Fundació Escoles Garbí

For already 55 years now, Garbí Schools Foundation shapes the men and women for tomorrow as to be proactive citizens capable of transforming the society into which we live in a fair, supportive and sustainable environment. The Pedagogical Project is based in the ideology of master Pere Vergés, one of the main representatives of the movement of the New School and director of the School of the Sea (1922-1938), benchmark institution of the Renewal Pedagogical in Catalonia. Students learn to think, feel and love, with a methodology of experiential learning and values, which allows them to lead and develop their life project, from 3 to 18 years. The challenge is to offer them the best tools (competences) to understand, interpret, participate (engage), confront and to improve this uncertain world as proactive citizens.

The foundation is based on two semi-private schools in different cities quite close to Barcelona, one in Badalona and another one in Esplugues. Both schools are internally organized as a city where coexistence is based on respect, freedom and responsibility, and where students have their own rights and duties to fulfil (participate in common tasks and democratically choose their representatives). In this environment one develops training for responsible citizenship, under axes of pedagogical intervention based on comprehensive training for life with a competent approach, advancing towards education as personalized as possible.

Considering that we live in a changing world, that forces us to work out our ability to adapt to the current global tech-savvy environment and constantly implement methodological changes. So that, our lines of work make us deepen our principles (educational purposes), put the student at the centre of our attention (personalized learning) and keep on updating apprenticeships accordingly with current scientific knowledge (evidence that tells us how our students learn).

Through project work, the students acquire the competences that will help them to solve the situations in which they will find themselves throughout their life, at different levels: both personal and professional and also social. In order to accomplish with the education aim, the Foundation Pedagogical Project specifies ten educational purposes, within our three main values of “think, feel and love”:

THINK value boosts interest in learning, forms the critical and self-critical spirit and guides decision-making. This considers different competences, such as:

COMMUNICATIVE: Solve communicative situations in an autonomous way, with adequacy, coherence and cohesion, in different languages.

LEARN TO LEARN: Optimize the use of different resources to efficiently inform, learn, communicate and solve real situations.

AUTONOMY AND PERSONAL INITIATIVE: Make decisions and take responsibilities, with reflection, entrepreneurship and confidence.

SCIENTIFIC AND MATHEMATICAL: Solve everyday problems using reasoning, following the scientific method and using the most efficient tools and strategies.

LOVE promotes cooperative action, teamwork as well as value and respect for the natural and human environment with the following competencies:

CITIZENSHIP: Act as responsible and free citizens, exercising their rights and duties, promoting dialogue and mediation in the resolution of conflicts.

RESPECT AND LOVE: Act with respect and love for people and shared spaces, using good manners in social relationships, valuing the beauty and harmony.

COMPETENCE FOR LIVING AND COMMITMENT: Make responsible commitments for coexistence, interacting in different social and cultural contexts, and strengthening the sense of belonging to a society.

RESPECT AND SOLIDARITY: Make decisions that are committed to the world around them and act with respect and solidarity.

FEEL generates the excitement of living the school and society, it also helps to awaken the feelings, developing:

AESTHETIC: Understand art as a universal means of communication to build an ideal of personal beauty.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: Have a balanced personal and social behaviour with healthy habits, physical activity and sports; knowledge and acceptance of the functioning of one’s body and others, while respecting their differences.

Our educational community counts on more than 2000 students within both schools: 370 in the kindergarten, 810 in Primary Education, 536 in Secondary education and 346 High Education. More than 300 professionals are working at the schools: 132 at administration and services such as cooks and waiters, 14 people at the managing department and 190 teachers. Teachers stand out for their high commitment, for the willingness to continuous improvement in their teaching, their vocation and talent. Moreover, the degree of commitment of the staff guarantees their involvement and loyalty to the principles of the foundation pedagogical project, as well as all any project that the schools get involved throughout the school years.