Idurre Gaztañazatorre: "I was surprised to see the level of participation allowed by the investigation processes carried out on a topic chosen by the children”
Idurre Gaztañazatorre: "I was surprised to see the level of participation allowed by the investigation processes carried out on a topic chosen by the children”
Idurre Gaztañazatorre: "I was surprised to see the level of participation allowed by the investigation processes carried out on a topic chosen by the children”
Idurre Gaztañazatorre earned a rating of Outstanding “cum laude” for her dissertation, entitled “Hezkuntzaren ikuspegi sozio-kulturalean oinarritutako ikaste-prozesuen karakterizazioa. Kasu baten azterketa: Arrankudiaga Herri Eskola” (“A characterization of learning processes based on the sociocultural perspective of education. A case study: Arrankudiaga Public School”). The defense of the dissertation was held in June on the Eskoriatza campus. We spoke with the author about her research.
On June 12, Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences researcher Idurre Gaztañazatorre (Durango, 1972) defended her dissertation, Hezkuntzaren ikuspegi sozio-kulturalean oinarritutako ikaste-prozesuen karakterizazioa. Kasu baten azterketa: Arrankudiaga Herri Eskola (A characterization of learning processes based on the sociocultural perspective of education. A case study: Arrankudiaga Public School), on the Eskoriatza campus. We spoke with Idurre Gaztañazatorre about her work, which earned a rating of Outstanding “cum laude”.
What is the main topic of your doctoral dissertation?
We understand the success and participation of all children from an inclusive perspective, to which the sociocultural framework responds. Thus, the purpose of this study was to conduct research, using this framework, on the teaching-learning processes involved in a child-centered school experience. In other words, the main objectives were to identify and become familiar with the interactions between students and teachers in the 2nd and 3rd grades of primary school at Arrankudiaga Public School, and to analyze and explain the processes of inquiry that arise, within a methodology based on community practices and projects.
You researched the projects. Were you clear about that from the beginning, or did the process lead you to delve into it?
We analyzed two complete projects from these two grades, as I mentioned, in order to identify, understand and explain the processes of inquiry that arise with the ways of organizing the activities in those projects in which they interact. It was clear to me from the beginning that I wanted to investigate what was happening in these classroom communities, how they carried out those teaching-learning processes to really make them child-centered, and to analyze how all the children worked together to accommodate all their ways of being, thinking, communicating, and understanding and interpreting the world, in interesting experiences that provided specific contexts in which to learn to interact. Therefore, our main objective was to analyze practices that respond to all children. And when I immersed myself in the research process, it led me to dig deeper, of course. I discovered a world that was more vivid than I expected.
You chose the Arrankudiaga Public School as the subject of your research. Why did you choose this case in particular?
I’m a member of the “Healthy Contexts for Living in Diversity” research group, which analyzes educational practices centered on people and researches schools that respond to the rights, needs and development of all children, focusing especially on those children who are or may be in a situation of exclusion. Group member and researcher Xabier Arregi wrote his dissertation on the characterization of the pedagogical model of the Antzuola Public School. In this model, which responds to all children, it was found that interactivity between children and teachers is key in order to understand the coexistence, development and transformation processes of children and the success of the model. Thus, the detailed analysis of these interactions was suggested as a line of future research. There are various schools working in this direction, taking the research done at the Antzuola Public School as a point of departure, and this work led me to study the practices of the Arrankudiaga school, which has a long (more than 20 years) history of experience with this sociocultural and constructive approach; that’s why we chose it.
How did you get along with the students and teachers of the Arrakundiaga Public School? What did they contribute to the research?
Their contribution to the research was huge. They were the protagonists, they opened the doors for me to enter that life-space and I became one of the group. I got along very well with the students and the teachers. The relationship came about naturally and I felt like I was part of the group: I really enjoyed going to class and recording for hours and hours, I learned with the children, I laughed, I got excited...
What are the main conclusions of your work?
One of the conclusions is that the learning opportunities available in these classroom communities depend on the sociocultural practices that take place there. The 17 identified sociocultural practices (with 55 different participation structures) are unique practices that show what pedagogical practices and principles exist in these communities: these practices coordinate the curriculum with the children’s role, their voices and their interests. It’s created based on the children’s voices and interests, so it’s constantly developing. Culture is understood to be a living product with which they develop several skills such as building a life-space and learning to live and learn together.
Also, all of this requires the teacher to take on the role of facilitator. The importance the teacher gives to communication and dialogue is remarkable. This provides contexts to focus on the child, rather than having a set teaching plan, because it adapts to the needs of the children, it prioritizes content based on their curiosity, and it guarantees the construction of knowledge in action through dialogue.
How was the experience of writing your dissertation?
It was a productive, intense and thorny process. A process that had many ups and downs, but looking back on it now, I would say I enjoyed it overall. The moments I enjoyed have stuck with me, especially the support, affection and endless involvement of family, friends, colleagues, schoolchildren and professionals that I had during the process. That’s what makes the process enjoyable, both personally and professionally. You need that network in the process, to be with you in that intense experience, and I was lucky to have that.
Were there any results that surprised you or that you didn’t expect?
I was amazed at the creation of this multitude of contexts and opportunities that ensure the participation, development and learning of all children. I was also surprised by the enormous vitality and coexistence that exist in these processes of inquiry in which children and teachers are immersed. And I was surprised to see how much participation the children bring to processes of inquiry based on a chosen topic: these are practices that guarantee child-centered teaching-learning processes.