Burkina Faso CAPES study guide
Burkina Faso CAPES · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Burkinabè CAPES - Certificat d'Aptitude au Professorat de l'Enseignement du Secondaire, run under the concours de recrutement des Professeurs de l'Enseignement Secondaire - is the professional teaching credential that opens the door to a career as a certified secondary-school teacher in Burkina Faso. It is aimed at candidates who already hold a solid academic background in a discipline (typically a licence or equivalent in the subject they intend to teach) and who now want to convert that knowledge into a recognised licence to teach in a collège or lycée. The Burkina Faso CAPES study guide has 8 sections and about 1,806 words.
01Disciplinary Knowledge in the Teaching Subject
Disciplinary mastery means you can explain, justify and connect the core concepts of your subject, not just recite definitions. Anchor your revision on the official CAPES syllabus for your discipline: identify the fundamental notions (for mathematics, functions, limits, probability, geometry; for French, grammar, literary genres, discourse analysis; for history-geography, periodisation, scales, documentary analysis).
269 words, about 1 min02Didactics and Pedagogy of the Teaching Subject
Subject didactics studies how knowledge is transformed into teachable content. Key notions include transposition didactique (savoir savant becoming savoir enseigné), obstacles épistémologiques (misconceptions rooted in the nature of the concept), situations-problèmes , and the contrat didactique (implicit expectations between teacher and pupils).
242 words, about 1 min03Educational Psychology and Learning Theories
You must be able to compare the main learning theories and use them to interpret classroom situations. Behaviourism (conditioning, reinforcement) explains habit formation; cognitivism (information processing, working memory limits) explains how pupils handle complexity; constructivism (Piaget) sees learning as building schemas through assimilation and accommodation; socio-constructivism (Vygotsky) stresses mediation, language and the zone of proximal development ; metacognition concerns pupils' awareness and regulation of their own learning.
220 words, about 1 min04General Pedagogy and Classroom Management
General pedagogy covers the organisation of teaching and learning conditions: lesson planning, classroom climate, group dynamics, differentiation, and authority. You should know the main pedagogical currents (traditional, active, differentiated, competency-based) and their implications for classroom practice.
206 words, about 1 min05Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning
Assessment and evaluation are not synonyms. Diagnostic assessment precedes learning; formative assessment accompanies it and informs teaching; summative assessment certifies achievement.
210 words, about 1 min06Professional Ethics and the Role of the Secondary Teacher
A secondary teacher in Burkina Faso exercises a public function governed by professional obligations: loyalty to the institution , neutrality and impartiality , confidentiality , respect for pupils' dignity , and equal treatment . You must know the difference between a legal obligation (duty), a moral duty (ethics), and a deontological rule (professional code).
218 words, about 1 min07French Language Proficiency and Academic Communication
Even non-specialists are assessed on command of academic French: correctness, clarity, coherence and register. You must master grammar (agreement, tense sequencing, subordinate clauses), lexicon (precise, non-colloquial vocabulary), spelling , and discourse organisation (introduction, development, conclusion; connectors; paragraph unity).
199 words, under 1 min08The Burkinabe Education System and Its Legal Framework
Burkina Faso organises education through formal, non-formal and informal channels. The formal system runs from préscolaire and primaire to post-primaire and secondaire , then higher education, under the authority of the Ministry in charge of education.
242 words, about 1 min