Seminar promotes interdisciplinarity between science, technology and sustainability.
On 21 April, between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm, the ESEL - Higher School of Education of Lusophony of IPLUSO promoted the seminar “Educating Between Words, Nature and Robotics: Innovative Strategies for Learning”, held in a hybrid format — in person and remotely — in Room 0.2 – Alvaláxia. This initiative, accredited as a Short-Duration Training Course (ACD) and organised in partnership with the António Sérgio School Training Centre, brought together around 50 educators and teachers, higher education students and lecturers, in an environment marked by the sharing of practices, pedagogical reflection and the promotion of innovation in education.
The opening session was led by Professor Maria Neves Gonçalves, Director of IPLUSO-ESEL, and Professor Joaquim Melro, Director of the António Sérgio School Training Centre, who highlighted the importance of initiatives that encourage dialogue between professionals and the development of pedagogical approaches aligned with the current challenges in education.
The seminar was delivered by Professors Sandra Tavares, Raquel Ramos and Gorete Fonseca, from IPLUSO-ESEL, who guided the reflection around three key pillars of educational practice: the first presentation highlighted empathetic communication as a central element of the pedagogical relationship, essential for building a positive educational environment; this was followed by a discussion on the importance of child-nature interaction, emphasising the value of educational experiences that promote play, movement, risk-taking and autonomous exploration; finally, strategies for integrating robotics into teaching were presented, highlighting its potential as a pedagogical resource that promotes computational thinking, logical reasoning, problem-solving and interdisciplinary learning.
The event included the participation of first-year students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Basic Education and first and second-year students from the Master’s Degree in Pre-School Education and Teaching in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education, as well as lecturers from the institution. The active participation of second-year master’s students was also noteworthy, as they delivered a presentation with a practical demonstration, sharing an activity involving floor robots and concretely illustrating the application of these methodologies in an educational context.
The seminar included moments for debate and questions, which proved particularly enriching, promoting the exchange of experiences and a deeper exploration of the topics addressed. This initiative reaffirms IPLUSO-ESEL’s commitment to open science communication, pedagogical innovation, excellence in training and the building of a critical, collaborative educational community aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Quality Education.
