Who is Javier Arenas?
Primary school teacher and graduate in English philology, he has been working in education more than twenty years, the last ten in the first stage of E.S.O. (compulsory secondary education in Spanish) in an institute in Ciudad Real, Spain.
What part of your job is your favorite?
I like all more or less the same, it is not easy to highlight something in particular at this time. Maybe try out something new … and that it works!
What has been your greatest satisfaction as a teacher?
I can not say I have lived very intense experiences in my career, but I enjoy daily very gratifying moments, most of them related to the boys and girls: the face of satisfaction they make when understanding something that go well or represents for them an effort, the natural joy they show when they are comfortable … also the signs of gratitude of the parents.
What trends are perceived in the future of education?
I think a lot but ultimately, all aimed in the same direction, away from the teacher-student figures traditionally understood as transceiver, teacher-student, teacher-learner … I especially attracted by those who emphasize the social dimension of learning, and on the other side and sometimes aligned on the same – the ones who emphasize the individual dimension, the initiative and the central role of students in their own learning process.
Is it important to put homework to students?
No. What really matters is what happens in the classroom. There is where the students have the opportunity to learn and interact with the rest, both peers and teachers.
Do you think technology is important in the classroom?
Sure, and much remains to be done, although it seems that we have come a long way. There are many technical resources available to the teacher, who can continue to give its class while students listen and take notes in silence … with their mobile devices also silent, stored in the backpack or parked at home. How many kilos of paper carry our children and students every day? How much money we would save as parents buying digital textbooks?
In this context, what importance do you ascribe to teacher training?
It is crucial, but it must go in the right direction: less PowerPoint and more collaborative learning, project-based, “Flipped Classrooms” … There is a wide open field, it is enough of master lessons digitized.
How do you imagine the classroom over the next five years after the technological advances that may occur?
As now, like a hundred years ago, if technological change does not come accompanied by truly significant change, the methodological change.
Do you consider Additio as a key tool for the teacher 2.0? Why?
Leaving aside what is meant by teacher 2.0, my answer is yes, no doubt. Nowadays, it is the alternative most complete, versatile, multi functional and multi platform of the market.
What would you say to a teacher who is not using Additio yet?
Do not wait more and buy a license.
