Education, culture, and aesthetics in early childhood:

Amares Project, in Cologne, Germany

Abstract

There are several ways of resisting and this article presents one of them. In Germany, education is not free from current offensives: a) measurability of teaching quality; b) curricular optimization and effectiveness; c) development of methods through pedagogical skills; d) use of digital media in childhood; and e) early literacy to meet market needs. In the opposite direction to these proposals, the objectives of this article are: a) to discuss the importance of cultural and aesthetic education in early childhood; and b) to show that seeking innovative paths is a way of resisting the subordination of education to economic dictates. Thus, this article presents: a) the theoretical bases on cultural and aesthetic education; b) a practical example, the Amares Project, in Cologne, Germany, which shows how cultural and aesthetic education can be put into practice in early childhood; and c) the need to create educational strategies to resist current hegemonic proposals. When we turn our attention both to the social and cultural memory sedimented over the centuries and a responsible pedagogical practice, we enable a comprehensive education for human beings. This is a resistance strategy aimed at educating happy, conscious, and responsible children for life.