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This article sets out to explore how young people understand and experience the notions of democracy and participation in their secondary schools. We draw on their own words to examine their perspective on participation in everyday life at school to understand what kind of democratic education they are participating in. The article forms part of the Demoskole 1 project, which studies democracy and the participation of school community members in secondary schools in Catalunya (Spain). To date, our fieldwork suggests that while, in most cases, the opportunity for pupils to participate in decision-making processes is limited, there are differences between schools. Two factors, in particular, appear to have a significant impact in terms of improving pupil participation. The existence of relationships based on trust and more horizontal forms of collaboration between teachers and pupils leads to a sense of wellbeing. This, in turn, has an effect on the atmosphere within the school. The article focuses on the characteristics that distinguish the three schools that took part in the study with the aim of analysing those elements that lead to the creation of a more or less democratic atmosphere in the relations between the various members of the school community.

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Recognizing the inherent attention in examining how educational practices affect our future, there is little known about society’s demands related to early childhood education. This paper aims to analyze the current preschool enrolment situation in the Euro-Western world and the demands of society, focusing attention on the characteristics needed in the prepared environment and in teacher training practices that inclusive education offers. Different socio-cultural theories have been analyzed, and practices regarding human development have been presented as they guarantee an integral development of the child, one which respects infant developmental stages and offers the right scaffolding and environment to stimulate a child’s interest and potential. All these aspects are claimed in society, and are reflected in the Montessori Pedagogy principles, where thanks to the observation and knowledge regarding children’s needs, educators can prepare stimulating environments that lead to personal formative development.

Este artículo tiene como objetivo exponer el estado del arte de los recursos digitales y tecnológicos utilizados en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje en las escuelas rurales. Estos han de promover la transformación digital y un modelo educativo inclusivo, flexible, que permita la cooperación y una educación abierta. Su uso ha de contribuir a la mejora de la didáctica multigrado y a reducir la brecha digital. Se realiza una revisión sistemática a nivel internacional de los artículos publicados en los últimos diez años en revistas indexadas en las bases de datos Scopus y Web of Science. De un total de 671 trabajos identificados en el campo de la educación rural, se analizaron los referentes a los recursos digitales en base a unos criterios de selección (N=18). Los primeros resultados muestran la necesidad de crear recursos que permitan el trabajo multigrado y en línea, desarrollando la competencia digital de los alumnos, teniendo en cuenta la idiosincrasia de las escuelas rurales. También el establecimiento de redes de apoyo al profesorado, compartiendo recursos y mejorando la formación permanente en tecnologías emergentes para la innovación educativa. Las conclusiones refieren a oportunidades relativas al uso de recursos educativos abiertos y plataformas de crowdsourcing.