From the education of readers to the education of teachers: an interview with Max Butlen

Abstract

In this interview, Max Butlen, widely recognized for his work in the areas of reading, reader education and teacher education, outlines his trajectory and offers a fruitful discussion based on his theoretical contributions, grounded in a long experience in public schools, which turned him into a reference in two of the most challenging themes for the school today: the teaching of the culture of writing, and the professionalization of teachers. In France, he worked in various teacher education institutions and with the Ministries for Education and Culture, where, in multiple posts and functions, his work in favor of the renewal of school reading practices and of the configuration and use of public and school libraries gained visibility. His doctorate thesis in the Sciences of Education, Les politiques de lecture et leurs acteurs, 1980-2000, presented to the University of Paris V, brings together these two fields of academic knowledge and professional activity, and demonstrates the centrality that the issues of reading have taken in France in the late 20th century. In Brazil, he worked with the Ministry for Education and Culture from 1994 to 1998, afterwards expanding his collaboration to groups of researchers from various states, both in themes related to reading and to the process of teacher universitization. Based on his experience in both countries, he also makes fertile comparisons regarding the procedures of teacher education, and the intellectual behavior of youngsters when faced with the new technologies and social transformations.