Popularly known as the ‘Goya of Education’, they have nominated Ghada Aboud, Irene Alegría, Ana García Pérez, Javier González del Castillo, Paola Guimeráns, Patricia Olivares and Pablo Osma among the best
Universidad Europea is celebrating a new recognition of its academic excellence, with seven of its teachers nominated for the Abanca Best Teacher 2024 Award in the University category. These awards, known as the ‘Goya of Education’, aim to publicly recognise educators who are passionately dedicated to their work, training their students for life and actively participating in their development both inside and outside the classroom.
The seven nominated teachers, Ghada Aboud, Irene Alegría, Ana García Pérez, Javier González del Castillo, Paola Guimeráns, Patricia Olivares and Pablo Osma, share a deep passion for teaching and commitment to their students. For Pablo Osma, professor in the Department of Education and Educational Innovation at the Universidad Europea, this nomination is very special because it comes from his students, which reinforces his emotional connection with them. ‘When I received the news, I had the same feeling as when in class you connect with a look or perceive a smile, it is to realise that you have managed to establish a bond, a connection, which will allow us to enjoy what happens in the classroom,’ he reflects. Along the same lines, the director of the Master's Degree in Teacher Training at the European University of Valencia, Irene Alegría, says that the validation of her efforts through this nomination is not only a personal recognition, but also a symbol of the positive impact of university education: ‘It is an incentive to continue improving, innovating and committing myself to teaching. It also motivates me to continue to inspire my students and to contribute to the academic and personal growth of each of them, as I have always done.
Emotion and trust as foundations for transformative teaching
Emotional connection and a safe environment are fundamental to transformative teaching. Ghada Aboud, coordinator and professor of the Early Childhood Education degree at the European University reflects on the importance of connecting emotionally with students and keeping them motivated. ‘The teaching that leaves its mark is that which is transmitted from ‘heart to heart’, with the teacher being the best resource in the classroom and reaching all students with respect and admiration’, explains the teacher who has been nominated for this award for the third consecutive year.
Respect for the student and the creation of a safe environment are issues on which Patricia Olivares, lecturer in the area of Education at the European University, agrees. ‘The most important task of a teacher is to form a team with his or her students. When you manage to forge a learning space in which each student feels safe to participate, based on trust, admiration and respect for the teacher, that's when you know you've done a good job,’ Olivares says.
Education, a fundamental pillar for social progress
Education is the path to a better world because, as Irene Alegría explains, ‘it influences multiple social, cultural, economic and political aspects’. For the teacher who was named third best teacher in 2021 and who has been a finalist in the two previous editions, Irene Alegría, ‘education promotes individual and collective development, reduces inequality and fosters inclusion, drives economic progress, strengthens democracy and citizen participation, promotes values and social cohesion, generates innovation and knowledge, contributes to sustainability and fosters cultural and humanistic development’. As Pablo Osma asserts, ‘education in society is everything, because it is what shapes and defines who we are and allows us to change what does not work in order to build the world we would like to have’.