Crafting Learning Experiences From Girls' and Boys' Voices During the Pandemic in Mexico

• In Event: COVID-19 and Mexican Elementary Education: Analysis, Alternatives, and Lessons Learned From the Pandemic

Abstract

In this presentation, I will discuss through the mosaic approach method (Clark and Moss, 2001) the significant experiences and learning processes of girls and boys from three to twelve years old who attended a national virtual call of the Pedagogías diversas project of the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City. The impact of the pandemic on girls and boys and the schools communities has yet to be known. From the educational or health consequences caused by COVID-19 to the emotional and well-being states that children had to endure. Also, the lack of physical and social contact has changed how children interact. So, it will be essential to know the effects on the teaching-learning processes since they have been modified due to the confinements and closures of educational centres and interaction between people. Although girls and boys could change through Information and Telecommunications Technologies (ICT) in their daily academic activities, it is inferred that diverse incidents have occurred within a family-school-student relationship. Some are not entirely positive but imply a challenge to improve existing teaching-learning approaches and techniques and to develop innovative educational frameworks. For this research, we used the mosaic method, which uses various methodological tools such as observation and interviews with other participation techniques (Clarks, 2005). It includes multi-method, participatory and reflective perspectives focusing on children's experiences, which should be embedded in practice (Clark, 2008; Clark, 2005). The multi-method element allows girls and boys to express their perceptions of the world, recognizing its innumerable ways of perceiving their learning experiences. The mosaic method approach was the qualitative research framework that allowed us to craft their voices through a drawing, storytelling or photography that had to contain a written experience and meaning of this work. The participants have to represent some experience where they experienced a significant learning moment during the pandemic. The approach was pertinent to this research project because it involved listening, interpreting, constructing meanings and responding in a reflective process in which the child and the carer are part; in this sense, some parents participated in this project. This participation highlights the relevance of family or caregivers' participation in the teaching-learning process during the pandemic in the Mexican educational context. Also, girls and boys have the opportunities to be school and social agents aware of their academic and social needs. Furthermore, from these shared experiences, we realize that children are aware of socioemotional learning, the importance of caring, game-based learning, and socialization, among other incidents.

Author

• Manuel López-Pereyra
  Presenting Author