“EDUCATION, HOW MUCH YOU DEMAND”

WHEN THUS THE CURRICULUM BECOMES AN ‘EXTRA’ OR AN ‘ENRICHMENT’?

Abstract

The debate on education in the public sphere has been characterized by an educational emptiness, that is, by the disregard of concepts, values, and concerns that are fundamental and historically constitutive of reflection in education. Devoid of its axiological supports, the educational discussion is primarily oriented towards a utilitarian vocation, responding to the needs of the economy and the market, justified in the light of human capital theories. This discursive occupation extends to the educational (and life) times of children, which, highly institutionalized, are heteronomously decided and based on a potential school benefit or competitive advantage in the global market. With this article, we seek to contribute to a reflection on childhood, free time, and playfulness that is guided by eminently educational foundations and that frees itself from educational and instrumentalist school references. Or, in other words, to think about the possibilities of harmoniously combining the curriculum, freedom, and playfulness.