Karen Toro

Freelance photographer
     
Alternative education in pandemic
Location: Quito, Ecuador
Nationality: Ecuadorian
Biography: Quito, 1990. My work in the artistic and photographic field is related to issues of human rights, migration, education and gender. My labour is based on the belief in the social importance of photography as a way to relate, make visible and... MORE
Public Story
Alternative education in pandemic
Copyright Karen Toro 2024
Date of Work May 2020 - Jul 2020
Updated Aug 2021
Location Quito, Ecuador
Topics Documentary, Education, Epidemics, Essays, Feature, Photography, Photojournalism, Spotlight

Free, Waldorf, constructivist and non-directive pedagogies are some of the methodologies adopted by schools building an alternative to traditional education in Ecuador.
In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, accompaniment and support to families has been crucial in this educational community. More than a year after the beginning of the pandemic, the classes remain virtual.
These schools promote a strong sense of community, the importance of affective and social bonds, the emotional development and autonomy of children, learning from meaningful experiences; all these aspects have been strongly affected in the context of the health emergency that forces social isolation. Despite the difficulty in sustaining teachers' salaries (since most families are severely affected economically), the closure of physical spaces, the challenge for parents who feel the need to replicate a constructivist and free education at home, the frustration of students when trying to sustain learning and bonds virtually; schools maintain the accompaniment and training to families. This work shows the challenges faced by these educational communities and the initiatives they have built to sustain the education of their students.
These schools promote a dignified and happy present for their students, trusting that they will generate peace in the future thanks to their education.

* This work was made possible thanks to the National Geographic Society's Emergency Fund for Journalists and was part of Fluxus Foto's collective project "Education through WhatsApp".
Pedagogías libres, Waldorf, constructivistas y no directivas son algunas de las metodologías que adoptan las escuelas que construyen una alternativa a la educación tradicional.  
En el contexto de la pandemia por el Covid-19 el acompañamiento y apoyo a las familias ha sido crucial en esta comunidad educativa.  
En estas escuelas se promueven fuertes sentidos de comunidad, la importancia de los vínculos afectivos y sociales, el desarrollo emocional y autonomía de los niños, aprendizaje desde experiencias significativas; todos estos aspectos se han visto fuertemente afectados en el contexto de la emergencia sanitaria que obliga al aislamiento social. A pesar de la dificultad para sostener los salarios de docentes (ya que la mayoría de familias se encuentran gravemente afectadas económicamente), el cierre de los espacios físicos, el desafío para los padres que sienten la necesidad de replicar una educación constructivista y libre en el hogar, la frustración de los estudiantes al tratar de sostener aprendizajes y vínculos de manera virtual; las escuelas mantienen el acompañamiento y formación a las familias. Este trabajo muestra los desafíos a los que se enfrentan estas comunidades educativas y las iniciativas que han construido para sostener la educación de sus estudiantes.
Estas escuelas promueven un presente digno y feliz para sus estudiantes confiando en que ellos generen paz en el futuro gracias a su educación.

* Este trabajo fue realizado gracias al Fondo de Emergencia para periodistas de National Geographic Society y es parte del proyecto colectivo "Educación por WhatsApp" de Fluxus Foto.
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