According to International and European Law, teachers are encouraged to analyse, challenge and to help to eliminate sexist stereotypes and distortions in curricular materials. We aimed to characterize and compare the efficacy of implementation of the gender equality-based approach in the Spanish educational system, through a content analysis of the illustrations in music education (ME) textbooks following a coding scheme constructed by the research team according to guidelines from previous studies about the depiction of women and girls in ME textbooks during two periods of Spanish democracy: before (1992–2005); and after (2006–2015). Our major findings were: (a) female characters were under-represented in both time periods studied; (b); the stereotype of women as amateur but not professional musicians is not perpetuated in the current primary ME textbooks; (c) both children and adults independently of gender were portrayed interacting with others; (d) despite the fact that women teachers are actively participating in schools, ME textbooks do not faithfully reflect that reality; and (e) the virtual absence of females and males with disabilities suggests that this aspect of inclusion is still pending. Notwithstanding, ME textbooks printed after 2006 tended to challenge some traditional stereotypes pertaining to how females and males think, play and act within the musical world.

The aim of this article is show how the methodological and structural music nature leads the pupil to understanding, to estimating the cultural reality that wraps; since music is a fruit of an exchange of theoretical-practical experiences in different zones of the world and his methodology of learning is active and participative, needing from collaboration and understanding between the interpreters. All this, it leads to considering to be music an image of the time and of the company that has produced it, and, due to it, turns into a suitable tool to be employed the interculture at the classroom. This article takes as there basses one of aims of the artistic education, to promote the expression of the cultural diversity to reinforce personal values, to show how it is possible educate interculturally by means of music, that is to say, across what has come naming «educate for the music». El objetivo de este artículo es mostrar cómo la naturaleza metodológica y estructural de la música lleva al educando a comprender, a apreciar la realidad cultural que le envuelve; puesto que la música es fruto de un intercambio de experiencias teórico-prácticas en diferentes zonas del mundo y su metodología de aprendizaje es activa y participativa, necesitando de la colaboración y el entendimiento entre los intérpretes. Todo ello lleva a considerar la música como imagen del tiempo y de la sociedad que la ha producido, y, debido a ello, se convierte en una herramienta idónea para trabajar la interculturalidad en el aula. Este artículo toma como base uno de los objetivos de la educación artística, el fomentar la expresión de la diversidad cultural para reforzar valores personales, para mostrar cómo se puede educar interculturalmente mediante la música, es decir, a través de lo que ha venido denominándose «educación por la música». L’objectif de cet article est de montrer comment la nature méthodologique et structurelle de la musique amène l’enfant de troupe à comprender, à apprécier la réalité culturelle qui l’enveloppe; puisque, la musique est fruit d’un échange d’expériences théoriques-pratiques dans différentes zones du monde et sa méthodologie d’apprentissage est active et participative, ayant besoin de la collaboration et la compréhension entre les interprètes. Tout cela, il amène à considérer la musique comme image du temps et de la société qui l’a produite, et gráce à cela, se convertit en outil idéal pour travailler l’interculturel dans la salle. Cet article prend comme base l’un des objectifs de l’éducation artistique, le fait de promouvoir l’expression de la diversité culturelle pour reforcer des valeurs personnelles, pour montrer comment on peut interculturellement élever au moyen de la musique c’est-à-dire à travers de ce qu’il a est dénommé «une éducation par la musique».

The aim of our study was to explore the barriers and facilitators that teachers, principals, and parents face when adapting to COVID-19 pandemic scenario in terms of promoting toddlers’ physical activity (PA). Thirty-four (20 teachers and principals, and 14 parents) semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted from October 2020 to March 2021. The socioecological model has enabled the identification of barriers and facilitators, some of which are related to the pandemic and others which are not. The main results suggest that upon reopening the ECEC institutions, regarding environmental barriers, educators mentioned the impact on the use of space, and parents, the modification of daily activities generated by COVID-19. However, educators also considered that the presence of suitable spaces in the school for practicing PA was a facilitator. At the intra- and interpersonal level, facilitators of PA that were unrelated to the pandemic included, for parents, the predisposition of children to be physically active and their own function as role models, and for educators, the curricular practices themselves. At an environmental level, the risk of danger in the traditional classroom plus bad weather were considered barriers by educators, while parents mentioned difficulties accessing outdoor space and the poor suitability of indoor spaces. Our results suggest the simultaneous analysis of the perceptions of different actors in the educational environments offers a broad vision of the ecological alternatives for offering children opportunities for PA in these difficult times.

To our knowledge, there are no published studies that describe the physical activity (PA) levels and objectively measure them through accelerometry in toddlers (2–3 years old) attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study were two-fold: (a) to analyse toddlers’ PA levels and sedentary behaviour (SB) during school hours in ECEC institutions, as well as the rate of adherence to specific recommendations on total PA (TPA) and moderate–vigorous PA (MVPA); and (b) to evaluate the characteristics correlates (age, gender, and body mass index –BMI) of young children and the school environment on toddlers’ TPA, light PA (LPA), MVPA, and SB during school hours in ECEC institutions. PA was evaluated with ActiGraph accelerometers. The main findings were that: (a) toddlers engaged in very high amounts of TPA and MVPA during ECEC hours; (b) girls and boys displayed similar levels of LPA, TPA, and SB, while girls had lower levels of MVPA, compared to boys, and younger toddlers were less active than older ones; (c) BMI was not associated with PA of any intensity or SB; (d) playground and classroom density were not associated with higher levels of PA of any intensity, though classroom density was associated with SB. These ECEC institutions provide and challenge the new COVID-19 scenario, as well as supportive environments for toddlers’ PA.

La relación entre universidad y aulas de Educación Infantil parece concentrarse durante el Prácticum, y queda en el olvido una posible interrelación del currículo universitario con la realidad educativa en otras oportunidades de la formación universitaria. El objetivo del estudio fue el análisis de la implementación de una experiencia innovadora en el grado de Maestra o Maestro en Educación Infantil, mediante la participación de docentes de Educación Infantil, estudiantes y profesorado universitario. El estudiantado universitario fue dotado de un corpus teórico relativo a las principales perspectivas curriculares sobre la motricidad infantil, en el marco de la asignatura Didáctica de la Educación Física de la Educación Infantil (Universitat de Valencia, 2017a), complementada con formación práctica en movimiento musical. Se concertaron visitas a centros escolares para observar y reflexionar en relación con las sesiones de psicomotricidad en pequeños grupos. Las estudiantes elaboraron un documento de observación y reflexión en el que relacionaron los contenidos de las aulas universitarias con la experiencia en las aulas de psicomotricidad. Se destaca que la forma en que la maestra facilita la interacción mediante el uso de materiales, la atención a los contenidos referentes a las perspectivas teóricas, y la relación de conocimientos teóricos sobre la estructura de la sesión fueron algunas de las conclusiones elaboradas por el estudiantado. Se demuestra la necesidad de continuar innovando para acercar las aulas universitarias a los contextos educativos reales de las aulas de educación infantil. Finalmente, las visitas a los centros escolares para la observación y reflexión de sesiones de psicomotricidad infantil pueden favorecer la formación del profesorado en Educación Infantil.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions are considered contexts wherein physical activity (PA) can be effectively promoted. Some approaches have been used in the early childhood setting to identify how teachers incorporate movement opportunities into the ECEC curriculum. However, studies are still scarce regarding pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of structured and non-structured movement possibilities in toddler education (1–3 years old). Taking into account that working with toddlers requires specific training and sensitivity, the aim of the study was to assess ECEC educators’ and student teachers’ perceptions of what they know, how they transmit it, what kind of curricular practices they execute, and the didactic implications of movement opportunities in toddler education. This was an exploratory qualitative research study, in which open-ended, semi-structured qualitative interviews, plus qualitative content analysis of a written questionnaire, were conducted with 14 educators and 20 student teachers. Our results show that educators and students distinguish PCK in the different curricular practices related to movement, identifying differences between structured PA opportunities and free play opportunities. Educators and student teachers identified different sources of knowledge, barriers, and facilitators of structured movement opportunities in the ECEC toddler context, and they recognized that PA is important to young children’s development; however, little knowledge of PA guidelines to promote it was evident. Our findings contribute to understanding educators’ perceptions regarding movement as a curricular practice for children aged 1 to 3 years. Educators and public administration could find structured PA to be a complement to a harmonious development from a young age.