About

Cogitare exists to give reflection the place it deserves in learning — the kind that comes before, during and after the work, not just the kind that gets measured at the end. Our mission is simple to state and demanding to fulfill: to give students a space where they can truly document their learning process, to give teachers a way to guide them continuously rather than after the fact, and to give schools a tool that goes beyond a tally of results.

We believe technology should serve the learner's autonomy, never replace it — both in the design of the portfolio itself and in the way artificial intelligence is built into it: always to ask questions, never to answer in the student's place. It is this conviction, more than any feature, that guides every choice behind Cogitare.

“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”John C. Dana

André Roux taught for 14 years in Cycle Three of elementary school (Grades 5 and 6), in both regular public and alternative schools. He developed a range of learning environments, including the ESSAIM project* and the École Tourterelle/Vidéotron project. In 2001, he became an educational consultant with RÉCIT, Québec's educational technology support network, a position he held for 14 years.

Today, he remains convinced that what matters is not what has been accomplished, but what is still left to learn.

A social constructivist by training, he believes that learning is built through action and reflection, never through the mere reception of content.

The spark for developing the Cogitare portfolio came from a simple observation in the field: a new generation of teachers, engaged and eager, is looking for tools that match their pedagogical ambitions. At a time when assessment in Québec too often comes down to a tally of test scores, he is convinced that we must go beyond summative measurement. Cogitare grew out of 50 years of observation that led to one conclusion: teachers and their students urgently need a space that truly documents a process of reflection.

* In 1989, this project earned him the Marshall McLuhan Award and the Northern Telecom National Institute Award.