He was instrumental in promoting the use of the WebCT platform at the Faculty of Education – a piece of software he used extensively as director and coordinator of the master’s in education program to articulate all distance education courses.

In addition to his efforts within the University, Saint-Germain has contributed to the Faculty of Education’s outreach activities, especially in Francophone Ontario. From 1999 to 2003 he organized spring tours in the province to promote the master’s of education program among Francophone teachers. As a result, registrations for the program increased significantly.

Even though his teaching approach is Socratic, focussing on dialogue and argumentation, he sees the need for a lecture approach as well. It is these lectures that provide the vocabulary and concepts on which to build.

A teacher cannot “adopt only one method of teaching; it depends on content and classroom dynamics.” This attitude has led Saint-Germain to use many different teaching approaches in class: psycho-dramas, role playing, case studies and simulations.

The real challenge of teaching, according to Saint-Germain, is to lead the learner to explore their own life experience. “When students build their own model based on their experiences, they tend to have a better understanding and take ownership of the material.”

He often tells his students that they have truly started their master’s “when they buy a book that is not mandatory (for the course).” In his view, learning is ripened by the love of the subject. “We don’t need a master’s degree to live…but it is a life project.”

Saint-Germain believes that it is better for students to work in the field before starting their master’s, although he is loath to generalize. “Some people have the right frame of mind for studies, and if the interest is there, then one must go for it.”