PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN SECONDARY EDUCATION: THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR AS CHANGE AGENT

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an active methodology that is becoming increasingly important in promoting the involvement of the entire educational community, responding to the needs of its students, and meeting emerging social demands. The present investigation analyzes the role of the school counselor as an agent of change and advisor for the development of educational innovations and active methodologies in a secondary school in which PBL is applied. In particular, they are analyzed the functions that the school counselor plays when applying this methodology; the information the counselor, teachers and students have about active methodologies; the changes caused by the ABP in terms of coordination, organization and relationship between people; as well as the relevance and future projection of this methodology in the curriculum. To this end, qualitative research is carried out based on the phenomenological or ethnographic paradigm, in which the opinions of the advisor, director, teachers and students are analysed. The semi-structured interview technique was chosen for the collection of information with the teachers and the counsellor. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the school counsellors are important agents of change not only because of the advice and support they offer to the management team, but also the entire educational community.