Canoas Province Holds Pedagogical Journey, Canoas, Brazil

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The Notre Dame Network Pedagogical Journey 2014 was held in an atmosphere of joy and much fun, given the calendar of the new school year. During the days of 12 and 13 of February, teachers, coordinators and principals of the eight ND schools of Rio Grande do Sul gathered in Canoas – RS, headquarters of the Our Lady of Aparecida Province.

Sister Vânia Maria Dalla Vecchia, provincial superior, was given the opportunity to open the gathering, welcoming all the participants to the journey and wishing much joy and intense moments of sharing and being together. She remembered Saint Julie Billiart, a woman who considered education as a sublime, dignified and inspiring work: “Education is, in the midst of the divine work, the most divine”. She also quoted Paulo Freire saying: “To educate is to impregnate with meaning what we do each instant!” and his Holiness, Pope Francis: “To educate is not a profession, it is an attitude, a way of being”.

Before each time of work, the principal of Maria Rainha School, Sister Elaine de Paulo, provided moments of spirituality, uniting work activities and relaxation in order to listen and to be open to the Word of God.

Sister Shirle Maria presented the JUND – Juventude Notre Dame (Notre Dame Youth) to the teachers who were present, a project of evangelization of youth which has as its aim to form and promote concrete actions of faith from the ND Charism. The groups will have weekly or biweekly meetings, depending on each situation and an “encontrão” (meeting of all of the groups) in October. Besides the Notre Dame schools, all the ND communities in Brazil and Peru will participate.

On the first day, the clinic audiologist Ana Júlia Lenz worked with the group and, in her talk she spoke about issues regarding having effective communication in the dynamics of the classroom, in addition to the care and improvement of speech. During the afternoon, Arthur Bender, president of Key Jump Intelligence, Strategy and Branding, explained what it is and how the work of reframing the brand impacts, even if implicitly, people and the institution. The result of the survey and the analysis of the market research conducted in 2013 in all the educational institutions of the Province were presented following the Strategic Planning.

The second day of the ND Pedagogical Journey began with the talk of Gabriel Perissé with the theme about the teacher in the era of media: The Challenges of Media. Gabriel stressed the great transformations in the formation of the teacher, connecting with the speed of technological advance which is in the schools and which, facing the current challenges of being professional, the great merit of the teacher is still his/her competence in the promotion of quality of education.

Concluding the two days of Pedagogical Journey, the educators worked with Professor Oscar Kronmeyer on the three pillars presented by Arthur Bender as items to be studied more in the construction of excellence in the ND brand: at the Base, competent and professional quality of education; the Pride of Being, belonging to Notre Dame; Attitude, improvements in care and relationships in the schools. Professor Oscar stresses that since the teachers do the activities in the school, it is necessary to listen to them. This is the way to reach the goals of 2018. As a result of the activity, the participants built gigantic panels based on the tool, Blue Ocean, exhibited in the auditorium for sharing of ideas.

The joy of the meeting was noticeable in the moment of goodbye, together with the sense of unity and convergence of thinking: the promotion of excellence in education.