Gorka Garcia has given to us, his different point of view in education. In his blogs we found an endless source of resources for the primary education for students as for the teachers and students.
How it should be the education in the XXI century?
Education should be consistent with society and its progress. In a world so connected, school can not be closed in four walls.
We have immediate access to information, and that suggests a change in the treatment of curricular content.
new technological and cultural fields are opened and we can not ignore them. Robotics and programming, for example.
Students should be able to go beyond its traditional role as consumers, to go on to develop related to creativity and curiosity skills.
In short, education must be alive, constantly changing social structures accompanying the new emerging, and not leaving values.
What trends are perceived in the future of education?
We can talk about trends or fads, some of them are more temporary than others, but all of them contribute their bit to change. What they all have in common is the student’s role as a “protagonist of their learning,” and the teacher and companion favors those learning situations. That is the key.
Project work, the flipped classroom, are good examples of new ways of learning. These and some more are known as active methodologies, as the role of the student escapes from the traditional passivity.
In my opinion, wrapping them all, we have to get our students to think, to be critical, and of course they are social people.
On the other hand, neuroscience is providing more aspects of how the brain, how children learn, work and they must use it every time.
What technology tools or gadgets do you recommend in your day to day as a teacher?
“I always say that technology is a tool. The introduction of ICT is not a direct change in methodology, but depends on “how” we use it. We can continue “giving” class traditionally with a PDI in the classroom.”
In my case, I love to tinker, and select depending on my goals.
This course, for example, I’ve worked very comfortable with Showbie, ClassDojo, Padlet, and Google forms. And since a couple of years, I tangle with Scratch.
How important do you think social networks may have in education? How can be incorporated into the classroom?
As I mentioned at the beginning, connectivity is essential in education today. I know colleagues who have very good results incorporating twitter, instagram or Facebook in their classes.
At ages with which I work, the legal limit does not allow me to incorporate them, but I can prepare the way, and change the question “how important is education in social networks.”
We need to teach the benefits of social networks as well as its dangers.
It is essential that primary will be aware of basic to consider in the world of network standards. They have to see the large number of possibilities, the importance to learn and communicate with others, but they must be critical, respectful and prudent.
We have read that your platform ” Refuerzo virtual” (virtual reinforcement in English) has gone from being a private blog from your center to a blog open to everyone. What is now the main goal of the blog?
“7 years ago I saw the need for a change in the accompaniment of my students. I was not aware that reached all the same way and thought about creating a virtual classroom. A place where my students could communicate with me, send jobs, snooping and deepen on issues of class, participate with their ideas, and an area where hanging files and programs that we used.”
It began as private because they appeared the names of students, but since three years ago, we turned, and changing the format, we prefer to share our resources with anyone who was interested.
Currently, it is the reference point for downloading files classroom projects, to communicate with teachers, to submit jobs, to have on hand the school calendar with dates and times, and of course, a place to find resources to strengthen classwork and allow greater immersion according to the motivation of each. In addition, we serve the teachers at the school to have a reference to shared resources.
I have always in mind or Edmodo or Google Classroom, but so far accumulated labor is prioritized.
You have mentioned in your networks: “I do not teach, they are who learn. I just simply help to think.” Can you name us some of your techniques to help your students think?
As the saying goes, at the moment we are aware that they are the ones who learn, and the teacher is a facilitator, a companion, the child changes their role as consumers of information.
My methodology focuses on discover, develop divergent thinking and to value the different options.
“It is expected of students good questions rather than good answers. In any activity there is always an excuse that allows you to make them think.”
Neuroscience has brought me good ideas to understand the importance of cognitive processes of students and adapting the learning pace of each.
In addition to the strategies that said, there are applications that support this “learning to think”. In my case, programming with Scratch has been a breakthrough in this sense.
In Your blog DescuAbriendo Education, we found many reflections on education. So, an easy question: what is education for you?
For me, besides being one of the important pillars of my life, it’s an exciting way to put your bit in the future. Together, family, society and school, we got to train people, citizens will be able to make a better world, for all of us.
