educational theories

Different studies show that western soci­ety is living at a frenetic pace. Paradoxically, despite having many tools for managing and saving time, we find that we increasingly have less of it. To challenge this dizzying en­vironment, movements have arisen that seek to rebel against this accelerated pace, such as the so-called ‘slow movement’. The edu­cational field is not oblivious to this problem and pedagogical initiatives and approaches have arisen that try to combat said pace at school level, including the so-called ‘slow ed­ucation’. Based on a study carried out in Italy on Pedagogia della Lumaca, devised by the teacher, Gianfranco Zavalloni, an attempt is made to develop his pedagogy by identifying those who influenced his educational pro­posal, known in Spain as La Pedagogía del Caracol (Pedagogy of the Snail). Further­more, this study also aims to reveal how the proposal could be established, identify the principles on which it would be based and to outline some of its educational purposes. The study has been carried out under a qualita­tive methodology, through techniques such as a bibliographic and documentary review of Zavalloni’s works, and several interviews with his closest personal and professional acquaintances. According to the data obtained, it can be said that, more than an approach, a pedagogical model or a methodology, it is a pedagogical trend from which an educational method, from a child-centred perspective, can be established. As with slow education, one of the aims of Pedagogy of the Snail is to offer a framework to those pedagogues who value time in education and who seek to provide their children with the values required to be masters of their own time.

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Please, cite this article as follows: Sánchez-Serrano, S. (2021). La Pedagogía del Caracol. Una rebelión a favor de la lentitud | Pedagogy of the Snail: A rebellion in favour of slowness. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 79 (279), 305-320. https://doi.org/10.22550/REP79-2-2021-03

Philosophy with children is an ambitious pedagogical project based on a structured meditation on the conditions that make it possible and the object and aims of the educational process. This article presents a systematized overview of the main features of Philosophy for Children (P4C), considering it to be a multifaceted and plural approach that, despite the different theorizations proposed, still possesses some basic common traits. Starting from a review of the academic literature on the topic, this article presents some of the main conceptual and practical limitations of P4C, in relation to its theoretical insight and its practical implementation. These are potentially damaging criticisms, which, if not given serious consideration, could invalidate this educational approach. After a critical discussion of the weak points of P4C, this article shows the need to reframe clearly the nature of educational practice in general and how philosophical reflection in particular can contribute to it. Accordingly, educational experience is thought to be a radical process of creation of shared meaning by a community of inquiry involved in a shared rational and emotional search for truth. Consequently, this article proves the profound value of this educational approach, which can foster a well-rounded education of people and their full integration into the social and cultural context, enabling them to enjoy a flourishing and authentic life.

 

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This is the English version of an article originally printed in Spanish in issue 275 of the revista española de pedagogía. For this reason, the abbreviation EV has been added to the page numbers.Please, cite this article as follows: Scotton, P. (2020). Pensar en común, vivir en plenitud. La experiencia de la filosofía para los niños y niñas | Thinking together, living fully. Experiencing philosophy with children. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 78 (275), 103-118. doi: https://doi.org/10.22550/REP78-1-2020-06

The introduction of the analytical method to the field of the philosophy of education led to a first golden age, which, as the method closed in on itself and isolated itself from educational reality, resulted in an epistemological and institutional crisis. In view of that crisis, the generations following that first period began a lively debate on how to move forward. This article, with the aim of considering the positions proposed, derives from this latter scenario. Its method is characterized by two basic elements. The first is a systematic review of all articles on philosophy of education by the main authors in the discipline. The second is a hermeneutic exercise that attempts to compose a unitary discourse combining the main sensitivities of all of them. This results in the identification of five notable groups that differ mainly in the relationship that philosophy of education must maintain with educational practice and, consequently, in how the philosopher’s exercise of education should be considered. This leads into a discussion about whether it is possible to consider all of these positions as integral parts of a whole that seeks to understand the phenomenon of education and improve it overall instead of regarding them as parts in themselves. If there is one reasonably clear conclusion, it is that it seems unlikely that a unifying perspective like the analytical one will reappear and that a dynamic of reciprocal dialogical relations is necessary as a new emerging paradigm.

 

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This is the English version of an article originally printed in Spanish in issue 272 of the revista española de pedagogía. For this reason, the abbreviation EV has been added to the page numbers. Please, cite this article as follows: Luque, D. (2019). Desarrollos interpretativos de la filosofía de la educación en la tradición anglófona: un intento de sistematización | Interpretive developments of the philosophy of education in the anglophone tradition: an attempt to systematise them. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 77 (272), 67-82. doi: https://doi.org/10.22550/REP77-1-2019-08