The current location in Villaperez (rural area of the municipality of Oviedo) requires a very high investment in transformation works to be adapted to the necessary requirements for homologation. Therefore, we have opted for a change of location within the municipality of Oviedo, to continue to consolidate this project of innovation and deep educational renovation that was started on aforementioned location.
The new space is located on the slope of emblematic Mount Naranco (cradle of some of the main jewels of pre- Romanesque art). The floor destined for this purpose counts with a series of internal ramps, and a speciffic division of the space that needs to be reconditioned to be used as a school.
Having said this, both the location and the structural and technical conditions of the building only require adapting works of "medium" magnitude, and not those of enormous scale required in the space in which we have been these past years. In addition to this, the new space, much better communicated with the city through several urban bus lines, counts with required conditions to open activities and spaces to build educational relationships with the community. All of it, thus, generates ideal conditions to, we believe, help the project grow and have more social presence.
The change to the new space requires a series of adaptation works, besides the transfer of all the pedagogical material, and the materials used to take care of the Quinta´l Texu (cleaning, gardening, maintenance). We would also need to do some small works in the space that we are leaving, to return it to their owners with the same initial distribution, as a home, that the Quinta had before modifications were made to convert it into a school.
Although most of the works will be completed by the families of the cooperative, the minimum costs of materials and payment to professionals for some of the alterations that cannot be performed by us, reach up to 17,000 euros, which would allow us to face the basic conditioning works needed.
The indispensable modification works that would give us access to a possible homologation consist on elevation of some partitions to redistribute the spaces, putting some doors in these new rooms, adapting the bathrooms and their accesses (mainly those in the pre-school area), demolition of some walls and waste disposal (both in the old space and in the new one), installation of lighting points in the spaces of new creation, painting of interior rooms, closure of outdoor spaces and adapting the green area and orchard.
Another important, but one-time expense that the access and development of the project in the new location implies, is a down-payment of 20,000 euros to be paid to the owner of the building. This disbursement will only need to be faced this year, but it is, together with the renovation works, the main extra cost (excluding those of regular functioning) to be covered in order to fulfill the project of "transplanting the Texu".
Economic aid in these two areas would provide the necessary push for the project to continue developing in the most autonomous way possible, once this exceptional scenario, that implies moving and performing conditioning works for homologation, is solved.
Description of the project. Main features, strengths and differentials.
*CHARACTERISTICS
As a family cooperative:
-
Families commitment to the development of children and active non-directive pedagogy.
-
The vision that education is a universal asset, which has an enormous, diverse and rich tradition of pedagogical tendencies, that must be cared for and developed with the participation of the families.
-
The permanent training/education of the families themselves, not only as part of their own learning process, but as creators of creative, healthy educational environments in continuous development.
-
Generators of educational contexts, together with the companions, for the construction of a common good, an integral education by the whole “tribe"; that can influence the improvement of the society in which we live.
-
Sharing the discoveries, developments, activities, trainings, resources, spaces, projects and cultural, social and educational events, with the community, spreading each one of them through social networks and inviting those who wish to participate in these actions and resources.
-
From a perspective that leaves aside the profit-making, which is non-commercial, solidarity-based and committed to the common good, cultural and functional diversity, the care of nature, and the environment.
As a school of active non-directive pedagogy:
Our philosophy is based on the accompaniment of children from a series of motivations, fundamentals and objectives, facilitating educational development which is respectful with the child, the environment and the community:
- Respect each person, their individuality; the time they need to perform their own actions; have full confidence in the child and their capabilities; active listening of different languages and forms of communication; emotional education; autonomy or ability to do things by themselves without the need for constant supervision and assistance of an adult; freedom to choose what initiatives to carry out; play as the engine for learning. An integral vision of education. The principle of reality that brings learnings from situations of each child’s everyday life; non-separation by age group; prepared physically and emotionally safe environments, which respond to the real needs of the child.
Limits are established both by the characteristics of the different spaces that are part of La Quinta´l Texu, and by the basic rules for organization and coexistence that are considered necessary within the established framework of
reference, with which children can grow and live in a physically, affectionately and emotionally relaxed and safe environment.
-
Education in values, emphasizing environmental education, and including equality between men and women, health, peace, interculturality...
-
Inclusion as the engine of our project, aiming to respond to the diversity of needs of all the members of the school.
OBJETIVES
-
Place the child at the center of their own learning, respecting their own rhythm, interests, needs and individual maturing processes.
-
Give children a voice, listening at all times to what they have to say and putting their needs as the foundation of the project.
-
Promote communication and affection as an essential element of the school and as a tool for conflict resolution, and offer tools to communicate in a more effective way with each other.
-
Promote a climate of democratic coexistence, in which tolerance, acceptance of others’ point of view and diversity are values that become our fundamental pillars.
-
Promote teacher training in active pedagogy and educational innovation. Become a reference center to be taken as a model of good practices.
Why this is important
We believe that this joint project will allow society to benefit from children who are sensitive to human and environmental needs, with more flexible perspectives, creative, resourceful and highly motivated, to contribute to change and promote a freer, egalitarian society with an advanced well-being.
This comes hand in hand with the growing social demand for more cooperative educative models and multidisciplinary learning. In Asturias, this project covers a growing demand that needs of a great push and diffusion.
For all these reasons, our project is aimed at:
- Families who already belong to the school and who wish to continue with the project and pursue its growth.
- Families that seek an education change and decide to support our project or would like to be part of it through extracurricular activities, family entertainment, etc.
- Educators and health, social and pedagogical professionals who wish to be trained in these disciplines and pedagogical theories, through the school´s companions and the professionals who collaborate with us.
- Public and private entities who are interested in changing our society through education, through their participation in our program Acercándonos (specific program through which we are investigating and developing activities that provide answers to the questions raised above about the application of pedagogical tools to work with elderly people, with the youth in our neighborhoods, with municipal technicians on their various programs...) and in activities designed, lived, accompanied or supervised in our space.
- Associations and communities which are willing to generate and learn interpersonal dynamics that can enrich working groups, strengthen social networks and make more professional ideas and educational and social strategies to achieve a positive and balanced social performance.
- Future teachers who would like to discover different types of pedagogies through traineeships with the school, practicing and observing sessions, university agreements...
Team and experience
Families
Families have a very important role in the development of our school. They not only are the creators and drivers of this project but also collaborate with its maintenance and sustainability.
Teaching Staff:
Laura
Is one of the founders of the school, and has a double role as mother of one of our students and companion. Laura has a degree in Pedagogy, she is a school counselor and one of the companions at La Quinta´l Texu. She specializes in mediation (intercultural, educational and family mediation). She has education on active pedagogy (Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Pickle,...), emotional accompaniment and active listening, and in neuropsychology.
Together with our team of educators, she followed the course on Self-Taught Education, level 1, imparted by the NEC Foundation. She is also a certified family educator in positive discipline. Laura has developed and is responsible for the project "Acercándonos (getting closer)" from La Quinta´l Texu.
Carlos
Graduated as a Primary Education Teacher from Universidad Complutense, he worked in the field of social education with teenagers. Later, he joined Colegio Gredos San Diego in Madrid for two years, where he had the opportunity to discover cooperative learning.
After being formed as an expert in migration and co-development, he travelled through Argentina for a while, collaborating with social projects. From there, he jumps on a plane to Mexico to work at Ecomundi school, where he encounters, experiments and starts his training to become a Montessori guide. He then returned to Madrid where he graduated in teaching with English from Camilo José Cela University. He is a member of the team of companions since the academic year 2014/15, focused on our Primary Education offer. He is in constant training, with the NEC Foundation (Self-Taught Education, Level 1), on manipulative mathematics, storytelling...
Moreover, he is currently studying to become a Montessori guide at Instituto Montessori Canela International.
Cecilia
Who graduated in teaching from the University of Buenos Aires (degree homologated by the University of Oviedo), is a companion in our pre-school section since the academic year 2015/16. She also holds the position of school master since 2017/18. She has experience in several projects on pre-school education, both in the segment of ages 0 to 3 and in that of 3 to 6 y.o. In addition to this, she has background as educational partner and in teacher training. She attended the course in in Self-Taught Education, Level 1 with the NEC Foundation and has studied pedagogical innovation; design of learning spaces; artistic installations and progressive art and musical experimentation and integration with other languages with Irene Fernandez (Createctura). She has also joind courses on spaces and natural resources imparted by Amadahi, and has participated in the training on facilitation and collective processes taught by Mabel Cañada.
Ivan
Joined the school as a companion in our Primary Education section in February 2018 and, only after a week, his colleagues, children and families felt as if he had always been a part of la Quinta´l Texu. He has a Diploma in Teaching, specializing in Physical Education from Oviedo University. He has 15 years of experience in the field of education in different schools and has participated as a speaker in two conferences on educational innovation,
presenting the projects: "The Upside Down Classroom" and "Orchards of
Cemen". He has undergone training in cooperative learning, and he has participated in the Self-Taught Education course, Level 1 organized by the NEC Foundation. He also attended the Waldorf Pedagogy and Humanistic-Artistic
Training held at the Micael free-school (Las Rozas, Madrid).
