A kindergarten student used to love cars. He talked about them with passion. As in every process within Lumiar, we try to understand the reason for the interest. Was it the design? Or, maybe, the noise? Or simply because it is a means of transportation? When we talked to the child, we discovered the real reason was different: his father worked with cars. So, he was actually interested in his father. At Lumiar, every moment is an opportunity to explore subjects that make the eyes of the little ones shine. This is how the projects that children work are born – their real interest in something.
When we say that every moment is an opportunity, it is because it is literally that. Sooner or later, the student will talk about what interests him. “We can pay attention to what they say at lunchtime, at snack time. What they are joking about, “says Graziela Miê, director of Lumiar in Santo Antônio do Pinhal.
Tools such as reading the world also help to increase children’s references and enable the tutor to realize what, in fact, is drawing their attention. In some situations, it is the role of tutors and teachers to encourage children to talk about their preferences. That is, ask about what they like and, from the answer, map the real interest – as was the case of the boy who loved cars, but, in fact, was really interested in his father.
From this diagnosis, the first proposal was to carry out a series of world readings that approached the family. Subsequently, a project was developed whose final product was the “Livro sobre mim” (Book about me). The work brings a little about the identity of each child, photos of the family, the house etc. In the meetings, each child told a little about family dynamics and about their own residence: where they were located, what room they liked the most, among other stories.
Interest and need for learning
Link students’ interests to their need to learn – this is the task of tutors when defining project themes, modules and workshops. If, on the one hand, students actually participate in the assembly of the activity schedule, on the other, educators are responsible for constructing a sequence of exploration that allows the acquisition of skills and abilities important for that stage of teaching.
“We can not leave our interests aside and think only about what is necessary, or just use what they bring as an interest and not consider the repertoire of what they need to develop,” explains Graziela.
Érico Soares and Flora, a F2 student at Lumiar São Paulo, reminds us of the difference to traditional teaching methods. “The power of choice makes a difference. In a traditional school, you want to learn about monkeys. But then there is no class on monkeys and you need to search outside the room. Here, if the majority wants and find this cool, we learn about monkeys and, at the same time, assimilate the other necessary contents, “he says.
That is, if students are interested in monkeys, the tutor and teacher can prepare content about the animal, also thinking about what skills need to be developed. In this context, they can work on relevant knowledge, depending on the age and timing of the children. The class, for example, may be more science-oriented, talking about the mammalian digestive system. Or about philosophy, talking about the similarity between monkeys and humans and the theory of evolution. Contents that work on the development of skills such as critical thinking and logical reasoning.