What kind of early childhood education for a sustainable society? Gabriela Cachés.

Inglés, IFD Comenio, 5/6/2016

Gabriela Cachés.

4to año-Educación social

What kind of early childhood education for a sustainable society?

There was an extensive discussion on what kinds of early childhood education would emerge if it were to contribute to sustainable development. The insights gained on this issue can provide guidance for reorientation and strengthening of curriculum and pedagogical guidelines, a necessary exercise and an important policy issue. First, the participants strongly agreed that the notion of the child embedded in the vision of sustainable development is that as portrayed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – the child as a right holder, who is an active participant and has his or her contribution to make to society’s present and future, and not an invisible, marginal worthless being. In education for sustainable development, young children’s perspectives and meanings are listened to, considered and shape the content and approaches of learning.

Second, early childhood education for sustainability is much more than environmental education.

It should be broader than simply taking children outdoors to discover the beauty of nature and speaking about the natural environment. It must include opportunities for children to engage in intellectual dialogue regarding sustainability, and in concrete actions in favour of the environment. In addition, it should incorporate learning to be compassionate and respect differences, equality and fairness as the world is increasingly interdependent and inter-connected. It was suggested that, instead of talking about the 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic), one should refer to the 7Rs for education for sustainable development (reduce, reuse, recycle, respect, repair, refl ect and refuse). Encouraging scientific and technological literacy was also pointed out as a component to be included.

Third, diversity was considered a key issue in thinking about early childhood education that contributes to sustainability and was discussed extensively by the participants. In the globalizing world where different nationalities and ethnicities increasingly live side by side, learning to respect and appreciate diversity should begin early – through parents, community members, and early childhood programmes. Early education should help children acquire an identity firmly grounded in a culture closest to them, while developing a sense of themselves as world citizens. One way to promote this is intercultural education.

Nurturing respect for, and appreciation of diversity cannot be realized without adhering to democratic values and practices. Democracy is one fundamental value embedded in sustainable development, and a requisite for a just society where everyone’s participation in the social, cultural, economic and political life is valued and counted. Learning about democratic values and practices can and should start in the smallest unit of society – the family – at birth, and should also be part and parcel of an early childhood education programme.

Fourth, sustainable development requires people to be able to think critically about things taken for granted, and to find creative solutions and alternatives to unsustainable habits and practices, which tend to dominate at present. The work in the early years should not be about teaching how to read and write early and formally. Young children can be encouraged to question over-consumption through discussions about familiar food products, clothes, toys and advertisements. Such discussions could be expanded to incorporate considerations about their counterparts in less materially rich circumstances, and stimulate conversations about solidarity and co-operation.

The contribution of early childhood education to a sustainable society Edited by

Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson and Yoshie Kaga

Paris, UNESCO

2008

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001593/159355E.pdf

Lenguas extranjeras. Segunda prueba parcial.

4to Educador Social.

Damian Torino, Jéssica Ibáñez, Gabriela Cachés.

IFD Juan Amós Comenio.

Obituary: Paulo Freire

Paulo Freire, the Brazilian educationist, was one of the most influential philosophers of his generation.

He was born into a middle-class Catholic family in Recife in north-eastern Brazil in 1921. Despite the relative wealth of his family, he experienced poverty during the Depression of the 1930s, but unlike most children was able to complete secondary school and go on to study law at Recife University. There he met Elza, a teacher, whom he married in 1944.

He became a teacher of Portuguese and under the influence of his mother, got involved in church organisations as a means of addressing the injustices he saw around him. However, he rapidly became aware of the limits of charitable work and the need to move from working "for the people" to working "with the people".

In 1959 Freire wrote a doctoral thesis on his experiences of teaching literacy which was so well received that he was appointed Chair of the Philosophy of Education in Recife University. In 1962 he became coordinator of a large literacy programme in Recife and the next year was appointed head of the Brazilian National Literacy Programme.

However, following a military coup in 1964, the Brazilian Literacy programme was terminated. Freire was imprisoned, accused of subversion, and subsequently exiled to Bolivia and then Chile.

In the following years, whilst working on adult education with the Institute of Agrarian Reform in Chile, Freire's ideas matured and he started writing what would become his seminal work, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970). Through this radical pedagogy, he hoped, adults would learn to perceive social, political and economic contradictions and would take action against the opressive elements of reality (a process that Freire called "conscientisation").

In the book, Freire condemned traditional education systems, which he called "banking systems", where students are passive recipients of deposits from an "all-knowing" teacher. In contrast he proposed an education based on dialogue, generating a permanent process of reflection and action.

If learning to read and write is to constitute an act of knowing, the learners must assume from the beginning the role of creative subjects. It is not a matter of memorising and repeating given syllables, words and phrases, but rather, of reflecting critically on the process of reading and writing itself and the profound significance of language.

By the time Pedagogy of the Oppressed was published in English in 1972, Freire was already being acclaimed internationally as "the authentic voice of the Third World". He became a visiting professor at Harvard University.

He first visited London in 1973, returning to Britain in 1987 when he helped review the Edinburgh Adult Learning Programme.

As democracy returned to Brazil in the 1980s, Freire was able to return to his homeland, where he became closely involved in the Workers' Party, which won control of the state of Sao Paulo and nearly won presidential elections in 1989. He became Secretary for Education in Sao Paulo for a short period before retiring in order to dedicate himself to writing.

Freire was as charismatic, absorbing and radical as ever. He succeeded in reaching a new generation of educationists who, with his inspiration, continue to work for an empowering and liberating approach to education around the world.

Paulo Freire died Sao Paulo 2 May 1997.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-paulo-freire-1261256.html

Banksy: The “Biography” of a Graffiti Street Art Leged

Romina Miranda

The name Banksy ignites controversy, starts conversations and piques curiosity. Banksy is undoubtedly the most controversial street artist to emerge on the global stage. The fact that his identity remains unknown after 20 years on the graffiti scene only adds to the intrigue that surrounds his work. The works of Banksy have appeared in America, Australia, Canada, England, France, Israel, Jamaica and Palestine. Wherever Banksy goes, he makes an impact. His pictorial and satirical messages cross the boundaries between art, philosophy, politics, sociology, humor and narcissism.

Banksy is the godfather of a new form of pop art that originated on the street. He used a foundation created by peers to spread powerful messages using accessible street art. Anyone can see Banksy’s stencil art, which enables him to reach a large audience and to make strong statements. City officials have the power to paint over works or allow them to stay. Even when his ephemeral art is destroyed, it draws attention to political issues. Such strong attention, that when most people visit our gallery of Banksy prints, it leads to hours of browsing.

The works of Banksy are often inspired by other street art luminaries and classical artists. This is another controversial area. Banksy has credited 3D of the British band Massive Attack as a source of inspiration. However, connections to the French graffiti artist Blek le Rat, who is known as the Father of Stencil Graffiti, have caused much more commotion.

Although Blek was initially pleased to inspire other artists, he has publicly challenged Banksy’s copycat style. On the other side, Banksy has said that every time he does something, he finds out that Blek Le Rat has done it twenty years earlier. Similarities between the rats pictured in Blek’s work show a distinct overlap. Whoever Banksy is, he has made an unforgettable impact on the world and experienced tremendous commercial success. As an unrivaled phenomenon, Banksy’s irreverent, socio-political style is paving the way for future street artists and perhaps changing the way that graffiti is seen.

Banksy may recycle old ideas, but he also inspires new creations from talented and not-so-talented artists. The recent commercial success of other street artists has been dubbed the “Banksy effect.”

http://www.stencilrevolution.com