Márgenes, Revista de Educación de la Universidad de Málaga
"It's the margin that holds the page." Jean-Luc Godard Margins, Journal of Education of the University of Málaga, is an electronic scientific journal, biannual publication, peer-reviewed and open access. The journal was established with the aim of highlighting didactic theorization, pedagogical reflection, and innovative practice as fundamental pillars of education, in order to promote critical thinking within the framework of democratic and participatory analysis, studies, and research. It also offers a platform for expression to both education professionals and students from faculties of Education. Published by the Publications Service of the University of Málaga (Spain), Margins has a fixed periodicity of two issues a year (January and July), considering the possibility of a special issue. All published articles will have undergone a rigorous blind peer review process, being previously evaluated by the Chief Editor and checked through Crossref Similarity Check. We accept original works in Spanish and English, exceptionally admitting other languages. Margins aims to be indexed as soon as possible in prestigious national and international databases, such as SJR and WOS. We are aware of the impact that quality standards have on academic careers and job stability, especially for young teachers and researchers. That's why we aim to work to improve the impact of the journal without sacrificing our concern for quality content consistent with our educational philosophy.
The editorial team of Márgenes supports an open Access policy of scientific knowledge. apostamos claramente por una política de acceso abierto del conocimiento científico (see Berlin Declaration). Authors with work published in this journal accept the following conditions: This journal provides immediate free access to its content under the principle of making research freely available to the public. All contents published in Márgenes are subject to the Creative Commons Reconocimiento-SinObraDerivada 4.0 Internacional It is the responsibility of the authors to obtain the necessary permissions of the images that are subject to copyright. Authors whose contributions are accepted for publication in this journal will retain the non-exclusive right to use their contributions for academic, research and educational purposes, including self-archiving or deposit in open-access repositories of any kind. The electronic edition of this magazine is edited by the Editorial of the University of Malaga (UmaEditorial), being necessary to cite the origin in any partial or total reproduction. Authors can enter into other additional independent contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (e.g. including it in an institutional repository or publishing it in a book) on the condition that they clearly indicate that the work was originally published in this journal. Authors are allowed and recommended to publish their work on the Internet (for example on institutional and personal websites), before and after the publication, as this could lead to constructive exchanges and a more extensive and quick circulation of published works (see The Effect of Open Access).
Traces and Strokes of Being a Student: A Narrative Approach to University Learning Trayectories
We approach this text from the continuous construction and relationship with our students, within the onto-epistemological framework of the TRAY-AP: Learning Trajectories Of Young University Students: Concepts, Strategies, Technologies And Contexts research project (PID 2019-108696RB-I00). To do this, we establish a dialogue among images and artistic references as visibility devices that allow us to connect with our teaching reflections. These are linked to various conceptions related to being a university student that we extract from the first phase of TRAY- AP research. The article organizes the methodology through images of pictorial masses and veiled lines In the Campus of Leioa inside the University of the Basque Country, EHU, that emerge as analogies of the relationships that arise between teacher reflections, their relationship with the students and the college. These masses become evocative elements of a reality with which many teachers can identify, and are conveyed intertwining with stories of teaching experiences in which they reflect on letting students be in the university contexts. In conclusion, we claim research that deals with learning and its meanings of university students and where experiences linked to learning ecologies are claimed. It also underlines the relevance of what the image and artistic references make it possible to think and theorize, in a dialogue with educational contexts.
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Socioeconomic Conceptions in Middle School Students of Viña del Mar. Class Expectations and Aspirations
This article studies the perceptions held by high school students in a public school in Viña del Mar (Chile) about their own socioeconomic conditions. The research presents a qualitative case study, elaborated through extracts from ethnographic interviews with students (91). The main objective of the study was to find out what perceptions these students had about their daily social and economic realities, about their immediate future, almost always associated with an idea of a “social elevator” through the world of the university. We saw a strong conceptual normalization of their precariousness and, in some cases, of a worrisome poverty; of how they hide, in many occasions unconsciously, such financial difficulties and harsh social realities with socioeconomic labels such as “middle class”. This research will reflect on the importance of investigating student perceptions under an anthropological, philosophical and historical approach at the same time.
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Autobiographical Narratives and the Construction of Profes-sional Identity: A Gender Perspective in Teacher Educators
This study examines the construction of professional identity through teachers’ autobiographical narratives in a collaborative exercise aimed at understanding how the gender perspective is incorporated. Through reflective writing, it identifies processes of knowledge construction on gender and sexuality within the participants’ formative trajectories and their impact on professional identity. The research follows a collaborative methodological approach based on a self-study design that involves self-confrontation and the re-signification of teaching practice. The findings reveal that family, educational, and professional experiences shape the configuration of professional identity in relation to gender. Furthermore, the analysis makes visible power relations such as heteronormativity, institutional sexism, and androcentrism within teacher education processes. It concludes that collaborative reflection fosters awareness of gender-related emotions and attitudes, promoting a critical feminist pedagogy oriented toward social and educational transformation.
Art Education as a Means to Create Emotional Cyberspaces: Analysis of Children’s Stories During and after the Pandemic in Rural Schools in O’higgins
The purpose of this research was to analyze the educational and emotional impact of art practice in rural schools in the O’Higgins region during the educational reactivation process following the COVID-19 lockdown. The study analyzed student narratives and visual representations to demonstrate the role of art subjects in the post-COVID-19 context. Arts fostered the recomposition of the socio-affective fabric, which had deteriorated due to prolonged confinement and the return to pre-pandemic school routines, by enhancing social interactions among students. To discuss emotional states in a rural education context, unconventional inquiry methods such as collage, art images, and discussion groups were employed, primarily to facilitate the participation of primary school children from both cycles. This article highlights the use of collage, art images, and discussion groups as mixed techniques that enable a closer understanding of children’s experiences and emotions, linking them to their personal lives and classroom performance. Overall, students reported the significant impact of accessing and participating in online art classes and workshops, noting that these strengthened their communication, self-esteem, and motivation for learning during the pandemic.
Psychic Suffering and Socio-Educational Accompaniment in Childhood and Adolescence: An Approach Based on Reflective Action
The reports of international organizations which aim to detect and guide attention to the needs of children and adolescents, coincide in highlighting the increase in their psychological suffering and, therefore, the need to reinforce their socio-educational attention. With the aim of contributing to orientate the approach to this need from the practice of social education, this article observes and describes theoretically and reflexively a set of six dimensions that cross the constitution of the psychic universe of each subject: dependence and autonomy, loss and mourning, child demand, fostering, elaboration and psychic conflict. The choice of these is based on their relevance for exploring and attending to this suffering in the accompaniment offered to children and adolescents by social intervention professionals. A relevance that lies in the clarification and unblocking that their consideration and exploration generates in the study of each case and that the author has been able to confirm during his experience of more than ten years in tasks of supervision of cases and teams, research and training of professionals in hospital resources for children and adolescents, residential protection or community mental health. This work also provides indications on how to observe these aspects in daily professional practice.
Beyond the Theory of Effort: The Pedagogy of Self-giving
The dogma of effort is an educational ideology characteristic of our time, an age in which time is money and productivity must prevail at all costs. It reveals significant scientific shortcomings and, above all, ethical ones. It carries meritocratic connotations and produces segregation. Effort implies striving, suffering, tenacity, drive, sweat. Self-giving entails the same commitment, but with enthusiasm and without suffering—because it is animated by willingness, desire, and heart.
Researching Social Pedagogy: Taking a Stance
This article provides a critical analysis of the meaning and forms of research in the field of social pedagogy. The work questions the hegemony of the scientific paradigm, characterised by the primacy of empirical evidence, the standardisation of academic articles and dependence on productivity. It warns that this dominant research model leads to the homogenisation of thought, the precariousness of research work, and the loss of diversity of genres and languages in the production of knowledge. Given these limitations, it raises the need to construct a research position that recognises the complexity, uncertainty, and political dimension inherent in education. Researching social pedagogy implies a commitment to social transformation, beyond empirical validation, and critically questioning the institutional and discursive conditions that shape research in the social and educational fields. The text defends the relevance of qualitative, hermeneutic, and historical approaches, as well as narrative and essayistic forms that allow for a comprehensive understanding of educational practices. It also highlights the importance of recovering social pedagogy’s capacity to intervene in the construction of a common world, preventing it from becoming trapped in scientific mystification and the mere accumulation of evidence. In conclusion, it proposes rediscovering the need for social pedagogy as a critical and committed discipline that conceives of research as taking an ethical and political stance in the face of the inequalities and challenges of the present.
Seven spaces for participation in social circus: contributions to the development of democratic culture.
Social circus has become consolidated in recent decades as an educational and community-based practice that promotes participation, inclusion, and the exercise of citizenship through artistic language. The aim of this article is to identify and analyse the spaces of participation generated within the Generació Zirc project at the Ateneu Popular 9 Barris, understood as settings where competencies for a democratic culture are taught, experienced, and practiced. A qualitative case study approach is adopted, based on the triangulation of non-participant observation, interviews, focus groups, and documentary analysis, with thematic analysis supported by the software Atlas.ti. The results identify seven spaces of participation—the class, the creative process, the final performance, project development, actions within the Ateneu, actions in the neighbourhood, and actions beyond the neighbourhood—which together configure a democratic learning ecosystem. Within these spaces, values, attitudes, skills, and knowledge related to shared responsibility, horizontality, and youth agency are practiced. The study highlights the potential of social circus as a pedagogical and political dispositif for the development of democratic competencies, providing an original systematisation of participation spaces and underscoring the role of the educational team in fostering citizenship through artistic and community contexts.
Design of a Research Study on Development Cooperation Relationships between Universities and NGOs in Western Andalusia
In the current global context, International Development Cooperation emerges as a strategic field that requires rethinking the forms of interaction among the various actors involved. In recent years, universities have gained a significant role in this process, strengthening their social commitment and engagement in projects aimed at sustainable development. This study proposes a critical analysis of development cooperation relationships between public universities and NGOs in Western Andalusia, focusing on five institutions: Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva, Seville, and Pablo de Olavide. It aims to examine their connections, coordination and knowledge transfer mechanisms, as well as the barriers and opportunities that influence their collaboration. Based on a qualitative research design combining interviews, focus groups, and documentary analysis, the study seeks to construct a critical and proactive vision of these relationships, contributing strategies to strengthen alliances between universities and NGOs in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 17.
Non-Govermental Development Organization
Andalusian Agency for International Development Cooperation
Arts Education and Child Empowerment: Choral Co-Creation as a Critical Pedagogy in Hybrid Learning Contexts
This study presents the preliminary results of CoCREA!, an experience of choral and theatrical co-creation involving children aged 8 to 18, developed in hybrid educational contexts that bridge the General and Special Education Regimes in Llinars del Vallès (Catalonia). Grounded in a critical social pedagogy perspective, the project is based on the Non-Conventional Choral Educational Methodology (MECC), which integrates music, theatre, and emotional education through collective creative processes. Using a mixed, longitudinal, and participatory design, the study implemented pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and performative devices with evaluative functions. The results show significant improvements in musical competencies, increased motivation and artistic vocation, and notable emotional and symbolic transformations among participants. At the community level, sustained social appropriation and the consolidation of shared governance among schools, families, and artistic agents were observed. However, structural tensions were also identified that limit the model’s sustainability: institutional resistance to emotional education, curricular rigidity, scarcity of hybrid professional profiles, and weak articulation between educational regimes. The discussion interprets these tensions as evidence of the disruptive potential of co-creative art and proposes its integration as an emancipatory pedagogical practice within a more just, inclusive, and transformative education. CoCREA! does not merely produce art — it produces community, meaning, and critical citizenship from childhood onward.
Conception of Pedagogical Relationships in Educational Contexts. Care as a Foundation
People are relational beings, and their essence is manifested in caring, understood as an ethical act towards others. In education, this dimension gains significance by placing the bond at the center of pedagogical practice. However, liquid modernity and standardization have displaced care from the core of education. Reclaiming education as a relational praxis entails recognizing that teaching means accompanying others with sensitivity, openness, and responsibility. An ethnographic study was conducted in a state-subsidized private secondary school in Donostia–San Sebastián, involving 15 teachers. Participant observation, interviews, and photo-elicitation were employed to explore professional relationships from an ethical and relational perspective. Data were analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that teaching transcends the mere transmission of content, integrating the affective dimension and human connection as central axes of learning. Relationships among teachers are configured as formative spaces in which trust, empathy, and collaboration strengthen professional well-being and educational innovation. Care emerges as a central category, understood as ethical attention to the other and the construction of community. Peer accompaniment among teachers is revealed as an ethical and political practice that humanizes the school. Promoting care and cooperation in professional relationships contributes to the creation of more just, livable, and transformative institutions.
Where the Voice Falls Silent, Story Persists: Between Letting Things Pass or Daring to Tell
In this essay, I seek to reflect, from an autobiographical and critical voice, on silence, the fear of causing discomfort, and the ethical responsibility to speak out, particularly in the field of education. Drawing on personal experiences and the current political context, the essay denounces the growing discrediting of public education and the teaching profession, fueled by ultraliberal and far-right discourses. It examines how control, distrust, and censorship create an anti-pedagogical climate that inhibits teaching practice. In response, writing and speech emerge as acts of resistance, community, and collective transformation.
Writing Qualitatively, or the Demands of Writing
Have you ever said this or heard someone say this: “I have done all of my data analysisI just have to write it down.” Or, “I just have to write it up”? I will suggest that within the context of phenomenological inquiry, it is not necessarily helpful to try to assist researchers learning “how to write down” their reflections or “how to write up” their results. What should be more helpful is learning “how to write.” Qualitative writing may be seen as an active struggle for understanding and recognition of the lived meanings of the lifeworld, and this writing also possesses passive and receptive rhetoric dimensions. It requires that we be attentive to other voices, to subtle significations in the way that things and others speak to us. In part, this is achieved through contact with the words of others. These words need to touch us, guide us, stir us.
Editorial introduction to Volume 7, Issue 1 of Márgenes, Journal of Education of the University of Málaga. This issue comprises a total of sixteen contributions, distributed across the journal’s different sections. It is a volume in which we continue to offer content that remains faithful to the educational premises and foundational pillars with which we began. In addition, we celebrate the attainment of the FECYT Seal of Editorial and Scientific Quality, together with the Mention for Good Editorial Practices in Gender Equality.
Book review of The Child in the City, originally published in English (1977, 1990) and translated into Spanish for the first time in 2024 in two editions: Katakrak —including the photographs from the 1977 version— and Pepitas de Calabaza —without images, following the author’s 1990 revision—. The book had previously circulated in Spain through publications associated with anti-capitalist participatory urbanism.
Francoist repression, anti-Francoist resistance and democratic historical memory of women. Teaching units with a gender perspective
The publication “Francoist Repression, Anti-Francoist Resistance, and Women’s Democratic Historical Memory,” authored by Beatriz García Prieto, Desirée Rodríguez, and Enrique Javier Díez Gutiérrez, is the third installment in a trilogy on historical memory, published by Plaza y Valdés Editores. This volume focuses on the repressive methods applied to women during the Francoist dictatorship and their often-overlooked role in the anti-Francoist resistance and democratic activism, which continued during the transition to democracy.
Self-managed Community Development: From Nineteenth-Century Trade Unionism to Neighborhood Unionism
Self-managed community development has its roots in 19th-century trade unionism, influenced by the workers’ and anarchist movements. These movements not only fought for labor rights but also promoted social education as a means to strengthen class consciousness and popular autonomy. Thus, social education became a key element of solidarity and mutual aid. The crises of the State —both in the 20th and 21st centuries— reconfigured these initiatives, forcing them to adapt and evolve. This study analyzes how these dynamics are reflected in current housing and neighborhood unionism, highlighting the transformative role of social education. Based on a historical and comparative analysis, it reviewed Galician libertarian press from the late 19th century and examined the communication and organizational strategies of contemporary movements. The analysis showed that mutual aid and social education were central pillars of classical unionism, aimed at building cohesive communities. Today, housing and neighborhood unions maintain that same logic, adapted to a digital context and the crisis of the welfare state, promoting support networks and training spaces. A clear continuity can be observed in self-managed practices, although adjusted to current challenges, where social education remains a bridge between critical theory and community action.
Brief Notes on the Current Debate on Didactics in Europe
This paper aims to draw attention to the current debate in Europe that is recovering some ideas about didactics as a discipline and field of study and research that had been relegated in the last quarter of the 20th century to issues more related to the curriculum, curriculum theory or curriculum design. The most relevant ideas that characterise the debate are summarised, with emphasis on the evolution of the original thesis of the didactic triangle of teacher-student-content, towards the concept of didactic transformation of content that has updated the work of Young and Muller with the irruption of the dialogue around the concept of Powerful Knowledge and the impact on disciplinary fields of specific didactics. It also underlines the intention to bring together the most salient aspects of the European didactic tradition and curriculum studies through the claim that both disciplinary fields make of the dimension of educational practice as the central core of interest. It also outlines some questions that accompany the claim of practice as an object of study and research in didactics, enriching the normative vision of didactics with a perspective of enquiry and research that is not common in the more traditional conceptions of didactics from the European sphere.
Copyright (c) 2025 Elena Ramírez Orellana, Jorge Martín-Domínguez, Inés Rodríguez Martín, Inmaculada Martín Sánchez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
Entanglements from a classroom. Getting into new materialisms and rethink my becoming as a teacher, artist and researcher
What if the script, the stage, or the door in a classroom become things “doing things” in teaching-learning situations? What does it allow me to think about approaching these elements from new materialisms? How does this affect my way of becoming an a/r/tographer? In this text I get into the “intra-action” (Barad, 2007) by reviewing my teaching experience in the planning and performance of a session on Rhizomatic Research with master’s degree students in art and education. I intend to relate some implications of new materialisms in education (Revelles and Sancho, 2020) from a post-qualitative paradigm (Hernández-Hernández, 2019). By moving the concept of intra-action, I recognize myself as a “nomadic teacher” (Cano et al., 2020). This evolves into an invitation to work not from the predictable, but through what I encounter in the “in-between”, where writing works as a place for thinking (Richardson and St. Pierre, in Onsès, 2019). From this experience, I prepare the backpack for classes to come, keeping track of clues resulting from the pedagogical potentialities of intra-action to achieve more organic, conscious, affective, horizontal and rhizomatic “learning phenomena” (Onsès, 2019).
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The Ethical Challenge of Emotions in Education: Meaning, Commitment and Responsibility
or a few decades, the educational system has sought to align itself with the pedagogical demands imposed by society and the labor market through discourse on talent and capacities. In this context, emotions assume special relevance when referring to their involvement in the educational process and in teacher training and profession. The main objective of this article, from a theoretical and critical perspective, an understanding of the role emotions play in pedagogical processes and practices, with particular attention to environments characterized by educational poverty. Examining the evolution of emotions over these decades and their instrumentalization in the global school context allows for the analysis of the socio-emotional representations of teachers, their implications for students’ achievement opportunities, and the new horizons that are sought to be achieved. The fact that emotions have become a fundamental competence for both teachers and students in recent years predicts that the interest in them extends beyond the educational environment; educational policies and global organizations have shown great appreciation for their incorporation into educational systems from an early age. Therefore, discussing the significance that certain disciplines project in the teaching of emotions contributes to the need to position the educational community as a defender of the common good and social justice. All this is underpinned by an ethical and professional duty towards childhood.
Educational research in the classroom: background, reflections and suggestions
The main objective of this essay is to explore the concept of educational research in the classroom, specifically within the non-university context. To this end, some background information derived from current literature is presented, followed by reflections on the topic. Additionally, some of the major challenges facing this area are explained, and finally, several suggestions. Examples of these suggestions include the development of ongoing education programs from a research perspective, the creation of digital platforms for research access, and institutional recognition of the use of research in practice. Other suggestions, more closely related to the classroom, include the establishment of collaborative teams of teachers from the same school to conduct action research, the involvement of students in identifying and selecting research problems, and the use of active methodologies in the classroom. Among the final reflections, the essay highlights the importance of advancing towards the establishment of a research culture in school education. This culture could be fostered through enhanced initial and ongoing teacher training in research, increased support and resources, and greater recognition of the use of research in practice by educational centers and administrations.
Proportionality problem posing in secundary school teacher training
The creation of mathematical problems for educational purposes requires diverse knowledge and specific competencies in teachers, making it a goal of teacher training programs. This paper describes the results of a formative intervention with future secondary education teachers in Costa Rica, aiming to develop the competency of creating proportionality problems in various contexts. It is a descriptive-qualitative study, supported by the theoretical and methodological tools of the Ontosemiotic Approach. The results reveal the difficulties participants face in creating relevant problems that meet a certain level of complexity, as well as in identifying the challenges a given problem may pose to students and how to modify it to overcome them. Better outcomes are observed in the creation of arithmetic problems compared to geometric and probabilistic contexts. The need for further research and the design of formative actions on problem creation is concluded as a means through which teachers can assist their students in learning mathematics.
Grade repetition is an educational practice that is frequently in Spain. Specifically, one of the educational stages that has a higher rate of cases is Secondary School. This qualitative study, based on a study case of a group of students who shared the same educational center, seeks the impact of this practice on their lives through interviews in order to identify possible causes, find out what their academic trajectories were like and value the consequences on their futures. In turn, other opinions of students that have repeated from the same center will be considered to delve into the themes that are recognized thanks to the experiences of the interviewed group through a qualitative questionnaire. After carrying out both techniques, the categorization process occurs, showing three key concepts as results: closeness, nametag and motivation. The three words help to understand the situation of people who have been part of this study, feeling the rejection of their environment in various situations that makes them configure themselves though the concept of «repeat student», whose view from society is negative. This rejection results in a lack of motivation that prevents them from developing their academic career in a favorable manner. Finally, the discussion will be carried out in relation to the stated objectives, divided into four parts: the reason for repetition, the influence of educational agents, the importance of the family environment and the impact of repetition in the future.
The methodological Planning: Artificial Intelligence as a Pedagogical Peer in University Educational Contexts
The article addresses the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a pedagogical partner in higher education, highlighting its influence on transforming teaching and learning processes in the Digital Era. AI is presented as a powerful tool that states challenges and opportunities for teaching professionals, who must explore its pedagogical potential in instructional planning, assessment, and adapting learning to students' needs. The importance of aligning this implementation with ethical principles and specific educational objectives is emphasized. Through specific sections, the article analyzes the generalities of AI in education, the concept of a pedagogical peer, the role of AI as an ally of teaching professionals, and the benefits it brings to methodological design in university educational contexts. It emphasizes how AI can improve the effectiveness and adaptability of learning experiences, promoting a more personalized and enriched educational process. However, it underscores the need to maintain a balance between AI and human connection in education, recognizing that technology complements but does not replace the essence of the educational process centered on human relationships and holistic growth.
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Didactic-longitudinal analysis of a subject from Action-Research
A longitudinal study is presented, carried out during five academic years with a total of 547 participating stu- dents. The subject under study is called Socio-educational Research and Intervention and is taught in the So- ciology degree program, for possible future teachers of Vocational Training. The methodology used is Action Re- search, and in some editions, it becomes Participatory Action Research. The field work, data collection, is carried out in the classroom, using participatory evaluation techniques designed or adapted for the given session, as well as surveys, rubrics and stories; texts elaborated by the students. A continuous and detailed analysis of the data received has been carried out and immediately returned to the students. The process of implementing improve-ments has also taken into account the teaching evaluation reports of the quality questionnaires carried out by the institution itself. Finally, a new, more solid subject has been built, incorporating different methodologies and resources, and satisfying the students, who have been the guides of the process with their voice and participation, including them in the decision-making process.
Promoting practical thinking in undergraduate studies: mediation as an object of study
The development of practical thinking is fundamental to the training of future professionals. This article presents an experience implemented in a fourth-year pedagogy course, which stems from an explicit need expressed by the students, with the aim of equipping them with the skills necessary for professional support in the early stages of educational assessment. Forty-five students participated, and the technique of feared scenes was chosen for implementation. Three data collection instruments were used to evaluate the experience: participant observation, self-assessment, and survey. The results show that the technique helped with reflection and introspection, raising awareness of one's own emotional management and thoughts linked to and about action. In conclusion, the educational experience helped to respond to the need expressed by the students and contributed to facilitating their training as future mediation professionals by promoting practical thinking.
Care in school: a world for a better life
Inclusive education and care in schools are central themes in this article, aside from the teaching of care by arts, phenomenology and pedagogy. The authors address the need to transform educational dynamics to ensure an environment that respects children's rights, as well as a friendly context that generates constructive learning. The use of traditional disciplinary methods that perpetuate mistreatment, pain or humiliation is criticised; practices that should have no place in a system that seeks to promote well-being, inclusion and equity. This work highlights the importance of seeing students as unique people, full of strengths –in contrast with practices that promote labelling students and only entails stigmatisation-, in the same way that it advocates for an education that values diversity as a source of richness and as an identity trait. It is argued that academic demands must be adjusted to the capacities of children and teenagers, avoiding sterile and unfair comparisons according to adult productivity, in order to form competent, full and prepared people for the society of tomorrow. The work concludes by focusing on the relevance of creating a cooperative and reflective school environment, where care is a priority and where learning is not painful, but a constant source of aesthetic pleasure during moral development in social and natural contexts. This implies not only a review of educational structures, but also a socio-community commitment to human rights for the sake of an inclusive education that promotes the integral development of all students from equity.
What can we learn from the school in rural areas: a case study
Rural schools continue to be largely unknown. Not only in initial and ongoing teacher training, but also in an eminently urban society where empty Spain and the institutions that form its backbone only appear sporadically and circumstantially in social and political concerns and agendas. The aim of this research has been to analyse the characteristics and to find out about the potential of schools in rural areas. In order to do so, a case study was carried out of a rural school located in a municipality in the central mountains of León (Spain). The methodology, of a qualitative nature, aimed to investigate the perception that teachers and students have of the reality and the contributions and limits of rural schools. For this purpose, discursive data were collected from teachers and students through qualitative fieldwork, adopting the semi-structured interview and the discussion group as instruments for collecting information. After analysing the data, this study suggests that low ratios, multi-grade classrooms, individualised attention, the relationship with the environment, as well as the autonomy and cooperation of students are the most outstanding potentialities of the rural educational community. In the conclusions, it is discussed whether these potentialities can be a revulsive to recover, from education, that emptied Spain and whether they are characteristics that the urban school should ‘learn’ from its, so considered, ‘little sister’ that can perhaps give it some lessons.
Emotional education and curricular justice: not all that glitters is gold
Emotional education has been supported by educational policies, including it in teacher training plans, to promote educational success and an inclusive school. This education, focused on emotional management, has been incorporated from the conception of positive education, introducing techniques such as educational coaching or mindfulness. These focus their practices on the empowerment of the self, outside the contexts of the subjects, which makes it impossible to have a curriculum that contributes to curricular justice, which enables inclusion and educational equity. This research aimed to find out what content and how emotional education is being introduced into the curriculum based on ongoing training from a qualitative methodological approach and its contribution to said justice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals responsible for ongoing training in emotional education, training advisors from Teacher Training Centers and experts outside these Centers, and with teachers. The results showed that the techniques in which teachers are trained are broadly focused on developing content that deals with “saving” suffering for greater happiness and well-being; fostering the self; believing in oneself; the meaning of my life; equal opportunities; and attitude towards situations. It can be concluded that these techniques hinder inclusion and equity by depoliticizing emotions and not addressing the causes that give rise to the emotional states of students, contributing to their homogenization and making diversity invisible.
So much asking one(self). Testimony from within
This minimal story portrays the act of reflexivity that must be present in any research process. Reflexivity makes it easier for the researcher to be aware of his or her involvement and complicity in the process of which he or she is a fundamental part. Reflexivity exposes the position from which they speak, think, connect, feel, commit, and make decisions in every moment of the rhizomatic and intersectional becoming of the inquiry process.