school times

3 September 2020

This article emphasises the characterisation of time as a human social and cultural construct, while not neglecting other perceptions and representations of it. Reflections on the nature and scope of time have always interested the sciences, as a time of times, fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue which calls to all branches of knowledge including the educational sciences and, in particular pedagogy, as they accept the challenge of educating us about time as a civic task in which all of civil society must participate.

This piece, which takes the form of an essay bringing together different documentary sources, proposes two main objectives: a) to identify and integrate a wide set of epistemological, theoretical-conceptual, methodological, and empirical viewpoints used in studies of time; and b) to affirm and assert the importance of time in educational and social research, educational policies, and people’s everyday lives, projecting their achievements into conceptions and practices that extend learning to the entire life cycle.

Time educates and we educate ourselves in it, and so it is necessary to rethink — pedagogically and socially — its meanings in a society that is open 24 hours a day and is symbolically and materially globalised. The complexity inherent in processes of social, cultural, technological, economic, etc. change and transformation presents us with the challenge of imagining an education without spatial or temporal limits. It also forces us to broaden its horizons as a right in the service of the people and the planet. This is stated in the Sustainable Development Goals and in their framework of action, in an attempt to guarantee quality inclusive, and equitable education that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all. Paradoxically, in their goals, strategic approaches, means of implementation, and indicators, time is absent, unlike space and communication.


Please, cite this article as follows: Caride, J. A. (2020). Educar y educarnos a tiempo, pedagógica y socialmente | To educate and educate ourselves in time, pedagogically and socially. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 78 (277), 395-413. doi: https://doi.org/10.22550/REP78-3-2020-03