"The educational system of FX Animation is based on the key concepts of the Harvard method." Susanna García, educational psychologist

Susanna García is the latest addition to FX ANIMATION Barcelona 3D & Film School and joins the school as a educational psychologist. She holds a degree in psychology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and has over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, in various psychology-related areas. This cheerful and talkative psychologist has spent three years as a psychology tutor at Harvard University, serving 500 students by providing them with educational-psychological advice, skills development, psychopathology screening, and coaching. Her profile aligns perfectly with the school, as García has specific training in working with young people and has completed a doctoral program in child and adolescent clinical psychology at the UAB, as well as a postgraduate program in child and adolescent psychoanalytic therapy at the Boston University of Social Work. What kind of groups have you served in this very international career? I have served a wide range of groups, from students in very privileged situations to others in more disadvantaged situations. As a tutor at Harvard, for example, I worked with students like Natalie Portman, Francisco José Ortiz von Bismarck, elite athletes, and descendants of some presidents. I have also dealt with students in very deprived situations, such as volunteering at Mother Teresa's schools/orphanages in Calcutta. In these contrasting contexts, the premise of my work has always been the same: to help each young person connect with their inner drive, strengths, and ideals, to support them in visualizing their dreams, outlining the path to achieve them, and ultimately bring out the best in themselves. What would be the key message for all of them? The key message is that, no matter your environment or situation, you always have within you the key to self-management and positive change, to developing your full potential in that environment and situation, no matter how challenging. What kind of teaching do you think the School promotes? The 21st-century school has revolutionized educational pedagogy with very positive elements: it has incorporated key concepts such as Positive Psychology, Multiple Intelligences, and Emotional Education. FX Animation's values are based on this vision of 21st-century pedagogy. Starting from a comprehensive and holistic view of the student, the school aims to help them develop all the necessary competencies for their future career. FX Animation not only provides top-level technical knowledge but also support and guidance for personal development and the enhancement of skills (communication, leadership, self-management, etc.), equally essential for professional success. Some key ingredients of the school are transformative creativity, passion for work, effort, rigor, and a drive for self-improvement; trust and the promotion of students' self-confidence and self-management. And it also applies the spiral method... Yes, it is about an integrative and meaningful learning: students simultaneously learn all subjects in a cross-cutting, connected, and practical manner, applying them from day one and progressively deepening their knowledge levels as they progress through their years of study. This spiral learning enhances student motivation and engagement from day one. The school's methodology also emphasizes learning by doing. Regarding the student body, what will be your role? From the educational psychology department of FX Animation, a holistic contribution is made to all students, designing workshops and seminars on complementary skills to technical training: social skills, communication skills, leadership skills, self-management skills, negotiation techniques, self-marketing, self-confidence, and self-awareness... Additionally, personalized attention is offered to those students who require it, whether initiated by the student, family, faculty, or head of studies. What tools do you think a good educational psychologist should have to efficiently handle tutoring with students and families? A good educational psychologist is someone who manages to bring out the best in each student and each teacher. The solutions that work are not those imposed from the outside, but those that come from within. Most of the time, the answer to your difficulties lies within you, waiting to be discovered. A good educational psychologist knows how to listen and ask the questions that lead the person to self-revelation, to gain self-confidence, to mobilize towards positive change to reach their full potential. What motivational techniques aimed at students will you develop at the school? Motivation stems from self-awareness. Only by knowing myself and being connected with my identity, values, and ideals can I articulate my daily functioning and visualize the future I want and the path to achieve it. Sometimes, young people lack an integrated view of themselves and their biography, their present, and their fantasy of the future. Helping them integrate these views mobilizes them towards positive change, committing to themselves and their future. Motivation also thrives on self-confidence. The school has already been organizing training and support seminars for job market integration, promoting self-awareness and self-confidence. We will continue to work and deepen in this sense. Do you plan to develop any learning enhancement projects? Promote the active involvement of the students from day one. Visualizing the student as co-responsible for their training and evolution, fully engaging them, is key in a training program where the teacher does not come to give a theoretical lecture and the student passively listens. In FX Animation, the student has to work every day at home to integrate the knowledge that the teacher explained today, only then will they be able to benefit from tomorrow's class. Furthermore, we recognize that academic and technical learning must be complemented with a more holistic personal development. The educational psychology department of FX Animation has already been doing an excellent job in this regard. Complementary workshops in soft skills development, training in social skills, assertive communication techniques, leadership, negotiation skills, job interview workshops...I intend to continue the excellent work that my predecessor team has been doing in the school's 10-year history. The Harvard method. Explain how it works and how it can be applied at FX ANIMATION? Harvard is one of the best universities in the world, contributing not only to generating knowledge but also to improving pedagogy and learning methodology. Two of its flagship products are the Case Method and Peer Learning. The Case Method as a learning technique originated in 1914, aiming for Law students to face real situations in learning the laws, make decisions, evaluate actions, formulate reasoned judgments, etc. Over the years, the Case Method expanded to other contexts, studies, etc., and has become a highly effective strategy for students to acquire diverse learnings and develop different skills thanks to their involvement in case resolution. It is a technique that favors discovery learning that encourages students to ask questions, formulate their own answers, and deduce principles from practical examples or experiences while requiring active participation. On the other hand, Peer Instruction is a pedagogy aimed at improving student learning and focuses on the transfer of information process on students rather than the teacher as dictated by the traditional method. Numerous universities worldwide already apply it in various fields. It aligns with the FX ANIMATION methodology... Yes, as the FX Animation learning methodology is based on the key concepts of the "Harvard method" that learning is more effective when students build or discover knowledge with the guidance or mediation of the instructor or educational agent, and when they have the opportunity to interact with each other. FX Animation's methodology promotes maximum student involvement. From this perspective, the school is committed to not separating the student (future professional) from the person they are, committed to supporting students from a multifaceted view of the individual. What do you enjoy most about your job? As a psychologist in general, I am passionate about contributing to integrating personal development, facilitating maturity, promoting growth, and supporting individuals in reaching their full potential. As an educational psychologist at FX, I appreciate the school's pedagogical vision and methodology, its spirit, the work environment, and the team of professionals. I feel very comfortable at FX. Why did you choose FX ANIMATION to pursue your profession? I was captivated by the school's spirit, its values. It is a modern, open, flexible, creative, transformative, fearless, cliché-free, unique, visionary school. It has managed to create a unique atmosphere. It is a very stimulating combination of demands and love for people.