A continental seminar on “Education Today: Challenges and Proposals” was held at the Teresian Association School in Santiago de Chile from 4 to 8 October 2023.
The committee leading the Social and Educational Proposal (PSE) welcomed participants from different countries. It was a joyful opportunity to meet again in person. People expressed gratitude and spoke of the hard work involved in dealing with the challenges and proposals for education today.
After the official opening, each day was organised around “prayer and study” to make the most of the time available. Susana Gonzalez Rea participated as a TA General Council member.
Three panels
The first panel discussion was on “Education today: challenges and proposals”, and it dealt with balancing the benefits and risks of technology, how to revive a more human experience, how to put technology at the service of hope, what does Artificial Intelligence (AI) have in store for education, how not to lose the social role of the school and how to encourage critical thinking. Benjamín Berlanga, a teacher from Mexico, emphasised the need to “create bonds”. Sonia Manzur, a teacher from Bolivia, invited us to “create new narratives” that come from those who are excluded and marginalised.
The second panel dealt with “Impacts of technologies in educational processes: possibilities and limitations”. It was led by Nicolás Steil from the school in Santiago and by Thiago Tavares from Brazil. These two speakers put into context the issue of having a critical view of technology and its use in the classroom through programming. This issue also involves adults, and this can lead to dependence and manipulation. The key lies in educating young people in critical thinking with regard to the possibilities of technology, not only at school, but also at home.
During the panel discussion on Saturday, Luz Helena Patarroyo, a member of the Proposal’s International Advisory Committee, explored the “Passion of working for the Kingdom through the Humanistic Vision of Poveda's Pedagogy”. Luz Helena spoke about Poveda’s pedagogical vision, the need for teacher training and the centrality of the person in the education process, that is, true humanism.
Susana Sacavino, also a member of the Proposal’s International Advisory Committee, gave a presentation on “Education today, time to humanise, care, transform and hope”. She first gave an analysis of the Latin American context, and then considered what could be done to address these situations. Susana invited us to be poets and social choreographers, in a dance where each person contributes. It is a dance with energy and brilliance that creates dreams in community that draw on justice that is environmental, cognitive, affective, emotional and social.
Exchanging ideas
After each panel discussion, we worked in mixed groups to highlight the most significant points, to see what questions were provoked by the interventions and to formulate a question for a specific panellist. This exercise facilitated a lively exchange of ideas with the panellists.
Carolina Hirmas, a teacher, gave a talk on “The social-emotional environment and the creation of bonds”. She emphasised how educating is an affective-bonding task and showed how the most important bond in education is the one between student and teacher.
Presentations and permanent groups
In terms of presentations, there was a high level of participation from both schools and social projects. They presented two themes: “Education today: challenges and proposals” and “The social-emotional environment and creating bonds”.
Work in small groups took place at the end of each day. This meant that we could collect what had been discussed during the day and summarise it by pointing out the most significant points, identifying questions to be studied in greater depth and proposing aspects to be incorporated into the PSE. Then we synthesised the group work and presented it in the plenary session on the last day.
Special moments
After the afternoon sessions, there were several special events that were informal, celebratory and festive.
On the last day there was a final plenary session. The synthesis of the permanent groups was shared in relation to those aspects suggested for incorporation into the PSE. We had an open forum, an evaluation and the closing words of the meeting.
The Mass each evening brought together our work and placed it in the hands of God and Mary, so that together with Pedro Poveda, they could enlighten each educator and help us understand the challenges that we face today.
The Seminar was described as having been an opportunity to explore several topics like bonds in education, a critical approach to technology, the need for teacher training and the relaunching of the PSE.
We left the meeting with this experience and the words of Pedro Poveda: “Give me a vocation and I will give you back a school, a method and a pedagogy".
Thank you Chile. Thank you Teresian School.
Nidia López, Colombia.
TA Translators Team.
Published in News