Liliana Hensel founded PEDAGOGY SPACE as a resource for anyone interested in participatory (socio-constructivist), inquiry-based, and socio-emotional education by supporting caregiver self-inquiry to raise and work with children.
Pedagogy Space aims to inspire and support educators and parents by offering Professional Learning Workshops, Discussion-Circles, and Consulting services. Focusing on current brain and child development research, neuroscience, psychology, and pedagogical innovation.
I believe that educating or raising children in an increasingly globalized, fast-paced, and technological world requires a 'pedagogy of listening.' As a world leader in education, Carla Rinaldi reflects:
The pedagogy of listening is not only a pedagogy for school; it's an attitude for life. Listening is a sensitivity to everything that connects us to others. The most important gift we can give children in school and the family is time… to offer our time to children because time is the only possibility for listening and being listened to by others. Listening means being open to differences and recognizing the value of another's point of view and interpretation. ~ Carla Rinaldi, 2004.
A listening pedagogy supports children's emotional development and constructs as they try to make sense of the world. Building adults' and children's emotional intelligence strengthens relationships and learning.
The following values and principles underpin the various approaches we offer:
VALUES
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Children are born competent and wired for learning and connecting
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Each child has their uniqueness, timing, temperament, and developmental stages
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Adult self-examination is vital to building meaningful connections
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Imperfection, uncertainty, and risks are catalysts for meaning-making & building relationships
PRINCIPLES
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Participatory education (socio-constructive) practices respect the adult-child dynamic
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Learning happens through a circular process of action, conceptualization, and evaluation/revisiting
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Pedagogical models that value diversity & equity of everyone in the learning community
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Developing wellbeing, responsiveness, and reflective practices
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Cultivating respect, empathy, emotional, cultural, and ecological awareness
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND-Liliana has been a leader in advancing child-centric practices since the 90s. For 12 years, she served as Executive Director of a nonprofit agency serving marginalized and at-risk children & families with therapeutic services. Including a preschool that received national accreditation by NAEYC--providing quality learning experiences for children and high standards in educators' professional preparation. She developed collaborative educator training groups in the Reggio Emilia approach and was a California-certified Mentor Director. For two years, she conducted program assessments as a Field-Research Consultant for a longitudinal study of the Western Regional Education Laboratory (REL West) in collaboration with the Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) and the California Department of Education. She currently collaborates & consults with schools in the USA & abroad with pedagogical leadership, educators' continued education, parenting workshops, and conference presentations.
Liliana obtained a master's degree in Educational Psychology specializing in Child Development. She has conducted research studies in Buenos Aires, California, and Amsterdam.
