“There is no planet B” has been the title of the final project carried out by the students of TSEI (Higher Technician in Early Childhood Education) of the Lope de Vega International School in this 2022-23 course.
March 2nd was a big day for the 2nd-year TSEI students as they presented their end-of-cycle project to their most demanding audience: the preschool children at the school. This year, the students decided that their final project would focus on sustainability, a highly relevant and cross-curricular topic in early childhood education.
Real projects
One of the great advantages that TSEI students have when studying at Lope de Vega International School is the opportunity to collaborate on real-world projects developed in the school's Early Years department during their training. Thus, on this occasion, their final project—an extensive journey through different environments exploring the protection and conservation of the marine environment, the importance of the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), the conservation of the environment and its inhabitants, and so on—was enjoyed by the Early Years students who were studying the same topic in their curriculum. Furthermore, the TSEI students were able to receive feedback not only from their own teachers but also from the Early Years teachers.
Sustainability in education
Sustainability is a hot topic not only in education but in every aspect of life, as it is the concept that encompasses the new social contract proposed by the UN to transform the world. This contract includes the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN in 2015, as a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Sustainability was the central theme of the final project for the 2nd year TSEI students, but it also integrated other skills and knowledge such as natural sciences, mathematical logic, communication, health and well-being…
TSEI training cycle competencies
In this final project, the students of the Higher Technician in Early Childhood Education training cycle were able to apply many of the skills they had acquired during a year and a half, before embarking on their final internship period:
- To program, design, and implement activities and projects of educational intervention and social care with childhood.
- Use resources and procedures to meet the needs of the little ones.
- Acting in the face of unforeseen events and emergencies, conveying security and confidence.
- Keep fluid relationships with the boys and girls.
- Manage the cultural diversity and provide solutions to any conflicts that may arise.
- Learn to utilize all existing resources for professional activity and knowing how to update them for lifelong learning.
