Discovering and Playing: Cultural Spaces and Early Childhood Learning

Catarina Tomás is a sociologist. She has a master's degree in Sociology from Faculty of Economics/University of Coimbra and a PhD in Child Studies, specialising in the Sociology of Childhood from the University of Minho. She did postgraduate studies in Child Protection (University of Coimbra), Human Rights (University of Minho) and Data Analysis (ISCTE/University Institute of Lisbon). She is a coordinating professor at the Lisbon School of Education and an integrated researcher at Interdisciplinary Centre for Social Sciences at the NOVA University of Lisbon. She was the founder and co-coordinator of the Sociology of Childhood Thematic Section of the Portuguese Sociology Association. She is the author of several national and international publications on the Sociology of Childhood, Children's Rights, Children's Participation, Play and Sociological Perspectives on Childhood Education.

She is a Special Education teacher with a degree from the Magistério Primário de Coimbra (1985), a Higher Specialised Studies Degree in Special Education, specialising in Vision Problems (1996), and a postgraduate degree in Special Education from the Faculty of Human Kinetics-ULisboa (2005). She has been a certified trainer by the Scientific Pedagogical Council for Continuing Education in Special Education since 2001, with experience in teacher’s continuing training.
She has taught sessions on assessment and intervention with students with vision problems in the Psychomotor Rehabilitation degree course at Faculty of Human Kinetics-ULisboa and in the postgraduate course Special Education: Low Vision and Blindness at the School of Education of the Piaget Almada Institute.
She is a guest speaker at seminars, conferences and national and international congresses, with papers on Vision Problems, Special Education and Inclusive Education. She is a member of the Scientific and Organising Committees of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th International Congresses on Inclusive Education, of Pro-Inclusion - National Association of Special Education Teachers, as well as the Luso-Brazilian Congress on Inclusive Education. She has been working as a technical-pedagogical coordinator and trainer at Pro-Inclusion since 2015, where she is also a member of the magazine Educação Inclusiva and is currently president of the board.

Leonor Toledo is a psychologist who specialises in Early Childhood Education and holds a PhD in Education. She teaches on the Specialisation Course in Early Childhood Education at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and is a researcher linked to the Childhood, Education and Culture Research Group. She was a professional practice tutor for the Masters in Pre-School Education at Lisbon School of Education. She has been training nursery teachers and providing pedagogical advice to nurseries and kindergartens for over 15 years. Enchanted by literature and photography, she believes in a kindergarten teacher training programme that includes scientific knowledge and cultural training, because the poetic gaze brings us closer to the sensitive, critical and creative way in which children perceive the world.

Carlos Alberto Ferreira Neto is a retired full professor at the Faculty of Human Kinetics-ULisboa. He was president of Casa da Praia - Centro Doutor João dos Santos (2016-2020) and an effective member of the General Council of the University of Lisbon (2015-2017). President of the Faculty of Human Kinetics (January 2010 to July 2014), he is currently part of the Sports and Health Department and the Motor Behaviour Laboratory.
A Physical Education instructor from the Lisbon School of Physical Education (1971); with a degree in Physical Education (1975) from the National Institute of Physical Education, he was a lecturer at the Higher Institute of Physical Education (1976 to 1984) and a lecturer at the Faculty of Human Kinetics from 1985 to 2021.
He has taught the subjects of Motor Development on the different Sports Science degree courses, the subject of Observation of Child Development on the degree in Psychomotor Rehabilitation and the subject of Physical Education I on the master’s degree in physical education teaching. He is the coordinator of the master’s programme in Child Development.

Sofia Lucas has a degree in Maths Teaching from the Faculty of Sciences-ULisboa. She has been working in the field of science communication for over 20 years and is currently the director of the Education Department at the Pavilion of Knowledge - Ciência Viva Centre. Since 2010, she has coordinated the Professional Training Centre for Teachers at Ciência Viva. Her focus is to promote quality educational experiences, enriched with innovative learning methodologies, contextualised in the real world and in conjunction with current research. She also coordinates the Network of Ciência Viva Clubs at School and the Network of Ciência Viva Schools, both of which have been set up in Portugal. She has extensive experience in coordinating national and international projects focussed on non-formal education, innovative learning methodologies and the professional development of teachers.

Carlos Rocha (Jackas) is a university professor and researcher in the fields of childhood, recreational heritage and pedagogy. He has a degree in Early Childhood Education and in Integrated Artistic Expressions in Education from the University of Minho and a PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Salamanca. He is the founder and director of the Museu do Brincar (Play Museum) in Vagos, a pioneering institution in Portugal that values play as a cultural heritage and a tool for human development.

Dídia Lourenço has a PhD in Education, specialising in Teacher Training, from the Institute of Education-ULisboa (2020). She has a master’s degree in educational sciences (2008) and a specialisation in Special Education, in the Cognitive and Motor field (2005). She also has a degree in Primary Education. A Special Education teacher, she has been a member of the Ministry of Education's staff since 2000 and, since September 2021, has been on Statutory Mobility at the Bengala Mágica Association, of which she is co-founder and president of the Board since October of the same year. Since 2020, she has worked as a lecturer at the Jean Piaget School of Education in Almada, teaching on the master's programmes in Primary School Teaching and the postgraduate course in Special Education. She is the mother of a blind child, who is currently nine years old.

Pedro Costa works as a drawing technician at Leiria City Council, was born profoundly deaf and is part of a family with several generations of deaf people. Since he was young, he has been actively involved in the deaf associative movement, having held positions in various institutions/associations. He is currently chairman of the board of the Portuguese Federation of Deaf Associations, having taken up his position in February 2013. He has always been interested in sport, particularly football and futsal - as a player, coach and referee. He was Head of Mission at the Deaflympic Games, which took place from 1 to 15 May 2022 in Caxias do Sul (Brazil). He was vice-president of the DCL - Deaf Champions League from 2019 to 2021. He is currently vice-president of the Portuguese Federation of Sport for People with Disabilities and coordinator of the Deaf Champions League.

Frederico Lopes has a PhD in Human Kinetics. He is an assistant professor and researcher at the Faculty of Human Kinetics-ULisboa and his focussed areas of action and research include children's play, mobility and space. He is an assistant professor invited by Ispa - Instituto Universitário to teach the subject of Playfulness and Culture in Education, as part of the master's programme in Pre-School Education. He is co-founder, member of the Board of Directors and playmaker of "1,2,3, Macaquinho do Xinês", a non-profit association whose mission is to defend and promote spaces and opportunities for children to play freely in the different contexts of their daily lives. He is a founding member and coordinator of the Portuguese network of the International Play Association (IPA Portugal) and the Portuguese representative of the International Play Association.

Ana Sofia Nunes is an artist-mediator whose practice centres on the intersection between pedagogy, cultural mediation and artistic creation, and the relationship between all these themes and people. She has dedicated herself to artistic practices in the visual arts, writing and reading mediation. She particularly enjoys making artist's books, creating immersive environments, observing and listening. She is a trainer in Visual Arts, Literature for Children and Cultural Mediation. She collaborates with museums, libraries, municipalities and other organisations and spaces dedicated to artistic practices, mediation and the poetic word. She studied Early Childhood Education (2009), Art and Heritage (2016) and Drawing (2024). She created cultura.educa in 2020 and is on the board of Acesso Cultura. She is currently studying for a degree in Visual Arts and Technology at the Lisbon School of Education.

Cristina Gameiro has been coordinator of the Education and Mediation Service and Public Programmes at MAC/CCB since 2023. She was the coordinator and programmer of the Educational Service at the Berardo Collection Museum from 2008 to 2022, and the founder and coordinator of the Casa da Cerca Educational Service.
She is the author of the educational project Aprender a Brincar para a Brincar Aprender, at MAC/CCB, and curator of the exhibition Dos Pés à Cabeça, at the Berardo Collection Museum. She is responsible for designing and directing various educational activities at MAC/CCB, Berardo Collection Museum, Calouste Gulbenkian Foudation, National Museum of Contemporary Art - Chiado Museum, Casa da Cerca, Centro Cultural de Belém, Feira de Arte de Lisboa, among others.
She is co-author of the collection Modern and Contemporary Art - My First Collection. She has co-supervised master's dissertations in the field of Museum Education. She has a degree in Human Resources Management and Work Psychology. She has a postgraduate degree in Museums and Education from the University of Évora and a postgraduate degree in Painting from Faculty of Fine Arts-ULisboa. She attended a postgraduate course in Theatre Studies at the School of Arts and Humanities in Lisbon. She has trained in education and museums in London, Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome, Paris and Lisbon.