Editorial

Educational innovation, a path of permanent reflection and transformation

Miguel Ángel Albor Licona

How to cite this article in APA:

Albor Licona, M. A. (2023). Educational innovation, path of permanent reflection and transformation [Editorial]. Ciencia y Academia, (4), DOI: 10.21501/2744838X.4660

Innovation is a word that has been gaining strength and transferring from the business to the educational context, leading to be established as a requirement for teachers, who must think, reflect and propose a practice that impacts their own being and their students. Thus, coupled with quality, it seeks that the processes that are established and developed in its field have a greater impact every day. Its influence has reached other spaces such as: the State, politics, society, culture, religion and school. According to Zambrano-Leal (2007) the teacher: “(...) is a subject attentive to promoting innovation. In innovation there is always the beginning and we must know it in order not to lose sight of our commitment to ourselves” (p. 223)

Commitment that indicates a change, a permanent revision, an imbalance of the subject and of the conservative institutions to which it belongs and that do not allow an effective advance; that is capable of moving structures both in the training and teaching processes, as well as in the learning and evaluation processes, since it generates struggles among its members, forcing them, so to speak, to leave their comfort zone, evidencing new horizons explanation of the realities of the world of knowledge.

In this sense, Lyn (1997), cited by Bisquerra-Alzina and Mateo-Andrés (2007), expresses “innovation implies an original, disruptive and total transformation of the fundamental tasks of an organization. Innovating implies undermining structures and changing them permanently” (p. 22). From this manner of reflection where innovation is observed as a permanent process and attitude of those who are in direct relationship with themselves, with others and with institutions, two innovative themes are reached and in direct relationship with the school context, that of emotional education and emotional competencies.

Both are required at school, because without emotional education, it is complex to enhance emotional competencies, therefore, the first begins to be an innovative topic in an immeasurable sense given that: “Without educating sensitivities it is impossible to achieve educational objectives (... ) Emotion is not only absolutely necessary to convert knowledge into personal experience and make it transferable, but also to learn to use it in solidarity and responsibly” (Bisquerra-Alzina & Mateo-Andrés, 2007, p. 19). What points out as invaluable is the fact that today emotional education is thought of within the training curricula of students at each of the levels, cycles and grades, especially for those who are responsible for their processes, the teachers.

Thus, making a commitment to emotional education as an educational innovation, will allow subjects to begin training in emotional skills that contribute to new perspectives that transform the school, making society think of the mental health of its citizens as something necessary. , reducing the levels of bullying and school violence, harassment, social exclusion, threats, coercion, social blockade, manipulation, stress, intimidation and aggression, as pointed out by Piñuel and Oñate (2007), cited by Bisquerra-Alzina and Chao-Rebolledo (2021).

However, the process of emotional education for the consolidation of emotional competencies in the subjects will be inconclusive without fundamental aspects such as: the commitment to changing educational paradigms and the effort to leave comfort zones that lead to the path of innovation; in addition, the commitment of educational institutions to make curricular transformations in their training plans and, above all, of resources and economic investments, of time and of research that promote public policies that influence society.

In conclusion, and following Zambrano-Leal (2007) when he points out: “innovation is a producer of knowledge and transformation; it is the founder of a formation of knowledge and transforms the subjects” (p. 226), it will be possible to think of innovation as a process and a permanent path in the educational context. Today, it is necessary for the school and society to think about the mental health of students, teachers and citizens. In the end, they will promise consistent bets for change; an effective way to do this will be through emotional education for the formation of emotional competencies, in a path of permanent reflection and transformation in and for life.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare the non-existence of conflict of interest with an institution or commercial association of any kind.

References

Bisquerra-Alzina, R., & Mateo-Andrés, J. (2019). Competencias emocionales para un cambio de paradigma (1ra ed). Horsori Editorial, S.L.

Bisquerra Alzina, R., & Chao Rebolledo, C. (2021). Educación emocional y bienestar: por una práctica científicamente fundamentada. Revista Internacional de Educación Emocional y Bienestar, 1(1), 9–29. https://rieeb.ibero.mx/index.php/rieeb/article/view/4

Zambrano Leal, A. (2007). Formación, experiencia y saber. Editorial Magisterio.

Author notes

Miguel Ángel Albor Licona

Doctoral candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies, Luis Amigó Catholic University, teacher of the Envigado Normal School Complementary Training program, teacher of the Master’s Chair in Education at the School of Education of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana-UPB. Researcher of the Network of Teachers of Superior Normal Schools of Antioquia-REDMENA. Contact: miguel.alborli@amigo.edu.co, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5216-3018, CVLAC https://scienti.colciencias.gov.co/cvlac/visualizador/generarCurriculoCv.do ?cod_rh=0000106055