We Brazilians are used to the traditional education model. This is because children sitting in rows, the teacher as the center of education and formal tests and assessments, for a long time were the only reality in the country.
However, for a long time, several pedagogues and theorists have been engaged in finding new forms of education. In recent decades, mainly from the 1970s and 1980s onwards, this trend has gained notoriety among Brazilian institutions. Today, virtually all states have alternatives to traditional schools.
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Early childhood education is a fundamental stage in the formation of all individuals, which is why it must be taken very seriously. When enrolling, it is necessary to consider, in addition to the child's development, whether the school's proposal is aligned with family values and beliefs.
What differentiates each of them is basically the way they approach teaching, the role of the student and the teachers. Below, we list some of the models already adopted in Brazil and others that are starting to arrive here.
Traditional School
Much questioned in recent times, but still predominant in Brazil, traditional schools were created in the 18th century in Europe. In it, the teaching model and assessment are standardized. The teacher, as a transmitter of knowledge, is seen as the main figure in the classroom.
Learning aims at accumulating the greatest possible amount of information for college entrance exams and entering universities. Thus, for the student to be able to be a critical and questioning person, he must necessarily have a base of concrete knowledge.
For this, from early childhood, a lot is required of students, which can lead to a series of problems, such as exhaustion, stress, depression and other emotional problems. Although new alternatives have emerged, they are still the most sought after.
Freiriana School
Based on the concepts of the Brazilian philosopher, educator and pedagogue, Paulo Freire, this pedagogy takes into account the human, social and cultural aspects of the students. Some of the principles defended are respect, tolerance, curiosity and humility. The Freiriana school does not provide for tests, although students can be evaluated.
According to Freire, knowledge needs to make sense for the student, thus transforming him into a subject capable of understanding and transforming the world. Precisely for this reason, one of its main characteristics is to listen to the student, so that he can be understood
Paulo Freire harshly criticized the idea that teaching is transmitting knowledge, since the teacher's mission is to enable the production of knowledge to be done by the student himself. In this sense, the educator's role is directive and informative, without ceasing to exercise his authority.
Constructivist School
The Constructivist school is based on the theories of the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. Currently, it is the most widespread alternative method in Brazil. It focuses on learning as construction, so that children understand the world through assimilation, always having reality as a reference, that is, prior knowledge is used to understand new contents.
In these schools, students are placed in situations where students are encouraged to think about solutions to proposed problems. The intention is to make people create new ones, instead of just reproducing what has already been done. Another objective is to provide critical training, therefore, teachers must guide students in relation to autonomous learning, that is, they are considered facilitators.
Constructivist schools do not have a very rigid curriculum, although there are tests and failures. The students' learning time is treated individually and group work is valued.
Waldorf School
Waldorf pedagogy was conceived by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner and takes its name because its first students worked at the German Waldorf Astoria factory. Its main objective is to form a safe and balanced adult.
It seeks to establish a balance between the cognitive aspects and the learning of handicrafts, arts and crafts. and bodily activities, which enables, simultaneously, the physical, social and individual development of the child
Instead of the traditional division into grades, students are separated by age group. There is no disapproval, since the thesis is defended that the biological development of each individual has a unique time. They study with the same class and with the same teacher from 7 to 14 years old.
Although there are tests and tests, students are evaluated through the execution of work, behavior, commitment and difficulty that the student has with that content. In addition to the mandatory disciplines, it is common to have gardening, crochet and knitting, handicrafts, meteorology, carpentry, gymnastics, theater and astronomy classes.
Montessori School
The Montessorian school was created by the Italian physician and pedagogue Maria Montessori. According to this methodology, children must make discoveries through experiences, practice and observation, that is, they must seek their self-training.
The focus is on the students, always taking into account that each person has their own learning pace. It is up to the educator to propose motor and sensory activities and remove obstacles to learning, always guiding and guiding students. This process provides the development of independent, confident, creative and initiative individuals.
The classes are small, and there are usually children of all ages in the classes. During the period that she devoted herself to education, Maria Montessori developed a series of materials, which are still used in Montessori schools today. They may or may not have the application of tests, depending on the school itself.
Behavioralist School
Here, the objective is to mold the student to social needs, making them have desired behaviors, from stimuli that are rewarded when the objective is achieved. Teachers control students' time and responses, giving constant feedback.
This makes it possible for student performance to be fully measured. Another point to be emphasized is that teaching and teaching materials are rigorously planned and controlled. Assessments are made through tests and satisfactory results are rewarded.
Other models of alternative schools
In addition to the methodologies presented above, there are numerous models around the world. Learn more about some different types of school and education:
- Socio-constructivist school – a strand of constructivist, is based on the ideas of Belarusian Lev Vygotsky. According to him, knowledge is acquired from interpersonal relationships, that is, that students learn from relationships with social groups, other students, teachers and experiences.
- Progressive-Humanist School – another strand of constructivism, the focus is to work with the child as a focus on the progression of their knowledge, valuing the differences and individualities of each one.
- Pikler School – is also constructivist and emerged as a response to traditional teaching. It is especially aimed at the autonomy of babies and children from 0 to 3 years old.
- How-to-live school – was created by Indian yogic master Paramahansa Yogananda and is based on the principles of this philosophy. Education is focused on peace, focusing on the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical development of children.
- Democratic School – based on libertarian pedagogy, where students are the center of the educational process, while teachers facilitate knowledge. It always employs concepts of democracy and citizenship.
How to choose the best type of school?
First of all, it is necessary to take into account that there is no correct answer to this question. Here, one should take into account what the family's expectations are and which models best fit what is expected for the education of children.
It's also important to observe the signs that little ones give to parents and family members. If they feel happy and excited about going to school, they show significant development, a good pace of learning and positive things are said, are some of the signs to know if the school was hit.
When enrolling children, it is important to align expectations in relation to the school, to observe and learn about in-depth how these concepts are worked on in practice and how activities will be developed throughout the year academic.