16.08.2021

“Café & Educação” talks about Guidance classes

By Ana Luiza Pereira

In the first Café & Educação of the second semester of 2021, the Student Well-Being Center coordinator and Guidance teacher of Elementary School, Ana Luiza Pereira, presented the work accomplished in her classes, as well as the curriculum proposal to work on socio-emotional skills and ethical coexistence in the school environment. Besides Ana Luiza, the meeting also had the collaboration of teacher Denise Max, responsible for these classes in Middle School.

The educators highlighted the alignment of the mission and values that guide educational processes at Beacon with the profile of IB schools. In addition, they reinforced their work together with the advisory services of Convivere +, aiming at the integral formation of all members of the school community – teachers, managers, employees and families. Finally, they highlighted the relevance of the debate and work with socio-emotional skills and their presence in the competences of the BNCC (Common National Curriculum Base), a guiding document for Brazilian education.

Ana Luiza presented evidence-based research on the impact that working with socio-emotional skills has on the learning of children and adolescents. To this end, she mentioned the North American organization that is a reference in the area, CASEL, and the five competences mapped by the institution: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making and relationship skills.

As a mission, Guidance classes aim to promote a safe space for critical debate, encourage discussions so students can make decisions more consciously, work on building an ethical coexistence, encourage personal well-being and promote the improvement of the school climate. Furthermore, the theoretical foundation for these meetings is essential for presenting scientific facts, based on evidence and an approach through the lens of human rights.

Therefore, Guidance classes are configured in moments permeated with empathic listening, which favors the construction of bonds and part of a flexible, reflective and dialogic planning. Thus, the content is presented in a meaningful, welcoming way, promoting discussions to resolve collective issues and a space for reflection for personal issues. It is noteworthy that the curriculum for these classes is done in a spiral, so that the themes can be resumed over the years, respecting the cognitive and emotional development of each age group. 

Finally, Ana Luiza presented the didactic strategies for these moments, such as conversation circles, books and articles as triggers, discussion of hypothetical situations, videos and games, group dynamics, research in small groups and a question box. The intentional format of choice of themes and didactic strategies stands out, whether in previously proposed subjects or those that arise during the semester in each group.