Susana Rojas Pernia

La voz del alumnado en la mejora escolar: niños y niñas como investigadores en Educación Primaria

This work aims to document part of the research that we have been carrying out at the University of Cantabria with different schools from autonomous region. In this research student voice is being used as the basis upon to boost school improvement. We propose to compile the genesis and development of three research projects led by pupils from the two classes in two Primary Schools. Such projects have in common the possibility of improving aspects that are relevant for the pupils and affect their lives in and outside the classrooms, in their relationships and/or in their personal development. An especially interesting part of the description of our research lies in the way in which we approach the schools, the relationship we establish with the professionals in the schools, and our backing for advancing towards a school model that is inclusive, democratic and participative.

Growing Student Voice in Curriculum Decisions at the University.

This paper is a result of the development of the R+D Project Schools that are moving towards inclusive education: working with the local community, the student voice and educational support for promoting change in conjunction with the Innovation Project Building Bridges. An Educational Innovation Project in the European Higher Education Area which has been developed in the University of Cantabria (Spain). The main objective of this project is to put into practice teaching methodology which reflects the inclusive principle of collaboration, with the aim of widening student participation as agents in the development of the curriculum (Seale, 2010). The initiative is being developed over two academic years 2013/14 and 2014/15 in two subjects in Primary Education teacher training. One hundred and eighty-six students together with their teachers are taking part in the project. The project has been organised in two phases. In the first phase, students from the two participating groups chose different materials and resources for teaching three major topics in schools: collaboration, the feeling of belonging and respect for differences. In the second phase, some of the students from both subjects, together with their University teachers, established a Resource Guide which could be considered as one of the main results of this project. Furthermore, the latter required sustained commitment over time (8 months). Similarly other collaborative values, which will be discussed in further detail, can be found in this work. These are: the connection between training and the real needs of schools (Zeichner, 2010), the projection of work carried out towards the future given that this will be shared with students from subsequent courses or the proposal of collaboration with the material and tangible objective of practical use aimed at inclusive education. Lastly, the project has been evaluated by the participants based on in-depth interviews. In this summary, it can be seen that students have emphasised the value of this project as a way of enabling them to experience new teaching methodologies which promote a realistic connection between what is studied in the classroom with actual practice in schools. Introduction This paper is the result of the joint development of two projects: the first being ‘Schools that are moving towards inclusive education: working with the local community, the student voice and educational support for promoting change’, an R+D+i Project; and the second ‘Building bridges. An Educational innovation project in the European Higher Education Space’, approved in the University of Cantabria’s 2nd Call for Innovation in Teaching.

Necesidades afectivo-sexuales en personas con discapacidad intelectual. Claves para construir propuestas formativas desde la experiencia subjetiva

This work aims to present the affective and sexual needs experienced by a group of persons with intellectual disabilities. Through a semi-structured interview, which covers different vital areas, 16 persons share their knowledge and experiences about relationships and intimacy. Their coded accounts show three major needs illustrated throughout the text: the search for the other for sharing of emotional and affective intimacy, the need to expand their knowledge on sexual issues of interpersonal and relational character and the need for communication spaces aimed at the presentation of doubts and the seeking of support. The results of the analysis suggest a revision of the emotional and sexual education, based mostly on risk prevention, highlighting the importance of formulating educational proposals that are based on their interests and concerns and that recognize their right to a successful sexuality and intimacy.