Mathias
Van der Meulen

Dancer turned educator; Mathias van der Meulen entered the field of learning through dance instruction after obtaining his State Diploma as a dance teacher in 2003. He realizes that teaching dance involves not only imparting movement skills but also teaching individuals to act collectively, to position themselves within and in relation to a group in a shared space, and to synchronize their actions with one another. His pedagogical approach continues to be deeply influenced by this perspective.

Freshly graduated with a master’s degree in language and culture education from INALCO (Paris), he made his first professional transition in 2008 towards adult education and supporting facilitators in their professional development at the learning center of Emmaüs Solidarité. He values experiential learning in real-life situations to anchor language acquisition or any other form of practice. He also sees reflective training-action as a key driver for trainers’ skill development.

During the same period, he was entrusted with projects related to the development of learning paths for societal or professional integration. Becoming an independent professional in 2017, he was sought after by institutions (Ministry of the Interior, France International Education, Erasmus+ AEFA, Departmental Council of Val de Marne) and other training organizations to provide his expertise in learning and pedagogical engineering. In 2018, he co-authored the method for teaching international French language, Cosmopolite 3, published by Hachette FLE.

As an independent consultant, he began to explore opportunities in the private sector. Embarking on a second career transition by joining the Turningpoint team, he aims to leverage his skills for new projects and continue to enrich and deepen his expertise.