“Students will receive material that they don’t often see, especially in rural classrooms”

“Norte de Santander is a region that is doubly affected: by migration and armed conflict. This generates emotional tensions that are reflected in the classrooms and that affect the work of teachers and teaching directors. For this reason, counting on La Aldea is providing them with a useful, easy and fun tool that allows them to bring emotionally healthy discussions to the classroom, and also be able to involve families in some class content.

La Aldea has been very well received in all the educational institutions where we have worked in Cúcuta and other municipalities in the metropolitan area. For this reason, we also evaluated the possibility of focusing La Aldea on educational institutions where the children have suffered from displacement; either their families, the boys and girls themselves or some displacement nearby.

Regarding training, La Aldea offers teachers a very friendly guidance; the sessions are close and pleasant conversational encounters for them. And this is felt even from the name of the training sessions: “A coffee with La Aldea”. They are spaces where teachers open up emotionally; socio-emotional aspects are worked on so that they can then work on them in the classroom with the students.

In addition, students will receive material that they don’t often see. Especially in the case of rural classrooms… These libraries are not as well equipped as in urban area. This is a very good quality material that reaches both children in rural areas and children in urban areas. It also has some very striking features: it has stickers, it has a poster, a separator, a cardboard paw so that boys and girls can ask permission to speak, and these things are very attractive. If they allow students to feel that the book is not just study material, but also play material, then they bond favorably with it and that allows them to make it part of their lives”.

Interview with Jorge Rangel
UNICEF Education in Emergencies Professional

“La Aldea is a tool that allows us teachers to implement another way of motivating reading. In addition, boys and girls learn to build challenges and find solutions to everyday things. It allows us to reinforce knowledge and gives us the possibility of working in a different and educational way. I think it is a book that impacts us all. Both the students and us teachers.

Julieth Villamizar Daza, Spanish and social teacher at the Puerto Santander School (N. de Santander, border with Venezuela)

La Aldea is very beautiful. Boys and girls like it because it keeps them active and creative. The book and the stories of La Aldea are acted out by animals that live together in a space that, in real life, could be our neighborhood, the municipality, the department, Colombia or the world. The stories represent what we are living now. In addition, the text is very transversal, since practically all areas can be worked through.

Alirio Reyes Beltrán, coordinator of the San José del Trigal Educational Institution (Cúcuta)

Since we implemented La Aldea in the institution, the attitude of the students has been one of motivation. They are always willing to participate because they love the characters and identify with them.

La Aldea is a valuable tool because it has allowed them to improve their reading and comprehension processes, while working in a very didactic way. And the best thing is that it can be used in any area, since it has a transversal approach. From math, science, caring for the environment, reading, ethics, to sharing.

Marlobi Barrera Gómez, teacher at the San José del Trigal Educational Institution (Cúcuta)

“La Aldea is like a family to me. Thanks to La Aldea I have learned to take care from Covid, I have learned to read, and I have shared with others. I like it because I share my feelings with others. I have learned that I can feel sad because I am afraid, or that I can feel angry because I am angry. My favorite character is Carmen the bear.”

Manuel, child from La Guajira

“The training processes of La Aldea have allowed me to acquire an experience to be able to work better with boys and girls. It is a tool for talking with them about everything. It allows me to start a meaningful conversation, from fantasy, but always closely linked to reality. In the long term, this tool enables boys and girls to train and grow as more conscious people, more active in their exercise of citizenship, in their duties, in their rights. In addition, boys and girls manage to relate the characters of La Aldea with people in the community. For example: Lorena, for them, is the president of the Community Action Board. La Aldea creates an environment that connects boys and girls with the world of adults, opening space for analyzing and understanding real situations in the environment”.

Betsabé Moler, leader of Pondores, La Guajira.

In the last session of 2021 with teachers from four educational institutions in La Guajira, more than thirty teachers gathered together to explore the story “Between chaos and order.” A great success!

5 reasons why teachers are using La Aldea for reopening schools!

  1. This is a strategy that can be used for both face-to-face learning and distance learning. 
  2. The stories and characters of La Aldea are a thought-provoking exploration of the world we live in. 
  3. The book La Aldea: stories for a world in transition was specifically created to face the challenges of the present time: How to design a blended-learning lesson? How to face uncertainty?  How to cope with health and safety measures? How to ensure learning and fun? 
  4. La Aldea represents more than 8 weeks of learning with four chapters of stories, more than 65 learning activities, a fun tool for self-evaluation, a Carol claw that gives students power for classroom participation and a poster for children to become authors and illustrators of La Aldea. 
  5. This is a tool that not only supports students, but also teachers. With a single book, teachers can approach different subjects: language, mathematics, natural sciences, art, social-emotional learning, and much more. 
  6. La Aldea includes songs, videos, audiobooks, yoga exercises and a website. 

La Aldea is so much more than just a book; it’s an entire universe!

“La Aldea has been warmly welcomed by the students. The fun and beautiful images and metaphors in this pedagogical tool show the importante of meaningful learning experiences. Moreover, ClickArte’s teacher training work has been a cause for celebration. Through this process we have reached 20 schools, 16 education centers and 10 PTA teachers; this represents 5000 students”.

Jairo Vela, Sub-secretary of Education, Ipiales, Nariño.

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