Seeing for the purpose of learning and doing among the Nahua in Northern Puebla, Mexico (Ver para saber y hacer entre los nahuas del norte de Puebla, México)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In Nahuatl-speaking villages located in the north of the state of Puebla, family and community educational practices adhere to the Learning by Observing and Pitching In to family and community endeavours model (LOPI). Attentive observation is encouraged as children’s principal method of learning. Co-presence is favoured by the adult educators as a means to facilitate repeated observations, to demonstrate examples of the behaviours desired during work and to reinforce the spirit of observation by offering advice and moral support during leisure or socialization time. These practices are supported by a coherent Nahua theory of human development — particularly with regard to the psychological — of knowledge and know-how, which systematizes understanding of parental experiences shared by the community members and provides guidance for educational actions.