Education beyond the traditional curriculum.

One of the things I wonder about the most is when and how are we going to be ready to orientate basic and primary education to a more sensitive one. What I mean by that, is teaching our kids social and ecological responsibility, and not just the basic competences or even worse, plain theoretical contents. 

Environmental education.

I'm going to write from personal experience, about this project that we're about to implement in our school. Separated from the established curriculum, the primary school teachers have developed a three-stage project contemplating the ecosystem and climate change. It will be introduced firstly with videos, or specifically designed didactic units. Then the kids will have the chance to experience first hand, taking them on field trips to different types of institutions or by expositions from field experts. Lastly, all kids will have to put into practice their learnings. 

For the first stage we will use the resources given by the recycling organization Ecoembes, which offers didactic units designed for the different stages in educations, and possible subjects (spanish, english and even physical education). Click here to check all the units and various contents. 

The second part will be a visit to the local "Centro de Reciclaje" in Villaviciosa de Odón, which is half a block away. Here the kids will be able to experience and see the first step to the recycling processes and will learn about recyclable materials, etc. Given the extended ignorance among society on what its fit to recycle, this visit we thought would be of more value than a trip to a more complex recycling establishment.

Lastly, we'll implement a full recycling system at school. Starting in every classroom, every kids will have the chance to separate paper, plastic and organic trash. And in the main hall, we will have a bin for batteries, electronics and different wastes that we all find necessary after our visit to the recycling center.

This is only the first part of a more extensive project that will include animal welfare and responsibility towards pets, respect towards social minorities, etc. All of those topics also developed in the same way as the previous one I mentioned, looking to expose kids to different realities in the world, some of which they will never witness otherwise. 

So far, education for moral and ethical issues has been recently introduced with the new Lomna in primary education. However the curriculum has been developed in a very theoretical way, far from reality and very abstract. It makes you think about how effective the new program will be, and if it will have any effect on the kids whatsoever. It sort of seems is another subject to just get good grades on their records. 

Improving our children education it is definitely in our hands, as teachers, when provided with a mediocre and half-way curriculum, all of us are capable of many greater things for our students.