What’s new on Chá Pedagógico?

How’s it going, column readers? We hope you’re doing well.

We have two exciting things to share with you. Chá Pedagógico made the news! CBN interviewed both André and Rudy. Rudy shared insightful perspectives on literacy and the importance of reading in today’s world. Meanwhile, André discussed how artificial intelligence might be affecting our brains, drawing from research in neuroscience and education

Watch Rudy’s interview here.
Watch André’s interview here.

What model of school do you guys defend?

Definitely not the ones that focus only on Vestibular at the end of high school, like many in Brazil. The essence of schools lies in the enlightenment of human beings, our formation as citizens, the spark of curiosity and the solution to problems, not in a single-day exam to define the future of an entire generation. Our schools should drop the “Virei Bixo” marketing mindset and aim only at making students become better people – people who are concerned about and help their community, who learn from it, and use their knowledge to make the area they study in a better place. In turn, this will make the area they live in a better place to be. The school we want is the one that understands the cognitive capacities and the stages students go through, and doesn’t rush the process because of a top-down standardization of students’ division – the grades. José Pacheco’s Escola da Ponte, awarded for being the best school in the world, has been dealing with students without the grade system, i.e. there aren’t first, second, third grades. Kids work together, explore the Zone of Proximal Development and their cognitive capacities are the “grade”. What is the desirable challenge for them to improve? The teacher’s ability to feed their curiosity and encourage the group to find solutions according to what they are able to do. We need to revisit the nature of what the purpose of schools is, what they have been and focus on the formation of the person rather than perpetuating the mentality that they need to get a grade, pass a test, or become a number.

Watch the full episode here.

Rudy, André, what’s the connection between language and cognition?

This question is a complex one, but being the nerds/geeks we are, it’s also a long-time favorite. We know that language and cognition are intrinsically connected because there’s plenty of evidence showing that more cognitively advanced beings have achieved more sophisticated levels of communication. Take a look at humans, for instance. What you are doing now is nothing short of amazing. You are decoding these words inside your brain and making meaning. In a way, it’s like we’re transmitting our thoughts and those of other people, such as the authors we read – to your mind. Animals can communicate in extremely limited ways, whereas humans can use writing, body language, and speech to describe in detail our reality (past, present, and future). But here’s an interesting fact.

Contrary to what many people believe about the bilingual experience, having two or more languages in the brain is incredibly beneficial, and it relates to better cognitive functions. Perhaps the most compelling case comes from the research of Ellen Bialystok. She was able to establish the fact that bilingual brains have significant gains in terms of executive functions. These functions are vital for learning, inhibiting, controlling, and organizing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. On top of that, bilingual people develop something called cognitive reserve, which means we can protect our brains against dementia for a couple of extra years. How cool is that?

Watch the full episode here.