From birth, the child has a natural curiosity that develops, at the same time that he understands and gives meaning to his surroundings, in a context of social interaction and a process of cultural humanization. Recognizing the child as a competent being, with their skills and knowledge, is to value them as a protagonist, as the main promoter of their development.

The child's right to participate in the construction of their development and learning and their valorization as a competent being, with their own abilities, knowledge and skills, also results from the recognition given to them by the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this document they are recognized, among others, the right to be consulted and heard, to have access to information, to freedom of expression, of opinion and to make decisions for their benefit.

 

With a view to ensuring the effective involvement of the child in the educational process itself, we seek to give greater importance to dialogue in the construction of curricular learning and in the democratic socialization of children, promoting the possibility and the right of children and young people to have the opportunity to express their ideas and opinions and see their participation considered and guaranteed throughout the educational process.

 

We place our school motto in the sense of guaranteeing and valuing the voice of children and young people in the organization of the school institution and in its learning process.

We believe that by promoting a relational and reassuring environment, in which the child is valued, respected and listened to, we contribute to their well-being and self-esteem, thus fostering the construction of their identity. The awareness of oneself, as an active subject, who has an opinion and who is accepted by everyone in the acquisition of their own knowledge, passes through the participation and involvement that, by us, are guaranteed.

 

We assume ourselves as an institution that favors a space for the realization of children's rights. A space where they feel listened to, respected and where they can assert themselves as social actors, a space where they have adults who negotiate with them.

The education institution, more than ever, assumes a fundamental role in the development of a critical education that is based on active participation, discussion and dialogue, based on the principle learning democracy through the practice of participation, and that includes young children.

 

As an educational institution that privileges the active participation of children and the right to play, we believe that when they are free to participate and choose, it is through play that they explore the world around them. Therefore, as a school, we intend to guarantee the presupposition enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in article 31, that playing is a right.

 

We assume, in our school, that playing is not limited to the playground, but playing as a learning and development strategy within the school time.

The active participation of children in society depends directly on how the community looks at their opinion, participation and voice. In particular, schools play a central role in the consideration they have in listening to the interests and opinions of children and young people.

 

Assuming that we grow and learn to think with each other, the school emerges as the privileged context for the construction of a reflexive identity through the use of voice, which allows us to interact, argue, negotiate and build ourselves as citizens.

 

The school has a duty to promote the learning of democratic citizenship and enhance the development of thinking, critical, confident and active children in today's world.

 

We believe that this look and this know-how is not restricted to the school space, on the contrary, it is built and added with families, services and partners outside doors, in a unified construction.

 

There is at the moment one group in the Nursery ( Berçário) , and the school says about this years that: “We arrived at the nursery with only a few months, but the desire to explore and look at the world around us is already inscribed in us. The desire to face smiles, to cuddle in the lap, to listen to the other, to learn to be with those who welcome us with open arms, is already great! It is in this lap that, guaranteed safety and dry some tears, we are able to make the first conquests, overcome obstacles and, above all, create happy relationships. We have the right to participate, to communicate to others our news - even if the essential vehicle is not always oral language - and to take a leading role in the learning process.”

After the nursery there are the groups of kids between 2 and 3 years old, that is called “Creche”, at the moment there are 3 groups in the Creche age. The school says about this years that: “The Creche is the place where the learning that we all hear about at the beginning of the child’s life is developed. In the nursery the child takes the first steps, walks in imbalance, holds to the nearest object, recovers the path. In the nursery the first words are said, the first alone food is eaten, the first conscious contact with routine is made, the first relations between peers are created, the first conflicts arise, the first wants are heard. In daycare we see great leaps in the development of the child. “

After this starts the kindergarden, from 3 years old until 6, and at the moment In the school there are 3 groups of children in it. “In kindergarten rooms the day begins around a table, where conversations take place, ideas and opinions are shared, as well as the day that has just begun is being prepared. After this moment, which is called the "morning meeting", an entire day takes place based on the opportunity for each child to participate actively and in society in an environment of discovery of the world in constant sharing and growth.”

The last institutional education present in this school is the primary school, that are defined by the school in this terms: “In our school there are three 1st to 4th year classes that work in cooperation. In this way, cooperative learning allows students to become aware of their common destiny: the success of one is the success of all. The groups have a Weekly Agenda that guides the whole work. This agenda includes several moments of collective and individual work that are detailed below.”

 

Folque, M. A., Bettencourt, M., & Ricardo, M. (2015). A prática educativa na creche e o modelo pedagógico do MEM. Escola moderna, 3(6), 13-34.

 

Niza, S. (1987). O movimento da escola moderna. Cadernos de Educação e de Infância, (1).

 

Rebelo, S. C. A. (2019). Participação pela" voz das crianças": multiplicidade de atividades em simultâneo de forma autónoma (Doctoral dissertation, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa).

Unicef. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child.