Secondary schools that move: Interview with three institutes on reflective practice and innovation

Abstract

The reader will notice a great difficult for a school to be defined as "innovative". Professionals tend to be very cautious, but it is clear that the experiences and projects that we have been able to observe in recent years at Quatre Cantons's secondary school in Barcelona, Marta Mata's secondary school in Montornès and Sils's secondary school are very interesting. We can consider them innovators in many ways: they have projects and initiatives that are part of the basic principle of innovation, which is the constant reflection on one's own practice and the educational needs of a changing society and students. It should be noted that the answers are not of individual people but the effort has been made (which we greatly appreciate in the three schools) that the management teams were together as well as being able to be some counsellors from each school, who shared and answered together .

The questions are about the innovation in schools, some possible indicators and future perspectives of the educational function of secondary schools. In addition to the interesting answers, at the end of the questionnaire a summary of some of possible indicators that we consider that innovation can be stimulated are summarized in a table.

Actually, as you can see, the effort has been worthwhile and the content of the answers and reflections will not leave you indifferent, as well as being very useful for schools that want to change practices and find new ways and answers to changing needs . Behind each answer we find paradigms of backgrounds and very clearly defined strategies that confront the necessary theory and the practice of these three schools. Explaining change processes that leave no one indifferent to any professional. All of this invites us to continue reflecting and it is clear that when there are "moving" centers, there are also positive coincidences towards success and innovation in education, from different perspectives and realities, one of which Inclusion can not be disassociated from innovation. In fact, innovation can not be conceived, from an advanced psychopedagogy and society, without the necessary educational inclusion. Future perspectives of the educational function of high school are related to deepen into an inclusive response.