"Conducir la escuela secundaria bonaerense" | Clase 07: Mariana Maggio

Introduction to Educational Leadership in Buenos Aires

Engaging Candidates for Leadership Roles

• The speaker addresses candidates for leadership positions in secondary education in Buenos Aires, emphasizing the importance of engagement and reflection. Indifference is highlighted as a significant concern, suggesting that provoking reactions (positive or negative) is preferable.

Importance of Curriculum Management

• A key topic introduced is the management of knowledge and curriculum within educational institutions. Mariana Mayo, an expert in education from the University of Buenos Aires, joins the discussion to provide insights on this subject.

Defining Essential Learning for Future Generations

Key Questions on Education's Role

• The speaker poses a critical question regarding what is essential for new generations to learn for their present and future happiness. This inquiry aims to explore how schools can uniquely contribute to societal development compared to other social institutions.

Critical Issues Facing Society

• Mariana Mayo responds by stressing the need for a comprehensive and critical approach to understanding societal complexities, particularly focusing on environmental issues as a pressing concern that intersects with economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions.

The Role of Schools in Addressing Societal Challenges

Teaching Critical Perspectives

• Mayo emphasizes that addressing complex problems like environmental crises requires teaching from a critical perspective within schools. She argues that such education cannot be effectively replaced by informal learning platforms like TikTok but must occur within structured educational settings.

Holistic View of Education

• The conversation shifts towards viewing basic education as foundational for all Argentinians rather than specialized training, highlighting the necessity of equipping students with essential skills before they advance into more specialized areas of study.

Insights from Latin American Educators

Priorities in Education According to Teachers

• A survey conducted among teachers across Latin America reveals a consensus on prioritizing creativity and critical thinking as essential goals of education—over 60% agreement among respondents indicates these are vital skills needed by students today.

Broader Social Context

• The discussion acknowledges that while ecological awareness can be taught through various means (media, family), developing critical consciousness about such issues remains primarily an educational responsibility within schools. This highlights the role educators play in shaping student perspectives on societal challenges.

Developing Critical Consciousness Through Education

Skills Needed for Critical Awareness

Rethinking Education: A Call for Transformation

The Need for a Problematic Approach in Education

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of re-evaluating educational practices, particularly in secondary education, to move beyond mere repetition of disciplinary content.

• Drawing on Freire's ideas, the discussion highlights the necessity of fostering a problematizing perspective aimed at social transformation within schools.

Engaging with Community Issues

• Schools are encouraged to engage with local environmental issues, such as river pollution, and involve students in understanding and addressing these challenges through practical projects.

• The conversation suggests that when students participate actively in community interventions, they become critical subjects capable of making meaningful contributions.

Overload of Educational Content

• There is concern about the increasing burden placed on schools to cover various topics like ecology, democracy, health rights, and anti-discrimination alongside traditional subjects.

• This overload is linked to a dominant political narrative that positions education as the solution to societal problems but risks overwhelming educators and diluting content delivery.

Consequences of Curriculum Overload

• Research from the 1990s indicates that teachers often only manage to cover about 65% of their curriculum due to this overload, leading to gaps in student learning.

• The speaker argues that this situation creates confusion among students regarding essential knowledge areas while contributing to broader societal issues like unemployment and crime.

Critical Consciousness vs. Political Activity

• The need for developing critical consciousness among students is highlighted as distinct from political activity; education should focus on defining problems rather than merely engaging in politics.

• There’s skepticism about whether current policies genuinely promote an education grounded in rights and whether they address the complexities faced by educators today.

A Minimalist Approach to Curriculum Design

• The speaker advocates for a minimalist approach towards curriculum design that prioritizes depth over breadth—focusing on complex cognitive processes rather than an extensive list of topics.

Rethinking Educational Practices for Collective Learning

Breaking Cumulative Logic in Education

• The speaker emphasizes the need to disrupt traditional cumulative logic in education to foster a more contemporary and collective construction of knowledge.

• There is a call to redesign physical spaces and articulate teaching methods collaboratively among educators, highlighting the importance of adapting to current provincial conditions.

Valuing Student Learning

• The focus should be on ensuring that what students learn is valuable and enduring, equipping them with interpretative frameworks for higher education.

• Educators often feel pressured to complete curricula, which can lead to a loss of focus on essential learning tasks; this highlights the strategic role of school directors.

Defining Essential Knowledge

• School directors must collectively define critical knowledge areas that students must learn, referred to as "powerful knowledge" by sociologist Michael Young.

• Powerful knowledge empowers learners, enabling them to think critically, solve problems, and engage with contemporary issues like misinformation and bias.

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

• Students should develop autonomy in their thinking processes rather than relying on pre-packaged phrases or ideas from others.

• Emphasis is placed on expressive competencies—oral, written, visual—that are crucial for critical reflection and understanding.

Curriculum Discussion and Implementation

• The curriculum should not be followed rigidly; instead, there should be discussions within institutions about its implementation.

• School leaders play a vital role in transforming educational ideals into practical activities while fostering open conversations about educational policies.

Leadership's Role in Educational Transformation

• Effective leadership is essential for embracing new educational ideas proposed by provincial policies; it involves engaging all stakeholders in the process.