The school is responsible for providing the students the space they need to create and develop their skills

Prof. José Manuel Gutiérrez Fernández, from the Philosophy Center for Children of the Principality of Asturias (Centro de Filosofía para Niños del Principado de Asturias), presented the lecture The citizen we have the responsibility of educating.

During his presentation before a wide audience of teachers, Dr. Gutiérrez Fernández affirmed that the traditional methods of educating have the task of changing to offer
children a more dynamic and interesting academic program.

One of the key elements is to let the children be curious and to prepare the teachers to answer their questions; and, most important for him, “not to thwart their interest to know more”. It is very important that the school provide the students what they need to be themselves and the opportunity to create and learn in a more practical way. It is important to give the students the chance to be critics.

He stated that for the kids
to develop knowledge they need a teacher who is committed and who uses pedagogic criteria that involves the students in the process of searching for the information and not thinking that they are a “garbage disposal” where teachers can toss information.

Dr. Gutiérrez Fernández explained that the kids are born with capacities and potential and that the main focus is to value their intelligence and to know how each one of the students can
learn.

It is important that the teacher works with the students to develop skills such as team work, active listening, respect the rules of the game, develop good manners, engage in cooperative games, improve their research skills, develop critical reasoning, and the capacity to anticipate consequences.

With the presence of Ligia Amada Melo, Director of the Education Center at FUNGLODE and Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, and
representatives from Dominican universities and schools of teacher training, Dr. Gutiérrez Fernández concludes that the main purpose of including philosophy in the schools is to allow the children to discover.

Yamile Eusebio, Director of the GFDD New York office, closed the activity by providing an answer to the question that Dr. Gutiérrez Fernández first asked: Who are the citizens we aim to educate? After the presentation, the answer is obvious: we want happy children,
curious, with the ability to argue, with a sense of belonging and, most importantly, who are creative.