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Aprender y enseñar con emoción en la Primera Infancia — Transcript

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0:07Welcome to this seminar, Learning and
0:10Teaching with Emotion in Early
0:13Childhood. I am Ana Díaz, the early
0:17childhood specialist at the University
0:22of Barcelona, and it is my turn to
0:24introduce you to our international
0:26speaker, María Antonia Riera. María
0:32Antonia is an early childhood educator
0:34and researcher, and a senior lecturer
0:37at the University of the Balearic
0:39Islands in Spain. She has spent 35
0:44years teaching in early childhood
0:47teacher training and has been the
0:49director of a university master's
0:52degree in early childhood. She has
0:56published numerous articles, but I
0:59would like to highlight those that have
1:02to do with educational innovation in
1:05early childhood. She has participated
1:09in research projects and in the
1:12implementation of socio-educational
1:15programs aimed at families of children
1:19in early childhood. Your speech today
1:23will help us recognize the key
1:26importance of emotions in teaching and
1:29learning processes. Without further ado
1:35, I will give the floor to María
1:38Antonia to begin her presentation.
1:42Thank you very much, María Antonia,
1:44for your collaboration and welcome to
1:46this space.
1:49>> Thank you very much, Ana. Can you hear
1:51me well? Well, it's
1:56>> a pleasure, thank you, Ana, for your
1:58presentation. It's a pleasure for me to
2:02connect from so far away and imagine
2:05you in your different locations, so
2:07distant, but at the same time, I
2:10believe, so close when we talk about
2:12childhood and when we talk about our
2:15commitment to education. I thank the
2:20University of Barcelona, the
2:22Organization of Ibero-American States
2:25of El Salvador for this beautiful
2:27invitation that I did not expect and
2:30that has been a gift for me to be able
2:33to share this seminar with El Salvador,
2:36a country that I do not know, but I'm
2:38sure it must be wonderful. I hope that
2:44during this time that we will share, we
2:48can reflect on some issues related to
2:51childhood, early childhood, and their
2:54well-being. If you want, I will project
3:00it, yes, I will share my presentation.
3:09Yes. Yes, can you see the presentation
3:18well? Yes,
3:20>> yes, we can see it
3:22>> very well. I have to say that the title
3:26of the seminar is very suggestive,
3:28isn't it? Because not only do children
3:32learn from emotion, but as early
3:34childhood educators we cannot teach if
3:37there is no connection and if there is
3:40no emotion. So, in that sense, we have
3:45set some goals for today's session that
3:48you...later, I know it's going to be a
3:52long day for you, and that you will
3:55analyze this relationship between
3:58well-being and learning, understand how
4:01well-being affects learning processes,
4:05reflect on the design of proposals and
4:08spaces, right? Value aesthetics as an
4:12important element for learning. So,
4:16well, let's go. Based on these goals, I
4:20have considered what were the topics
4:26that were important to interconnect
4:28when we talk about learning and
4:30relationships. And these words came to
4:34mind, right? First, the first word that
4:37is not reflected here in this diagram,
4:40but that is important is optimism.
4:44Optimism, well-being, emotions,
4:47aesthetics, learning, motivation. These
4:52are concepts that we are going to
4:54discuss in this short while and that I
4:57believe cannot be separated because
5:00learning and development cannot occur
5:03if we do not create a climate of
5:06well-being, if there are no positive
5:08relationships, if we do not design
5:11friendly and attractive environments
5:16that motivate and invite learning. So,
5:20these will be concepts that will appear
5:23throughout my presentation. I have
5:27structured my presentation in three
5:30parts. The first one I have titled
5:33Educating from Optimism and Resilience.
5:36The second, educational environments,
5:39generators of well-being and learning.
5:42The third, the role of the educator as
5:45a sensitive companion. Let's start with
5:49the first of these parts. I want to
5:53begin with this first idea that I
5:56believe unites all of us who work for
5:59children: optimism and a deep
6:02conviction in the potential of human
6:05beings. At a time of discouragement and
6:12confusion like the one we are
6:15experiencing on a global level, with a
6:19severe energy crisis, armed conflicts,
6:22painful migrations, environmental
6:25crises and many more, educators must
6:31still believe in the potential of human
6:34beings and in the potential of
6:37education. As Loris Malagucci said, we
6:43must think big and utopian, believing
6:46in the power of education to transform
6:50reality. And I wanted to begin with
6:53this idea. UNESCO's 2030 agenda, which
7:00you may be familiar with, insists that
7:05education is the cornerstone of
7:07sustainable development, human rights,
7:13promoting a culture of peace,
7:15citizenship, and valuing cultural
7:18diversity. I believe that you are
7:22surely implementing many of these
7:24values in your institutions. Therefore,
7:29the work you do is extremely important,
7:32extremely relevant for the future of
7:35the children of El Salvador. I also
7:43wanted to begin with an initial idea,
7:45which is to talk about the resilience
7:48of early childhood education centers as
7:51a space for resilience. I believe it is
7:55important to highlight the role of
7:58schools in early childhood today.
8:02Although we have heard many times about
8:05the preventive, compensatory, social
8:08and, of course, educational functions
8:11of early childhood, and there are
8:13numerous studies that show us that
8:16quality early childhood education is
8:23essential for the later development of
8:26children, we also know that investing
8:29financially in quality early childhood
8:32education services is investing in the
8:35future of humanity, right? Having said
8:42that, I understand that there is
8:44another function in addition to all
8:46those I have mentioned, which I call
8:49the function of resilience, right?
8:52Understanding resilience as the
8:54capacity that people have to adapt and
8:58recover from painful situations,
9:00difficulties, problems, and difficult
9:03situations. I firmly believe that early
9:10childhood schools are resilient spaces
9:12because they help children and their
9:15families find a friendly space, often a
9:18place where they can recover from the
9:20difficult socio-environmental
9:22situations they experience. Let's delve
9:27a little deeper. Why do we say that
9:31early childhood schools are resilient
9:33spaces? First, because I understand
9:38that it is a space that offers support
9:41and security. There are more and more
9:47families, and I'm sure you experience
9:50it every day, who due to multiple
9:52circumstances find themselves in
9:54fragile and confusing situations,
9:57situations that directly impact the
9:59well-being of children. And as we have
10:06said, we know that these early years of
10:09development are crucial, and school can
10:12become a protective space for children.
10:16It does offer stability, bonds, and
10:21trust. And I have observed this many
10:25times, and I am sure you too, that it
10:28becomes a space of resilience for
10:31families. Those families that have
10:35recently arrived or those families that
10:38do not have a social or family support
10:40network, and that at school they find
10:43other families, other professionals
10:45with whom to share their doubts,
10:47anxieties, and even loneliness. But
10:56school is also a resilient space
10:58because it offers stability and
11:01predictability. At a time when schools
11:07often experience the effects of
11:13constant change, family mobility, and
11:16the uncertainty that often surrounds
11:20children's lives, school becomes a safe
11:24, clear, stable space that provides
11:27continuity. And an environment is
11:33stable when children know what to
11:35expect, they can anticipate what is
11:38going to happen and then they can focus
11:41their energy on exploring, learning and
11:45developing. This is why, as you know,
11:50it is so important to talk about
11:52routines and stable schedules in early
11:55childhood. Neuroscience studies have
11:59recently shown us that the uncertainty
12:03that children experience about whether
12:06their needs will be met or the sudden
12:09changes they experience in their
12:12environment, changes in their
12:15caregivers or changes in their family
12:18environment can generate chronic stress
12:21and affect functions such as attention,
12:25emotional regulation or learning.
12:33School is also a resilient space
12:36because it offers what I call temporary
12:40resilience. It is how we, at school,
12:46compensate for the time that is often
12:49stolen from children, right? This was a
12:52concept that Francesco Tonuche talked
12:54about a lot, right? About how we steal
12:57time from children to grow, to learn,
13:00right? So, schools must also protect
13:07children’s time, respecting their
13:10natural rhythms of growth and learning.
13:15It’s about giving them plenty of time
13:19and space to be, to exist, to grow,
13:22without trying to get ahead or
13:24overstimulate them. But at the same
13:32time, schools are resilient because
13:35they offer rich contexts for
13:37development. We often see schools
13:42compensate for the environmental
13:45deficits that children often encounter
13:49due to lack of stimulation and lack of
13:53support in their family environment for
13:57learning. So schools offer new
14:02opportunities for their development,
14:06new spaces, new materials, new
14:08proposals, new environments that expand
14:14on their environmental and family
14:16context. Therefore, we must offer them
14:22very rich environments, as much as we
14:25can, that promote play, exploration,
14:28and autonomy. That’s why in this
14:33second part I’m going to talk more in
14:37depth about these environments. How
14:41should these educational environments
14:44be that are rich for development and
14:46learning? from the perspective of
14:51well-being and learning, from my work
14:59in teacher training, initial training
15:02and continuing education, advising
15:05schools, advising teachers, right?,to
15:08improve their quality, right? I have
15:14seen that there is a topic that is
15:16fundamental and that I believe you have
15:18also worked on in other training
15:20courses, which is the reflection on the
15:22educational environments that we design
15:24. We know how a properly prepared
15:29environment ensures a large part of our
15:32work, right? They said in the Reyo
15:35Emilia schools that space is the third
15:37educator, right? Because it really
15:41supports and favors us in our teaching
15:43work. As early childhood educators, I
15:50believe that we have a commitment to
15:53think about what environments we design
15:56for children. And when I talk about
16:00environment, I mean the spaces, the
16:02resources and materials, and the
16:04proposals that we offer. All this that
16:09I am saying is not at all far from the
16:13title of your presentation that talks
16:16about the relationship between teaching
16:18and learning from emotion, because we
16:23also increasingly know from studies of
16:27psychology and neuroscience that in
16:30order to learn we need to unite the
16:32head with the heart and with
16:35relationships. We all know that if
16:41children are not well, if they have
16:44conflicts, if they are anxious, if they
16:48do not get to school well, if they have
16:52problems with their family, they cannot
16:55learn or focus. That is why this image
17:03combines head, heart, heart and
17:05relationship because we cannot separate
17:09them, they go together. I learn when
17:14something interests me, when it
17:16motivates me, when it provokes emotion
17:19or interest in me, when I want to get
17:21to know it, to know what it is like,
17:24and I learn with the other person, with
17:27others. Because we have adults who
17:31accompany us, who support us and who
17:33encourage me to explore and get to know
17:36the world. We know that without a bond,
17:42there is no learning. We know that
17:46education is much more than teaching.
17:52It is touching the heart to open the
17:54mind, because all learning is born from
17:57affection. There is no learning if we
18:02do not establish a good bond with
18:05children, because we know that the
18:08gateway is these bonds that we create,
18:11which give us the confidence needed to
18:14explore, make mistakes and try again.
18:18We also know that we learn when we feel
18:21safe, when someone believes in us, even
18:23before we are able to believe in
18:26ourselves as individuals. So I think
18:31that based on this idea that without a
18:36bond, without a relationship, there is
18:39no learning, we are now going to see a
18:44little bit about what the environments
18:47that we must ensure in order to
18:49generate this climate of well-being,
18:52affection and relationship should be
18:54like. We have said before that we must
19:00ensure that school is a protective
19:03space for children, a space where they
19:08learn to live and where children find
19:11overall well-being. That is why we talk
19:15about physical, emotional, cognitive
19:17and social well-being. A child cannot
19:23learn if they are not well-nourished,
19:26if they do not have good hygiene, if
19:28there is no space for movement, for
19:31rest; but also if, as we said before,
19:36there is no cognitive pleasure in
19:39learning, if there is no bond, if there
19:41are no relationships. So, I think that
19:46one of the first questions that we must
19:49ask ourselves, to ask ourselves, is: Do
19:52our schools, the environments that we
19:55generate, really favor the overall
19:58development of children? Or are there
20:02aspects that we prioritize? Sometimes
20:08we prioritize cognitive learning, but
20:10if we forget about emotional well-being
20:13, physical well-being, social
20:15well-being, learning will not be
20:17possible. Are you all following along?
20:24Yes, can you
20:27>> hear me? Yes, yes, everything is fine,
20:29everything is fine. Mari,
20:31>> yes, yes, of course.
20:32>> Okay, just to confirm. So, when we talk
20:40about global well-being, I understand
20:43that the entire school is a global
20:46environment where each setting invites
20:49you to live and learn. That's why we
20:54talk about a project. I call it a
20:56holistic project, a global project,
20:58like a big hologram, because that's
21:04what I understand: that each of the
21:06spaces are part of the children's
21:08well-being. The outdoor spaces, the
21:13laboratory spaces, the spaces of daily
21:15life where the children...I don't know
21:18if in your case, I don't know very well
21:20how you organize your daily life, right
21:23? I would like to know, but I don't
21:27know very well how you have your
21:29day-to-day life, how the group space
21:33and the objects and materials are
21:35organized. Each of these spaces is part
21:40of the school's day-to-day life and
21:43each of them must be carefully thought
21:46out. Starting with the entrance space.
21:54The entrance is the space where
21:56children arrive each day, along with
21:58their parents or grandparents, and the
22:00person who accompanies them in the
22:02morning. This should be a friendly,
22:08warm space that welcomes and makes me
22:14want to come in. Sometimes I visit
22:17schools where the entrance throws us
22:20off, invites us to leave rather than
22:23come in because they are bare, empty,
22:26and no one looks after them. I take
22:33charge of my classroom, of my own space
22:35, but who does the entrance belong to?
22:40Well, it belongs to the educational
22:42community and is a letter of
22:44introduction for all those who enter it
22:46. Without a doubt, the group space,
22:53where children spend most of their time
22:56, should be a space rich in
22:58possibilities, because it is clearly a
23:00space that welcomes the group, that
23:03welcomes the diversity of the children
23:06and that should have rich proposals in
23:08it. This is precisely a space in a 2-
23:12year-old classroom. It was very poorly
23:16organized. It was a small classroom,
23:20very small, but we also worked with
23:23university internship students and so,
23:26uh, we did a complete renovation,
23:28rethinking how, with few resources,
23:31because we had very few economic
23:34resources, we could improve the spaces
23:37in each classroom. But also the
23:43hallways. This is another intervention
23:45we did in another school. Here I live
23:49in Mallorca, in Palma de Mallorca. So,
23:52it was a highly complex school, with
23:54great cultural diversity. We saw that
23:58the children needed a methodological
24:00transformation and that also involved a
24:02transformation of the spaces. And so we
24:06began to see which spaces could also be
24:09used as play and activity areas. And
24:13the hallways were converted into
24:15activity areas, also into library areas
24:20for the older children with recovered
24:22furniture that the parents brought us
24:25or that we went to get or the teachers
24:27brought. We organized a library in the
24:31hallways, or the space where they eat
24:41or have snacks. Every moment, every
24:46space is part of children's daily lives
24:51and is part of their well-being and
24:54learning. That's why I say it should be
24:57a global project. We don't just think
25:01about the classroom space, the group
25:04space, but we think about the school as
25:06a complex of spaces and areas, and each
25:09one of them is important because
25:11children learn when they have a snack,
25:13when they go out to the garden, when
25:16they wash their hands, when they walk
25:19down the hallways. As early childhood
25:38educators, we know that each
25:41developmental stage is different, and
25:44this is especially evident at these
25:47early ages. So, each stage requires the
25:52deployment of different environmental
25:55conditions, resources, proposals, and
25:57experiences, according to the
26:00developmental stage and their needs.
26:07Let's see what these educational
26:08environments suggest to us. Here we see
26:14situations carefully prepared by the
26:17educators. I say educators because here
26:21we have especially early childhood
26:24educators. This is a very feminized
26:28role where boys and girls explore their
26:31surroundings with curiosity. We see
26:35children, as you can see in these
26:37images, who are attentive and focused.
26:41Because they have a desire and
26:42motivation to explore. They learn how
26:46materials behave with clay. Others are
26:53playing board games. Here, the children
26:58at these sensory tables are learning
27:01about how the materials behave. What
27:05happens when I drop grain or flour? Or
27:11corn through the sieve or funnel. The
27:18precision of the children's hand
27:20gestures. We see sustained,
27:24concentrated attention. We can say that
27:28there is experience and learning
27:31because they have found a sufficiently
27:33prepared environment. I think this idea
27:40is strong, important, and powerful.
27:44Only if they find the right
27:46environmental conditions will children
27:49be able to develop all their skills. So
27:55that is our job as teachers to prepare
28:01these environments, these areas, these
28:04spaces. We need flexible spaces that
28:09adapt to the diversity of development
28:12rates. That is why I say that our
28:17educational task is very complex
28:19because it involves carefully observing
28:22what children need at all times. As
28:27Bigowski said, we must adapt the
28:30environment to children's proximal
28:32development zones. We must offer
28:37situations that help children take a
28:38step further. What they already know or
28:45know how to do. Another challenge. For
28:51this reason, we know that designing
28:53proposals for children aged two, three,
28:56four, six or eight is completely
28:58different and we must adapt to each
29:01stage of the children's development and
29:04maturation. Another fundamental
29:12characteristic, especially when we link
29:15environments with children's learning
29:17and emotional well-being, is the issue
29:23of safety and predictability that we
29:25mentioned earlier. A chaotic
29:28environment without organization, where
29:34the proposals and educational
29:37intentions are not clear, children get
29:41lost there. There is dispersion, no
29:46orientation. That is why we need to
29:51create separate areas where there is
29:55order and the child can situate
29:57themselves in the space and know what
30:02they can find in each of the areas. In
30:07one area they can find blocks to build,
30:11they can find paints, they can find the
30:17corner of the house, they can find
30:20board games and where each area is
30:29carefully ordered and delimited.
30:35Sometimes I go into schools where there
30:38is terrible chaos, but there is no
30:41order. The materials are all mixed up,
30:45they are not classified, they are not
30:48organized by areas. So there it is very
30:52difficult for children to focus their
30:54attention and learn. Here we see
30:59another image of a school organized
31:01into different zones. And there is a
31:09topic that I also think is important:
31:12just as we delimit the zones, we
31:14organize the space so that children
31:17feel safe in the space and can know how
31:20to move around in it and what is in
31:23each of the zones, it is also important
31:26to limit the materials, to find the
31:29right limit. Sometimes we think that by
31:33offering a large number of objects, of
31:36materials to children, they will learn
31:38more and better. I do not think that is
31:42the case. I believe that we must learn
31:45to diversify the proposals and
31:48materials that we offer, to select them
31:51appropriately, but to limit the number
31:54of materials that we offer. Because in
31:59this way, children, in this limitation
32:02of objects and materials, learn to look
32:06for combinations between them,
32:09connections, and help them think of new
32:12possibilities. What else can I do with
32:16these objects? In what different ways
32:19can I relate them? I think that those
32:23of you who are working with younger
32:24children, I don't know if you've heard
32:26of the uristic game, right? By Eleonor
32:29Goldsmi, but she also works a bit along
32:31these lines, right? It's a very simple
32:38proposal, but very rich at the same
32:40time. Therefore, limiting, narrowing
32:47down the materials that we present is
32:50also difficult, uh, working with
32:55teachers, sometimes we have a hard time
32:57selecting because we would offer
32:59everything, right? No, no, no, it's not
33:02necessary to offer everything, but to
33:04select carefully what we offer. But at
33:10the same time that we talk about safe
33:13and predictable environments, we're
33:15talking about vibrant and suggestive
33:17environments, environments that
33:19motivate learning. Piayet, who I'm sure
33:27you've heard of, was referring to
33:30epistemic curiosity, that innate need
33:33that children have to know and
33:35understand the world. In this sense,
33:40it's essential to ask ourselves what
33:43environments we design to awaken
33:46children's curiosity and foster their
33:49desire to search, experiment, and
33:52manipulate. The way in which we present
34:05the proposals, how we combine the
34:08materials, conveys a specific
34:12pedagogical intention. Here we see
34:20environments that excite, that
34:23encourage searching, thinking and
34:26reflection. We can see this girl
34:30focused on her observation, attentive
34:32to this collection of insects. And this
34:40other girl who tries to pass the tube,
34:43seeing which tube would correspond to
34:47each of the holes in this panel that
34:50the teacher has offered, trying, making
34:53mistakes and the others attentively
34:57watching the discovery that she is
35:00making. We are in this area of
35:07constructions with poor materials, with
35:11materials that we have recovered. Like
35:18children, they create houses, invent
35:23cities, create enclosures, invent
35:29scenarios with these plastic cups.
35:37These children are trying to make the
35:39highest tower. One of them says, "We
35:43will reach the roof." I don't think so,
35:48we don't have enough cups for it, but
35:50it's a shared task, it's a
35:52collaborative task, or these two
36:00children who are playing with the
36:03shadows and the light that the colored
36:07water bottles give off, and they do it
36:10for a long time, watching their hands
36:13transform into colors. Or this proposal
36:23that I found so beautiful when I saw it
36:26, so simple and so pretty, where the
36:28children have learned about beetles,
36:31symmetries, putting the halves together
36:34, but sometimes I saw children putting
36:37two different halves together and
36:39inventing a new beetle. I found a new
36:43one and they invented the name of the
36:46new beetle, and they also admired the
36:49beauty of the shapes and colors of
36:53these little insects. Or these
36:59exploration tables, where children
37:04experience the sensoriality of sand,
37:08grain, rice, flour, they explore fall,
37:12volume and, of course, talking about
37:21environments for well-being,
37:23environments that help work on the
37:26overall well-being of children. We
37:29can't stop talking about play and
37:31creativity. This is not a presentation
37:36about play, but we already know the
37:39relationships between play and learning
37:41, play and creativity, play and
37:44well-being, play and socialization,
37:46play and language, play and thought.
37:51And here is an important call to
37:53respect free play time, which we know
37:56protects children's mental and physical
37:59health. Freebel used to say, uh,
38:02Freebel would say, that a child who
38:04does not play is sick. All the great
38:09teachers of early childhood pedagogy,
38:12Montessori, the Agachi sisters, Freinet
38:15, Tecrolí, all of them have insisted
38:18on the fundamental role of free play
38:21for well-being and development. We must
38:26promote the right to play. In this
38:29regard, I recently read a book by
38:32Beatriz Trueva that talks about
38:34revealed play and in which she collects
38:36recent research on the importance of
38:39play as a protector of children's
38:41mental health. These are investigations
38:46that have analyzed children in zones of
38:49armed conflict, for example, within
38:51refugee camps, and we see them quite
38:54often, don't we? We see them on
38:57television, on the news, right? That
39:00even in refugee camps where children
39:04live in miserable conditions, they find
39:08materials for play and find joy in play
39:12. That's why we need nursery schools
39:18that provide long periods of time to
39:20play. I insist on this: we must promote
39:24play in schools, but we don't need
39:31large materials to play with poor
39:33materials. We know that children with
39:39very little play with mud, stones, wood
39:42, and become great play laboratories.
39:52And of course, let's not even talk
39:55about role-playing, symbolic play,
39:58right? Which helps represent situations
40:02from daily life, like this warehouse
40:06that they have set up at school, where
40:10children learn to classify, to sort, to
40:14organize, they learn about coins, the
40:17value of money, to count, to add, to
40:23play as a saleswoman, a vendor, or the
40:27mother who goes shopping. That really
40:35is...if we have observed children
40:37playing, we see the amount of implicit
40:40learning that exists in this moment of
40:42play, right? How they learn to decide
40:45and organize themselves. Now I'm the
40:48salesperson, you're the mom, right? I'm
42:07the one who's...Talking about
42:24aesthetics and beauty in schools is an
42:26educational position, it is, I would
42:28say, an ethical position. Because when
42:33schools vibrate aesthetically, so do
42:36the children, the teachers, and all the
42:38life that unfolds in them, because
42:41aesthetics are seductive, fostering
42:43attention, concentration, and complex
42:46thinking. Take a look at this proposal
42:51that a teacher made with children aged
42:532 and 3, using only lemons and mint. I
42:59don't know if you call it a good mint
43:01that also smells like mint, right? Well
43:06, this proposal eventually transformed
43:09into a space for sensoriality at every
43:12single level. The children touched,
43:16squeezed, smelled, and tasted them. It
43:21was not a very nice moment to watch.
43:25They also spent long periods exploring
43:28the lemons, mixing them with mint,
43:31tasting them, but because this way of
43:37presenting them helped, invited them to
43:41touch, to be there. There were children
43:44who, when they saw this presentation,
43:46did not even dare to touch the lemons
43:47because it was so beautifully arranged
43:49that they said, "Oh, it seems like we
43:51are going to ruin it, right?" They said
43:53, "No, it's not for touching, for
43:55testing, for them to see what they can
43:58do with it all. Or this other proposal
44:09or this other proposal where children
44:14find this large mass of flour dyed in
44:19colors where they have also been
44:23allowed to experiment, touch or this
44:30other proposal. I'm showing them some
44:34images of proposals that seem to me to
44:37be carefully prepared from an aesthetic
44:41and sensory point of view. As we have
44:49said, an attractive environment reduces
44:52mental fatigue, captures attention and
44:54increases motivation. We also see other
44:59proposals that are very carefully
45:00designed. Ana tells me that I have to
45:06be careful with time. Ana, I'm being
45:08careful with time. Let's see, I have
45:10time for everything. I don't think that
45:16designing aesthetic, careful, sensitive
45:20environments is betting on a more
45:23humane, sensitive education that is
45:26connected to the context and culture.
45:32To finish this second section, I also
45:36wanted to talk about how this
45:40sensitivity and aesthetics also refers
45:44to taking care of every single detail.
45:52Excuse me, I've forgotten every detail
45:58here. Every moment, every gesture we
46:05make at school should have an
46:07educational value, as as we said before
46:09. In this sense, here we see some
46:16cushions carefully prepared for the
46:22meeting with the group, because every
46:34little gesture, every little detail,
46:38like this one, preparing the papers,
46:41the paints, to draw the bouquet. This
46:44is a small branch of almond tree. Here
46:46we have some beautiful almond trees in
46:48bloom in Mallorca in the month of
46:50February, March that a child brought
46:52and the teacher has made, has
46:54improvised a proposal, but has placed
46:56it with great detail, with great
46:58attention. Or how to place the books so
47:02that they are attractive and so that
47:04they invite people to pick them up and
47:06read them. How do we celebrate the
47:12simple and the everyday? What is it
47:18like to eat? Or what is it like to wash
47:24your hands? Look here at some
47:27photographs that have been hung, that
47:29have been put in the bathroom, make the
47:32moment of washing your hands, the
47:34experience much more than washing your
47:37hands. It is talking with your partner
47:41and seeing which of these images
47:44correspond to your hands or observing
47:50how the gesture of washing your hands
47:53is. It gives you something to talk
47:57about, to observe, to share, not just
48:00for washing hands. And finally, to
48:05finish this last section, I think it is
48:08important to mention that environments
48:10make the quality of the relationships
48:13that are established in them possible.
48:17It is important to have spaces for
48:22group meetings that allow for talking,
48:28listening calmly, sharing a story,
48:30singing a song, thinking together,
48:37reflecting together, or spaces for a
48:40small group focused on collaborative
48:44work, where you can be close by sharing
48:54a story. Areas that allow work with
48:58four or five children in a large group,
49:01small group, or medium group. And now I
49:08wanted to move on to this third part,
49:10which is the role of the teacher as a
49:13sensitive companion to children's
49:15development and learning. Up until now,
49:19we have talked about the conditions
49:22that the environment must have to
49:24generate a climate of well-being and
49:27foster emotional life in school. But
49:31space alone is certainly not enough. We
49:37need professionals, teachers who are
49:40the key piece in the school, and that
49:43is all of you. We need to think
49:50carefully about our teaching work. What
49:54educational attitudes should we show?
49:58How do we reflect on the way we are
50:00with children? Well, I say that it is a
50:05exercise in permanent self-observation,
50:08observing ourselves to see how we are,
50:10what we do, how we accompany children.
50:16Pediatrician Emy Pickler, whom you may
50:18have read, used to say that we must
50:21professionalize our educational
50:23gestures, we must be attentive to how
50:29we relate to children, showing them our
50:33respect and trust. And I like to talk
50:37about the ethics of care. Why talk
50:40about an ethics of care in school?
50:43Because I believe that having a good
50:46life includes learning to care and to
50:49be cared for. We must build bonds of
50:54trust at school and learn to live in
50:57communities that are sensitive to care,
50:59to the needs of others. Today, more
51:05than ever, where individualism prevails
51:07, we need to recover the value of
51:09caring and being cared for. And without
51:14a doubt, infant school, early childhood
51:16school is a privileged place to learn
51:17this. I would say that learning to care
51:23is an art form. It is not easy to
51:26accompany children well, to listen well
51:29, to attend with tenderness, to
51:32accompany with sensitivity. I also like
51:38this idea of the philosopher Manen who
51:40talks about pedagogical tact, right?
51:44Because caring and accompanying are for
51:47that. Sensitivity and tact are needed.
51:53We were saying it's like an art form,
51:54right? And tact works through the word,
51:59through silence, through the gaze,
52:02through gesture, through example, and
52:05through the environment. We'll look at
52:12some images and we can discuss them a
52:14bit more. But I think I really liked
52:20Alfredo Yuelos 'idea of being present
52:23and giving presence when I read it,
52:27right? Because it's true that we can be
52:30present with children, but still be
52:32very far away from them, thinking about
52:34other things, worrying about other
52:36things. And children ask us for an
52:42active presence, for active listening.
52:46But how can we give a quality presence?
52:51Alfredo Yuelos responds from the right
52:54distance and closeness and says," I've
52:58seen how every inch counts when it
53:01comes to investigating how to be with
53:04each boy and girl, up close or far away
53:08at all times, close enough and far
53:11enough away, from an open, closed,
53:16semi-open, or semi-closed body posture,
53:19and one that is capable of containing
53:21without always touching the children's
53:24bodies. I think it's a very nice idea,
53:27don't you think? How can we be with
53:30children, taking care of this proximity
53:33, this closeness without invading their
53:35space, respecting their space? In these
53:41images we see educators, all of them
53:44are respectful and observant educators,
53:48who wait patiently, who know how to be
53:53close or far away, depending on the
53:56situation or the moment, who know how
54:01to share discoveries and games. Look
54:11how beautiful this dance of proximity
54:14is, the educator sharpening the pencil
54:17of this girl who watches attentively
54:19how to sharpen a pencil. Or this
54:24educator who is noticing what the
54:27children say while they are drawing. Or
54:33this other one, which I think is a
54:36delightful sequence: as the educator
54:39waits for the child to take off his
54:41sock, she waits patiently, but notice
54:44her open hands as if to say: "My hands
54:47are helping you from a distance, but I
54:50know that you can do it alone." And
54:57this last sequence, which I also think
55:00is delightful: this girl has started to
55:03build with the plastic cups and the
55:06educator, with her fingers, is helping
55:09to keep the tower from falling, but we
55:12build the tower together. But in this
55:18image, she observes, observes
55:20delicately, how the girl is placing the
55:23cups. Notice the gaze connected to the
55:27girl's action. It's like I support you
55:31with my gaze, I support you with my
55:33gesture, I support you from a distance.
55:37No words are necessary, there's no need
55:38for proximity. And how she shares the
55:44joy of the tower being built or the
55:49tower being collapsed. We know that
55:57when a child is cared for with care,
56:00respect, and affection, they
56:02internalize these values and also
56:04reproduce them in their future
56:06relationships, right? That's why this
56:09pedagogical tact, this ethic of care,
56:12is so important, because these are
56:14values that will be imbued in the
56:20experience and learning of children.
56:24And now to finish, I think Ana, I'm
56:26going back in time, right? I hope she's
56:28going back in time. Oh, just to review
56:32a few of the topics we've talked about,
56:34right? And we've talked about the role
56:39of school, of early childhood as a
56:41protective, safe, and resilient space
56:44that offers new opportunities to
56:46children. We've talked about how
56:49without emotion and connection, there
56:51can be no learning. We have discussed
56:54how the child's overall well-being must
56:57be taken care of through the design and
57:00organization of each space and
57:03environment. We have discussed how the
57:07furniture must be safe and predictable,
57:11tidy, and must set limits, but at the
57:14same time they must be motivating,
57:16suggestive, pose challenges, and
57:19motivate learning. We have discussed
57:23how environments must adapt to the
57:25developmental stage and to the needs
57:27and rhythms of the children. We have
57:31discussed how we must take care of
57:33aesthetics and small everyday gestures.
57:38And finally, we have discussed
57:39professional attitudes. And what does
57:43it mean to educate through pedagogical
57:45contact? What does it mean to educate
57:48through gaze, through silence, through
57:50words, through gestures, and from a
57:52distance? And finally, I'll leave you
58:00with this quote from my friend Alfredo
58:03Yuelos, which I think is very good, and
58:06which reflects very well the
58:08professional challenges we have as
58:10early childhood educators. He says: "
58:14Being an early childhood teacher is a
58:16difficult profession, full of
58:18challenges, a job that is not done and
58:21that must be reinvented every day,
58:23without taking anything for granted."
58:26And I think that what they are doing is
58:29truly wonderful work. It is work that
58:33involves reinventing ourselves not only
58:35as professionals, but also on a
58:37personal level. School also transforms
58:40us as people, both as children and as
58:43teachers who work there, right? And
58:47I'll leave you with some bibliography
58:49that I can provide you with in more
58:51detail if you wish. I appreciate your
58:58listening and I am at your disposal to
59:01share my thoughts in this little time
59:04that we have left. Well, it has been a
59:07pleasure to connect with you from so
59:09far away.
59:12>> Thank you very much, María Antonia.
59:17This has really been a very well-placed
59:21presentation, and it also provides
59:25guidance in all the contexts that we
59:29need to take into account as early
59:32childhood teachers, and above all, it
59:36is very relevant to learning and
59:40teaching from emotion. Thank you very
59:44much. We are waiting for the questions,
59:49we already have some, and well, for
59:52example, from the central area we have
59:56received some questions like the
59:59following one that I am going to ask
1:00:02you. What should we look for? What
1:00:10indicators show that my teaching method
1:00:13is connecting emotionally with the
1:00:16children? That would be a question.
1:00:25>> Okay.
1:00:29>> How do I know
1:00:32>> that I am doing it right?
1:00:34>> How do I know that I am doing it right?
1:00:38Ah, we surely know if we are doing it
1:00:43right when there is an atmosphere of
1:00:47well-being in the group. When we see
1:00:51that the children are autonomous, when
1:00:54we see that the children are interested
1:00:59in approaching the proposals that we
1:01:01make. When the children ask us
1:01:06questions, are interested, when they
1:01:09share their learning, I believe that it
1:01:12is the children who give us the measure
1:01:15of whether we are doing it well. When
1:01:20we see children who are excessively
1:01:22dependent on adults, who do not explore
1:01:28unless the teacher is nearby, who do
1:01:34not dare to try new experiences, it is
1:01:38probably because we have developed an
1:01:42excess of dependency. Emy Picler spoke
1:01:46about this balance between dependency
1:01:48and autonomy. I think it is very
1:01:50important. I have had students in
1:01:53nursery schools who were doing
1:01:56internships and who loved to pick up
1:01:59children and hold them close. And I
1:02:04said, "No, no, no, not because we are
1:02:07physically closer, we are emotionally
1:02:10closer and sometimes we are preventing
1:02:13them from going out to explore, to
1:02:16discover. It's not like this mother we
1:02:21have, like this baby or this child who
1:02:23is starting to crawl, whose mother is
1:02:25cooking in the kitchen and doesn't
1:02:27leave the kitchen. So, I know, I'm
1:02:31going to explore what's in the other
1:02:34rooms and I come back to the kitchen. I
1:02:39go to the safe harbor, the safe base. I
1:02:42know it's there, I can go back, right?
1:02:45But when I lose sight of my mother,
1:02:47when I lose sight of the teacher, then
1:02:50I become insecure and when I'm insecure
1:02:53, I don't explore, I don't learn. So, I
1:02:58don't know if it helps much, but I
1:03:01think a first indicator is to see the
1:03:04autonomy of the children, how they
1:03:06explore, how they play, how they learn,
1:03:09without the teacher needing to be so
1:03:12close to them.
1:03:16>> Another question from the paracentral
1:03:18area, María Antonia.
1:03:20>> Yes. Uh, so that we have more time, if
1:03:24we can, uh, be a little bit more
1:03:28Briefly, but without losing all your, I
1:03:31mean, all the wisdom that you can share
1:03:35with us. Ana,
1:03:39>> how can we address a child's emotion
1:03:41when there is a hostile environment in
1:03:44their family and emotions are stunted
1:03:47for learning?
1:03:52>> Yes. That's why I've insisted so much
1:03:55on school as a space for resilience, as
1:03:58a protective and safe space, because we
1:04:01see many children who come with many
1:04:04emotional conflicts and as we said, a
1:04:07child who is ill cannot learn.
1:04:11Therefore, the first thing we must do
1:04:14is give them security, to be able to
1:04:18contain this emotion, this emotion of
1:04:21sadness, of anger, of helplessness that
1:04:25this child may have. If we don't
1:04:28contain their emotion, if we don't
1:04:29listen to them, this child will not be
1:04:33able to learn. So, I think our first
1:04:36function is to be attentive to emotions
1:04:39, to be attentive to the emotional
1:04:42well-being of children, right? That's
1:04:46why I believe that school really is a
1:04:49bubble. It is a bubble. It should be a
1:04:52bubble of well-being, of emotional
1:04:55containment and security. I think that
1:05:00some areas, no, some schools have not
1:05:02been able to listen. The question that
1:05:04Maria has just answered right now.
1:05:07Antonia was asking how to address a
1:05:09child's emotions when there is a
1:05:12complicated and hostile family
1:05:14environment that really limits learning
1:05:17. Now I'm going to ask a question from
1:05:21the eastern region. How do I balance
1:05:27play and emotion with rules and
1:05:29learning in early childhood? As we've
1:05:41discussed, we've also talked about
1:05:44environments that must contain and
1:05:47provide security, and to do so, they
1:05:50must also be environments that limit,
1:05:53right? We were talking about
1:05:57limitations in terms of materials,
1:06:00spaces, limiting areas, but rules are
1:06:04also a way of setting boundaries. Yes,
1:06:09there are things we can do and things
1:06:12we can't do. There are materials that
1:06:16we can use now and materials that we
1:06:18can't use. Yes, establishing a context
1:06:25where the rules and limits are clear is
1:06:29also a protective space for children.
1:06:35We shouldn't be afraid to set rules and
1:06:37limits that children themselves
1:06:39understand perfectly. We can't live in
1:06:43a community if there aren't clearly
1:06:45established rules. So, play can
1:06:49perfectly take place, free play can
1:06:51happen, but there are clear rules; I do
1:06:54not believe that one thing is at odds
1:06:57with the other. Another one.
1:07:00>> Uh, from the western area it would be,
1:07:04uh, the question is, how can I organize
1:07:08the classroom? A 20 m² classroom with
1:07:1435 children. uh, and how can I organize
1:07:21it so that, uh, the development and
1:07:24learning processes, uh, well, can take
1:07:28place in more effective environments.
1:07:33In other words, how can I distribute
1:07:35that classroom into development and
1:07:38learning areas? Hm. Taking into account
1:07:42the limitations of space and the high
1:07:45number of children in the classroom.
1:07:49>> What would you suggest?
1:07:51>> Yes, it really is a difficult challenge
1:07:55. It is a very small space for so many
1:07:58children, right? Here I remember that
1:08:01they talked about 1.5 meters per child
1:08:04in the classroom, right? So, of course,
1:08:07this space should have at least double
1:08:10the meters, but sometimes we have what
1:08:13we have, right? And so we must learn
1:08:16how to work with that which we already
1:08:18have. And the first suggestion I would
1:08:22make is to say, we can open the
1:08:24classroom to other spaces, we can have
1:08:27other spaces that are, as we have seen,
1:08:30right? A corridor that is close to the
1:08:32classroom. or you can connect the
1:08:35classroom with the outside space. We
1:08:38can open play areas, activity areas in
1:08:40other spaces that are not just the
1:08:43classroom. This would be the first
1:08:46thing I would try to propose, right? It
1:08:50is true that working with so many
1:08:52children in a small space does not give
1:08:55us the possibility to create many play
1:08:57and activity areas in this space. Yes.
1:09:01That is why we should see how we can
1:09:05expand these to these 20 m², give it
1:09:09an exit to the outside if possible,
1:09:12right? Because it is also true that 35
1:09:17children are a lot of children, but if
1:09:20they are well organized, if the areas
1:09:22include interesting and rich proposals,
1:09:25it is much easier to attend to the
1:09:28children individually and have quality
1:09:31attention as teachers than if the
1:09:33children do the same task at the same
1:09:36time. Uh, another question from the
1:09:43central area, María Antonia, the
1:09:48question is, how do positive and
1:09:50negative emotions influence the ability
1:09:53of an early childhood child to learn?
1:09:59They absolutely influence. They
1:10:02absolutely influence, it is the basis,
1:10:04right? That is why I have insisted so
1:10:07much on the subject of connecting, of
1:10:10creating positive bonds with children.
1:10:13In other words, a A teacher who does
1:10:16not connect with the children in the
1:10:22group is unlikely to be a good teacher.
1:10:27The first thing we must ensure is that
1:10:30there is a good bond, and that bond
1:10:33involves that pedagogical tact that we
1:10:35mentioned earlier, learning to listen,
1:10:38learning to speak, learning to look,
1:10:41right? But obviously, they influence
1:10:46the children, right? That is why the
1:10:50teacher's attitude is so important.
1:10:52Professional attitudes are very
1:10:54important, right? Ah. Sometimes, I come
1:10:57across a teacher who says," Well, it
1:10:59works well for me to do it this way. "
1:11:01And I believe that teaching must be
1:11:04professionalized. And professionalizing
1:11:09teaching also means, right?,
1:11:11professionalizing the way we approach
1:11:13children, how we talk to them, how we
1:11:16listen to them, how we engage with them
1:11:18, right? As Malaguchi said, which I
1:11:24loved, he says," Nature is sap, it has
1:11:27given us two ears and two eyes, but
1:11:29only one mouth. But teachers do it the
1:11:33other way around, we talk much more
1:11:35than we listen and look. Well, I
1:11:39believe that changing teachers'
1:11:41attitudes towards listening and
1:11:43observation is important. It seems to
1:11:46me that listening and observation
1:11:48should be at the center of teacher
1:11:51training so that they can then
1:11:53carefully and lovingly care for
1:11:55children. Another question would be,
1:12:03what strategies do you recommend
1:12:05implementing for a development and
1:12:08learning area that we call, for example
1:12:10, the calming corner? I think it's very
1:12:19interesting to implement rest and
1:12:22calming corners. They should be present
1:12:27in each of the classrooms or in the
1:12:29group spaces as well, shouldn't they?
1:12:33Because children spend a lot of time
1:12:35together and need moments of isolation,
1:12:38to be alone, to say, "I can't take it
1:12:40anymore, right?" Just as we at home say
1:12:43, "I'm leaving, I can't be with so many
1:12:46people, I don't need my office or my
1:12:48little armchair to isolate myself at
1:12:51any given moment." Children need that
1:12:53too. Therefore, it seems to me that a
1:12:56calming environment could be a small
1:13:00sofa that we have recovered from
1:13:02someone's house, two cushions placed on
1:13:05the floor, a small curtain, right? A
1:13:09small piece of cloth that covers and
1:13:11acts as a nest space, right? They are
1:13:13like nest spaces, enveloping spaces
1:13:15that help with children. Many times
1:13:18children can also self-regulate
1:13:21emotionally in these spaces. Children
1:13:25who come from a moment of conflict, a
1:13:27moment of anger, have fought with
1:13:29another child and the teacher tells
1:13:31them, "Why don't you go to the calm
1:13:32space for a while?" It is not like a
1:13:37space where they can breathe again,
1:13:40where they learn to breathe, they learn
1:13:43to calm down and this emotional
1:13:45self-regulation is very important for
1:13:48development and learning. So, it seems
1:13:51to me that the strategy in terms of the
1:13:56physical space strategy is very easy to
1:13:59organize. Uh, the important thing is
1:14:02how we include it in the day-to-day and
1:14:05how we make it effective, right?,for
1:14:08this emotional self-regulation of
1:14:10children
1:14:13>> and how children understand that it is
1:14:16a space they can go to when they really
1:14:19have that emotion and that feeling and
1:14:21it is free access
1:14:23>> to self-regulation, as you said, right?
1:14:26>> Yes. Yes.
1:14:28>> Look, another question. How could
1:14:31development and learning areas be
1:14:36included when there is a large group
1:14:41and limited classroom space? Once again
1:14:46, I believe they are asking us, they
1:14:52are conveying to us that same doubt
1:14:54about those specific areas that we
1:14:59might have available to us. Although we
1:15:03have seen in the training process that
1:15:06they can be multiple, that they must be
1:15:10changing, that they must be
1:15:12periodically enriched, but well, they
1:15:16ask for your opinion on what
1:15:18development and learning areas we could
1:15:22include in the classroom when space is
1:15:26small. Yes, a bit like what we were
1:15:29saying before.
1:15:30>> And large groups, that is common to all
1:15:32educational centers. Yes, you have
1:15:35large groups. I am seeing a bit, right?
1:15:38The questions also ask about their
1:15:41needs, right? And obviously a bit, I
1:15:45repeat, the same, we can open the group
1:15:47space to other outdoor spaces. Oh, play
1:15:53and learning experiences can also be
1:15:55generated in the patio, in the garden
1:15:58or in the outdoor area that you have. I
1:16:03don't understand that you have good
1:16:05weather most of the year and therefore
1:16:08the outdoor space is also very
1:16:10important on an emotional level to be
1:16:13in contact with nature, to be in
1:16:15contact with the air and to breathe,
1:16:17right? Uh, in a big way, right? So, it
1:16:23seems to me that the inclusion of
1:16:25outdoor zones as additional learning
1:16:27spaces can be important. Why don't we
1:16:31go outside to have a circle or tell a
1:16:34story or have a conversation or think
1:16:36together? Sometimes it's better to
1:16:39think outside than inside, right? So, I
1:16:43think it's about opening people's minds
1:16:45a little bit so that the entire school
1:16:46can be a learning space, as we were
1:16:48saying before, right? Another strategy
1:16:52is sometimes to say, I can't have fixed
1:16:54areas in the classroom because the
1:16:56classroom doesn't have enough space to
1:16:58have a construction area, a painting
1:17:00area, a symbolic play area, it doesn't
1:17:02give me enough. And sometimes I say,
1:17:06schools have to be like a kind of
1:17:08trailer. In trailers we have trailers
1:17:11or in caravans, right? We can have many
1:17:14boxes stored away, but we take them out
1:17:16like magicians and say, "Well, today we
1:17:18take out a box, we take out another one
1:17:20and tomorrow we'll take out others,
1:17:22right?" Ah, even though they are not
1:17:25fixed spaces, stable spaces, but we do
1:17:27have materials stored away that we take
1:17:30out and put back, right? That would be
1:17:32another possibility, right? But I would
1:17:36insist a lot first. Think about the
1:17:38outdoor areas, how you can transform
1:17:41them.
1:17:45>> Hey, look, María Antonia, as an expert
1:17:49in family participation, here is a
1:17:52question that
1:17:56>> I think you might be able to shed some
1:17:58light on. Look, tell us how I can truly
1:18:02develop rich environments for
1:18:06development and learning. Environments
1:18:11of emotional support for early
1:18:14childhood children when there is no
1:18:17collaboration from the family, when I
1:18:20do not have the support of the family
1:18:23as a teacher. Yes, this happens many
1:18:30times, right? We have families that I
1:18:35always say, right? We have worked in
1:18:39programs with highly vulnerable
1:18:41families, working on the bond, working
1:18:44and yes, if there is one thing I have
1:18:47learned, it is that families do it the
1:18:50way they want. better than they know
1:18:53and can, right? And I think that's
1:18:57important. First, valuing that parents
1:19:01do what they can. They do what they can
1:19:05. Many times they have to survive, they
1:19:07have to fend for themselves, they have
1:19:09to go to work every day and they can't
1:19:11be on top of the school. There are no
1:19:14parents who trust the school, the
1:19:16educational work, because they can't do
1:19:18anything at home and when they get home
1:19:20they're exhausted at night, right? And
1:19:24they can barely talk to their child for
1:19:26a while, right? Or play with them for a
1:19:29while. That's why this situation is sad
1:19:33, but it's very real. It happens in
1:19:36many family contexts. That's why I
1:19:39insist on the school as a space for
1:19:42resilience, as a protective space that
1:19:45provides quality relationships for
1:19:47children, but it's also true that we
1:19:50must work, try to work with families,
1:19:53right? And sometimes, just as we've
1:19:57talked about pedagogical tact with
1:19:59children, we should talk about
1:20:01pedagogical tact with families, how we
1:20:03approach them. I've seen great
1:20:06educators, great professionals with
1:20:08children, but they don't know how to
1:20:10deal with families. Why? Because they
1:20:14make judgments. Because they say that
1:20:16this family doesn't know how to do it.
1:20:17Look at the mess they make. But look at
1:20:19the way they have their children. But
1:20:22look at how dirty Juan has arrived
1:20:24today. But look, then it's like saying,
1:20:28of course, if we start putting labels
1:20:31or making judgments about families,
1:20:33families, feeling judged, withdraw.
1:20:38It's like from understanding, from
1:20:40empathy, with your vulnerability, with
1:20:44what you're suffering, with what you
1:20:46can't do more. I mean, I know that you
1:20:49would like to do it differently, but
1:20:50you don't have the time or you don't
1:20:52know how to do it differently, right?
1:20:55So, I think that pedagogical tact has
1:20:57to be applied. This affectionate look,
1:21:00this empathetic, understanding look
1:21:03with families, I think often changes
1:21:05the relationship with families. A
1:21:09family that feels listened to,
1:21:11understood, that feels that they
1:21:14understand their pain or their
1:21:16difficulty, is a family that will
1:21:18surely enter school differently.
1:21:22Tomorrow they will be able to be with
1:21:23you in a different way. And when I
1:21:26share with parents the wonders, the
1:21:30learnings that your child has done and
1:21:35that I value, right? Sometimes parents
1:21:37also judge their children and we have
1:21:40to teach them to value them, to respect
1:21:43them, to believe in their children's
1:21:46abilities, right? And that is something
1:21:49that we must transmit to families from
1:21:50school. Look at what Juan did today for
1:21:53the first time. For the first time he
1:21:56did or played with Marcos, which was
1:21:59impossible before, or for the first
1:22:02time he was interested in writing his
1:22:05name or he asked me or he asked me,
1:22:08right? I believe that these are small
1:22:11anecdotes that we must transmit to
1:22:13families, right? With this human warmth
1:22:16and with this understanding of the
1:22:18fragility that we all have as parents,
1:22:20right? María Antonía, how can we
1:22:29differentiate a proposal from an
1:22:32experience that is fun to one that
1:22:38truly excites, surprises and therefore
1:22:42generates meaningful learning. Well, we
1:22:51have said that we must learn from
1:22:54pleasure. Pleasure is also fun, right?
1:22:58Let's not get it wrong, it is also fun,
1:23:01Right? But it is true that for me an
1:23:05important indicator that a proposal is
1:23:08working well is seeing the attention
1:23:12and concentration that children have on
1:23:15it. We can't talk about scattered
1:23:19attention, right? They're children
1:23:23moving to and fro, right? Who have
1:23:26difficulty concentrating on an object,
1:23:29on a proposal, right? And instead we
1:23:33can see sustained or concentrated
1:23:35attention, right? So the level of
1:23:39attention tells me the quality of the
1:23:42proposal that we have presented. It
1:23:46also tells me the quality of the
1:23:47proposal. If the children share among
1:23:51themselves, right? If they share, if
1:23:54they talk, if they share the material,
1:23:56they try to do it together, they try
1:23:58not to set new challenges together. For
1:24:02me it is also an indicator if they
1:24:04share the proposal, that is, the
1:24:06attention, if they share, right? The
1:24:09time, how much time they spend on this
1:24:11proposal, right? Because the time and
1:24:15attention will depend on the quality of
1:24:18the proposal, it will depend on the
1:24:20type of materials that we have provided
1:24:22, how we present them, on I say, before
1:24:24making a proposal we should always test
1:24:29it ourselves as educators. I mean, what
1:24:32do I mean? What can I do with these
1:24:34materials, right? How could I create
1:24:38new possibilities with them, right?
1:24:42What can I learn with them? What can I
1:24:44experience? No, we should never make a
1:24:48proposal without first having reflected
1:24:51on what possibilities this proposal
1:24:54gives to children. But I believe that
1:24:58pleasure and fun are something that is
1:25:01...How great that they have fun, how
1:25:03great that there is pleasure, right?
1:25:07The children that you see in a proposal
1:25:09with a happy look, that they laugh,
1:25:11that they smile, it is because they are
1:25:13experiencing it with pleasure. Yes. And
1:25:18that is important.
1:25:22>> And notice that some teachers say how
1:25:26to achieve that quality time
1:25:31>> when we also have pressure, especially
1:25:35in the groups of the older ones, of
1:25:39>> seven and eight, that is, of 6 or 7
1:25:41years old,
1:25:42>> with books. We must incorporate all of
1:25:47this into the very same model that we
1:25:52are currently focusing our attention
1:25:54upon right now. We have to ensure that
1:25:57the inclusion of books also generates a
1:26:02desire, an emotion, a surprise. How can
1:26:07we do it? This is the squaring of of
1:26:11the circle because it is complicated.
1:26:15>> Yes, yes. When we also talk here about
1:26:18the curriculum, right? The curriculum
1:26:21that children have to learn, especially
1:26:23in primary school, compulsory school,
1:26:25right? And of course, teachers are
1:26:29under enormous pressure, right? Saying,
1:26:32"Okay, it's fine for children to learn
1:26:35with pleasure, but they have to learn
1:26:37this content, they have to learn it no
1:26:39matter what." I say, "Look, school is a
1:26:42space for learning, let's not forget
1:26:45that. School has to ensure that all
1:26:50children learn. It's not just a space
1:26:53to play and have fun, no, no. Children
1:26:56have to learn, but children can learn
1:26:59in many ways. Yes. So, I think that now
1:27:06with some schools that are considering
1:27:08this, in Spain there are almost no
1:27:09textbooks anymore, but there are
1:27:11curricular contents that children have
1:27:15to acquire, right? So we talk about the
1:27:19essentials, all this that they have to
1:27:22learn, what content is essential, what
1:27:25learning is essential and these have to
1:27:29be included, right? I think that making
1:27:32a good selection of what is essential
1:27:35and what is not so essential can
1:27:37already be a first step, right? Another
1:27:40thing is how we accompany the content
1:27:43they find in books with experiences
1:27:45that are more meaningful, more
1:27:47functional. We weren't saying now that
1:27:51there is so much talk about learning by
1:27:54skills. What do skills mean? It means
1:27:59that when I learn to add, subtract or
1:28:01multiply, I do it so that it is useful
1:28:04in my day-to-day life, so that when I
1:28:07go shopping I can do the math faster,
1:28:09right? Or when I share the birthday
1:28:14cake I can learn to calculate how many
1:28:16slices I have to make for the children
1:28:19there. So, I think it is important to
1:28:23bring learning closer to life. When we
1:28:28talk about functional learning,
1:28:30meaningful learning, learning that is
1:28:32useful for life, I think that is
1:28:34extremely important and I think that
1:28:36children need to know why they are
1:28:38learning this. What will learning this
1:28:42be useful for? What will learning to
1:28:45add and subtract be useful for? We are
1:28:48going to use real-life examples and we
1:28:50are going to practice it at school.
1:28:53That is why a corner of the supermarket
1:28:56can be a place to practice useful
1:28:59learning. Yes. So, I think that
1:29:02incorporating
1:29:04>> a development and learning area into a
1:29:08supermarket is always a success
1:29:13>> and it is also a completely integrative
1:29:16proposal for the curriculum. The last
1:29:22question, María Antonio, note that
1:29:25teachers are reaching out to us, they
1:29:28are sharing their legitimate and real
1:29:31concerns,
1:29:33>> small spaces and many children in the
1:29:38classroom. But there is also another
1:29:41reality, which is rural environments,
1:29:43very similar to our single-level
1:29:46classrooms, so that you can put it into
1:29:48perspective, María Antonia, and also
1:29:51multi-grade classrooms where there are
1:29:53children of different ages, mixed
1:29:55classrooms of different levels, okay?
1:29:59So that you can put it into our context
1:30:01and know how to respond to them. So,
1:30:04they ask us how are all these
1:30:09environments that you have suggested
1:30:12possible, all these emotional aspects,
1:30:16aesthetics, learning with emotion, how
1:30:20to bring it to these rural environments
1:30:24or these multi-grade classrooms, when
1:30:30there are different ages, in all of
1:30:36them, right? It
1:30:39>> seems to me that diversity, diversity
1:30:42is a treasure and that diversity of
1:30:45both ages and cultural diversity, like
1:30:49diversity, right? It is a treasure that
1:30:55we must incorporate into schools, well,
1:30:58that are already included in schools,
1:31:01right? In these rural schools or
1:31:04multi-level schools, right? It seems to
1:31:08me that the relationship between young
1:31:10children and older children, right?
1:31:14It's fantastic. It's fantastic, isn't
1:31:18it? Children learn thanks to others. A
1:31:22child doesn't learn alone. A child
1:31:25always learns because there are others
1:31:28who teach them, right? Through
1:31:31imitation, through modeling. So, it
1:31:35seems to me that the value of sharing
1:31:38classrooms with children of different
1:31:40ages can become something positive, not
1:31:42something that takes away from us, but
1:31:45something that adds to us, right? But,
1:31:49obviously, in fact, here in Spain,
1:31:52classrooms that are based on age levels
1:31:55are increasingly being transformed into
1:31:58multi-level classrooms, but not because
1:32:01reality requires it, but because the
1:32:03teachers choose it, the school itself
1:32:06chooses it, because they see that it is
1:32:09an enrichment, because diversity is an
1:32:12enrichment. So they are mixing ages of
1:32:16children of 6, 7 and 8 years old, of
1:32:19three, three and four, right? By
1:32:22educational cycle. So, it seems to me
1:32:25that this is a very rich approach, but
1:32:28it forces us to understand that the
1:32:30environment must take into account this
1:32:33diversity. Therefore, in the space, in
1:32:37the areas, in the proposals, we must
1:32:40also consider these multilevels and
1:32:43children must be able to find learning
1:32:46challenges that are appropriate for
1:32:48each level. And this is a challenge for
1:32:52us, to say that we must think of
1:32:54proposals that are adapted to this
1:32:58child who still does not know how to
1:33:00read, to this child who already knows
1:33:02how to read, but who can act as a
1:33:04reading companion for this one who
1:33:06still does not know how, right? And I
1:33:09can pose a greater challenge, right? To
1:33:13those who already speak very fluently
1:33:15and read very fluently, right? In other
1:33:18words, I believe that it is a challenge
1:33:20to prepare environments and spaces well
1:33:22with multilevels, with multilevels of
1:33:25proposals, with multilevels of
1:33:27challenges, but let's help the children
1:33:31share knowledge with each other. One
1:33:34who is very good is that he is a great
1:33:36drawer, who loves to draw, who loves to
1:33:39create with that other child who says,"
1:33:41I just don't know how to draw. "Ah,
1:33:44let's make pairs, let's make pairs so
1:33:47that one can influence the other, so
1:33:49that they can share the learning of the
1:33:52others. Children can help us. And it
1:33:57seems to me that it is a wealth, no, no
1:34:00, that it is a difficulty, but it is
1:34:02true that we must work on it well to
1:34:05contemplate this diversity in the
1:34:08classroom, creating areas, spaces,
1:34:10diverse materials, right? Which can
1:34:14even be labeled. You can put materials
1:34:19suitable for each level with a color,
1:34:21with a number, with which they
1:34:22themselves know. I still can't do this
1:34:25game, it is very difficult for me, but
1:34:28I know that I can take the green one,
1:34:30which is easier for me, and I haven't
1:34:32reached the blue one yet, but I will
1:34:35try if I dare, right? In other words,
1:34:37there are all sorts of strategies for
1:34:39organizing materials and space so that
1:34:42children can find their way around it.
1:34:44I don't know if you answered" Yes "very
1:34:46well,
1:34:47>> I think so. You've even given some
1:34:52ideas, but in addition, these types of
1:34:55classrooms, which are quite a challenge
1:34:58, have emotional value and value in
1:35:00terms of teaching and learning through
1:35:03emotion, because they really develop
1:35:09values in the children in these
1:35:12classrooms. You talk about solidarity,
1:35:16tolerance, and support, which are very
1:35:22important for life and for citizenship,
1:35:25so that's also a value that we can add
1:35:29to these types of groups with different
1:35:32ages, right?
1:35:35>> Absolutely.
1:35:35>> Thank you very much, María Antonia.
1:35:39It's been a pleasure to have you with
1:35:41us and listen to you. And since this
1:35:46presentation has been recorded, we'll
1:35:48listen to it again with great pleasure
1:35:51and with great attention. Okay, let's
1:35:55remind all participants that María
1:36:00Antonia will access the remaining
1:36:03questions on the padlet and will answer
1:36:06those that she can over the next few
1:36:09days. And I would like to tell you all
1:36:13that there will be a break until, I
1:36:16think if I'm not mistaken about the
1:36:18time in El Salvador, it's 10:23, so you
1:36:24will have a break until 10:40. And
1:36:28before returning to the presentation of
1:36:33the experiences of teachers from around
1:36:36the country, another QR code will be
1:36:44displayed on the screen that you must
1:36:47use to ask questions to the teachers
1:36:50who will present their next two
1:36:53experiences after the break. Thank you
1:36:58very much, María Antonia. It's been a
1:37:00pleasure
1:37:01>> for all of you. It's also been a
1:37:03pleasure to share this little moment
1:37:05with you. Thank you.

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