John Dewey

(October 1859 – June 1952)

The idea we found most interesting was that of “learning by doing” (or by ‘direct living’): learning Mathematics by using proportions in cooking breakfast, and Chemistry by investigating the natural processes involved; learning History by experiencing how people lived. It was important for him that the students participate in concrete activities with practical relevance to their lives, thus keeping them interested and motivated. What is experienced firsthand is more likely to be remembered and internalized. Although this method is interesting and useful for some learners, its limitations are obvious: the level of the knowledge cannot go far beyond basic operations or concepts outside of what is experienced.

Contributed by Cynthia Randerath and Maria Perez Armendariz - 1st year students

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori developed an interest in the treatment of children and for several years she worked, wrote and spoke on their behalf. She strongly supported the fact that children learn without knowing they are learning and in doing so pass from the unconscious to the conscious treading always in the paths of joy and love. She always believed that there was nothing impossible for children to learn it through experience.


At the present time we face different realities with each of the students. However, this does not mean that we should give up our efforts to make them understand that we only want to walk with them along the path of learning. So… let us never give up!

Contributed by Carlos Argota and Natalia López - 1st year students

Victor Mercante

This man introduced a new concept called paidologia, which involved studying the student when he was learning. This concept was described as “psychology without the brains”, that is to say “the psychology of the students’ abilities”. He believed that it was necessary to watch children and teens’ behaviour in the classroom so as to know how they learn and thus know how to teach them. He worked with important people such as Piaget, Fraud, Binet among others in a lab that enabled them to watch learners while working using their bodies as a learning source. He thought that the most important feature in pedagogy was to make students both understand and pay and keep attention instead of only transmitting knowledge to them.

Amadeo Jacques

French Educator and pioneer of science and culture.

His name is, for ever, linked to the history of the National School of Buenos Aires, where he worked as a teacher and head, and to culture in Buenos Aires and Tucumán.

Jacques was born in France in 1813. He studied at Borbon Liceum and the Teacher Training College in Paris, where he was attracted to Science. He taught in Amiens and Versailles, and at the age of 24 he became a Ph Doctor in Literature, with two thesis: one in Latin and another one in French. A short time later, he became a BA in Science at the University of Paris. He was forced, due to political reasons, to leave his teaching career in Paris and traveled to America.

He lived and worked in Paraná-Entre Rios, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero fostering culture in each city. Later, he moved to Tucumán where he was appointed Head of San Miguel School, his work there was revolutionary as regards systems and pedagogic methodologies. He also worked as a librarian in the school, when he increased the bibliographic collection considerably.

Some time later, he was appointed head of the School of Buenos Aires. In this position, he transformed teaching completely, introducing the new scientific ideas stemming from Europe, but adapted to our circumstances and environment. He also planned primary, secondary and university education on a “universalist” basis, which consisted in preparing students to “learn everything”. He believed that students should not be prepared for a certain university course or career, they should be prepared for any job or activity in life. Specialities should be based upon this general and complete education. This was his main legacy, and exerted an important influence on the organization and orientation of our secondary education.

The National School, under Jacques’s rule, became a model to be imitated by the other schools in the provinces. Together with other contemporary thinkers, like Juan María Gutierrez, he created a very important work Plan the Instrucción Publica, which exerted great influence on the educational plans at the end of the 20th century. He died on 13th October, 1865.

His figure was immortalized by Miguel Cané in his major work Juvenilia.