The role of the teacher as a mediator of meaningful learning in early childhood

Abstract

At the Doctor Alfonso Mora Bowen Educational Unit, practices focused on curriculum compliance persist, with limited incorporation of active, contextualized, and playful strategies, which restricts children’s participation and the connection between prior knowledge and new content. The objective was to analyze the role of the teacher as a mediator of meaningful learning among children in Early Childhood Level 2. A qualitative, descriptive, bibliographic, and field-based study was conducted, which included a census-style survey of 35 children, their legal guardians, and the teachers at that level; observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the proposal was validated based on the criteria of three experts. Initial results revealed low interest, attention difficulties, limited adaptation to the pace of learning, and a predominance of activities with little connection to the environment. After implementing a mediation model based on games, interactive stories, exploration, collaborative work, and emotional expression, increased participation, motivation, interaction, and confidence were observed. These findings support the relevance of active and affective mediation, although its scope is limited to the context studied. It is concluded that the teacher-mediator strengthens meaningful learning through playful, contextualized, and inclusive strategies, and that the proposed model constitutes a relevant and viable pedagogical tool.