In several schools in Madrid a curious educational project based on cooperative or collaborative learning. This pedagogical approach puts the central axis in which children learn to live together and to be responsible through experiences usually linked to the world of adults as in the case of a theater or opera company.
The smallest are 6 year old boys and girls which, turned into "The Pirates of Ideas", form all a theater company, a working group with electricians, composers, set designers, producers, public relations, carpenters ...
At the end of the course, the objective is the representation of a work. Meanwhile, they will have learned math, language, natural, computer science ... and all subjects.
These little ones acquire the curricular knowledge and tools for everyday life by creating a play. Emotional intelligence, teamwork, problem solving ... are as important as theoretical content.
These children (6 years old) belong to a class at the Nuestra Señora de la Victoria public school in Villarejo de Salvanés (Madrid). Similar experiences are carried out in two other classes of other Madrid schools (Enrique Tierno Galván in Móstoles, 11 years old and El Quijote in Vallecas, 7 years).
It is a novel experience in Spain that aims to train critical children, with convictions and a lot of decision-making capacity in the classroom. Their parents agree that their children have matured a lot and have great capacity to express their opinions.
Great emotional openingIn short, it should be promoted not only from school but also, first of all, from home. In any case, it is an orientation that education, say "traditional" does not lose sight of and that many teachers try to implant, increasingly, to a greater or lesser extent, in the classroom.
Of course, some very interesting experiences to which I predict good future and new fields of application.
